If you head east on 1st street in Alamogordo, you'll end up at Desert Foothills Park. This is a…read moreCity park with the feel of being well out in the desert. A popular spot with asphalt trails, roadrunners, rabbits and (you guessed it) rattlesnakes. Don't worry, just leave them alone and they'll leave you alone. Anyway, the Scenic Drive Extension Spillway (AKA 'the ditch') finds its origins here, much beloved by skate rats. Several trailheads start to the East of the park, one of which goes up to the mythical 'Goat Springs' of which I have never been able to find. The shaded picnic area offers a large barbeque pit, contact the Alamogordo City Parks Dept to reserve usage. So, if you feel like taking in a little desert without going too far this is the ticket!

I love this skate park. I bring my kids here at least 3 times a week. Cool options for all levels…read moreof experience. Everyone is always nice. The bathrooms are clean (for a skate park). There's a rock wall to sit down if you have absolutely no skateboarding talent like me. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because there's no shade....like none, so it can get a bit toasty!

Las Cruces Skate Park is one place for tweens, teens and young adults to get out of the living room…read moreand have some form of exercise. It's quite big and lots of space to skate. That's the good part. There's just a bit of trash and the pavements to the parking lot is a little like dirt road. Otherwise, it's a good Skate Park.

Beautiful views! The city really works hard to keep it clean. They even have fireplaces available…read morefor use. Plenty of parking and they even have an ice skating rink.

Wingfield Park in Ruidoso is a great place to bring your entire family to enjoy the seasonal ice…read moreskate rink! The trees are all decorated for the Christmas season and will delight all! Highly recommended, and most staff follow safety procedures and protocols. Pets are allowed, but must be leashed at all times.

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 !!

White Sands is worth the visit…read more Wasn't sure what to expect, But it was definitely a fun stop on a road trip. Be sure to bring a sled. I think they may offer rentals, but didn't see. They do have sled waxing though, which will definitely help We found the biggest sand dune, with the steepest way down. I'm still covered in sand, in places I didn't know sand could get into

White Sands National Park was absolutely worth the drive from Ruidoso! As soon as we arrived, we…read morewere blown away by the views. The bright white sand is unlike anything we've ever seen--it's absolutely beautiful! You pay per vehicle to enter, and I highly recommend bringing plenty of cold drinks, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a sled or something to slide down the dunes with. The sun feels much stronger out there, so don't underestimate it! They also have restrooms available, which was very convenient. If you're visiting New Mexico, White Sands is definitely a must-see. It was one of the highlights of our trip!

Beautiful, quiet park with clean camping facilities. Has restrooms and showers. Great sleeping in…read morethe Chihuahua desert. Close proximity to White Sands and Los Alamos. There is the Dog Canyon trail, which is worth the trek. We didn't make it all the way through due to timing, but will definitely be back to finish.

Quiet and spacious campground for star gazing and close to White Sands NP. We would definitely stay…read morehere again. Friendly camp hosts. They also have sleds to borrow at the camp host station for sledding the dunes at White Sands.

Grindstone Lake was one of our favorite parts of visiting Ruidoso! I know there are other lakes…read morenearby, but this one is definitely a must-see. You pay per vehicle, and you can bring your own chairs, food, fishing gear, kayaks, or anything else you want for a fun day by the water. There are a few benches, but they fill up quickly, so I'd recommend bringing your own chairs. The inflatable water park was the highlight for our kids! Life jackets are provided, and they had an absolute blast. They couldn't stop talking about all the fun they had. There's also a restroom on-site, which made our visit even more convenient. We had such a great time and would absolutely come back!

We came out yesterday, and had a wonderful time. So much so, that we came out again today! ‍…read more Bring shade! A tent, umbrella, some type of protection from the hot sun, because it is !! Parking is $10, by reservation only, on the weekends, and Monday-Thursday is first come first served, but also $10. If you have an established residence, second home, it's $10 for the entire season. Ignore the ticket taker's attitude as you drive in. We have been here three times, morning, and evening, and she's always here! Lol! She is extremely rude! She evidently hates her job because she is unfriendly and grills everyone to the third degree! Like I said, ignore her, and have fun! Registration is online at the Ruidoso Parks and Recreation website. The water park, known as The Wibit, is $20. This is a main attraction for family-fun. Life vests are required at all times while swimming, and using the water park, but they rent you one as part of the $20. Food and drinks are allowed, but of course, no alcohol is ever permitted. We most definitely will be returning, and highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this museum, there's lots of information on Smokeys journey , lots of old…read morememorabilia and some video reading material, my favorite part was the beautiful garden with creek and ponds. Very serene and it was a perfect day! I recommend it , they have a nice gift shop across the street but I would not go there again, the lady cashier was rude.

I came here on a cold winter day. After walking the museum, I took the exit to the park and took…read morethe loop around the garden. Everything was covered with snow, so I recommend you come during the spring time or summer. The winter landscape was not terribly bad though, as I saw the iced pond and the snow on the pine trees (were they pines?). I also walked by the statue of Smokey, and the grave. It was nice to see it, I think Smokey is a good symbol for ecology and may interest people in environmentalism. It is great to get children and adults involved in these topics, and this garden and museum are a great start.

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.