New Mexico State Parks

[LERCA]

Why do I never seen anything about the NM State Parks on here? It’s only a $225. pass under 65.
 Everything is about Quartzite. I have heard it’s hard to get a space in New Mexico, is that the problem? Is that true? It’s the showers that appeal to me in a car. They look spotless in videos. I also love NM. Has anyone been long term in the park system and what was your opinion? 
Are summers doable or too hot? Because Bob mentions summering here.

 

[maki2]

You are not seeing mention of them at this time as they are not currently allowing camping in them by non residents of the state. You will have to keep an eye on current news bullitins to find out when that might change. But it has been that way for much of 2020 and is very likely to remain that way until the current health crisis abates. Keep an eye on t he news updates from the State of New Mexico.

 

[user 423]

Mr.Noodly did a review of the NM parks a while back. Search around the forum a little.

Parks located in the southern part of the state are at pretty high elevations so in winter it's pretty dang cold.

I spent some time in 2017 at the parks near Truth or Consequences. The average low for Jan. is 28 deg.

A couple of nights it got down into the teens.

 

[Random Painted Highway]

I couldn't locate any information on their park page that lists what's included with the pass. Does anyone know the particulars, duration of stay, hookups, etc.?

 

[user 423]

^
Check these 2 links:

http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/Camping.html

http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/FeesPermits.html

 

[Tony's Dream]

I was planning a trip into NM this spring (I live in Nebraska) and I read there is a 14 day quarantine which is ridiculous because you spend the entire time unable to visit anything. A sad part of the media and brochures is that they seldom tell the whole story about what is going on inside the park. They tell you its a great place to visit, they show wonderfully mastered pictures under the best conditions, and you NEVER hear about the occupancy rate. Just once can't they post a picture of reality showing everything over crowded? You pull up to any of the state parks, or national sites for that matter, and you find out there are 10,000 people in the park already.....all camping sites are full for a 50 mile radius, every area you want to visit is over crowded, and traffic is bumper to bumper.......making the whole visit a nightmare. You think I can go up on a Tuesday and it will be less crowed, right? It makes little difference what day you go during peak season. So you go in off season and you find all the stores and rest rooms are closed. You can make a reservation.......but who knows what the weather will be like in July 2025?? When you do get there in 2025, you have a campers 10 feet away and they are noisy drunk fests going on all around you......or wild kids running all over the place screaming. What fun.

 

[Random Painted Highway]

^
Check these 2 links:

http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/Camping.html

http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/FeesPermits.html

Thank you!  Looks like it's free for primitive and up to $8 for hookups.  14 day limit for most parks.

 

[highdesertranger]

New Mexico is very cold in the winter. much colder than Quartzsite and the Colorado River valley. highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

I couldn't locate any information on their park page that lists what's included with the pass.  Does anyone know the particulars, duration of stay, hookups, etc.?

The pass is for entry and non-hookup sites. Electrical is an additional $10/day. The last time I was at any of the parks the showers were still free.

 

[user 423]

Thank you!  Looks like it's free for primitive and up to $8 for hookups.  14 day limit for most parks.

When I was at Caballo SP in Dec-Jan I mostly did primitive down by the lake. Nearest neighbor was a 1/4 mile away.

Every 3 or 4 days I would go up to plug in and charge batteries and to use the showers.

Also some nights got very cold so I would spend $4 to use a small electric heater. What a deal.

 

[LERCA]

What’s it like the rest of the year? Besides winter. That’s what I’m looking for. Some place with nice showers, cleaner etc but reasonable temps. Or is it full of tourists the rest of the year?
Edit: I can handle AZ/CA in winter but I’m looking for the best place for Fall, Spring and Summer. The heat now makes me very sick. Has to do with some autoimmune conditions.

 

[bullfrog]

My general experience has been to look for primitive places with no cell phone or internet coverage if you want less company. Sleep in free areas and do day visits to parks to use showers, dump trash and visit attractions.

 

[user 423]

What’s it like the rest of the year? Besides winter. That’s what I’m looking for. Some place with nice showers, cleaner etc but reasonable temps. Or is it full of tourists the rest of the year?
Edit: I can handle AZ/CA in winter but I’m looking for the best place for Fall, Spring and Summer. The heat now makes me very sick. Has to do with some autoimmune conditions.

