Rockhound State Park

Rockhound State Park is a 1,100 acre property on the western flanks of the Little Florida Mountains south of Deming. This is rugged countryside in the Chihuahuan Desert: cactus, ocotillo, yucca, mesquite, cactus, more cactus... Rockhound gets its name from all the volcanic rocks and silica minerals (agate, opal, quartz, chalcedony) lying around. The Florida Mountains Mining District produced gold, silver and copper from 1880 to 1956. Folks are encouraged to enjoy the rocks, you can even take up to fifteen pounds of rocks home with you.

The visitor center, campground and hiking trails of the main park are on the west side of the Little Florida Mountains. The Spring Canyon Recreation Area (day use only) with its picnic sites and hiking trails is across the valley on the eastern slopes of the Florida Mountains.

Rockhound State Park offers a visitor center, interpretive exhibits, group picnic shelter, playground, and 29 developed campsites, 24 of which offer electric hookups. The camping area has central restrooms and showers, the park has a central RV dump station. Activities available include picnicking, hiking and wildlife watching.

The entry gate at Rockhound State Park is open from 7:30 am to sunset every day. To get there: go south from Deming on New Mexico Highway 11 for five miles, then turn and go east on New Mexico Highway 141 for nine more miles.

Fees: Day-use: $5 per vehicle; Pedestrians and bicyclists get in free. Camping: Primitive sites: $8 per site per night. Developed sites: $10 per site per night. Developed site with either electric or sewer: $14 per site per night. Developed site with both electric and sewer: $18 per site per night. Water hookups aren't always available but when they are, they're free.