New Mexico's Outdoor Attractions

Experience the great outdoors with Choice Hotels^®. Our New Mexico hotels are conveniently located near a number of picturesque gardens, stunning desert views, and astounding wildlife. Take a look at the scenery and landscapes that New Mexico offers.

In Northwest Region

Bluewater Lake State Park
28 miles W of Grants via I-40 and NM 412
Prewiit, NM   87045
505-876-2391

Did you come to New Mexico to view the state’s abundance of natural features? Well, now you can witness the natural state of the nation as never before at Bluewater Lake State Park, where a score of nature’s most fascinating flora and fauna await you, sprawling over some of the country’s most striking desert landscape. Bird-watching is a popular activity at the park, as is freshwater fishing and even fossil-hunting.

Bandera Center/Ice Caves
12000 Ice Caves Road
Grants, NM   87020
800-ICE-CAVE

Guests vacationing to New Mexico who want to see the beauty of the area’s rich geology will definitely want to make a stop at the Bandera Center/Ice Caves, where they’ll be treated to a stunning exposition on the inner-workings of our planet’s unique geology. Hike your way through the rim of an 800-foot-deep volcano whose cone exploded thousands of years ago. Underground, a 17-mile icy lava tube awaits your exploration.

Chaco Canyon National Historical Park
Recommended route to the park is from the north, via US 550 and County Road (CR) 7900, and CR 7950
Nageezi, NM  
505-786-7014

Explore both the history and the beauty of the deserts of New Mexico at Chaco Canyon National Historic Park, which combines nature and culture in a seamless display that will keep you intrigued for months if you allow it to. Chaco Canyon had a rich past serving as a major American Indian urban center, and the thousand-year-old remains you’ll find at the park serve as a main display set upon a backdrop of beautiful desert.

In Northeast Region

Capulin Volcano National Monument
Park entrance is on New Mexico Highway 325, 3 miles north of the town of Capulin at the junction of NM Hwy 325 and US Hwy 64/87
Capulin, NM  
505-278-2201

Want to witness some of the world’s most stunning geological history on your voyage through New Mexico? Well, be sure to stop at Capulin Volcano National Monument as you pass through the northeastern region of this glorious state. Witness firsthand the breathtaking views which surround the volcanic landscape, which is home to scores of wildlife and vegetation, including mule deer, turkey, and bears.

Clayton Lake State Park
141 Clayton Lake Road.
Clayton, NM   88415
505-374-8808

Guests vacationing to New Mexico and wanting to commune with the wilder side of this beautiful desert state will want to stop off at Clayton Lake State Park. Why? For one, the fishing upon the lake is some of the best in the country, and record-weighing fishes have been caught here. Another intriguing feature found on the park’s gorgeous sprawl are over 500 dinosaur footprints, which have been preserved and identified for the wonder of viewers.

Sugarite Canyon State Park
I-25 exit 452 at Raton, follow NM 72 east for 3.5 miles, and go north on NM 526 for about two miles to the visitor center
Raton, NM   87740
505-445-5607

This state park, which lies on the extreme edges of New Mexico, carries some of that extremity with it. Those wishing to take in the sumptuous scenery which comprises the New Mexico landscape will be delighted at the chance which is afforded them at this haven for natural preservation. See 12-million-year-old geological formations formed by volcanoes, or hike through the ruins of a coal mine.

In North Central Region

Bandelier National Monument
Off HWY 4
Los Alamos, NM  
505-672-3861 x517

Want to discover the rich and exciting cultural past of New Mexico? We’re not talking about the early days of settlers, we’re talking long before that, when the area was inhabited by the indigenous peoples of America. Traveling to Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico will afford you the exciting opportunity to see first-hand just how these people live, through in-terrain dwellings which were once occupied by the obscure ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians.

Hyde Memorial State Park
740 Hyde Park Road
Santa Fe, NM   87501
505-983-7175

At Hyde Memorial State Park, visitors will find a score of not only some of the state’s most beautiful scenery but also a score of native wildlife, which includes such docile animals as deer and squirrels and also the legendary coyote which have made the area so famous. Come here in the winter, when a thick snowfall provides tons of activities ranging from cross-country skiing to sledding and snowshoeing.

Eagle Nest Lake State Park
Off US 64
Eagle Nest, NM   87718
505-377-1594

One of the highest altitudes in the state of New Mexico can be found at Eagle Nest Lake State Park, whose heights span an impressive 8,300 feet in elevation, providing a cool retreat from the intense summer heat. Fishermen, boaters, and those who simply take delights in nature’s offerings are encouraged to visit the park, where a plethora of diverse flora and fauna create perfect opportunities for wildlife viewing.

