Natural Features, New Mexico
55 locations. View on the interactive map
- Aguirre Spring Recreation Area — Natural · Doña Ana County, NM
BLM campground and day-use area on the east flank of the Organ Mountains within Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument. Needle-like rhyolite spires r…
- Armijo Canyon Trailhead — Natural · Cibola County, NM
BLM trailhead on the southern Cebolla Wilderness boundary in El Malpais National Conservation Area, accessing sandstone canyon country, piñon-juniper, and wi…
- Blue Hole (Santa Rosa) — Natural · Guadalupe County, NM
Crystal-clear artesian sinkhole pool in Santa Rosa on the historic Route 66 corridor—roughly 80 ft deep with constant ~62°F water and strong inflow that keep…
- Bluewater Lake State Park — Natural · Cibola County, NM
High-country reservoir state park southwest of Prewitt (I-40 Exit 63) in piñon-juniper country between Grants and Gallup. Boating, cold-water fishing, campin…
- Bottomless Lakes State Park — Natural · Chaves County, NM
New Mexico’s first state park (1933): a string of deep sinkhole lakes along a gypsum/karst escarpment southeast of Roswell. Lea Lake offers swimming and non-…
- Brantley Lake State Park — Natural · Eddy County, NM
New Mexico State Park on the Pecos River reservoir north of Carlsbad, opened in 1989 after Brantley Dam replaced older McMillan storage. Rolling southeastern…
- Caballo Lake State Park — Natural · Sierra County, NM
Chihuahuan Desert reservoir on the Rio Grande about 16 miles south of Truth or Consequences, formed by Caballo Dam in the 1930s. New Mexico State Parks manag…
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park — Natural · Eddy County, NM
World-famous limestone cave system in the Guadalupe Mountains of the Chihuahuan Desert. Self-guided Big Room and Natural Entrance trails, ranger programs, an…
- Catwalk National Recreation Trail — Natural · Catron County, NM
Steel catwalks and bridges suspended above Whitewater Creek in a narrow canyon of the Gila National Forest near Glenwood. Originally built for an 1890s minin…
- Cedro Peak — Natural · Bernalillo County, NM
Manzanita Mountains recreation hub on Cibola National Forest south of I-40 and Tijeras—piñon-juniper ridges with a historic fire lookout summit and 80+ miles…
- Cimarron Canyon State Park — Natural · Colfax County, NM
Narrow, forested canyon where the Cimarron River cuts between volcanic Palisades walls along US 64 on the Enchanted Circle. Fly-fishing, camping, and short w…
- City of Rocks State Park — Natural · Grant County, NM
One-square-mile field of sculpted volcanic tuff towers rising from Chihuahuan Desert scrub between Deming and Silver City—camp among the ‘streets,’ hike, sta…
- Coal Mine Campground (Mount Taylor) — Natural · Cibola County, NM
USFS Cibola National Forest developed campground and picnic area in Lobo Canyon on the north side of Mount Taylor (Tsoodził), a forested high-country natural…
- Conchas Lake State Park — Natural · San Miguel County, NM
High-plains reservoir on the Canadian River in northeastern New Mexico, created by Conchas Dam. The state park offers boat ramps, campgrounds, and open deser…
- Coyote Creek State Park — Natural · Mora County, NM
Mountain creek park in the Sangre de Cristo foothills north of Mora along NM-434. Meadows, ponderosa, a stocked creek, fishing, and camping in a quieter nort…
- Dripping Springs Natural Area — Natural · Doña Ana County, NM
BLM day-use area on the west flank of the Organ Mountains (Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument) with several miles of easy desert trails through s…
- Eagle Nest Lake State Park — Natural · Colfax County, NM
High-alpine (≈8,300 ft) New Mexico State Park on a 2,400-acre reservoir in a glacial valley beneath the Wheeler Peak massif, outside the village of Eagle Nes…
- Echo Amphitheater — Natural · Rio Arriba County, NM
Natural sandstone amphitheater in Carson National Forest along US-84 north of Abiquiu — a deep curved alcove famous for multi-second echoes, short interpreti…
