List of New Mexico state parks facts for kids
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New Mexico is a big state with lots of amazing places to explore! It has a special system of state parks and reserves. These parks are like nature's playgrounds, protecting beautiful lands and offering fun activities for everyone. The very first state park, Bottomless Lakes State Park, opened way back on November 18, 1933. Today, New Mexico has 35 fantastic state parks!
Did you know that about 70% of people living in New Mexico are within 40 miles (about 64 kilometers) of a state park? That means lots of people can easily visit them! In 2009, these parks welcomed 4.5 million visitors. The New Mexico State Parks Division manages all these wonderful places. Their main goal is to "protect and improve natural and cultural areas, provide great places for fun and learning, and keep visitors safe." They want to make sure everyone can enjoy and learn from these special spots.
Discover New Mexico's State Parks
New Mexico's state parks offer a huge variety of landscapes and activities. From sparkling lakes perfect for boating and fishing to ancient rock formations and historic sites, there's something for every adventurer. Each park has its own unique story and features.
This table lists all the state parks in New Mexico. You can see where they are, how big they are, their elevation, and when they were created. The "Remarks" section gives you a quick peek at what makes each park special!
| Park Name | County or Counties | Size | Elevation | Year Established |
What Makes it Special | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acres | ha | ft | m | ||||
| Bluewater Lake State Park | Cibola | 3,000 | 1,200 | 7,400 | 2,300 | 1937 | Surrounds a 1,200-acre (490 ha) lake in the Zuni Mountains. |
| Bottomless Lakes State Park | Chaves | 1,400 | 570 | 3,500 | 1,100 | 1933 | Features eight deep, greenish-blue sinkholes (cenotes) that look "bottomless." |
| Brantley Lake State Park | Eddy | 3,000 | 1,200 | 3,300 | 1,000 | 1989 | Home to New Mexico's southernmost lake, a 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) reservoir on the Pecos River. |
| Caballo Lake State Park | Sierra | 5,384 | 2,179 | 4,100 | 1,200 | 1964 | Surrounds Caballo Lake, a large 11,500-acre (4,700 ha) reservoir on the Rio Grande. |
| Cerrillos Hills State Park | Santa Fe | 1,116 | 452 | 2009 | Great for day trips, exploring 1,100 years of mining history. | ||
| Cimarron Canyon State Park | Colfax | 378 | 153 | 7,500 | 2,300 | 1979 | Shows off the beautiful canyon of the Cimarron River and cool rock formations. |
| City of Rocks State Park | Grant | 1,230 | 500 | 5,250 | 1,600 | 1953 | Features amazing rock formations shaped by wind and water, plus a public observatory. |
| Clayton Lake State Park | Union | 471 | 191 | 5,040 | 1,540 | 1965 | Has a 170-acre (69 ha) lake and a huge collection of dinosaur footprints! |
| Conchas Lake State Park | San Miguel | 359 | 145 | 4,200 | 1,300 | 1955 | Next to a large 16,400-acre (6,600 ha) reservoir on the Canadian River. |
| Coyote Creek State Park | Mora | 462 | 187 | 7,700 | 2,300 | 1969 | Known for having the most fish-stocked trout stream in New Mexico. |
| Eagle Nest Lake State Park | Colfax | 3,488 | 1,412 | 8,300 | 2,500 | 2004 | Offers access to a 2,400-acre (970 ha) lake in a beautiful mountain valley. |
| Elephant Butte Lake State Park | Sierra | 24,500 | 9,900 | 4,500 | 1,400 | 1964 | Surrounds Elephant Butte Reservoir, the state's biggest and most popular lake. |
