List of New Mexico state parks

This is a list of state parks and reserves in the New Mexico state park system. The system began with the establishment of Bottomless Lakes State Park on November 18, 1933.[1] New Mexico currently has 35 state parks. It has been calculated that 70% of the state's population lives within 40 miles (64 km) of a New Mexico state park.[2] The system as a whole saw 4.5 million visitors in 2009.[2] The parks are managed by the New Mexico State Parks Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. The mission of the State Parks Division is to "protect and enhance natural and cultural resources, provide first-class recreational and education facilities and opportunities, and promote public safety to benefit and enrich the lives of visitors."[3]

Park name County or Counties Size[4] Elevation[4] Year
Established[5]		 Remarks
acres ha ft m
Bluewater Lake State ParkCibola3,000 1,2007,400 2,3001937Encircles a 1,200-acre (490 ha) reservoir in the Zuni Mountains.[6]
Bottomless Lakes State ParkChaves1,400 5703,500 1,1001933Encompasses eight cenotes whose greenish-blue water disguises their true depth.[7]
Brantley Lake State ParkEddy3,000 1,2003,300 1,0001989Features New Mexico's southernmost lake, a 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) reservoir on the Pecos River.[8]
Caballo Lake State ParkSierra5,384 2,1794,100 1,2001964Surrounds Caballo Lake, a 11,500-acre (4,700 ha) reservoir on the Rio Grande.[9]
Cerrillos Hills State ParkSanta Fe1,116 4522009Provides day-use recreation amidst 1,100 years of mining history.[10]
Cimarron Canyon State ParkColfax378 1537,500 2,3001979Showcases the canyon of the Cimarron River and the Palisades Sill formation.[11]
City of Rocks State ParkGrant1,230 5005,250 1,6001953Features rock formations eroded out of 35-million-year-old volcanic ash, and a public observatory.[12]
Clayton Lake State ParkUnion471 1915,040 1,5401965Features a 170-acre (69 ha) reservoir and an extensive fossil trackway of dinosaur footprints.[13]
Conchas Lake State ParkSan Miguel359 145[14]4,200 1,3001955Adjoins a 16,400-acre (6,600 ha) reservoir on the Canadian River.[15]
Coyote Creek State ParkMora462 1877,700 2,3001969Boasts the most densely stocked trout stream in New Mexico.[16]
Eagle Nest Lake State ParkColfax3,488 1,4128,300 2,5002004Provides access to a 2,400-acre (970 ha) reservoir in a scenic mountain valley.[17]
Elephant Butte Lake State ParkSierra24,500 9,9004,500 1,4001964Surrounds Elephant Butte Reservoir, the state's largest and most popular reservoir.[18]
El Vado Lake State ParkRio Arriba1,730 7006,900 2,1001961Provides access to a 3,200-acre (1,300 ha) reservoir adjacent to Heron Lake State Park.[19]
Fenton Lake State ParkSandoval700 2807,900 2,4001984Encompasses a 37-acre (15 ha) reservoir surrounded by ponderosa pine forest.[20]
Heron Lake State ParkRio Arriba4,100 1,7007,200 2,200Provides access to a 5,900-acre (2,400 ha) no-wake reservoir adjacent to El Vado Lake State Park.[21]
Hyde Memorial State ParkSanta Fe350 1408,500 2,6001938Provides outdoor recreation amenities near Santa Fe.[22]
Leasburg Dam State ParkDoña Ana293 1194,200 1,3001971Features a quiet stretch of the Rio Grande below a 1908 diversion dam.[23]
Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State ParkEddy1,500 6103,200 9801967Comprises a zoo and botanical garden of wildlife native to the Chihuahuan Desert in the city of Carlsbad.[24]
Manzano Mountains State ParkTorrance160 657,600 2,3001973Protects part of the forested foothills of the Manzano Mountains.[25]
Mesilla Valley Bosque State ParkDoña Ana305 1233,900 1,2002003Interprets a bosque on the Rio Grande and adjacent Chihuahuan Desert.[26]
Morphy Lake State ParkMora30 128,000 2,4001965Preserves a small, secluded lake in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.[27]
Navajo Lake State ParkRio Arriba and San Juan21,000 8,5006,100 1,9001995Comprises three units on New Mexico's second-largest reservoir.[28]
Oasis State ParkRoosevelt193 784,100 1,2001961Features a fishing pond and sand dunes amidst the east-central plains.[29]
Oliver Lee Memorial State ParkOtero640 2604,363 1,3301980Showcases a verdant canyon in the Sacramento Mountains and Oliver Lee's restored 1893 ranch house.[30]
Pancho Villa State ParkLuna60 244,060 1,2401961Interprets the 1916 Battle of Columbus (Pancho Villa's raid onto U.S. soil) and the retaliatory Pancho Villa Expedition.[31]
Percha Dam State ParkSierra80 324,100 1,2001970Provides outdoor recreation on an impounded section of the Rio Grande.[32]
Rio Grande Nature Center State ParkBernalillo38 155,000 1,5001982Interprets a bosque on the Rio Grande in Albuquerque.[33]
Rockhound State ParkLuna1,100 4504,500 1,4001965Allows mineral collecting for amateur geology in the Florida Mountains.[34]
Santa Rosa Lake State ParkGuadalupe550 2204,800 1,500Adjoins a 3,800-acre (1,500 ha) reservoir.[35]
Storrie Lake State ParkSan Miguel80 326,600 2,0001960Adjoins a 1,100-acre (450 ha) reservoir in the Zuni Mountains.[36]
Sugarite Canyon State ParkColfax3,600 1,5006,950 2,1201985Interprets the ruins of a historic early-20th-century coal-mining camp.[37]
Sumner Lake State ParkDe Baca6,700 2,7004,300 1,3001966Adjoins a 4,500-acre (1,800 ha) reservoir on the Pecos River.[38]
Ute Lake State ParkQuay1,500 6103,900 1,2001964Adjoins an 8,200-acre (3,300 ha) reservoir on the Canadian River.[39]
Vietnam Veterans Memorial State ParkColfax8,500 2,6002005Honors the veterans of the Vietnam War, the country's oldest such memorial (established 1968) and the only one comprising a whole state park.[40]
Villanueva State ParkSan Miguel1,600 6505,600 1,7001967Preserves a red sandstone canyon on the Pecos River.[41]
Map of State Parks of New Mexico
Hold cursor over locations to display park name;
click to go to park article.