- Elephant Butte Lake State Park — Natural · Sierra County, NM
New Mexico’s largest reservoir state park on the Rio Grande, created by the 1916 Bureau of Reclamation Elephant Butte Dam. Chihuahuan desert shores, sandy be…
- Embudito Canyon Trailhead — Natural · Bernalillo County, NM
Sandia Mountain Wilderness gateway on Albuquerque’s northeast foothills: Embudito Trail #192 climbs a granite canyon from City of Albuquerque Open Space into…
- Emory Pass Vista — Natural · Sierra County, NM
Developed Gila National Forest observation site on NM-152 at Emory Pass (~8,200 ft) in the Black Range. Day-use vista with vault toilet and trailhead parking…
- Fenton Lake State Park — Natural · Sandoval County, NM
Quiet Jemez Mountains state park around a 37-acre reservoir on the Rio Cebolla (~7,650 ft). Ponderosa forest camping, canoeing, and trout fishing (rainbows s…
- Fourth of July Campground — Natural · Torrance County, NM
Cibola National Forest campground and day-use area in Fourth of July Canyon on the west slope of the Manzano Mountains — famous for one of New Mexico’s best …
- Hermit Peak Trailhead (El Porvenir) — Natural · San Miguel County, NM
Primary visitor trailhead for Hermit Peak (Hermits Peak Trail #223) at El Porvenir Campground in Santa Fe National Forest west of Las Vegas, NM. The forested…
- Hyde Memorial State Park — Natural · Santa Fe County, NM
New Mexico’s first state park (1938), nestled along Little Tesuque Creek in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains ~8 miles northeast of Santa Fe on Hyde Park Road (…
- Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument — Natural · Sandoval County, NM
BLM national monument of cone-shaped volcanic tuff “tent rocks” and a slot canyon on the Pajarito Plateau south of Cochiti Pueblo. The Slot Canyon Trail thre…
- Lake Roberts Recreation Area — Natural · Grant County, NM
USFS recreation area on ~70-acre Lake Roberts in the Gila National Forest north of Mimbres / Silver City country. Upper End and Mesa campgrounds, fishing (ra…
- Latir Peak — Natural · Taos County, NM
High peak in the Latir Peak Wilderness of the northern Sangre de Cristo—remote alpine basins, lakes, and ridges north of Taos country. A natural-field destin…
- Manzano Mountains State Park — Natural · Torrance County, NM
Quiet 160-acre New Mexico State Park at ~7,250 ft on the eastern slope of the Manzano Mountains, ~16 miles north of Mountainair via NM-55/NM-131. Ponderosa/m…
- Mescalero Sands North Dune OHV Area — Natural · Chaves County, NM
BLM recreation area of active gypsum/quartz sand dunes (some crests 90+ ft) along US 380 between Roswell and Tatum on the eastern Chihuahuan/Llano fringe. Da…
- Morphy Lake State Park — Natural · Mora County, NM
Small high-mountain lake state park in the Sangre de Cristo foothills above Mora. Trout fishing, primitive camping, and forested shoreline at about 8,000 fee…
- Narrows Rim Trail (South Narrows Picnic Area) — Natural · Cibola County, NM
BLM El Malpais National Conservation Area day-use site on NM 117 where a young basalt flow squeezes against a 500-foot sandstone mesa. The Narrows Rim Trail …
- Oasis State Park — Natural · Roosevelt County, NM
Shaded cottonwood oasis among shifting sand dunes and a small fishing lake on the Llano Estacado north of Portales. New Mexico State Parks day-use and campin…
- Orilla Verde Recreation Area — Natural · Taos County, NM
BLM recreation area inside Río Grande del Norte National Monument along the Río Grande Wild and Scenic River near Pilar. Cottonwood-lined gorge camps, put-in…
- Picacho Peak Recreation Area — Natural · Doña Ana County, NM
BLM recreation area on a 4,959-ft rhyolite volcanic peak just northwest of Las Cruces, with 15+ miles of hiking, mountain-bike, and equestrian trails. The sh…
- Quebradas Backcountry Byway — Natural · Socorro County, NM
BLM scenic byway (~24 mi unpaved) through colorful badlands, arroyos, and desert mesas east of Socorro—red and white sedimentary bluffs, wide basin views, an…
- Quemado Lake Recreation Area — Natural · Catron County, NM
