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    Grindstone Lake

    4.8 (19 reviews)

    Grindstone Lake Photos

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    Amos S.

    This is a lovely spot! I can't wait for summer to roll back around so I can frequent it more. This is a small lake, and it doesn't boast the crystal clear waters you might find near the Pacific Ocean, but it's a body of water that's accessible for us El Paso folks, in an otherwise land locked desert. It's only about 1.5 hrs drive straight up Hwy 54 from El Paso. Located in the mountains of Ruidoso NM, right next to the famous Inn of the Mountain Gods resort and casino, this little lake is pretty fun! They have kayak rentals here, which is pretty cool if you wanna get out and paddle around. They also have a small boat dock should you choose to bring your own kayak or canoe. There are food stands here on site, with picnic tables as well. Pizza, burgers, hot dogs etc. So you can come up here for a day trip and not worry about bringing your own food, unless you want to of course. There are hiking trails surrounded the lake, should you feel the urge to plod around the mountain on a nice summers day. This is a dog friendly place! Yup! Being your pups! They are even allowed in the lake. My dogs particularly like swimming here. It's a nice break when it's 100 in El Paso, because the weather here is also 15-20 degrees cooler. Things may be different now because of COVID, and masks are required the last time I went. Also, there's a small fee for parking and due to COVID, only a limited number of guests / cars at a time. You can check the website though and make reservations if you wish, to guarantee a spot.

    Joshua H.

    Loved this hike! We did a 1.4 mile hike/loop out and then back for 2.8 miles total. Hit a max elevation of 7100'. Not a bad hike at all. Stunning views. Great day for it. Our 8 year old son liked it as well even the snow he found. Being from West Texas he don't see that much back home. This is a great spot near downtown to go out explore nature and get your outdoor fix for sure.

    Prices weren't bad for rentals
    Marie S.

    One of the few lakes actually opened this summer... We came two days in a row. In the first day, we parked at fisherman's trail and hiked up to the dam. The hike isn't too steep, but you can feel it if you've been out of shape (ahem, I'm looking at you quarantine snacks). The fishing was good, but slower than the past few days when my uncle and cousins had been . The people were friendly and one guy had even given us several of his "smaller" fish he didn't need. The second day (Saturdays and Sundays you have to make a $5 registration because of covid), the fish were feeling the pressure with a lot more kayaks, pedal boats, and kids swimming, and the crowds were denser. No fish were caught on that day, but it was nice just to get out. Nice lake too 2020 #26

    Trail info
    Elizabeth B.

    This is a great hike on a beautiful day! Parking is limited and cost $10, summer months one needs a reservation for parking, so be aware. We walked to the park so that did not apply to us. I didn't see much signage describing the various trail options until we had finished our 2 hour hike. Some of the trails are more overgrown than others. The lake is stunning and the view is worth the hike!

    Grindstone Lake
    Oliver B.

    Absolutely amazing easy hike around lake. Go early enough before the crowd sets in. Also, help keep this park clean. As I was exiting I witnessed a kid throw trash out of his car, and his adult driver rolled the window down to see what he threw. Sadly, he did not educate his kid not to litter and left the scene. Overall, great way to spend an early morning hike.

    Christina L.

    I am so jealous that the town of Ruidoso has this great lake in their backyard. It really is a beautiful piece of land. Tons of walking trails, plenty of people were fishing in the lake while we were there. And a great extra activity area for the kids. Make sure to keep an eye out for the wild horses that on occasion make an appearance. Well worth the $10 entrance fee. Be prepared: CASH ONLY!

    Lake
    Mike W.

    Had a great time hiking around this small lake on a great Saturday morning with the family. You can use small paddle or canoe and fish.

    Beautiful view of Grindstone Lake
    Beth W.

    Beautiful hiking! We took the dogs. Was a bit warm and not much shade in early October.

    Amanda C.

    beautiful, spot for fishing or just hanging out. so peaceful, sandy at the bottom so you might want to wear high socks or boots if you don't want sand in your shoes!

    Grindstone Lake

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    6 years ago

    Love this spot in Ruidoso! Fun lake to walk around with great views. You can rent kayaks, as well. There's picnic tables so pack a lunch!

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    4 years ago

    The staff at the wibit and dam house are super friendly and helpful. I will definately be back!

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    Ask the Community - Grindstone Lake

    Review Highlights - Grindstone Lake

    The staff at the wibit and dam house are super friendly and helpful.

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    Two Rivers Ruidoso Trail Park - Got ya !!!

