Yesterday was my first time at Elephant Butte state park. My friend had been there and invited me. I took my dog with me. We had a great time. It was super fun to swim. The views are beautiful! read more

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Do not waste your money coming here unless you want to spend your family day stranded in the blazing sun. We paid the entry fee to take our kids and dogs to the lake, followed the main road, and immediately turned toward the water only to get violently stuck in deep, un-warned soft sand. We spent nearly an hour freaking out in the brutal heat, shoveling sand, and panicking with our kids and pets in the vehicle. When I called the park office for assistance? Absolute silence. Nobody answered, nobody was available to help. If it weren't for the sheer grace of a random Good Samaritan who stopped to shovel and pull us out, we would have been completely stranded. What makes this infuriating is the absolute lack of accountability and communication from the staff. The girl who checked us in and took our money didn't say a single word, offer a map, or give any warning about the driving conditions near the water. As a state park, it is incredibly irresponsible not to warn paying customers and New Mexico residents about these massive sand traps. Total safety hazard and zero customer service. Avoid this place. read more

This is the camp attached to the dam area. plenty of parking and clean restrooms and portables I didn't see any water fountains. i attached a pic of water level 5 years ago. read more

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Let's all be honest people. The lake is only at 1.4% of capacity. It is so low, and truly pathetically sad. The whole area is completely depressed as a result. There are pamphlets, and brochures of a one time beautiful lake. I'm sure it was once, but be advised it is down. Until the rains come, and until water is allowed to flow here...this lake is currently dead. read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - The lake from the top of the dam - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

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We are camping at Elephant Butte. It is August 2026. The water is so low there's no place to swim. We drove all over the place with our Jeep trying to find a place that would be an OK place to go in the water, but there is none. So if you're looking come to elephant to go in the water, you'll be sadly disappointed as we are. We paid for the whole week and decided we would like to leave a couple days early because of the bad conditions here and they do not give you refunds period. read more

Passed through on the way to Truth or Consequences. There seems to be 2 ways to get to it. We didn't see anybody at the ticket booths so we just drove in. I think you have to pay to camp and there were pavilions or campsites with lake views for rent for $10. We drove all the way to the sandy beach but not to the waters edge in case our SUV got stuck on the deep sand. It was pretty deserted on the beach. Kind of looks like Lake Powell but you could tell the water level was well below the norm. Couple boats partying in the water. There are outhouses but no sinks. read more

I love everything about this state park! The water, the jeep roads, camping, paddling, boating, and (again) the water! Campgrounds are very nice, boat ramps are well maintained, plenty of beach during off season or week days. Weekends and the week around holidays are very busy so it can be difficult to find spots those times. read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Elephant Butte in January 2023. - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

First thing that needs improvement is the signage at the park entrance. Larger maps of the campgrounds and locations would be helpful to those of us that have never been here. The actual site was adequate but the bathrooms and showers could use some deep cleaning. The sinks in the Monticello campground did not work at all and the showers were full of sand. Albeit for the price it was what I might expect. read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

This is a wonderful state park! There are many amenities including camping ( primitive, electric/water) bathrooms, a playground, hiking trails, beautiful landscape views, large lake, a boat ramp and more! It's a great place to explore for families or anyone, really. The off season time is calmer, with less people and activity. Weekends and the summer are busier but still great! read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

My first disappointing New Mexico State park. Big elaborate payment area but that's it. I was told they were out of maps, and when I asked if there was a visitors center I was told that was it. No info available about trails, either. Luckily we geocache so we found a way to enjoy the scenery. read more

Elephant Butte Lake is our family's favorite place to cool off! There are 2-3 marinas that rent boats, jet skis, paddleboats, and more! You can also just go down to the sand and jump in for a swim. Want to BBQ? There are several places to picnic. If you want to camp or even spend the day, check out the state park's website to reserve your site for a low price! They even have rustic cabins to rent if you want to stay at the lake and don't have a camper and aren't interested in pitching a tent. There is a price to enter - as is true with any state park - but it is well worth it! There are so many places to make your spot on the lake that you don't have to worry about feeling crowded. However, you may have to walk far to the beach and the sun can be hot so bring appropriate shoes and plenty of sunscreen! This is not a place where you will find shade! read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

