You don't accidentally end up at Bottomless Lakes State Park you make the choice to drift a little…read moreoff the grid. It's a short drive out of Roswell, but it feels like you've stepped into a quieter, older story. Legend says they tried to measure the lake with ropes tied end to end and never hit bottom. Maybe that's true. Maybe it's just a good tale told over a couple beers. Either way, standing there, staring into that dark water, you start to feel it--that little itch in your brain that wonders if everything you've been told is only half the story. We rolled in like we knew what we were doing cooler packed, grill fired up, chicken skewers sizzling, jalapeño poppers snapping over the flame, and my buddy throwing together something that leaned suspiciously close to Hawaiian poke. No crowds. No noise but what we brought with us. Bose speaker cranked, music bouncing off the water, beers cracking open one after another like punctuation marks in a long, lazy sentence. It wasn't polished. It wasn't fancy. It was just right. That's the thing about a place like this it doesn't try to impress you. It just sits there, quiet and a little mysterious, letting you project whatever story you came with. Some of it feels real. Some of it feels like the kind of myth you tell because reality isn't quite enough. Either way, it sticks with you. Bottom line off the beaten path, a little rough around the edges, and exactly the kind of place that earns its spot on the list.

Just outside of Roswell is a wonderful camping park surrounded by Pecos Diamonds, short trails, and…read moreswimming holes. We just dropped in during the winter months on a beautiful sunny afternoon to watch the NM sun go down over the west horizon. We stopped by the visitor center and met volunteers, Will and Jody. Let me just say they were super friendly and knowledgeable about the park. When we come back it will certainly be because of these awesome hosts...they were living their best lives. I was jealous. We drove over to a couple of the lakes. We checked out Mirror Lake and the Devil's Inkwell. They both had small trails around them to view the watering hole and the surrounding layers of red quartz on limestone. The area around Lea Lake is better set up for picnics, swimming, and water sports. It was closed for the season, but would open in the Spring. Tip: Make a reservation for space during the warmer months. It was a great outdoor distraction just outside Roswell. Beautiful sunsets, and super calm during the winter.

What a shock! Gorgeous visitor center with incredible views, great gift shop, a few hiking trails,…read moreand a viewing loop to safely check out the migrating birds. This may be one of the best kept secrets in New Mexico. That said, there's also quite a hornet infestation outside the entrance to the building and the patio, so do be mindful of that. Hopefully the staff will see that it is addressed.

A nice ride to the bitter lake National wildlife refuge. Great place to unwind, take a bike ride,…read morewalk, see wildlife, go on a picnic. Lots of land and nature to view. Lots of ducks, birds ect. as well as a nice place to catch a sunset. Nice place to visit and is free to the public.

A wonderful State Park, located on Brantley Lake! There are 47 camp sites with water and electric…read more They also have dispersed sites as well.

We have stayed here for 14 days. It is a nice secluded park, quiet, and dark but still close enough…read moreto Carlsbad and local attractions. We went to Carlsbad Caverns and Bat Flight Program, Sitting Bull Falls and The Flume during our second visit to this area. The park is in need of some trimming and weed control. Our site is filled with Texas Star Thistle. We had to do yardwork before setting up our pet fence. I mean it is everywhere here. There are dead trees at sites which should be taken down before they fall on someone. The sites are not level. The dump station is closed. They said they are taking bids from local companies and should be up in two weeks but it has been two weeks. We were able to use our blue boy and dump at a vacant host site. The park would be so much nicer if a little care was taken to clean the sites of vegetation. I'm not sure if we would stay here again.

The campground host STEVE was completely utterly rude and racist the whole entire time we were…read morethere. From the very begging he sent to us to a wrong campsite, harassed our family, and REFUSED to let my two of my family members shower because he said we left the area "Trashed" we asked him to explain where and what was left trashed and drove away and almost ran me off and did not want to provide a name or number neither manager or supervisor name and to mention me and my family are mexican and hispanic. The campsite overall was beautiful but the HOST STEVE WAS COMPLETELY AND UNNECESSARILY DISRESPECTFUL. IN FACT I WILL STILL LIKE A SUPERVISOR NUMBER ONCE THIS REVIEW IS READ WE WILL BE TAKING ACTION.

If I could rate lower than 1 star I would! Do not waste your time and money stopping here. The…read morestaff were rude to not only us but others that came in ahead and behind us. The person taking the money was demanding and rude and the 2 other people at the entrance were abrasive and very unwelcoming. Despite appearing to be open to the public it is very clear that it is not really. Just a cash grab by those that manage it.

On a drive through the outside edge of the mountain range on our way back to Texas, we came across…read morethis roadside gem where there is nothing else around expect a few houses spread apart, hills, lots of dirt and desert brush, and a ravine behind the buildings were a small creek was running. Very serene and peaceful, mind you the rooster on side was being plenty loud. We stopped as we saw signs for "mountain apples", so curiosity got the best of us and we stopped. It's a run down barn building, wider than deep, and to the left... cages. With goats, chickens, roosters, a donkey, and a camel. If there were others, they were hiding. The camel was funny, as he/she was very vocal. Trying to compete with the rooster, maybe. The barn store had a lot of canned items, jams, beets, sauces, salsas, random veggies. It housed various souvenirs as well. The young lady there was super nice, a Texas Tech student that was home for the holidays. Very neat place. If you're in this area of nowhere, it's a fun place to stop and stretch the legs, get some actual apples that are grown in the area, and pet the camel.

