City of Rocks State Park
City of Rocks State Park
4.5
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One of New Mexico's most visited sights, this state park is uncommercialized and filled with strange rock formations.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
383 reviews
Excellent
246
Very good
105
Average
30
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Debbie F
Concord, NH198 contributions
Jul 2022
My only regret was that we didn't include camping at the City of Rocks as a part of our itinerary. What an incredible place! Like with many parks, the visitor center served as our base of operations. The volunteer who greeted us (unfortunately, I didn't catch her name) was incredibly welcoming and friendly. The bathrooms were clean (even with hot showers) and the small museum was chock full of information. We drove the perimeter of the park, took the "planets walk" (a scale model of the solar system), then had lunch amidst a rock outcropping. We left for another commitment, but returned later in the afternoon for a hike up Table Mountain. The round trip took less than 2 hours (we were the only ones on it) and offered amazing views. This place is other-worldly. We visited in July and spent about 4 hours in the park. We basically had the park to ourselves. The rock formations were incredible!!! I wish that we had the time to see the stars at night. If we return to NM in the future, staying at this park would definitely be a part of the plan!
Written August 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeremiah Z
Roseville, MN2,608 contributions
Nov 2021
Considering there isn't a whole lot else to see in this part of NM, this mini-"Stonehenge" is a fun little stop. One thing we didn't understand, though, is why there are so many RV/campsites in amongst the rock formations. It seemed there were so many it would be hard for anyone to hike around the rock formations without intruding on someone else's campsite. It is a very small area, but we did think the sunrise was really cool to watch the rocks light up.
Written December 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anika F
8 contributions
May 2021 • Family
This is an awesome spot! We stopped by for an hour or so, paid the day pass rate for NM state park ($5) and boy, it was worth every penny!
Get out, explore around and take in the vast expanse of desert that surrounds the rocks.
The visitors center is neat, with a small museum and tons of cool info.
Our kids are 10, 8 and 1.5 years old. They all had a great time!
Get out, explore around and take in the vast expanse of desert that surrounds the rocks.
The visitors center is neat, with a small museum and tons of cool info.
Our kids are 10, 8 and 1.5 years old. They all had a great time!
Written May 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cheryl D
Minneapolis, MN86 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
City of Rocks State Park was recommended and we were so happy it was. It’s an awesome campground in the middle of no where. When going opt for the no electricity sites since they are the absolutely the best nestled amount the rock formations. Most of the sites are good however we were at site 38 and thought it was great!
Written March 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charles M
California263 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
My wife loves rocks and when we saw the sign "City of Rocks" we just had to check that out. In the middle of nowhere there are a series of rock formations that look like a city. You can't see it from the Highway. It's a 3 mile detour well worth the time. We took lots of pictures of the local flora and rocks. Great place to picnic and camp.....
Written February 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KarynSpokane
Spokane, WA90 contributions
Apr 2021
I cut out a newspaper article in 1987 about City of Rocks and have wanted to see it ever since. I was not disappointed. We had just left Canyonlands and The Arches in Utah and felt this park easily rivaled them, albeit smaller. I wish we’d been camping so we could have spent more time here. This park is worth a detour. You will be be happy you did.
Written April 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Loren R
Helena28 contributions
Apr 2022
If you love history, geology, and camping, this is the place for you! I believe we happened into one of the best camp sites in the park! While there are some electrified campsites available, most sites are primitive. Many of the sites are suitable for tents or very small tent trailers, and some require some finagling to get your larger RV situated - so be careful when reserving your site online. You can wander on trails among the rocks and look for petroglyphs/pictographs, take a hike on marked trails, or walk the perimeter of the park. The night skies are TREMENDOUS, as are the sunrises and sunsets. Deming and Silver City are both close if you need to make a run into town. We were able to leave our blinds up at night and just look out at the stars that seemed close enough to touch.
Written April 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom C
1 contribution
Dec 2022 • Couples
A beautiful and unusual park with giant rock formations that are otherworldly. We were able to get a first come, first served rustic site but had a hard time getting our 25' motorhome leveled. Many of the non-electric sites are pretty steep. I was surprised to find out there is no dump station.
Written December 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
carollynn1026
14 contributions
Feb 2023
What a great park. Amazing to see the giant rocks. It makes you wonder how they stay in the positions they are in. How do they not fall? The hiking is not to bad. We also drove around the perimeter of the stones on the road that leads to the camp sites. Worth the trip.
Written February 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle D
5 contributions
Sep 2019
Love this place. Find something new every time I come. Beautiful views and so educational. Make sure you go in the Spring or Fall or it may be too hot. Great hiking trails, very clean facilities.
Written March 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Meredith C
Las Vegas, NV1 contribution
What is the closest major airport to Deming? We world fly in from Vegas
Ranger145
Silverton, CO443 contributions
Best would be El Paso, TX
Teresa R
Clovis, NM765 contributions
How much time should we allow to see the park?
DoBeAdventure
Peachland, Canada145 contributions
A couple of hours would be plenty. That being said, we felt as though we would like to camp there at a future date as it is so unique.
aanakaliaa
Albuquerque, NM
Are dogs allowed?
Koala S
23 contributions
As long as they are leashed and you clean up their messes.
Jzhang1
5 contributions
Is there any way to rent any tents nearby?
110debbie54
Green Valley, AZ12 contributions
are the campsites a nice distance apart? any suggestions on the best camping sites we are camping in a homemade trailer type camper?
parkwood2015
Las Vegas, NV
Can I get a pamphlet of the area? I am climbing for a week in June at City of Rocks and would like to have a printed pamphlet or etc. of the surrounding attractions and lay-out for seeing other sites, when not climbing.
Thanks,
Jasmine
GLo C
Deming, NM6 contributions
There was a office building there with a park ranger to answer questions the first time we went and some pamphlets and books and a bathroom- however the second time we went it wasn't open---but we really didn't need info as we just liked exploring. There were campers there also
digging (rock hounds, the call them)
Any special safety precautions I should take? I was told by some (possibly misinformed) people way up north that this was a popular sight for bears, mountain lions, and sometimes Blackbears. New to the desert canping, being from IL!
Bob R
Santa Teresa, NM
Your more likely to run into a rattle snake than anything else,maybe a coyote,rabbit etc.While i prefer to carry a weapon or two its more for peace of mind than anything else.but this place has a ranger on site most of the time so go have some fun the city of rocks,ROCKS.
Bob R
Santa Teresa, NM
If we campout and we bring our dirtbikes can we ride off into the desert to ride
Statia D
Portal, AZ429 contributions
Bob, You should try taking your dirt bikes to the Hot Well Dunes. It's in Arizona but not too far from City of Rocks. It's pretty popular with off-roaders and I believe it's only 3.00 a night to camp. There are facilities there, including hot tubs that are filled with the natural hot springs water. You should like it! Mountain bikes (bicycles) are allowed at City of Rocks, even in the rock formations.
City of Rocks State Park (Deming) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
City of Rocks State Park Information
Excellent Reviews | 245 |
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Very Good Reviews | 105 |
City of Rocks State Park Photos | 364 |