New Mexico

New Mexico is most notably known for its role in the Mexican-American War. This has led to its name in-addition to the Hispanic culture that is still present today. The state includes historic sites honoring Veterans, parks with star gazing, along with multiple places to camp and fish year round.  New Mexico has 35 diverse state parks, including lakes, mountain forests, canyons, desert attractions, informative historical sites, along with dinosaur tracks.

The state offers a host of attractions that include space observatories, nature centers, local events, along with state parks and lakes.  These areas provide enthusiasts with outdoor education, informative nature programs, and outdoor activities year round.

Tourists who wish to learn more about New Mexico and it’s vacation opportunities at each park can visit the New Mexico State Parks Division Site.

• Bluewater Lake State Park – Cibola, NM
• Bluewater Lake has Rolling hills studded with pinion and juniper trees encircle the lake, which is stocked with trout and catfish. Bluewater Lake State Park is popular for boating and year-round fishing.
• Bottomless Lakes State Park – Chaves, NM
• Bottomless Lakes are water filled sinkholes in the local gypsum terrain. Odd geology and water chemistry create homes for unusual plants and animals, like the Pecos sunflower.  The area includes camping, fishing, boating, trails, and a visitors center.
• Brantley Lake State Park – Eddy, NM
• Brantley Lake is the southernmost lake in New Mexico, offering water sports and year-round camping to visitors.  Anglers can catch a variety of warm water fish such as largemouth bass, walleye, channel catfish, white bass, bluegill and crappie.
• Caballo Lake State Park – Sierra, NM
• Caballo Lake has boating, sailing, swimming, water skiing, fishing and windsurfing are some of the wet and wild activities available at the Park.  Lake and river provide anglers with the opportunity to catch a variety of fish including catfish, largemouth bass, walleye, white bass, crappie, bluegill, northern pike and sunfish.
• Cerrillos Hills State Park – Sante Fe, NM
• Cerrillos Hills is a year-round, day-use park located off the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. You will cross paths with over 1,100 years of mining history here along the five miles of trails and enjoy spectacular views of the Sandias, Ortiz, Jemez, and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. The park has 5 miles of trail among rolling juniper and pinon hills that are accessible year-round for hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers.
• Cimarron Canyon State Park – Colfax, NM
• Cimarron Canyon can fish eight miles of premier brown trout waters for stocked browns or rainbows. Smaller trout and solitude can be found in the Cimarron River's tributaries --Clear Creek and Tolby Creek.  The area provides camping, fishing, trails, and nature viewing.
• City of Rocks State Park – Grant, NM
• City of Rocks is famous for its clear night skies and New Mexico State Parks established its first astronomical observatory at City of Rocks State Park.  Rock formations like those at the City of Rocks State Park exist in only six other places in the world. Imaginative visitors may see the rock formations as a small city with houses, chimneys, courtyards and streets.  The area provides camping, star gazing, geology exploration, and wildlife viewing.
• Clayton Lake State Park – Union, NM
• Clayton Lake offers outstanding fishing.  Along the spillway, more than 500 dinosaur footprints have been preserved and identified.  The area provides camping, fishing, sailing, and wildlife viewing.
• Conchas Lake State Park – San Miguel, NM
• Conchas Lake is one of the state's largest lakes includes 60 miles of varied shoreline, secluded coves, canyons, and sandy beaches. Ancient rock formations date back to the Age of Dinosaurs.  Conchas Lake State Park offers a wide variety of water sport activities including boating, fishing and water-skiing at this refreshing, 25-mile long reservoir.
• Coyote Creek State Park – Mora, NM
• Coyote Creek has the most densely stocked waters in New Mexico. Trout are abundant and provide excellent fishing for children of all ages. In addition, the park offers 1.5 miles of hiking trails through a forest of ponderosa pines. 