I discovered Elephant Butte because of driving back to Tucson, AZ from Albuquerque, NM. We decided to stop by even with the pups and was pleasantly surprised. This lake is actually quite large with lots of camping areas on and off the beach. You just pay the small fee and can drive anywhere your car allows. They have port a potties located on the beach and more areas off the beach with restrooms. They also have a large boat section. "Elephant Butte Lake can accommodate watercraft of many styles and sizes: kayaks, jet skis, pontoons, sailboats, ski boats, cruisers, and houseboats." - http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/spd/elephantbuttelakestatepark.html If you're traveling or want to travel I would recommend this place because it does look very nice for a weekend get a way or even just a day pass. read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

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Lake is beautiful from the top. The dirt road was quite dusty when driving towards the lake. A place for the locals. Not a place where you would find yachts. It costs $5 for entrance fee. read more

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For a lake in the middle of the desert I really can't complain. It is well kept and refreshing on a hot day. My dog loved swimming with me and it was nice to hear kids laughing and having fun. I only wish I had a jet ski!! read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Where's The Beach ? - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

The 2nd largest city in New Mexico during the holidays. Took our boat out for some white bass fishing, and this lake is huge! (Sadly, we didn't catch anything on this round). But, with the crowds, distance, and low water levels we may not return very often Fun fact: Elephant Butte was filled to its capacity for the first time in 1941, New Mexico's wettest year on record read more

Beautiful views, cheap spots, and could use more showers since some were closed for the season but the lake is beautiful.

If you are looking for some time out in the sun this is a good place. There are lots of options for overnight camping. For those with boats or for water skiing it is a great place to go for that enjoyment. There is lot of fishing opportunities whether on the lake or from the shore. read more

The best body of water for fishing, swimming, sun bathing, water skiing, water jets... its endless. The drive from El Paso is about 2 hours but well worth the drive. My husband is an avid fisherman where as i am an avid tanning-in-the-sun woman. We love how much cooler the area is around here and the fishing is almost always better than Hide Away Lake. Theres the state park side which most people go to and pay. But we go thru the back side thats also accessible to the lake which has no fee. Its more off roading over lots of rocks to park directly by the lake but therrs also a nice flat road area that leads to the dock for parking. Its beautiful out here. We love to bring our portable grill to bbq and stay late with a bonfire you can start up right by the shore. Great times at the Butte! read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

Not the cleanest lake but much cleaner than the Texas lakes! With the recent rains the land level is up and great for fishing, swimming and boating! You can rent boats at the dock but we just took out little tubes out on the water and chilled for hours. The beach areas are nice and there wasn't too much trash. Camping is allowed as well. A great weekend trip location! read more

I've known about this hidden lake since I've been living in El Paso, but it wasn't until recently that I finally had the pleasure of actually going out here. Throw some towels in the car, pack up the kids, grab some hot dogs and head over to Elephant Butte Lake! We've been twice now, both times with our pups. Our dogs love Elephant Butte and somehow they always know when we're about five minutes away. From what I understand, the lake is actually a lot lower right now than normal, but it's still full enough that swimming from one side to the other would feel like a lifetime. All of our dogs love jumping in the water and swimming out a ways even when it's cold. The last time we went, it was only in the 70's so the water was maybe in the 50's. We didn't jump in, but I did see a few kids down the shore swimming and a few other sunbathing. The shore line is a little different at each end and there is a small marina for those with boats. We noticed a few of the shores actually have a bunch sea shells. Yup, sea shells in the desert! We picked up a lot of them... white ones, brown ones, blue ones, purple ones, oh, my! Our next trip out to EBL I'll be bringing lots of bug spray. At first I thought we were being surrounded by mosquitoes, but it turned out they were just really large gnats. They didn't seem to be on every shore, just the shore we parked on. Speaking about things I forgot to bring, but definitely will: - sun block - food not munchies (there are actually picnic areas) - swim suit - boots and flip-flops (there are walking trails too) - dog treats This is quite possibly Bambi's favorite place in the world. She frolics in the water, chases birds, sniffs around, steals the toys from the other dogs, and generally goes crazy. Tito was just as crazy and had to stop and grab every stick he found. And my little baby Charlie only wanted to swim out in the lake and grab tennis balls. I really can't wait to go out to EBL in the summer! read more

