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Visit New Mexico National Parks and State Parks

Get Out and Explore!

New Mexico is known for its beautiful weather and great outdoors. With more than a dozen national parks and monuments and 35 state parks, there are plenty of opportunities to explore the history and culture of New Mexico along with the incredible natural landscape. Albuquerque serves as the perfect central hub for visitors to stay at while traveling to national and state parks across the state.

National Parks and Monuments

  • Petroglyph National Monument: in Albuquerque
  • El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail: 60 miles from Albuquerque
  • Old Spanish National Historic Trail: 64 miles from Albuquerque
  • Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument: 64 miles from Albuquerque
  • Santa Fe National Historic Trail: 64 miles from Albuquerque
  • El Malpais National Monument: 77 miles from Albuquerque
  • Pecos National Historical Park: 83 miles from Albuquerque
  • Valles Caldera National Preserve: 83 miles from Albuquerque
  • Manhattan Project National Historical Park: 96 miles from Albuquerque
  • Bandelier National Monument: 107 miles from Albuquerque
  • El Morro National Monument: 120 miles from Albuquerque
  • Fort Union National Monument: 151 miles from Albuquerque
  • Chaco Culture National Historical Park: 159 miles from Albuquerque
  • Aztec Ruins National Monument: 180 miles from Albuquerque
  • Capulin Volcano National Monument: 258 miles from Albuquerque
  • Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument: 259 miles from Albuquerque
  • White Sands National Park: 224 miles from Albuquerque
  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park: 302 miles from Albuquerque
Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Hidden beneath the surface at Carlsbad Caverns National Park are more than 119 caves that formed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone, leaving behind caverns of all sizes. The limestone is from about 265 million years ago when it was part of a reef complex. Learn about the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite, and don't miss the hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats flying in and out of the caverns from April through October.

Distance from Albuquerque: 300 miles/about 4-hour 30-minute drive

White Sands National Park

White Sands National Park

At the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the most spectacular natural wonders in New Mexico. White Sands National Park has hundreds of square miles of wave-like duns of gypsum sand. It is the world's largest gypsum dunefield, and was formed thousands of years ago. White Sands is also home to the world's largest collection of Ice-Age fossilized footprints.

Distance from Albuquerque: 225 miles/about 3-hour 30-minute drive

Petroglyph National Monument

Petroglyph National Monument 2

Visit Petroglyph National Monument to view one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. There are more than 20,000 images carved into stone by Native Americans and Spanish settlers hundreds of years ago. A few of the petroglyphs date back as far as 2000 B.C. 

Distance from Albuquerque: Located on the Westside of Albuquerque

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

The massive buildings of the Ancestral Pueblo people from A.D. 850 to 1250 still stand at Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Explore with guided tours, hiking and biking trails and night sky programs. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are about 4,000 prehistoric and archaeological sites at Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Distance from Albuquerque: 155 miles/about 3-hour drive

Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument preserves the homes of the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here from about A.D. 1150 to 1550. They carved buildings out of the volcanic tuff. By 1550, a severe drought hit and the Ancestral Pueblo people moved to pueblos along the Rio Grande. 

Distance from Albuquerque: 100 miles/about 2-hour drive

State Parks

  • Rio Grande Nature Center State Park: in Albuquerque
  • Cerrillos Hills State Park: 50 miles from Albuquerque
  • Manzano Mountains State Park: 61 miles from Albuquerque
  • Hyde Memorial State Park: 71 miles from Albuquerque
  • Fenton Lake State Park: 77 miles from Albuquerque
  • Pecos Canyon State Park: 94 miles from Albuquerque
  • Villanueva State Park: 95 miles from Albuquerque
  • Bluewater Lake State Park: 102 miles from Albuquerque
  • Santa Rosa Lake State Park: 124 miles from Albuquerque
  • Storrie Lake State Park: 129 miles from Albuquerque
  • El Vado Lake State Park: 136 miles from Albuquerque
  • Elephant Butte Lake State Park: 146 miles from Albuquerque
  • Caballo Lake State Park: 161 miles from Albuquerque
  • Eagle Nest Lake State Park: 161 miles from Albuquerque
  • Sumner Lake State Park: 161 miles from Albuquerque
  • Conchas Lake State Park: 165 miles from Albuquerque
  • Heron Lake State Park: 167 miles from Albuquerque
  • Percha Dam State Park: 168 miles from Albuquerque
  • Coyote Creek State: 171 miles from Albuquerque
  • Morphy Lake State Park: 175 miles from Albuquerque
  • Ute Lake State Park: 196 miles from Albuquerque
  • Navajo Lake State Park: 200 miles from Albuquerque
  • Leasburg Dam State Park: 208 miles from Albuquerque
  • Bottomless Lake State Park: 217 miles from Albuquerque
  • Oliver Lee Memorial State Park: 224 miles from Albuquerque
  • Oasis State Park: 228 miles from Albuquerque
  • Cimarron Canyon State Park: 229 miles from Albuquerque
  • Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park: 233 miles from Albuquerque
  • Sugarite Canyon State Park: 234 miles from Albuquerque
  • Rockhound State Park: 259 miles from Albuquerque
  • City of Rocks State Park: 259 miles from Albuquerque
  • Pancho Villa State Park: 266 miles from Albuquerque
  • Brantley Lake State Park: 278 miles from Albuquerque
  • Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park: 280 miles from Albuquerque
  • Clayton Lake State Park and Dinosaur Trackways: 284 miles from Albuquerque
Rio Grande Nature Center State Park

MSS_ducks

The Rio Grande Nature Center State Park is located in Albuquerque along the Rio Grande. It has some of the best bird watching, with about 250 species including roadrunners and wood ducks. Explore a trail system along the river to spot wildlife from porcupines to Sandhill cranes.

Distance from Albuquerque: Located on the Westside of Albuquerque

Elephant Butte Lake State Park

Elephant Butte Lake State Park

Credit: New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department

Elephant Butte Lake State Park is the largest lake and the largest state park in New Mexico. Boating is a popular activity, along with camping and swimming. There are 15 miles of trails to hike around Elephant Butte Lake.

Distance from Albuquerque: 150 miles/about 2-hour drive

Navajo Lake State Park

Navajo Lake State Park

Credit: New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department

Navajo Lake State Park is the second-largest lake in the state. There are multiple campgrounds, two marinas and two boat docks. Explore the San Juan River as well, where there is world-class fly-fishing.

Distance from Albuquerque: 200 miles/about 3-hour drive

Bluewater Lake State Park

Bluewater Lake State Park

Credit: New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department

Take in the view of the Zuni Mountains from Bluewater Lake State Park. Piñon and juniper trees surround the lake. Enjoy hiking, birding, horseback riding and fishing, including some of the best tiger muskie fishing. Stay overnight at one of the 149 developed campsites in the area.

Distance from Albuquerque: 100 miles/about 1-hour 30-minute drive

Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park

Living Desert State Park

Credit: New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department

Discover plants and animals at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. There are more than 40 species of animals and hundreds of plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert. Living Desert also has picnic areas and hiking, including a walking trail through the park and a nature trail adjacent to the park.

Distance from Albuquerque: 280 miles/about 4-hour drive