United States
New Mexico (NM)
Sierra County
Elephant Butte
Things to Do in Elephant Butte
Elephant Butte Lake State Park

Elephant Butte Lake State Park: Address, Phone Number, Elephant Butte Lake State Park Reviews: 4/5

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Elephant Butte Lake State Park

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Elephant Butte Lake State Park
4
225
#1 of 9 things to do in Elephant Butte
State Parks • Bodies of Water
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The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
6 within 3 miles
Bigfoot Restaurant
6
1.1 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Seafood • Wine Bar
Casa Taco
132
1.3 mi$ • Quick Bites • Mexican • Vegetarian Friendly
Turtleback Taphouse & Grill at Sierra Del Rio Golf Course
11
1.2 mi$$ - $$$
The Club Restaurant at the Sierra del Rio Golf Course
29
1.3 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Pub
Paparoni's Pizzeria
4
1.7 mi
Krispy Krunchy Chicken/ Cabana Grill
1.7 miAmerican • Cajun & Creole
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Attractions
12 within 6 miles
Riverbend Hot Springs
558
Hot Springs & Geysers
Geronimo Springs Museum
301
History Museums
Elephant Butte
4
1.1 miReligious Sites
Veterans Memorial Park
81
Points of Interest & Landmarks • Parks
Hot Springs Bathhouse Historic and Commercial District
31
Hot Springs & Geysers
Carole Wheeler Dog Park
8
Parks
Rio Bravo Fine Art Gallery
1
Art Galleries
SEBA Gallery
1
Art Galleries
Geronimo Trail National Scenic Byway Visitor Center
1
Visitor Centers
J. A. Hodges Municipal Swimming Pool
3
Sports Complexes
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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
4.0
225 reviews
Excellent
85
Very good
87
Average
32
Poor
16
Terrible
5
Debbie F
Concord, NH183 contributions
Not my favorite...
I have to agree with the reviewers who said that this was kind of a depressing place. We were there the last weekend in July and the place was packed with RVs. The water level was ridiculously low (I don't know how anyone could deny climate change after seeing this lake, as well as others in the high desert). As a tent camper, there were limited options for where we could camp. The "reservable" spots weren't really appropriate without an RV. We arrived at about 6pm on a Friday night and were thrilled that they had several sheltered first-come first serve sites available for $10. We were in luck, but we first had to clear several armloads of trash from the (unusable) fire pit and shelter. The bathrooms were similarly dirty, although we welcomed the hot showers (wearing flip flops) for sure. We had a gorgeous overlook of the lake, so we were content. As people started funneling into the area for the night, it seemed that these sites were mostly used by homeless people who were sleeping in their cars. NOT that anyone behaved inappropriately, but it just felt kind of strange for a campground so my sleep was uneasy. While this was a good deal, there are plenty of other better state parks in NM to camp at and enjoy.
Written August 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Oh Danny boy
190 contributions
Nice campground but....
Very nice campground but do not expect to go to the lake as the locals camp on the lake. We were there on a Thursday and found they let dogs their run free and made fires despite a ban on campfires. They line their campers along the lake making it impossible to access the lake. We mentioned it to the camp host who said not much they can do. The campground is well kept and the picnic tables were under a cover.
Written May 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Sally Thoe Downs
Albuquerque, NM5,094 contributions
Lake with a beautiful scenery!
There is a price to enter - as is true with any state park - but it is well worth it! There are so many places to make your spot on the lake that you don't have to worry about feeling crowded during this time of Covid. However, you may have to walk far to the beach and the sun can be hot so bring appropriate shoes and plenty of sunscreen! This is not a place where you will find shade. The shore line is a little different at each end and there is a small marina for those with boats. We noticed a few of the shores actually have a bunch sea shells.
Written March 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
rdsm77
Tucson, AZ349 contributions
Large lake
On the first day of a long road trip I decided to stop in at Elephant Butte State Park just to see what it was like for future reference. Was tricked at the unmanned entrance with a donation box for the local 4th of July fireworks there. I like fireworks and want others to enjoy them so not a huge regret. Hope they were nice.