This place has been on my list after a little roadtrip through my homestate. Staying in Ruidoso,…read morethought this would be the perfect opportunity to stop by. 70 miles later, we didn't realize how far away it was. The place was packed! I was surprised at how many unique animals they have here- water buffalo, goats, turkeys, camel, zebra, capybara, kangaroo, donkeys, alpacas, pigs, emus, ostrich, bunnies, etc. We ending up spending a little less than an hour here. I asked them how business had been and they said they had been blessed during this time. We bought 2 pints of cider (one apple and one cherry for $2 each) and a pound of tart apples for $3. They had honeys and jams, nuts and mini pies. It's about $2 to feed the animals and admission costs are all covered by donation. The journey back was a lot quicker and we left happy and full of cider. 2020 #23

Still beautiful no matter the season. Must go if in the area. PAW approved on every levelread more

Absolutely gorgeous!!…read more - Difficulty level: easy-moderate - Pet friendly - Benches to sit periodically - mix of walking and incline/descent hiking - waterfalls

Update website photos. Everything dead and no grass areas. Dirt for sure. Terrible upkeep and sites…read morewith old broken items everywhere. Sure not the same koa from 8 yrs ago.

If you are traveling with children, there are a lot of things for children to do including a large…read morerec recenter, giant chess and checkers.

We have been coming here for years and never have we ever been treated like we did this past…read moreweekend by the camp hosts. We had called and spoke to the owner to see if we could check in a bit early and be was completely ok with it. When we got there the camp host was extremely rude saying we were there too early being that no one was in our spot and there were so many other empty spots available. we then had our campfire on and eight at 10 she came and advised it was quiet time and the fire needed to be turned off due to "county law" which is complete BS mind you we were not even loud we were just hanging out and there are zero rules staring that fires need to be out at 10. The next night she again came rudely 3 minutes past 10 when we were already putting our fire out stating "REALLY 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW!!" we said we are putting our fire out and she said "well get your clocks fixed to be on time". we pay a lot of money to enjoy our time there. I feel the owner needs to look into this because the campground was not as full as it usually is and they may be running people out with that unnecessary attitude and rudeness.

I went camping here years ago with friends. We weren't smart and got in after dark and had a heck…read moreof a time trying to put tents up. There are some nice hiking areas around here.

I wanted a hiking and an outlook experience and this place did not disappoint. Meandering through…read morethe grounds, there are is an aviary, pond, creature cave, outdoor elk & sheep pen, gardens and more. Lots of panoramic views. Indoors, there are a bunch of displays, restrooms and a gift shop. An easy 1 hour exploration of the grounds. Lots of free parking.

*** mountain lions and a bobcat are here now! ***…read more My young daughters and I loved seeing black bear "Maggie" open her 20th birthday present on 1.18.2025. We had no idea this event was happening prior to our visit that Saturday, so it was a special treat. Adult admission is now $10. Kids ages 7-12 are $5. I will always be a fan of this park because of certain staff members and the animals... Chihuahuan desert animals are the absolute best! Note, this go around we did not see the bison or a single scorpion. In saying this, I would NOT plan a trip just for this state park. It's not where it should be. The map they handed us clarifies that a new Framework Plan is in the works, but its implementation has seemingly been prolonged. There needs to be certain renovations and maintenance done before I would ever recommend this as a key destination. Before you visit, check out their hours ahead of time and set aside at least an hour for a self-guided tour. The signage going to this place absolutely still sucks. I'll never understand why New Mexico is like this. How do non-natives of this area even find this place without a GPS? Seriously. Ample free parking for RVs, trucks, my Jeep, and the usual boring cars. Bring water, a hat, & comfy walking shoes.

Interesting and super fun!…read more Private pond with guarantee catches. Gosh we caught were 9'-12'. Total $132. Worth it to us because we didn't have to hassle with anything! We will return with the kids next time. Let them clean the fish!

We stayed here this weekend. The woman who runs it is incredibly nice and responsive. We felt safe…read morehere because the owner was following the order about masking when in public spaces. The spaces weren't super far apart, but we had plenty of room to sit out in our camp chairs and be socially distanced from any other campers without having to wear masks. We had full hookups. The only downside is the highway noise, but all the RV parks in Ruidoso that we saw (and there are A LOT of them) are just off the highway. The fishing lake on site is super cute and if you don't catch anything, you don't pay anything. We caught trout both times we fished. You also don't need any equipment or bait because it's provided. Just show up as you are! There are even apple trees on the property, so we are planning to come back in September or October to taste the apples. Will definitely stay here again. Thanks for the wonderful vacation!