3 New Mexico State Parks You Shouldn’t Overlook

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Wade Thiel

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Wade divides his time among various outdoor activities in both urban and rural environments. An adventurer by nature, he is always up for a challenging hike, fun hunt, or day out on the water with friends and family. When he isn’t enjoying the outdoors, he’s writing, reading, or tinkering with motorcycles and cars.

There are many amazing states out west, and one of them is New Mexico. This state is home to many national monuments and national parks and nature preserves, but it’s also home to some of the most breathtaking state parks in the whole country.

If you’re an RVer, then you have to spend at least a little time in this state. I suggest doing so in the fall or winter months, as the summers can be quite brutal. When you visit, make sure to hit at least one of these amazing state parks.

Elephant Butte Lake State Park

Kettle Top on a clear winter day at the lake.
Image from Getty

Elephant Butte Lake State Park is a fantastic place for camping, hiking, boating, fishing and more. The location is home to a large reservoir, miles of hiking trails, plenty of wildlife and many campsites to stay at. It’s a perfect place for an RVer to take a lakeside vacation.

Boating is popular and so is fishing. You can even take a guided fishing tour if you would like. This is a surefire way to catch some big fish. There are over 173 developed campsites at the campground in the park. This makes it a popular place to go, so you’ll want to try to make

Cerrillos Hills State Park

Cerrillos Hills State Park is another beautiful and unique place to take your RV for a camping trip. This state park is a day-use park that offers wonderful hiking, birdwatching, and horseback riding opportunities. It’s not as large as some other parks out there, but it’s a fantastic place to spend a day.

You can’t camp in the park, but there are campsites nearby. You can check out any number of campgrounds that are in or outside of the city of Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Skies RV Park is one of the closest.

City of Rocks State Park

City of Rocks State Park New Mexico
Image from Getty

As you might expect, the City of Rocks State Park is an area of land dominated by interesting rocky masses. These volcanic rock formations cover about one square mile of space. Some of the rock formations reach as high as 40 feet tall.

The park is an excellent place for hiking and taking photographs. Camping is allowed in the park, but campsites are limited, so think about calling ahead to make a reservation. There are also a few campsites that cannot be reserved so if you just show up you might get lucky. However, I recommend having a backup plan. There are other campgrounds nearby and if all else fails, you can go to Temperate Zone RV Park outside of the town of Deming.


What other New Mexico State Parks do you think should be on this list? Where have you traveled to in the state? Leave a comment below!

3 New Mexico State Parks You Shouldn't Overlook
  • Comment (3)
  • Mark Michaels says:

    Second the suggestion of Pancho Villa SP. A great place to spend time in winter.

  • George Ryan says:

    I am surprises that neither Rockhound State Park nor Pancho Villa State Park were mentioned in this article. The campground at Rockhound is perfect – at night there is nothing visible except stars. While most public places ask that you not deface the rocks and formations, this park absolutely endorses that you do. There have been some semi-precious stones that have come from there. The campground at Pancho Villa has the most unique landscaping between the sites – cactus and other desert flora dominate beautifully. And the nearby Pancho Villa museum, albeit small, does an excellent job of chronicling this event in American history.

  • Wade Thiel says:

    Awesome suggestions George! They definitely sound worth a visit!

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