Residents get a chance to contact state parks in New Mexico for free until April – Santa Fe New Mexican

She has found a community as a member of the AMIGOS de Cerrillos Hills, which supports the park by raising funds and volunteer activities. And unlike her running, she also loves to take the time on the paths during what she calls “hobby hikes” where she slows down to stop for snacks and admire tarantulas, butterflies, snakes, hawks , flowers and expansive views.

On a hike, a red racer threw herself to Davis, but she used her ballet background to jump just in time to avoid her impact. She said she was planning to get a snake tattoo soon to mark the memorable meeting.

“This place is so special for me and it is often difficult to put my finger on it. I do not know if these are the wide open spaces, the gentle moving hills, or the fact that there are actually a very crazy amount of wild flowers in the summer, “said Davis, who is also a master of Santa Fe.

More people can be encouraged to form their own relationships with state parks in New Mexico after a taxi restructure, which gives new Mexicans free access for the day for use for seven months a year.

From the beginning of October to the end of April, residents can visit state parks for free for the day. From May to September the fees for the day are $ 5 for residents. The price for non -residents is $ 10 throughout the year.

The day use fees will be evaluated on a vehicle and a registration plate or identification number in New Mexico is required to prove the residence.

Meanwhile, camping fees and annual gaps will appear at a price. Primitive camping sites will be $ 10 for residents and $ 15 for non -residents. The developed sites will cost $ 15 for residents and $ 20 for non -residents.

The annual pass for use during the day will be $ 75 for residents and $ 150 for non -residents, while the annual camping gap will be $ 300 for residents and $ 600 for non -residents.

The changes came into force on January 1, which means that the new Mexicans will be able to visit state parks for free now until April 30.

Peter Lipskob, a park manager at Cerrillos Hills, encourages people who are not in the snow and cold of the mountain to visit his park in the winter. At the elevation of about 6,000 feet and 16 miles south of Santa Fe right from the national picturesque path of the turquoise path, the temperatures are easier, and the paths get much less snow than higher hills.

In addition to tourism, which offers views of the mountain ranges Sandia, Ortiz, JEMEZ and Sangre de Cristo, the park emphasizes more than 1100 years of mining history in the area.

“The experience of the park is as individual as the people who go there,” Lipskob said. “There are many stories to tell about a place like Cerrillos Hills. This is much more than what people see as they blow on Highway 14. “

Janet McAcar, a retired archaeologist and another member of the Amigos de Cerrillos hills, said he estimates the easy to moderate degree of the paths and the solitude he finds in the park. She lives only in short driving and said she often went to Cerrillos Hills without seeing anyone.

“The paths are not super long, but they are really picturesque, very beautiful,” she said. “You can be high by looking at the views or you can be down in a valley or canyon, or the side of the slope, and suddenly geology is completely changing. For me, geology is as interesting as anything. “

Lipscomb has made more than 400 educational programs over the years in the park, covering everything from plants, animals, geology, mining history and night sky.

In January, he started a ranger’s hikes at two weeks on Wednesday, where he said he allows participants to manage the topics they would like to know more about. The next hike is February 5th and those stakeholders can contact him at [email protected] to learn more.

Other upcoming events include a geology hike on Sunday, February 23, and Star Party Friday, February 28th. The popular Turquoise path Pack Burro race, the park’s signature event, is Saturday, May 3.

Lipscomb said his favorite aspect of working at Cerrillos Hills is his ability to interact with visitors and teach them things that may not have considered before.

“This is one of the things that are essential to the interpretation process – you make them understand it and then they appreciate it or appreciate it more,” Lipskob said. “And once it becomes part of how they feel, they now want to protect it and understand why the management of these places is important.”

Here are some other close state parks that you need to consider visiting during the free day for use for New Mexico residents:

The highest state park in New Mexico is a place where families can flow for winter fun.

Situated between 8,300 to 9,400 feet in height in Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the parking lots of the Hyde Memorial Parking can be filled over the weekends with people eager to slide along the popular hill of the park’s sled. Park chief Jason Downing said the hill was a ski running from the 30th to the 60s before closed and turned into a sled hill.

The park, which is only eight miles northeast of Santa Fe on Hyde Park Road, also has a 4.2 miles system that includes five main paths. The western circle trail, which is the longest of the park 2.2 miles, has a very steep section with 1000 feet in vertical profit over one mile. The other four paths range from ¼ mile to one mile of length and can be snowshoes or hikes, depending on the conditions.

Hyde Park also has opportunities for camping in the winter, including electric sites and three yurts – the only yurts in the state park system.

Downing said he was not sure how the new fees structure would affect the visit to the park, but he said he hoped ,.

Although it is still underway, the latest State Park in New Mexico is a strong traffic since its inception in 2019.

Owned by the State Department of Play and Fish and run by state parks in New Mexico, the Pecos Canyon State Park is one of the most popular fishing areas in the northern half of the state.

There are several areas for the day when people can fish in the park of 378 acres, which is about 14 miles north of the village of Pekos on NM 63. Two include a merger where Rio Mora and Willow Crick flow into the Pekos River.

Although there are no certain paths in the park, Cheryl Colls, manager of the Central Region for State Parks in New Mexico, said there were plans for a path that would connect the park from north to south. Colls said this was still off.

The park also offers a year -round campsite, and the campsites are almost always full during the weekends during the peak season.

The COLS said the Mora Camping, the most popular park camping area, will close until May 1 or earlier when work begins to build a new bridge over Rio Mora. After the bridge is completed, the construction work will be carried out at the campsite. The COLS said the site would be closed for at least one year.

After leaving the alpine environment of Sangre de Cristos, its place of origin, the Pekos River enters a transition zone between the mountains and the plains.

Running under sandy bluffs and cotton tree trees, Pecos goes through a picturesque and peaceful environment in the Villanueva State Park.

There are 2.9 miles of pedestrian paths in the park, which is about 55 miles southeast of Santa Fe. The trail system includes paths along the river, as well as along the bluffs and hills where visitors can soak in the sweeping views of the Peakosa and the surrounding landscape.

Fishing is a big towing. The COLC said that the State Department of Play and Fish stock the river with trout in the winter, and then catfish when the weather heats up.

Drilling the river through the park is a popular pastel in the warmer months. Colls said there may be hundreds of people in the park on the weekends involved in negligent activity. It warns visitors to be aware that as the snow melts in the mountains north, the river can rise quickly in the spring. Kolls advises people to wait until the river calms down before sailing.

This may come as a surprise on the first visit to find such calm and beauty in the middle of the largest city in New Mexico, but Albukerke’s Boske offers a really big escape from the bustle of urban life.

The State Park of the Rio Grande Nature Center, located on 2901 Candelria Road NW, provides an excellent environment to learn about the wetlands, as well as the plants and animals that live within the lively ecosystem along the Rio Grande.

The center for visitors to the park, designed by the famous architect Antoine Predock, has several educational exhibits, as well as for monitoring with a wall of windows, directly with a view of one of the reservoirs.

Levi Dean, the head of the park, said the wildlife photography, more special about birds, is one of the most popular activities in the park. Migrating birds, including sandy cranes and canada geese, can be considered here in the winter before time warms up and they head north. Relatives and food stations give visitors a chance to get a clear look at many of the more than 300 species of birds that inhabit and pass through the area.

The small park – it is only about 38 acres – there are only 1.2 miles of paths, but it offers access to many more miles of Bosko to the north and south of the Rio Grande Natural Center.

The park eliminates its fee during the day and now there is a year -round parking fee of $ 5 for both New Mexico residents and non -residents.