    Two Rivers Ruidoso Trail Park

    4.7(6 reviews)
    1.7 mi

    What a blast walking on this cute little trail! We came mid week so there wasn't as many people as…read moresome say there is on the weekend. Cute kids looking for the doors everywhere. Lots of wildlife out when we were out. We went as far on the trail as we could before it ended, if it was a little longer would be ideal but we lived it none the less!

    THIS is THEEEE BEST PARK I've ever been too !! We've been traveling in our RV & New Mexico is our…read more8th state so far and we have done so many parks. This has got to be THEE cutest park ever!! (Yes, I'm shouting ) We stayed near town to hit up White Sands & we loved it there too & wanted a park to eat, take a hike & relax. First off we parked in the wrong section ‍. We parked by the first bridge (Tom's bridge). So first you want to find the main entrance. There you will see a wonderful map of the adorable park & the fairy homes. I'll give you a clue, don't use the map, it's not that great BUT is adorable for pictures! Look on the ground for a white fairy wand & you are close to a fairy house. If you find a T, then look for a Troll home. I saw online ONE cute fairy home & thought I would surprise our teens with one cute fairy home. Boy, was I wrong! There's 10 !! We did 9/10. It starts to get into a residential area & maybe it was us buuuut a little old lady didn't look to please that we were there looking for the 10th one. Sorry Lady! They have great picnic spots, benches to sit everywhere! I'm a big big girl and I walked one way the whole thing than my wonderful husband ran back to get our car for me & the kids. We had packed a picnic & parked by the big picnic area. There's about 2 parking spots. All & all, we had a blast ! Greatest Park Ever !!

    Photos
    Two Rivers Ruidoso Trail Park - All the ones you can look for on the trail.

    All the ones you can look for on the trail.

    Two Rivers Ruidoso Trail Park
    Two Rivers Ruidoso Trail Park - Just beautiful all around us !

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    Just beautiful all around us !

    Ski Apache

    Ski Apache

    3.1(178 reviews)
    7.9 mi

    *BEWARE!!!!!! The GM…read moreKen Marlatt is letting this once great mountain with so much potential rot away. It seems he only wants to make money ripping off unsuspecting tourists and making it unaffordable for locals and even lots of tourist. Ski Apache price increase is unfair for the product they offer. I asked on social media a few times (Facebook) why the increase only to be blocked from viewing the page entirely. Seems very unfair/shady of them to do this for asking a simple question. I've never seen any other ski resorts block customers for asking questions like "why the price increase of $60-105 this season." *Some things for people to know before going* -Prices have gone up almost 100% up to $195 for peak days. It's $150-160 non peak days. Today Thursday 2/12/26 is $195 but last season this same Thursday before Presidents' Day was $90. -Thursday's are now considered weekend day pricing and no weekday pricing is options are available anymore. -Since 2020 they stopped operating Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (besides Christmas and Spring break week) which is greatly hurting all the local ski shops. If you can rent from the local shops and help them out they awesome staffing that care about you having a good day. -With this increase you would expect on mountain improvements but nothing has happened besides the "snow factory" machine that only makes snow for a small section of easy street. They also think they can use tarps like RUKA and LEVI in Finland do to solve the lack of snow/warm wet build temps when they can't make snow but don't have anywhere near the same snowmaking capacity like those resorts have. -Snowmaking from the summit/gondola including midway lift 2 is Inoperative and no plans to fix it for future lean snow years. They also haven't made snow off Capitan quad (chair 4) the last couple seasons so it seems that area is headed toward being INOP too. Basically snowmaking is limited to chair 3&5 only (the small beginner chairlifts) this is where they put the expensive operating Snow factory machine. -I'll also add Elk Ridge quad (chair 8) terrain has no snowmaking anymore but the whole area has been abandoned for over a decade including the Elk lodge with also no plans to reopen or fix the area. -Chairlifts don't seem to be properly maintained like seat cushion that are ripped on most chairs outside of 3&5 especially on Chair 2. -They are always short staff and GM Ken Marlatt stopped/wont allow an employee bus to operate to save money so less staff is showing up making operations a nightmare and chairlifts not being able to operate regularly. -staffing issues go into the lodge also like no bartenders sometimes (no bartender on 2/7/26) and bathrooms have most stall broken. Usually only 2-3 work out of 7. -The other bathrooms at the top of chair 6 Apache bowl and Moonshine Burger& Bar restrooms have been abandoned and are covered in rat droppings. -Under GM Ken Marlatt leadership staff doesn't seem safely properly trained especially with children on chairlifts (unfortunately a child lost their life this season Jan2026 due to this). -MTB trails haven't been raked/maintained since 2020 and just to ride the gondola for sightseeing cost $65. -Zero Terrain park features. No rails/boxes since 2019 and no jumps since 2020. The mountain is so beautiful and has so much potential. It's a shame to see what has now become of it since GM Ken Marlatt took over. They should look into someone else to run it before it's too late. MCP with James Coleman might make a good option. I'd recommend Cloudcroft, Sandia, Angel fire, Ski Santa Fe, Taos, Pajarito Mountain or Sipipu as other more reliable and safer options for NM skiing. If you would love to enjoy a Native American run ski area I would recommend looking in Sunrise Park Resort operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Eastern Arizona. They have been making improvements to the mountain while offering fair lift ticket prices ranging from $25-$99. They will listen to any complaint especially on social media and try the best they can to improve on that. Maybe Ski Apache can learn from them instead of deleting/blocking anyone that criticizes their operations on social media. I've attached a photo of the bathroom at Moonshine Bar with RAT DROPPINGS! from this season 25/26. Apparently the bathroom at the top of Apache Bowl is a lot worse. This shows you what has become of the mountain under GM Ken Marlatt's leadership. Unfortunately due all this and now being blocked on social media (never seen a ski area block people on social media for asking why lift ticket prices increased dramatically this year) I won't spend any more money here and I'm a avid loyal skier here. I wish the best for them and hope they listen to this review as I would love to ski at SKI Apache and see it become the great mountain it use to be. Unfortunately it's just getting worse every year with GM Ken Marlatt's leadership.

