Top 5 National Park sites to visit in New Mexico this spring
Some of New Mexico’s highest mountains and deepest caves are preserved for residents and visitors to the state alike via the National Park Service.
The Service has two national parks in New Mexico, along with nine national monuments, two national historic parks and one national preserve.
Millions of people flock to these sites every year as New Mexico’s mostly mild winter gives way to a hotter spring and often sweltering summer.
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Here are the Top 5 popular National Park Service destinations, based on visitation data from 2023.
White Sands National Park – 729,096 visitors
White Sands was a national monument since 1933 before being designated a national park in 2019.
It’s situated just west of Alamogordo and northeast of Las Cruces in south-central New Mexico alongside White Sands Missile Range.
The park is known for its namesake, the white gypsum sand dunes that sprawl across its about 145,000 acres.
Visitors can hike, camp or even sled along the iconic dunes.
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park – 394,121 visitors
About 700 feet beneath southeast New Mexico is the Carlsbad Caverns, known for enormous underground rock formations and thousands of stalactites and stalagmites that wowed visitors since they were discovered in 1898.
It became a national monument in 1923, and a national park in 1930.
The park is amid the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains in the southeast corner of New Mexico, just outside Carlsbad to its east.
Most visitors opt to travel underground via a hike down the cavern’s natural entrance or a ride down the park’s massive elevator shaft to view the iconic formations, but there are also hiking trails and other recreation opportunities on the surface.
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Petroglyph National Monument – 314,528 visitors
Ancient drawings and indigenous symbols survive today in New Mexico from 400 to 700 years ago at Petroglyph National Monument.
The monument is just outside Albuquerque amid the city’s West Mesa, a volcanic escarpment seen by all those who visit New Mexico’s largest urban area.
Hiking trails can take Visitors alongside petroglyphs, for a glimpse into the past and the lives of Native Americans and Spanish settlers who carved the symbols into the volcanic rocks.
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Bandelier National Monument – 199,501 visitors
Ancient pueblos once dwelled in the 33,000 acres protected at Bandelier National Monument, north of Santa Fe and just outside Santa Fe National Forest.
The monument is sacred to the state’s indigenous community and presents an opportunity for visitors to become acquainted with New Mexico’s past and enjoy breathtaking mountain views.
Bandelier can get snow throughout winter and early spring until May, but visitors can journey to the monument all year for short hiking trails amid the remains of ancient dwellings.
El Malpais National Monument – 167,107 visitors
Volcanic terrains are a rare sight throughout the U.S. but can be enjoyed at El Malpais National Monument, which is situated between the Acoma Pueblo and Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation, about 80 miles west of Albuquerque.
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Geologic features like lava flows, cinder cones, lava tube cave and sandstone bluffs are all available to enjoy at the monument.
Visitors can find short to challenging hikes, scenic overlooks and journey underground to explore the area’s cave systems.
The name was given by early Spanish explorers who encountered the lava flows, and it translates to “the badlands” or “bad country.”
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Five other National Park sites to visit in New Mexico
Capulin Volcano National Monument – 88,514 visitors
Region: Northeast New Mexico
Closest city: Raton
Activities: Hiking, auto tours
Valles Caldera National Preserve – 76,090 visitors
Region: Northern New Mexico
Closest city: Los Alamos
Activities: Hiking, fishing, mountain biking, hunting, camping
El Morro National Monument – 54,836 visitors
Region: Northwest New Mexico
Closest city: Grants
Activities: Hiking, camping
Pecos National Historic Park – 50,709 visitors
Region: Northern New Mexico
Closest city: Pecos
Activities: Museum, hiking, guided tours, fishing in the Pecos River
Aztec Ruins National Monument – 47,554 visitors
Region: Northwest New Mexico
Closest city: Aztec
Activities: Hiking, historic trails, Heritage Garden
What missed the list?
Chaco Culture National Historic Park – 40,198 visitors
Salinas Pueblos Missions National Monument – 39,556 visitors
Gila Cliff Dwellings – 33,973 visitors
Fort Union National Monument – 9,570
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, [email protected] or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexico's Top 5 most popular National Park stops