Quick Summary:

  • New Mexico is known for its stunning desert terrain, which is home to gorgeous sandstone cliffs, mountain ranges, and volcanic calderas.
  • Popular parks such as Carlsbad Caverns National Park are home to world-famous sites such as the glorious Carlsbad Cavern, which offers regular guided and self-guided tours throughout the year.
  • A number of national parks and monuments preserve sites connected to the region's Ancestral Puebloan indigenous and Spanish Catholic mission history.
  • Others protect significant dinosaur tracks and remains or showcase sites connected to the region's history of atomic testing or hydroelectric development.


  • Updated with new information since originally published.
  • Please support our journalism through affiliate links. Affiliate Disclosure
  • Our editors recommend these diverse local experiences.

1. Cimarron Canyon State Park ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Category: Activities
Cimarron Canyon State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© qingwa/stock.adobe.com

2. City of Rocks State Park ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Category: Activities
City of Rocks State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Zack Frank/stock.adobe.com

3. Clayton Lake State Park

Category: Activities
Clayton Lake State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© DSGNSR/stock.adobe.com

4. Heron Lake State Park

Category: Activities
Heron Lake State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© NADEZHDA/stock.adobe.com

5. Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park

Category: Kids & Family
Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Melastmohican/stock.adobe.com

6. Morphy Lake State Park

Category: Activities
Morphy Lake State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© eyepark/stock.adobe.com

7. Navajo Lake State Park

Category: Activities
Navajo Lake State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Miniloc/stock.adobe.com

8. Rockhound State Park

Category: Activities
Rockhound State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Laurens/stock.adobe.com

9. Sugarite Canyon State Park

Category: Activities
Sugarite Canyon State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© traveller70/stock.adobe.com

10. Villanueva State Park

Category: Activities
Villanueva State Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© tadeas/stock.adobe.com

11. Aztec Ruins National Monument

Category: Activities
Aztec Ruins National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© traveller70/stock.adobe.com

12. Bandelier National Monument

Category: Activities
Bandelier National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© stellamc/stock.adobe.com

13. Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Category: Activities
Carlsbad Caverns National Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Takeshi/stock.adobe.com

14. Capulin Volcano National Monument

Category: Activities
Capulin Volcano National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© traveller70/stock.adobe.com

15. Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Category: Activities
Chaco Culture National Historical Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Josemaria Toscano/stock.adobe.com

16. El Malpais National Monument

Category: Activities
El Malpais National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Zack Frank/stock.adobe.com

17. El Morro National Monument

Category: Activities
El Morro National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© jon manjeot/stock.adobe.com

18. Fort Union National Monument

Category: Activities
Fort Union National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© cbdusty/stock.adobe.com

19. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Category: Activities
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Zack Frank/stock.adobe.com

20. Pecos National Historic Park

Category: Activities
Pecos National Historic Park | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Felipe Sanchez/stock.adobe.com

21. Petroglyph National Monument

Category: Activities
Petroglyph National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Frank Fichtmüller/stock.adobe.com

22. Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument

Category: Activities
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Melastmohican/stock.adobe.com

23. Valles Caldera National Preserve

Category: Activities
Valles Caldera National Preserve | New Mexico State & National Parks
© tdezenzio/stock.adobe.com

24. White Sands National Monument

Category: Activities
White Sands National Monument | New Mexico State & National Parks
© Galyna Andrushko/stock.adobe.com

Map:


Plan Your Trip

Get Ready to Go!

Need some more help?


Go to travel reservations.