Search hiking, mountain-bike and equestrian trails, campsites, fishing and water access, hunting units, farmers markets, and hidden gems across New Mexico — with fees, access rules, and cultural-protocol guidance.
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Casamero Chacoan Outliers Recreation Management Area in southwestern New Mexico preserves Casamero Pueblo, an ancestral Pueblo site occupied between A.D. 1000 and 1125 and recognized as a Chacoan outlier. Open for day-use hiking, wildlife viewing, and photography; it is also designated a historic and cultural site. Verify current fee and access requirements with the managing agency before visiting.
The 61,600-acre Cebolla Wilderness is made up of sandstone mesas, canyons, and grassy valleys, within the El Malpais National Conservation Area. It contains La Ventana Natural Arch and is rich in prehistoric archaeological sites, petroglyphs, and historic homesteads. Stay limit: 14 days.
Cebolla Wilderness Area is a 61,600-acre BLM-managed wilderness in Socorro County, New Mexico, located 20 miles south of Grants. The area features sandstone mesas, canyons, and grassy valleys with elevations from 7,000 to 8,200 feet, dominated by juniper and piñon woodland with ponderosa pine on north-facing slopes. The site contains the notable La Ventana Natural Arch, vertical escarpments that support nesting raptors, and significant archaeological resources including the Dittert Site (A.D. 1000-1300) and petroglyphs created by Pueblo ancestors. Dispersed camping and hiking are permitted; no motorized vehicles are allowed. The wilderness has no developed facilities or drinking water.
Chain of Craters Backcountry Byway is a 33-mile route along County Road 42 in El Malpais National Conservation Area in southwestern New Mexico, forming the western boundary of the West Malpais Wilderness and connecting NM 53 to NM 117. This is a day-use-only area; overnight stays are not permitted. Photography is permitted. A fee may apply; confirm current requirements with the BLM before visiting.
Chain of Craters Backcountry Byway is a 33-mile route through El Malpais National Conservation Area and National Monument in southwestern New Mexico. The byway is open for hiking, camping, picnicking, wildlife viewing, and photography. A fee may apply; confirm current requirements with the managing organization before visiting.
Dripping Springs Natural Area is a Bureau of Land Management recreation site in Doña Ana County, 10 miles east of Las Cruces in the Organ Mountains' central rhyolitic section. The area offers over four miles of interconnected easy hiking trails through desert scrub, pinon-juniper, and oak woodlands, with access to La Cueva and lower Fillmore and Ice Canyons. A visitor center provides interpretive displays on the Organ Mountains geology. Day-use fee $5; no overnight camping. Pets allowed on designated trails.
Established in 1987 to protect the Zuni-Bandera volcanic field. Includes sandstone cliffs, La Ventana Natural Arch, Chain of Craters Back Country Byway, Joe Skeen Campground, and the Cebolla and West Malpais Wilderness Areas. Sacred to Acoma, Laguna, Zuni, and Ramah Navajo peoples. Stay limit: 14 Days.
El Malpais National Conservation Area in southwestern New Mexico was established in 1987 to protect the geological, archaeological, and cultural resources of the Zuni-Bandera volcanic field. Managed by the BLM Rio Puerco Field Office, the area supports camping, hiking, picnicking, wildlife viewing, photography, and interpretive programs. A fee may apply; confirm current requirements with the BLM Rio Puerco Field Office before visiting.
Prehistoric Trackways National Monument is a 5,280-acre Bureau of Land Management site in the Robledo Mountains, 10 miles northwest of Las Cruces in Doña Ana County, south-central New Mexico. The monument preserves one of the world's most significant Early Permian paleontological sites, featuring fossilized footprints, plants, and petrified wood from approximately 280 million years ago—predating dinosaurs. Visitors hike through canyons and washes to view trace fossils from amphibians, reptiles, insects, and marine invertebrates. Collection of fossils or minerals requires a permit. Access requires a high-clearance vehicle for the final mile; water, toilets, and cell service are unavailable on-site.
West Malpais Wilderness Area in southwestern New Mexico is a largely flat volcanic landscape of lava flows encompassing three distinct ecotypes. Managed by the BLM Rio Puerco Field Office, the area is open for hiking, wildlife viewing, and photography. A fee may apply; confirm current requirements with the BLM Rio Puerco Field Office before visiting.