Great place to get away from the city lights. Recommend for skywatching! You end up surrounded by…read morehigher ground. Have fun!

You don't accidentally end up at Bottomless Lakes State Park you make the choice to drift a little…read moreoff the grid. It's a short drive out of Roswell, but it feels like you've stepped into a quieter, older story. Legend says they tried to measure the lake with ropes tied end to end and never hit bottom. Maybe that's true. Maybe it's just a good tale told over a couple beers. Either way, standing there, staring into that dark water, you start to feel it--that little itch in your brain that wonders if everything you've been told is only half the story. We rolled in like we knew what we were doing cooler packed, grill fired up, chicken skewers sizzling, jalapeño poppers snapping over the flame, and my buddy throwing together something that leaned suspiciously close to Hawaiian poke. No crowds. No noise but what we brought with us. Bose speaker cranked, music bouncing off the water, beers cracking open one after another like punctuation marks in a long, lazy sentence. It wasn't polished. It wasn't fancy. It was just right. That's the thing about a place like this it doesn't try to impress you. It just sits there, quiet and a little mysterious, letting you project whatever story you came with. Some of it feels real. Some of it feels like the kind of myth you tell because reality isn't quite enough. Either way, it sticks with you. Bottom line off the beaten path, a little rough around the edges, and exactly the kind of place that earns its spot on the list.

What a shock! Gorgeous visitor center with incredible views, great gift shop, a few hiking trails,…read moreand a viewing loop to safely check out the migrating birds. This may be one of the best kept secrets in New Mexico. That said, there's also quite a hornet infestation outside the entrance to the building and the patio, so do be mindful of that. Hopefully the staff will see that it is addressed.

A nice ride to the bitter lake National wildlife refuge. Great place to unwind, take a bike ride,…read morewalk, see wildlife, go on a picnic. Lots of land and nature to view. Lots of ducks, birds ect. as well as a nice place to catch a sunset. Nice place to visit and is free to the public.

Beautiful out in the Desert with Lake Brantley near…read moreoverlooks the lake, beautiful sunset, long drive on tho but if you go, visit the Desert Gardens nearby as well as Carlsbad Caverns!!!

A wonderful State Park, located on Brantley Lake! There are 47 camp sites with water and electric…read more They also have dispersed sites as well.

If I could give a zero, I would. The old, cranky, ugly, overweight woman host was the worse. She…read morepunched my car window after she stormed our car. She was insane. i would NEVER stay here....she was actually horrible!!!!!

The campground host STEVE was completely utterly rude and racist the whole entire time we were…read morethere. From the very begging he sent to us to a wrong campsite, harassed our family, and REFUSED to let my two of my family members shower because he said we left the area "Trashed" we asked him to explain where and what was left trashed and drove away and almost ran me off and did not want to provide a name or number neither manager or supervisor name and to mention me and my family are mexican and hispanic. The campsite overall was beautiful but the HOST STEVE WAS COMPLETELY AND UNNECESSARILY DISRESPECTFUL. IN FACT I WILL STILL LIKE A SUPERVISOR NUMBER ONCE THIS REVIEW IS READ WE WILL BE TAKING ACTION.

On a drive through the outside edge of the mountain range on our way back to Texas, we came across…read morethis roadside gem where there is nothing else around expect a few houses spread apart, hills, lots of dirt and desert brush, and a ravine behind the buildings were a small creek was running. Very serene and peaceful, mind you the rooster on side was being plenty loud. We stopped as we saw signs for "mountain apples", so curiosity got the best of us and we stopped. It's a run down barn building, wider than deep, and to the left... cages. With goats, chickens, roosters, a donkey, and a camel. If there were others, they were hiding. The camel was funny, as he/she was very vocal. Trying to compete with the rooster, maybe. The barn store had a lot of canned items, jams, beets, sauces, salsas, random veggies. It housed various souvenirs as well. The young lady there was super nice, a Texas Tech student that was home for the holidays. Very neat place. If you're in this area of nowhere, it's a fun place to stop and stretch the legs, get some actual apples that are grown in the area, and pet the camel.