| El Vado Lake State Park | Rio Arriba | 1,730 | 700 | 6,900 | 2,100 | 1961 | Gives access to a 3,200-acre (1,300 ha) lake, right next to Heron Lake State Park. |
| Fenton Lake State Park | Sandoval | 700 | 280 | 7,900 | 2,400 | 1984 | Has a 37-acre (15 ha) lake surrounded by tall ponderosa pine trees. |
| Heron Lake State Park | Rio Arriba | 4,100 | 1,700 | 7,200 | 2,200 | Provides access to a 5,900-acre (2,400 ha) lake where boats must go slow (no wake). It's next to El Vado Lake State Park. | |
| Hyde Memorial State Park | Santa Fe | 350 | 140 | 8,500 | 2,600 | 1938 | Offers outdoor fun close to the city of Santa Fe. |
| Leasburg Dam State Park | Doña Ana | 293 | 119 | 4,200 | 1,300 | 1971 | Features a calm part of the Rio Grande river below an old dam built in 1908. |
| Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park | Eddy | 1,500 | 610 | 3,200 | 980 | 1967 | A zoo and botanical garden in Carlsbad with animals and plants from the Chihuahuan Desert. |
| Manzano Mountains State Park | Torrance | 160 | 65 | 7,600 | 2,300 | 1973 | Protects a forested part of the Manzano Mountains. |
| Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park | Doña Ana | 305 | 123 | 3,900 | 1,200 | 2003 | Explores a riverside forest (called a bosque) along the Rio Grande and the nearby Chihuahuan Desert. |
| Morphy Lake State Park | Mora | 30 | 12 | 8,000 | 2,400 | 1965 | Protects a small, hidden lake in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. |
| Navajo Lake State Park | Rio Arriba and San Juan | 21,000 | 8,500 | 6,100 | 1,900 | 1995 | Made up of three sections around New Mexico's second-largest lake. |
| Oasis State Park | Roosevelt | 193 | 78 | 4,100 | 1,200 | 1961 | Features a fishing pond and sand dunes in the middle of the eastern plains. |
| Oliver Lee Memorial State Park | Otero | 640 | 260 | 4,363 | 1,330 | 1980 | Shows off a green canyon in the Sacramento Mountains and Oliver Lee's old ranch house from 1893. |
| Pancho Villa State Park | Luna | 60 | 24 | 4,060 | 1,240 | 1961 | Tells the story of the 1916 Battle of Columbus (when Pancho Villa raided U.S. soil) and the U.S. response. |
| Percha Dam State Park | Sierra | 80 | 32 | 4,100 | 1,200 | 1970 | Offers outdoor fun on a section of the Rio Grande river held back by a dam. |
| Rio Grande Nature Center State Park | Bernalillo | 38 | 15 | 5,000 | 1,500 | 1982 | Explores a riverside forest (bosque) along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. |
| Rockhound State Park | Luna | 1,100 | 450 | 4,500 | 1,400 | 1965 | A special place where you can collect rocks and minerals for fun in the Florida Mountains. |
| Santa Rosa Lake State Park | Guadalupe | 550 | 220 | 4,800 | 1,500 | Next to a 3,800-acre (1,500 ha) lake. | |
| Storrie Lake State Park | San Miguel | 80 | 32 | 6,600 | 2,000 | 1960 | Next to an 1,100-acre (450 ha) lake in the Zuni Mountains. |
| Sugarite Canyon State Park | Colfax | 3,600 | 1,500 | 6,950 | 2,120 | 1985 | Explores the remains of an old coal-mining town from the early 1900s. |
| Sumner Lake State Park | De Baca | 6,700 | 2,700 | 4,300 | 1,300 | 1966 | Next to a 4,500-acre (1,800 ha) lake on the Pecos River. |
| Ute Lake State Park | Quay | 1,500 | 610 | 3,900 | 1,200 | 1964 | Next to an 8,200-acre (3,300 ha) lake on the Canadian River. |
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park | Colfax | 8,500 | 2,600 | 2005 | Honors veterans of the Vietnam War. It's the country's oldest memorial of its kind (started in 1968) and the only one that is a whole state park. | ||
| Villanueva State Park | San Miguel | 1,600 | 650 | 5,600 | 1,700 | 1967 | Protects a beautiful red sandstone canyon along the Pecos River. |
See also
