Rockhound

Open — The campground is currently open for reservations year-round. Reservations are available through the New Mexico State Parks reservation website.

About

Rockhound State Park sits in the scenic Little Florida Mountains southeast of Deming, New Mexico, and was established in 1966 as the first park in the United States to allow visitors to collect rocks and minerals for personal use. Each visitor can collect up to 15 pounds of specimens including quartz crystals, geodes, jasper, perlite, and other minerals from the 1,100-acre park. The Spring Canyon unit, added in 1979, provides additional day-use hiking opportunities among steep pinnacles characteristic of the Florida Mountains. The campground occupies a peaceful hillside setting at elevations ranging from 4,520 to 5,400 feet, offering electric hookups and pull-through sites suitable for RVs. The park includes a visitor center, modern restrooms with showers, a playground, group shelters, and multiple hiking trails showcasing the area's unique geology and seasonal wildflower displays. The desert environment supports diverse wildlife including lizards, snakes, deer, antelope, coyotes, prairie dogs, rabbits, and numerous bird species, with occasional sightings of mountain lions and desert bighorn sheep at higher elevations. Vegetation typical of the Chihuahuan Desert thrives throughout the park, including yucca, prickly pear and barrel cactus, ocotillo, creosote bush, mesquite, and hackberry, with juniper and scrub oak found in the canyons. The combination of mineral collecting opportunities, hiking trails, and well-equipped camping facilities makes Rockhound State Park a distinctive destination for rock enthusiasts and desert campers.

Directions

From Deming, take NM 11 south for five miles, then head east on Rockhound Road (State Road 141) for approximately nine miles to the park.

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