The closest water and beach to EP and LC. You can't go wrong. Let me tell you why. 1. Most beaches do not allow you to camp on the beach. YOU can here. 2. You can beach doc your lake toys. Sometimes it is such a hassle to marina doc then drive clear across the way. 3. Campfires you can build a pit out of rocks and burn a fire a night. Such a good time playing heads-up. 4. The sunrise in the morning is so peaceful and relaxing. Waking up to the sunrise peaking over the lake is truly a beautiful desert treasure. 5. They allow dogs. My dog LOVES to swim in the lake and retrieve sticks and balls. He can do this here. A Lot of people bring their dogs don't forget to bring a lead to tie up your dogs. 6. They do a lot of different fun events like chili cook offs, and fireworks 7. It is SO cheap to stay like $8.00 a day. 8. The facilitates for showering and bathrooms are not bad in any way shape or form. 9. There are a lot of plug in rv sites. They are close together but not overpriced and you can reserve online. 10. You can reserve group sites online right on the water's edge. 11. You can rent pontoons, and jetskis on the marina. 12. In some spots you can feel the natural hot springs feeding into the lake. Know before you go! 1. SUNSCREEN is an absolute must! 2. Bring a 10x10 canopy for shade with tie downs. 3. Around 3:00pm to 4:00pm some days there can be a wind storm that will tear down your canopy be prepared to either pack-up by then or hold on to your stuff. 4. Pay attention to buoys as there are under ground rocks that can tear up bottom of boats and jet skis. 5. Bring lots of ice. It is hot and if you have a medicore cooler that ice won't last. 6. Holiday weekends are SUPER crowded and not really the best time to go. 7. You can consume alcohol on beach yeah! BUT do it responsibly sometimes people aren't responsible. 8. You do need a 4x4 to drive down to the beach. And if you had trouble coming down. Let air out of your tires to get up. All in all a great time. Even for dry camping!! Many fun memories can be made here read more

First time visiting this place and we had a great time! Camped at Elephant Butte State Park South Monticello site. That site is a bit of a drive from the beach but we had a great location for our camping. We are "roughing it" camper with real tent, which we didn't see others but the reason why I picked that location was the availability of electricity and water hookups right on your site that makes it a luxury camping in my mind! Bathroom was only about 3 sites down the road and if you walk further, there's even a bathroom facility with indoor shower stalls too. (Those are for sissies). I take "baby shower" (it's called BABY WIPE!! )while I'm camping. Haha!! Each site has a metal picnic table/bench under a solid shade structure too. The rest of the site is nice small, even gravel. I felt spoiled here compared to the kind of camping in used to. Oh let's not forget each site has a fire pit and old school grill on top of it too. Don't forget to buy wood before getting there though. There's no store in the Minticello area. It's about 25 min drive to the beach area (if you don't get lost) and you don't have to pay again to enter if you've paid for the campsite. Be very careful driving on the soft sand unless you have 4 wheel drive. You can go Brett close to the shores with your car though. Pack your lunch & snacks for the day, parasol and chairs and you'll be set for a whole day of fun! It's pretty shallow unless you go far out so it's not really a "swimming" lake but kiddos would for sure have a blast! We don't fish nor have a boat but our 3year old couldn't get enough of splashing around with her boogie board. There are a few ports potty by the end of hard packed path where we were...I think it's called Lions Beach. It wasn't crowded so we pretty much had the beach to ourselves! The beach cleanliness was not bad, I wouldn't say pristine but it wasn't too bad with littering. (I did my part by picking up a bag full of non-biodegradable trash thigh) please pack it in and pack it out everything you bring. It's a shame and it makes me sad when I see things man made that ruins the beautiful nature... I would love to go back again!! read more

