FIVE PARKS LIFE
Our Brinkley trailer and truck framed by blooming ocotillo and desert peaks at Rockhound State Park.
BEEN THERE · NEW MEXICO 1 YOGA CLASS FILMED HERE

Rockhound State Park

2 NIGHTS, MARCH 2026
2
NIGHTS
MAR 2026
WHEN WE CAMPED
NEW MEXICO
WHERE
STATE PARK
TYPE OF STOP
~$40/NIGHT
WHAT WE PAID

FILMED HERE

ABOUT THE PLACE

Rockhound State Park, New Mexico

We spent two nights here in March 2026, on our drive from Austin back to Colorado in March 2026. We were in site 18 and paid about $40 a night. Our full field report is still being written, so here is what to know about the place itself.

The short version

Rockhound State Park sits on the slopes of the Little Florida Mountains near Deming in southwest New Mexico, between 4,520 and 5,400 feet. As the name suggests, it is a park built around collecting rocks.

A little history

  • The park was established in 1966 as the first park in the United States to allow collecting rocks and minerals for personal use.
  • The Spring Canyon unit, a day-use area in the Florida Mountains, was added in 1979.
  • The Little Florida Mountains are mostly volcanic, built from ash-flow tuffs and lavas erupted roughly 24 to 28 million years ago and later lifted by faulting along the Rio Grande rift.

What it is known for

  • Rock collecting. Each visitor may take up to 15 pounds for personal use, and mineral dealers may not collect for sale.
  • Common finds include quartz crystals, geodes, thundereggs, jasper and perlite, along with agate, onyx and Apache tears.
  • About 3 miles of hiking and interpretive trails. Spring Canyon has trails up toward the steep pinnacles of the Florida Mountains.
  • Birding and wildlife viewing. Mountain lions and desert bighorn sheep live in the higher Florida Mountains.

Camping

  • 29 developed campsites, 23 of them with electric hookups, including RV pull-through sites.
  • Water in the campground, showers, restrooms and an RV dump station.
  • Group campsites and group shelters.

Good to know

  • Reservations are made through the New Mexico State Parks reservation website.
  • Collecting rules can change, so confirm the current limits with the park before you start digging.

Facts checked October 2026. Things change, so check the official site before you go.

IN THE JOURNAL

Where we wrote about it

Field report coming soon.

the notebook is full, the page is not (yet)

The Brinkley trailer beside a shade shelter with rugged mountains behind at Rockhound State Park.
Brinkley Under the Mountains
Our Brinkley trailer parked below a rocky ridge and jagged peaks at Rockhound State Park.
Parked Below the Ridge
A blooming ocotillo with our Brinkley and truck in the campground at Rockhound State Park.
Ocotillo in Bloom
The back of our Brinkley trailer looking out over the desert toward distant peaks at Rockhound State Park.
Morning View From the Rig
The campground spread across the desert slope below the mountains at Rockhound State Park, New Mexico.
The Campground and Valley
Prickly pear covered hills rolling toward a jagged mountain range at Rockhound State Park.
Cactus Slopes and Peaks
Prickly pear cactus along a hillside with the mountains beyond at Rockhound State Park.
Prickly Pear Ridge
Erin waving as she walks Rindo along a cactus-lined trail at Rockhound State Park.
Erin and Rindo on the Trail
Matt and Erin smiling on a desert hillside with the sun behind them at Rockhound State Park.
Sunny Trail Selfie
Matt and Erin laughing in golden evening light with the mountains behind them at Rockhound State Park.
Golden Hour Grins
A deep orange sunset over dark mountain silhouettes at Rockhound State Park, New Mexico.
Orange Sunset
The wide desert valley glowing in late light, seen from Rockhound State Park.
Looking Out Over the Valley
Our Brinkley trailer parked beneath a steep rocky hillside at Rockhound State Park.
Below the Hillside
A red rock cliff above a slope of prickly pear and yucca at Rockhound State Park.
Red Rock and Cactus
Matt in a beanie and sunglasses grinning beside our Brinkley trailer at Rockhound State Park.
Matt Outside the Brinkley
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