In Central Region

Sierra Oscura Mountains
Socorro & Lincoln Counties
NM  

You’ll find the Sierra Oscura Mountains rising majestically up from the landscape of Socorro and Lincoln Counties, right in the heart of the beautifully landscaped desert state of New Mexico. Boasting peaks which surpass four miles in height, the area is known for its mountain wilderness and its majestic beauty. It’s also notable for being the first site to ever witness the explosion of an atomic bomb, on July 16, 1945.

Pecos National Historic Park
Twenty-five miles east of Santa Fe, off of Interstate 2
Pecos, NM   87552
505-757-6415 x1

Fans of desert landscapes will rejoice in the natural vistas and stunning beauty contained in the expanse that has come to be known as Pecos National Historic Park. Designated in 1980 as a National Historic Park, the sprawling views contained in the park are some of the most exquisite in the state of New Mexico. 12,000 years of history are also preserved in the park, from ancient pueblo civilizations on forward, and guests who want to learn more about that aspect will have a visitor’s center at their disposal.

Cibola National Forest
2113 Osuna Road NE
Albuquerque, NM   87113
505-346-3900

Guests traveling to New Mexico will find that the sprawling desert landscapes which grace this state’s surface in abundance tend to run on the dry and sandy side. And when they’re ready for a respite, they’ll want to head to Cibola National Forest, where mountain peaks line gorgeous wooded lands which sprawl for hundreds of miles, containing an interesting diversity of flora and fauna and a unique array of ecosystems.

In Southwest Region

Zuni Mountains
NM  

A stunning array of natural features graces the Zuni Mountains, whose breadth is 70 miles long and 30 miles wide. Some of those features are gorgeous wooded lands which stand in stark juxtaposition to the New Mexico desert landscape. Another curious feature is the extensive lava beds which lie in the south and southeast portions of the range.

Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park
Radium Springs, NM   88054
505-524-4068

A lot is happening at Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, and you won’t want to be left out on the action. Among those happenings are the parks induction in the state park system as New Mexico’s 34th state park; another is an informative visitor’s center which arrived in the park in December of 2005 and which informs guests of the peaceful trails and wooded wetlands which run throughout this natural expanse.

Caballo Lake State Park
Caballo, NM   87931
505-743-3942

Swim, ski, fish, Jet Ski, and more on the beautiful waters of Caballo Lake. At any time, the area can be found full of water enthusiasts who come for the lake’s placid waters and the gorgeous scenery which provides a graceful backdrop for a plethora of freshwater activities. Yuccas, century plants, ocotillos, cow tongues, and other botanic wonders grace the park with their foliage, and bald and golden eagles will be found migrating through the park in unparalleled flocks beginning in late October.

In Southeast Region

Bottomless Lakes State Park
From Roswell, head east on US 380 for 12 miles and then south on NM 409 for three miles
Roswell, NM   88201
505-624-6058

This was the first of the many nature reserves in New Mexico to have been actually set aside as a state park. As such, the park boasts a collection of 7 beautiful lakes which provide guests ample outdoors recreation activities such as fishing, boating, sailing, and wildlife viewing. Recreational opportunities don’t end there, however, and guests will want to don their hiking shoes for a day’s traversing the trails which wind through the park’s beautiful landscapes.

Oliver Lee Memorial State Park
409 Dog Canyon
Alamogordo, NM   88310
505-437-8284

A variety of beautiful plant and animal life is to be found at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, which boasts one of New Mexico’s most stunning natural backdrops. Featuring gorgeous mountain peaks, bubbling brooks, and mossy rocks, the park serves as a quiet respite for many New Mexicans, and vacationers are encouraged to take part in the secret beauty which awaits them at the park, which lies in an area settled in the late 1800’s.

Valley of Fires
2909 W. 2nd Avenue
Roswell, NM  
505-627-0272

One of the most unique displays of nature’s power awaits guests traveling to New Mexico at Valley of Fires, where a 2,000 year old lava flow stopped dead in its molten tracks, hardening into a beautiful black obsidian and drawing the attention of scientists and naturalists worldwide. The flow is approximately 5 miles wide and 160 feet deep at its thickest point, and guests who treat themselves to this geological wonder will be surprised by the variety of plant and animal life which has adapted to the rugged landscape of the hardened flow.

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