This place has been on my list after a little roadtrip through my homestate. Staying in Ruidoso,…read morethought this would be the perfect opportunity to stop by. 70 miles later, we didn't realize how far away it was. The place was packed! I was surprised at how many unique animals they have here- water buffalo, goats, turkeys, camel, zebra, capybara, kangaroo, donkeys, alpacas, pigs, emus, ostrich, bunnies, etc. We ending up spending a little less than an hour here. I asked them how business had been and they said they had been blessed during this time. We bought 2 pints of cider (one apple and one cherry for $2 each) and a pound of tart apples for $3. They had honeys and jams, nuts and mini pies. It's about $2 to feed the animals and admission costs are all covered by donation. The journey back was a lot quicker and we left happy and full of cider. 2020 #23

Still beautiful no matter the season. Must go if in the area. PAW approved on every levelread more

Absolutely gorgeous!!…read more - Difficulty level: easy-moderate - Pet friendly - Benches to sit periodically - mix of walking and incline/descent hiking - waterfalls

I'm so disappointed in this campsite. I don't know how it's considered a KOA. Because KOA is our go…read moreto place.. The pool was green, literally The parking spot was just gravel The bathroom was so disgusting that we just chose not to take a shower here . In the middle of two towns, you're either 20 minutes from One or 20 minutes from the other, literally in the middle of nowhere if you need any supplies Also, they don't have supplies at their little store. Anything that would be usable. . I actually would like a refund for this place . You need a Camp host , Or somebody. But when pulling into our spot. We shouldn't have to be blocked by a maintenance person filling up a hole. From where sewer or something had spilled . Not a pleasant experience at all.

Update website photos. Everything dead and no grass areas. Dirt for sure. Terrible upkeep and sites…read morewith old broken items everywhere. Sure not the same koa from 8 yrs ago.

I went camping here years ago with friends. We weren't smart and got in after dark and had a heck…read moreof a time trying to put tents up. There are some nice hiking areas around here.

We have been coming here for years and never have we ever been treated like we did this past…read moreweekend by the camp hosts. We had called and spoke to the owner to see if we could check in a bit early and be was completely ok with it. When we got there the camp host was extremely rude saying we were there too early being that no one was in our spot and there were so many other empty spots available. we then had our campfire on and eight at 10 she came and advised it was quiet time and the fire needed to be turned off due to "county law" which is complete BS mind you we were not even loud we were just hanging out and there are zero rules staring that fires need to be out at 10. The next night she again came rudely 3 minutes past 10 when we were already putting our fire out stating "REALLY 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW!!" we said we are putting our fire out and she said "well get your clocks fixed to be on time". we pay a lot of money to enjoy our time there. I feel the owner needs to look into this because the campground was not as full as it usually is and they may be running people out with that unnecessary attitude and rudeness.

I wanted a hiking and an outlook experience and this place did not disappoint. Meandering through…read morethe grounds, there are is an aviary, pond, creature cave, outdoor elk & sheep pen, gardens and more. Lots of panoramic views. Indoors, there are a bunch of displays, restrooms and a gift shop. An easy 1 hour exploration of the grounds. Lots of free parking.

The male officer park worker (biologist?) was very kind and helpful, as was every employee I…read moreencountered. But, the facility is completely run-down. I have been there at least 4 times since the early 70's. The electronic exhibits/demonstrations are mostly broken. About 60% of the animals are missing. The brush and dead trees/plants/limbs have grown up in the cages. The ponds are invested with algae and the buildings are worn out and falling apart with rust and rotting wood. It would take about $10 million to overhaul. Unbelievable that any state would allow such a once great facility to fall in such a state of disrepair. It's a shame the liberal/democrat machine that runs N.M. doesn't value the Living Desert Zoo!

Interesting and super fun!…read more Private pond with guarantee catches. Gosh we caught were 9'-12'. Total $132. Worth it to us because we didn't have to hassle with anything! We will return with the kids next time. Let them clean the fish!

We stayed here this weekend. The woman who runs it is incredibly nice and responsive. We felt safe…read morehere because the owner was following the order about masking when in public spaces. The spaces weren't super far apart, but we had plenty of room to sit out in our camp chairs and be socially distanced from any other campers without having to wear masks. We had full hookups. The only downside is the highway noise, but all the RV parks in Ruidoso that we saw (and there are A LOT of them) are just off the highway. The fishing lake on site is super cute and if you don't catch anything, you don't pay anything. We caught trout both times we fished. You also don't need any equipment or bait because it's provided. Just show up as you are! There are even apple trees on the property, so we are planning to come back in September or October to taste the apples. Will definitely stay here again. Thanks for the wonderful vacation!