• Eagle Nest Lake State Park – Colfax, NM
• Eagle Nest offers a cool retreat from the summer heat for fisherman, boaters, campers and wildlife enthusiasts. The new campground offers 19 dry sites with a vault toilet and community water available.  A new state of the art green visitor center features exhibits, a classroom, and expansive patio overlooking the lake.
• Elephant Butte Lake State Park – Sierra, NM
• Elephant Butte is the largest and most popular lake in New Mexico, Elephant Butte Lake provides camping, boating, water skiing, swimming, fishing, hiking and bird watching. Southern New Mexico’s mild climate makes this park a popular year-round destination.
• El Vado Lake State Park – Rio Arriba
• El Vado Lake offers fishing, boating, water-skiing and cross-country skiing. A 5.5-mile scenic trail along the Rio Chama connects El Vado with nearby Heron Lake. The lake and surrounding area are a major wintering ground for bald eagles and other birds including red-tail hawks, water ouzels, and ospreys.
• Fenton Lake State Park – Sandoval, NM
• Fenton Lake is a year-round retreat surrounded by a beautiful ponderosa pine forest, Fenton Lake State Park features a cross-country ski and biathlon trail and wheelchair-accessible fishing platforms.
• Heron Lake State Park – Rio Arriba, NM
• Heron Lake is ideal for sailing and windsurfing, as well as fishing for record-size trout. Ice fishing is popular in winter for the arctic set.  Several scenic campgrounds line the shore of this lake.  This beautiful park is known for its excellent sailing, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, cross-country skiing, and hiking.
• Hyde Memorial State Park – Santa Fe, NM
• Hyde Memorial is vegetated with dense stands of evergreens, as well as aspen and shrubs. As a natural refuge for wildlife, the park provides the opportunity for the quiet and cautious visitors to view deer, raccoon, fox, coyote, squirrels, porcupine, and numerous species of butterflies and birds.  Hike to a waterfall, along the Little Tesuque Creek, or make the 3-mile loop on the Circle Trail.
• Leasburg Dam State Park – Dona Ana, NM
• Leasburg Dam provides peace and relaxation, beautiful cactus gardens, several trails and opportunities for fishing and canoeing in the Rio Grande.  The park has attractive picnic and camping facilities on the Rio Grande, hiking trails, a modern restroom with showers, a new playground for the young at heart, a new campfire circle for evening programs, and a new visitor center with exhibits.
• Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park – Eddy, NM
• Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is an indoor/outdoor living museum displaying more than 40 native animal species and hundreds of succulent plants from around the world.  While on the 1.3 mile self-guided tour, visitors discover many faces of the Chihuahuan Desert, from sand dunes and pygmy forest to the desert floor.
• Manzano Mountains State Park – Torrance, NM
• Manzano Mountains is an excellent place for fishing, bird watching, photography, hiking and cross-country skiing.  During the winter months, Manzano Mountain State Park offers the outdoor enthusiast exhilarating opportunities for snow shoeing and cross country skiing.
• Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park – Dona Ana, NM
• Mesilla Valley is a day-use park that offers a variety of opportunities for walkers and wildlife watchers to enjoy the outdoors.  The park is a refuge for wildlife and a haven for people seeing the quiet enjoyment of nature.
• Morphy Lake State Park – Mora, NM
• Morphy Lake is stocked with trout and is a great place to launch a canoe or kayak, while a hiking trail around the lake provides access for anglers.  The area provides camping, boating, fishing, and wildlife viewing.
• Navajo Lake State Park – Rio Arriba and San Juan, NM
• Navajo Lake includes a visitor center with interpretive exhibits, developed campgrounds, picnic area, boat ramp, and a full service marina.  Sims Mesa is across the lake, accessible by NM 527, and includes a visitor center with interpretive exhibits, developed campgrounds, boat ramp, and a full service marina.  The San Juan River Recreation Area below the dam is a world renowned trout fishery and includes wheelchair-accessible fishing facilities at Texas Hole Day Use Area, Cottonwood Campground, two boat launches, seven day use areas and hiking trails along the river.