    If you opt to rent your ski boots or equipment here just know they are all men's or boys sizes…read more That is not the problem, but that they did not tell us this nor is there any signage or information about this is a glaring oversight. This may not seem like a big deal, but I cannot process in my small brain why you would not tell the customer this information. If another patron had not mentioned this, we would have never known. Poor signage and poor communication. The guy doing are skis was helpful and nice. But the lady that threw away my rental paper at the ski boot rental was not helpful. I like to give the benefit of the doubt, but not necessary at this establishment. Pretty sure it's on purpose.

    Photos
    Ski Apache
    Ski Apache
    Ski Apache

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    Valley of Fires Recreation Area - 11.22.2025

    Valley of Fires Recreation Area

    4.1(23 reviews)
    29.8 mi

    Prior to reaching the Valley of Fires Recreation Area near Carrizozo, NM, we sat in traffic for…read moreabout a half hour due to heavy law enforcement presence due to what? I never found out. We stopped only for a moment to view the black lava flow that covered vast amounts of the surrounding area. It's fascinating. There were quite a lot of RV campers at the sites. Here's a quick overview I compiled: + camp host on-site + 20 RV campsites have 30 and 50 amp electrical hookups and water hookups + the above includes 2 RV sites that are accessible + group shelters + picnic shelters + tables + trashcans + BBQ grills + restrooms (also with accessibility) + showers (non-campers may use these for a fee of $6) + RV dump station + leashed dogs allowed + 3/4 mile Malpais Nature Trail "offers a close-up look of the lava surface." + visitor center, bookstore & gift shop available Hopefully someday sooner than later I'll be back to exhaustively explore this remote side of New Mexico. Works Cited https://www.blm.gov/visit/valley-fires-recreation-area

    Nice camp area if you're passing through or wanting to stay away from the cities, but still near…read moreattractions in the area. Spaces for big RVs, and even solo tent spots at the very end. RV spots have water and electricity and a few also have tent pads. Reservation can be made online at recreation.gov, but a few spots are first come first serve. (See pic for FF spots) 3 vault toilets in the area, but they also have 1 main shower and restroom facility. The showers or free, but only for paying visitors. They also have a ramp that leads down into the lava flow. They actually built a trail that's handicap accessible all the way into the lava flow with some very old and faded descriptions as you go along. It's a pretty cool thing to enjoy and see but definitely go early in the day as it gets very hot and by the middle of the morning already. Park fees are $3 for single rider, $5 for full vehicle $6 for shower use. Camping fees are $19 for spots with electric and water, $12 for water only, and $7 for a tent spot. Current (Sept 2024) host is Daniel and he's a nice guy.

    Photos
    Valley of Fires Recreation Area - Scenic views.

    Scenic views.

    Valley of Fires Recreation Area - Scenic views.

    Scenic views.

    Valley of Fires Recreation Area

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    Grindstone Lake - hiking - Updated May 2026

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