Santa Fe, NM — Today, Governor Susana Martinez announced that more people are visiting New
Mexico’s state parks than ever before. Last year, our state parks welcomed more than five million
visitors – one million more than 2014. The announcement comes on the heels of the Governor
announcing record-breaking tourism numbers for the fourth consecutive year.
“This is great news for New Mexico. When our state parks flourish, so do our communities,”
Governor Martinez said. “Our state parks are absolute treasures, and it’s exciting that more people
are finding adventures that feed their soul right here in New Mexico.”
New Mexico is home to 35 state parks. Notable increases include: Cimarron Canyon State Park saw a
61 percent increase; 68,000 more people visited Elephant Butte Lake State Park, with a grand total of
one million visitors; Rockhound State Park in Deming more than doubled visitors; 230,000 more
people visited Storrie Lake near Las Vegas; and Bottomless Lakes State Park near Roswell saw a
19.5 percent increase, totaling 173,320.
“We strive to provide our visitors with a fun outdoor experience, and we are delighted more people
are enjoying their state parks,” said State Parks Director Christy Tafoya.
This summer, State Parks and the NM Tourism Department, and the Department of Cultural Affairs
will continue their popular Find Your New Mexico True Park photo contest, which encourages
people to upload photos of their visits for a chance to win prizes. Go to http://www.nmtruepark.com/
to enter the contest, make camping reservations, take online boating safety courses, and view the
event calendar.