See also
  • List of National Parks of the United States

References
  1. "Bottomless Lakes State Park Management and Development Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  2. New Mexico State Parks Division. "New Mexico State Parks". Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  3. New Mexico State Parks Division: Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department (2010). "Cimarron Canyon State Park Management Plan 2010" (PDF). New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-08.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. All data come from respective New Mexico State Parks Division webpage unless otherwise noted.
  5. All data come from respective state park management plans unless otherwise noted.
  6. "Bluewater Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  7. New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources. "NMBGMR Geologic Tour: Bottomless Lakes State Park".
  8. "Brantley Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  9. "Caballo Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  10. "Cerrillos Hills State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  11. "Cimarron Canyon State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  12. "City of Rocks State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  13. "Clayton Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  14. "Conchas Lake State Park Management Plan 2010" (PDF). New Mexico State Parks Division - Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. 2010.
  15. "Conchas Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  16. "Coyote Creek State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  17. "Eagle Nest Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  18. "Elephant Butte Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  19. "El Vado Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  20. "Fenton Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  21. "Heron Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  22. "Hyde Memorial State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  23. "Leasburg Dam State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  24. "Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  25. "Manzano Mountains State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  26. "Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  27. "Morphy Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  28. "Navajo Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  29. "Oasis State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  30. "Oliver Lee Memorial State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  31. "Pancho Villa State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  32. "Percha Dam State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  33. "Rio Grande Nature Center State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  34. "Rockhound State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  35. "Santa Rosa Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  36. "Storrie Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  37. "Sugarite Canyon State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  38. "Sumner Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  39. "Ute Lake State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  40. "Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  41. "Villanueva State Park". New Mexico State Parks. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
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