The NM SP website has a lot of info listing things like the elevation of each park which would give an idea of temps in the summer. Some of the parks are scant on shade and some can be very windy. I haven't spent time at any in the summer but wanted to check out Heron Lake and El Vado this past summer but they were closed. Some parks are either very popular or near metro areas and can be pretty crowded. It's a mixed bag since there are 35 parks spread all over the state.

Tripadvisor has reviews you can check for each park. I went by Sugarite Canyon SP last Oct. but didn't stay as it was pretty full:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...arite_Canyon_State_Park-Raton_New_Mexico.html

Here's one for Heron Lake:

https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/ShowU...Heron_Lake_State_Park-Alcalde_New_Mexico.html

 

[tx2sturgis]

What’s it like the rest of the year? Besides winter. That’s what I’m looking for. Some place with nice showers, cleaner etc but reasonable temps. Or is it full of tourists the rest of the year?
Edit: I can handle AZ/CA in winter but I’m looking for the best place for Fall, Spring and Summer. The heat now makes me very sick. Has to do with some autoimmune conditions.

IF and WHEN they open the state parks for us 'ferners' again, yes, you can find your 'comfort zone' in NM, all year long. The $225 for non-residents is a good deal. I made use of an ACP (Annual Camping Permit) as it's called, and got my money's worth. The ACP is actually a sticker placed on your vehicle (or vehicles).

The southern half of NM is generally tolerable, even in the winter, as long as  you are prepared for the occasional snow storm that blows thru, but then it warms back up nicely.

Northern NM has some wonderful parks and facilities (with showers!) that are reasonably comfortable for camping even in the heat of summer. If a park is not to your liking you can always migrate to the National Forest land nearby for a couple of weeks. There are some rules that apply, you have to spend some nights outside of the parks, but that is easy to do on BLM or forest land. Popular parks do fill up on long weekends in the summer, but off-season and mid week they tend to be less busy.

You could probably live year-round in NM by buying the ACP (when it becomes available again) and chasing 70 degrees as best you can.

 

[maki2]

New Mecico is being very cautious as only the large cities have much in the way of health care facilities such as ICU facilities and those cities are a very long drive away for many people. The death rate in the native American population is disproportionaly high compared with wealthier populations. A 14 day quarantine is the one best defense that they can do as is closing camping at state parks to non residets. Restricting contact by isolation including using quarantine is a viable solution for that particular population that does not have sufficient medical resources.

Hopefully things will improve by mid year but that is of course still unknown as to what and where camping will be available in the spring and summer of 2021.

 

[RVTravel]

Bob did a video on new mexico pass.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

The reason you don't hear too much about New Mexico is that once someone gets here, they don't want to spread the word. Kinda like that best camping spot you don't want to get ruined by too many people "discovering" it.

Cellphone service is nonexistent in many places. Medical care is mediocre in most areas. Shopping is sad.

But I was able to get my Covid vaccine walking into Walmart today.

Dont come here, it's awful!
Ted

 

[LERCA]

LOL my cousin moved there (NM) 30 years ago (small town and complained about the medical care) and my dad moved to Tucson 40 years ago. I know the only thing stopping people from discovering WNY and my particular little town is the snow. Although I read and have seen more people.
Don’t worry I get it. I don’t talk. I grew up in a place with apartments on the beach occupied by surfers, starving artists and airline personnel that got destroyed. So if I find a place I don’t post pics or tell people.

 

[WanderFree]

NM is so awesome and one of my favorite places in the country. I did not like AZ at all for wintering and after 2 wks drove back over to NM and spent the winter at Rockhound SP which is just above the border and it was still chilly much of the time but doesn't bother me. I was out there this summer and they have closed the parks weirdly enough to outsiders and they are still closed as far as I know. There is something weird in general with their political system I think as many of the towns that I formerly loved, like Raton, are all boarded up. We even found that fuel was difficult to find with the gas stations boarded up. So there must be many boondocking areas with the BLM but I've never done that there because the parks were so great. Only $14/night and then leave for a week or so every 21 days. I drove up to the Faywood Hot Springs which is their equivalent to OMG Hot Springs but really nice and inexpensive. They have a clothed area also. In the summer, Northern NM is really nice with many small state parks just below the CO border. Love that area and a comfortable climate.

 

[LERCA]

Gosh, makes me even more interested! There are lots of places in the West especially Northern Nevada, Colorado and Utah that you never hear about. Well, I think most people on here know a lot of them but few others do.
I’ve read about places in California on here that I was shocked anyone knew about.
But yes, my social media is only Instagram and it belongs to my dog. The prettiest Pocket Pit in America. And I never put her location. LOL.