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This is one of those places I always heard about but never went to until I was a adult so I fully appreciate how nice and fun it is to even just spend a day there. It's great for families, solo trips, friends and even your pet. You can rent boats, kayaks, jet skis, even paddle boats. I would recommend this place 100% if you're looking for a little getaway read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

The great staff here, the explained the situation with the park service and explained how we can come in enjoy the park. Great staff

Fabulous weather, arrived 10-20-21 till10-25, clean quiet, some restrooms were closed but not an issue for me. Power, picnic tables and shelters at most spots. $14 nonresident but you can get an annual pass that makes it reasonable if you stay in NMSP's more than 10 days. read more

Dead bodies? Maybe. Black algae? Sometimes. A good time? Always. Elephant Butte is a great place to set up camp, bring your water toys, and have a good time. We come here throughout the year. It's great because you can park a camper along the lake and glamp it up nearly year round. There is WiFi, 2 or 3 marinas, and even a floating burger joint. The lake is very assessable, it's easy to put your boats, jet skis in the water from multiple locations. You can also rent boats and water toys, fish, swim, paddle boat, kayak- whatever your heart desires. The cons- people come say and night and if you're a person that likes to go to bed early and are a light sleeper, you might get annoyed with the heavy traffic and loud parties. read more

Planned on staying a couple days. Stayed a week! Weekends are busy. Weekdays very quiet--walked a few miles with my dog on the beach every morning and only saw a dozen other campers. Park staff super friendly and helpful. If you're staying awhile and don't have a trailer or RV, checkout the cement shelters along the road. They are awesome. Cool on hot days and warm into cool evenings. PS. The park has wifi. It sucks! read more

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Anyone who knows me, knows I love water and beaches. So imagine my delight when BOTH appeared in the the middle of the desert?!?! This is an amazing oasis from the desert in a small unique town. Park fee is $5 and absolutely worth every cent. If you are in the area, this is a MUST! Make sure you make time to visit the historic site of the actual dam as well! read more

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The RV sites are awesome. During the week wonderful. Weekends bathrooms are nasty, nasty especially upper ridge road. Used by pigs best way to describe. Only way to keep up is 3x cleaning a day not one time. Portopotty was almost to the top by RV site that had a closed/out of order bathroom. Another had vomit on the floor. Trash just before big hill full to Max capacity. Beach front disgusting after everyone left on Sunday. No glass bottles right!!!! You name it including diapers. I would come again but never ever close to or on a weekend. Maybe Tues thru Thursday only!!! RV site not beach front... I've seen what it looks like. read more

To start off the spring/summer off we have stayed here 3 times so far and my family loves this place! We have dried camped on the beach each time and definitely will be back. Everyone we have encountered have been super friendly minus one ranger. This ranger came into our camp and was rude from the start and not even sure why. But anyway, I don't hold that against this place. My kids live it and when they are happy, so am I. I highly recommend this place! And I know we will be back for more fun in the sun here!! read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

Stopped here as a half way point in a 12 hour road trip from Arizona to Colorado. Plenty fun. Drive basically anywhere on the beach. Views were great. Our 4Runner battery died after parking it briefly. Turns out it was the original battery and finally died after nearly six years. Luckily, a friendly older gentlemen who was camping out on the beach, noticed my distress and drove his truck over to help jump me. We exchanged life stories and I couldn't be more thankful for his help. After all, being stranded on a beach in New Mexico would not look good when having to be back at work the following day. Thought the stop was definitely impromptu, I would definitely return if I was ever in the area. Beautiful and fun! read more