USFS recreation complex on ~130-acre Quemado Lake in the Gila National Forest (Quemado Ranger District), about 16 miles south of Quemado. Piñon and Juniper c…
- Rio Grande Gorge Bridge — Natural · Taos County, NM
Iconic US 64 deck-truss span ~600 ft above the Rio Grande, with free rest-area overlooks into the basalt gorge of Río Grande del Norte country northwest of T…
- San Lorenzo Canyon — Natural · Socorro County, NM
BLM/USFWS primitive canyon northwest of Socorro with sculpted sandstone cliffs, arches, hoodoos, and cottonwood bottoms. Millions of years of sedimentary sec…
- Sandia Crest — Natural · Bernalillo County, NM
10,678-foot crest of the Sandia Mountains reached by the Sandia Crest Scenic Byway (NM-536). USFS day-use summit complex with vast views over Albuquerque and…
- Santa Rosa Lake State Park — Natural · Guadalupe County, NM
State park on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Santa Rosa Dam reservoir (completed 1979) in the upper Pecos valley. Flood-control and sediment-storage lake w…
- Shiprock Viewpoint — Natural · San Juan County, NM/AZ border
Roadside views of Shiprock (Tsé Bitʼaʼí), a ~1,580-ft volcanic neck sacred to the Navajo Nation. Stay on paved US 491 / Indian Service roads for photography—…
- Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area — Natural · Eddy County, NM
Desert oasis in the Guadalupe Mountains of Lincoln National Forest: spring-fed Sitting Bull Falls drops ~150 ft over tufa terraces into clear pools. CCC-era …
- Snow Lake Recreation Area — Natural · Catron County, NM
High-elevation (~7,300–7,450 ft) USFS reservoir and recreation area on the Reserve Ranger District, Gila National Forest. About 90 acres of water with Dippin…
- Soledad Canyon Day Use Area — Natural · Doña Ana County, NM
BLM day-use trailhead on the west flank of the Organ Mountains inside Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument. Bar Canyon / Soledad Canyon loop trails…
- Storrie Lake State Park — Natural · San Miguel County, NM
State park on the east shore of Storrie Lake (~1,100-acre irrigation reservoir) four miles north of Las Vegas, NM, at the Sangre de Cristo foothills. Camping…
- Sugarite Canyon State Park — Natural · Colfax County, NM
State park in a forested canyon on the Colorado border combining trout lakes (Maloya, Alice), hiking, and the ruins of the early-1900s Sugarite coal camp. Vi…
- Sumner Lake State Park — Natural · De Baca County, NM
State park on Bureau of Reclamation Lake Sumner (Sumner Dam) where the Pecos River and Alamogordo Creek meet northwest of Fort Sumner. Large plains reservoir…
- Taiban Peak — Natural · De Baca County, NM
Isolated high-plains summit and landmark above the Taiban corridor in eastern De Baca County, marking resistant mesa-edge topography along the transition fro…
- The Cap Rock — Natural · De Baca County, NM
Prominent high-plains escarpment and cliff line in eastern De Baca County where resistant caprock marks the edge of mesa country above the lower Pecos draina…
- Tree Spring Trailhead — Natural · Bernalillo County, NM
Fee trailhead on the Sandia Crest Scenic Byway (NM-536) for Tree Spring Trail 147 — a popular ~2-mile one-way climb through mixed conifer to the South Crest …
- Ute Lake State Park — Natural · Quay County, NM
New Mexico State Park on a Canadian River reservoir west of Logan in the high plains/canyon country of far eastern NM. Red-rock shoreline bluffs, boating, ca…
- Villanueva State Park — Natural · San Miguel County, NM
Compact state park set between high red and yellow sandstone bluffs along the Pecos River near the historic Spanish village of Villanueva. Cottonwood bosque,…
- White Sands National Park — Natural · Otero County, NM
World’s largest gypsum dunefield — brilliant white crystal sands in the Tularosa Basin, fully surrounded by White Sands Missile Range. Dunes Drive reaches de…
- Wild Rivers Recreation Area — Natural · Taos County, NM
BLM-developed hub of Río Grande del Norte National Monument where the Red River joins the Rio Grande in an ~800-ft basalt gorge. Zimmerman Visitor Center, ri…