City of Rocks State Park

City of Rocks State Park is simply terrific if you like to hike or camp in a beautiful, remote place with fantastic rock formations. The park covers a one-square-mile area in the scenic Chihuahuan desert region of southwest New Mexico. It is about 20 miles north of Deming and has an elevation of 5200 feet. The amazing rock formations were formed 35 million years ago by an ultra-hot volcano, which was 1000 times hotter than the 1982 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. The trails run through and over the rocks; they are inviting and not really that difficult if one is in reasonably good shape. We saw numerous lizards and an assortment of birds which we could not identify, but no snakes crossed our path. More than 60,000 people visit the park each year. The camping is excellent if full hookups are not required. We hiked from the botanical gardens to the northern most section and then took the desert trail back to the visitors center. We then drove back to the northern section for a picnic lunch, enjoying a wonderful view and gentle cool breezes. So impressed were we with this lovely park, that we have volunteered to host there from October to January.