Great place if you live close by! Only reason this didn't get 5 stars is because you have to be careful if you drive a compact car. The road ends and there are a lot of off road driving needed to get close to the water. Stay on part where the sand is more impacted! We got stuck in the sand in my bf's Honda civic si. Haha so just be careful! We went on a weekday so it wasn't crowded at all :) read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Beautiful Lake! Perfect weekday getaway as there's not too many people on the shore :) - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

Elephant Butte Lake is a little bit of a haul depending on where you are coming from. El Paso for example is about two hours one way. It can make for a fun day though. I went for the first time recently and hope to be back again soon. If you are there for the day, there is only a $5 (per vehicle) admission that is valid until 9 pm that night. So really, you get all day and evening. This lake has just about everything you can think of: boat ramps, a marina, several "beach" and hiking areas, picnic tables, bathrooms, and even convenient porta-potties are scattered around. Our group ended up on the beach. The water was a bit too choppy that day to cruise on the boat. Our friend was able to drive the boat right up to a beach and we unloaded our things with no problems. If you're in a vehicle, preferably a 4 x 4, you can drive on the beach as well. Be aware that the sand is full of rocks and broken seashells though. I wore my sandals the whole time. The area is dog friendly too...And our dogs loved it! They had a blast running on the beach and jumping in the water. For me, the water was way too cold to enjoy but the kids in our group fearlessly dove in. Us adults bummed on the beach. Unfortunately It was super windy. The sand and miniature pebbles can sting when the wind kicks up! I can see this area being very crowded in the summer time. Don't get me wrong, the actual lake is big but it isn't massive. It was mellow the day we went thankfully. There were more fishing boats out than any other kind. Also, there are a lot of Rangers patrolling the area so you don't have to worry about a rowdy group ruining the day. Lastly, there is a Wal-Mart, Sonic, McDonalds, and Denny's about ten minutes out from the Lake so if you forgot any necessities or want to grab a quick bite, you are covered. If you are thinking of staying overnight RV camping (and traditional) are available onsite. Hotel/Motels are available nearby as well. read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Elephant Butte Lake in May - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

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Stopped for about an hour to skip rocks and put our toes in the sand/water. Used to come here as a child when we lived in Las Cruces and have in turn brought my own children a few times. They had a blast and welcomed a break from the road trip :) read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Pit stop on our way home :) - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

Elephant Butte is really nice you can jet ski water boat do anything you want to at watercraft. They also have a docking station where you can put your RV right there on the water. If you come and do not have four-wheel drive do not try to put your RV or boat in at the beach use the rent if not it will cost you $150 that be pulled out. read more

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Lots of space to spread out, super friendly people everywhere, little bit of everything. The lake side camping is awesome! Happy Happy :) read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Lake Life - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

Very affordable camping. Fantastic views. Clean & quiet. A perfect camping spot for a night or a week. Make sure to reserve lions beach loop c or a for the best views. Atleast 24 hours ahead of time. read more

The lake had beautiful scenery. It is probably better to go in the summer months or at sunset. I would still recommend to anyone in the area and I would have loved to camp there. read more

Elephant Butte Lake State Park - Fishing Near Me - Elephant Butte, New Mexico

Nice for a desert lake... we didn't get the chance to experience the lake due to a complete misadventure caused by Sports Adventure's incompetence but I'm sure we could have had a wonderful time. We explored the lake a bit and it found it to be very 'user-friendly'; not thrilled about the line up of RVs and trailers on the beach - we would have spent some time on the beach, rather than just driving around, if it would have been more like a beach than an RV/trailer park, but overall I think we'd consider going to Elephant Butte for a weekend in the future. read more

Wow this place is big . There a lot of coves to pull up to and set up camps. Had a great time on Labor Day social distancing and all