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• Oasis State Park – Roosevelt, NM
• Oasis State is set among cottonwood trees and shifting sand dunes.  Points of interest include a small fishing lake and prairie trails.
• Oliver Lee Memorial State Park – Otero, NM
• Oliver Lee had a colorful career in New Mexico history.  Experience life of late 19th-century settlers at Lee's ranch headquarters, now restored and authentically furnished.  The ranch house is open to the public by guided tour only.
• Pancho Villa State Park – Luna, NM
• Pancho Villa is located on the grounds of former Camp Furlong from where Gen. John J. “Black Jack” Pershing launched 10,000 troops on an 11-month, 500-mile pursuit of Villa into Mexico. The Exhibit Hall tells the story that begins with the 1910 Mexican Revolution and ends with Pershing’s command of the Allied Forces when the U.S. entered World War I.
• Percha Dam State Park – Sierra, NM
• Percha Dam is one of the five top birding sites in New Mexico; Percha Dam State Park is particularly good for viewing during spring and autumn migration seasons.  The park provides excellent fishing and bird watching along the river.
• Rio Grande Nature Center State Park – Bernalillo, NM
• Rio Grande Nature Center offers excellent bird watching throughout the year.  The park offers regular nature walks, bird walks and twilight hikes as well as teacher workshops, seasonal classes and special events for all ages. Bosque trails, gardens, wildlife viewing blinds and hands-on exhibits are available to visitors who would like to explore on their own.
• Rockhound State Park – Luna, NM
• Rockhound Park consists of the main park and the Spring Canyon Recreation Area. The main park includes a 30-site campground, hiking trails and a visitor center on the west slopes of the Little Florida Mountains. The Spring Canyon Recreation Area is a day-use area located across the valley in the foothills of the Florida Mountains and includes picnic sites and hiking trails.
• Santa Rosa Lake State Park – Guadalupe, NM
• Santa Rosa Lake offers a variety of water recreation. Anglers are known to catch bass, catfish and walleye. Corps of Engineers visitor center has displays about area history, creation of the dam and natural history. Hiking trails wind through the wild areas around the lake.
• Storrie Lake State Park – San Miguel, NM
• Storrie Lake is open for fishing year-round. Storrie Lake boasts consistent winds that provide excellent conditions for sailing and windsurfing. Bird watching is a must in order to view the geese and ducks that flock to the lake during seasonal migrations. Follow walking-trails through sagebrush-covered landscape spotted with cactus, yucca and wildflowers.
• Sugarite Canyon State Park – Colfax, NM
• Sugarite Canyon is an extended cliff of basaltic rock columns, often referred to as "caprock," is the dominant geologic feature at the park. About 12 million years ago, broad sheets of molten lava erupted from a nearby volcano, forming layers of basalt rock 10 - 100 feet thick. Rock climbing is allowed on the caprock.
• Sumner Lake State Park – De Baca, NM
• Sumner Lake is base camp for exploring 19th-century history.  Nearby attractions include two museums, the Bosque Redondo Memorial and Fort Sumner State Monument - a Civil War era outpost which was the destination of "The Historical Long Walk."  Also nearby is the grave site of notorious outlaw Billy the Kid.
• Ute Lake State Park – Quay, NM
• Ute Lake offers some of the best walleye fishing in New Mexico. Anglers can also try their luck for bass, crappie, and catfish.  Round-the-clock fishing is available every day of the year for angler fanatics. The lake has produced several state-record game fish.
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park – Colfax, NM
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial provides veterans, and those who honor them, a refuge in which to reflect and heal. A representative from the Department of Veterans Services is present to offer assistance to veterans who require or request it. The 8,000 square foot visitor center and museum houses exhibits, videos and memorabilia.
• Villanueva State Park – San Miguel, NM
• Villanueva Park’s adobe-style picnic shelters were designed and grouped to resemble a Spanish hamlet, similar to those that existed in the area in earlier times. A footbridge gives hikers access to trails leading along the river and up to a cliff-top with panorama views.