Elephant Butte was much bigger than Caballo Lake State Park with a lot more people and a lot more beach. It had just rained when I got there so I didn't want to spend a lot of time exploring. The pavement ended and the ground was wet so I didn’t go to the water. Parked next to a large rolloff dumpster. Seemed like a lot of trashy drunks were at the beach. Just took a couple pics and used the restroom. In hindsight I wished I had gone to look at the dam but that was further south and the opposite direction of where I was going. Next time.
Written September 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
harddriver
El Paso, TX41 contributions
Quiet during the winter
Visited Elephant Butte State park in January, when the weather was pleasant, Cold at night and in the morning, but nice during the day. We stayed at Elephant Butte RV Resort which is a very nice campground. Not much to report on the Park except the water was cold in January. Roads around the park are relatively good, and in January there was plenty of parking but I know around the 4th of July it is very busy and trailers, tents and RV's take up most of the shoreline. There's a decent boat ramp and small marina and apparently lots of hiking trails.
Written February 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Cosmos Mariner
Kenai, AK360 contributions
Pretty Perfect South Montecello
Couples
We stayed in South Montecello in our RV for a week. Pros - Wonderful vistas and sunrises. Simply beautiful. Quiet. Good walking, and we saw a black bear track on one of our walks along the Rio Grande. Clean bathrooms and showers. Helpful campground staff. Sandhill cranes are around. Thee Sisters is within walking distance, and there are good views of hundreds of sandhills and Canada Geese. Pelicans were around as well. Lots of tracks of sandhills around the Rio Grande there. There is a good walking, running, biking trail that runs for miles to the south from here. Heard coyotes yesterday. Cons - Not a place for those who can’t entertain themselves or want resturant experiences. At this time of the year the Elephant Butte Reservior is very low and don’t expect water sports. The Reservoir won’t come up until spring runnoff peaking in midsummer.
Written December 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Poirotgirl
United States122 contributions
Great, if you have your own equipment.
Family
Not great, no map was supplied on entering the park and we had no clue where we were supposed to go. We wanted to hire kayaks and paddle boards and were told to go to the marina. Got to the marina and they don’t hire them; just boats. Disappointing as it was the only reason for visiting the park. Would have been nice if we had been told this at the entrance when we specifically asked for this information.
Written July 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Geri M
Phoenix, AZ247 contributions
Disappointed with largest state park in NM
Solo
#1. The water is extremely low, no fault of the park.
#2. Their cleanliness leaves something to be desired. I always pick up trash in the water or on my daily walks with the dogs. Some people are inconsiderate, others messy and Some inattentive. The wind will blow.
I stayed On Lions Beach. They have loops A-B-C.
Each loop has its own host + 2 park volunteers in A.
Monday. I noticed walking by the bathrooms that there was a foul smell. It’s 💯out there folks. There’s a walkway down the hill To the restrooms with 2 metal Trash baskets. Trash buckets overflowing. Rancid bacon or fish guts on top and two black dog poop bags in walkway. The bathrooms had no toilet paper. Fortunately I have a camper.
Tuesday. Rancid plastic bag plus dog bags still there. Someone had to walk around to put paper in the bathrooms
Wednesday same with the addition of a McDonald’s bag thrown at metal trash can and splattered all over walk.
Thursday the same. I picked up Rancid plastic bag, dog poop and McDonald’s junk leaving the five tomato packets.
Friday. Tomato packages still there. One now stepped on. I went in search of a host. Found 2. Was informed by both that “it’s not my job”. One did say he would call someone to do the job. Vola. 3 hours later metal containers cleaned and tomato packs gone.
Written June 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Anne O
Argyle, TX3,775 contributions
Lake Needs Water
We were there in September when the water level was way down. The lake looked like a puddle, although there were some boaters on it. Looked like only one marina was floating. The surrounding mountains and buttes were pretty - Elephant Butte was interesting. The park has campsites and picnic areas, but overall, I found it sad.
Written October 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Webwalla
Cranbrook, Canada187 contributions
Great hiking spot!
Hiked in the park late February and it was quiet and beautiful. The trees were just beginning to open their leaves. We found it to be an awesome outdoor adventure super close to T or C. The volunteer working the payment window was super friendly and gave us lots of useful information.
Written February 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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