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. New Mexico currently has 35 state parks. It has been calculated that 70% of the state's population lives within of a New Mexico state park. The system as a whole saw 4.5 million visitors in 2009. 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."
NameCountySizeAll data come from respective New Mexico State Parks Division webpage unless otherwise noted.ElevationEstab-lishedAll data come from respective state park management plans unless otherwise noted.ImageRemarksacreshaftm Bluewater Lake State Park Cibola 1937 Encircles a reservoir in the Zuni Mountains. Bottomless Lakes State Park Chaves 1933 Encompasses eight cenotes whose greenish-blue water disguises their true depth. Brantley Lake State Park Eddy 1989 Features New Mexico's southernmost lake, a reservoir on the Pecos River. Caballo Lake State Park Sierra 1964 Surrounds Caballo Lake, a reservoir on the Rio Grande. Cerrillos Hills State Park Santa Fe 2009 Provides day-use recreation amidst 1,100 years of mining history. Cimarron Canyon State Park Colfax 1979 Showcases the canyon of the Cimarron River and the Palisades Sill formation. City of Rocks State Park Grant 1953 Features rock formations eroded out of 35-million-year-old volcanic ash, and a public observatory. Clayton Lake State Park Union 1965 Features a reservoir and an extensive fossil trackway of dinosaur footprints. Conchas Lake State Park San Miguel 1955 Adjoins a reservoir on the Canadian River. Coyote Creek State Park Mora 1969 Boasts the most densely stocked trout stream in New Mexico. Eagle Nest Lake State Park Colfax 2004 Provides access to a reservoir in a scenic mountain valley. Elephant Butte Lake State Park Sierra 1964 Surrounds Elephant Butte Reservoir, the state's largest and most popular reservoir. El Vado Lake State Park Rio Arriba 1961 Provides access to a reservoir adjacent to Heron Lake State Park. Fenton Lake State Park Sandoval 1984 Encompasses a reservoir surrounded by ponderosa pine forest. Heron Lake State Park Rio Arriba Provides access to a no-wake reservoir adjacent to El Vado Lake State Park. Hyde Memorial State Park Santa Fe 1938 Provides outdoor recreation amenities near Santa Fe. Leasburg Dam State Park Doña Ana 1971 Features a quiet stretch of the Rio Grande below a 1908 diversion dam. Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park Eddy 1967 Comprises a zoo and botanical garden of wildlife native to the Chihuahuan Desert in the city of Carlsbad. Manzano Mountains State Park Torrance 1973 Protects part of the forested foothills of the Manzano Mountains. Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park Doña Ana 2003 Interprets a bosque on the Rio Grande and adjacent Chihuahuan Desert. Morphy Lake State Park Mora 1965 Preserves a small, secluded lake in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Navajo Lake State Park Rio Arriba and San Juan 1995 Comprises three units on New Mexico's second-largest reservoir. Oasis State Park Roosevelt 1961 Features a fishing pond and sand dunes amidst the east-central plains. Oliver Lee Memorial State Park Otero 1980 Showcases a verdant canyon in the Sacramento Mountains and Oliver Lee's restored 1893 ranch house. Pancho Villa State Park Luna 1961 Interprets the 1916 Battle of Columbus (Pancho Villa's raid onto U.S. soil) and the retaliatory Pancho Villa Expedition. Pecos Canyon State Park San Miguel 2019 Comprises three non-contiguous parcels north of the Village of Pecos. Percha Dam State Park Sierra 1970 Provides outdoor recreation on an impounded section of the Rio Grande. Rio Grande Nature Center State Park Bernalillo 1982 Interprets a bosque on the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. Rockhound State Park Luna 1965 Allows mineral collecting for amateur geology in the Florida Mountains. Santa Rosa Lake State Park Guadalupe Adjoins a reservoir. Storrie Lake State Park San Miguel 1960 Adjoins a reservoir in the Zuni Mountains. Sugarite Canyon State Park Colfax 1985 Interprets the ruins of a historic early-20th-century coal-mining camp. Sumner Lake State Park De Baca 1966 Adjoins a reservoir on the Pecos River. Ute Lake State Park Quay 1964 Adjoins an reservoir on the Canadian River. Villanueva State Park San Miguel 1967 Preserves a red sandstone canyon on the Pecos River.
See also List of national parks of the United States
References
External links New Mexico State Parks Division