Rockhound State Park

 Rockhound State Park, near Demming New Mexico, has been a favorite stopping point for us since our first visit. 

Approaching the park from the southwest Demming (Stirup Rd SE) it appears as a few scattered bright spots gathered against the base of the Little Florida mountains. Those bright spots are reflections off the RVs in this small and very special campground Once settled in a campsite, you have a grand view of the valley below, sheltered by the Little Florida Mountain peaks that surround you. The location offers not only amazing view of the valley during the day, but some of the beautiful sunsets New Mexico is known for. 

This park is a small oasis of cacti, yucca, wildflowers and multiple bird species, not to mention the rodents and reptiles one doesn't often see, but are documented here. 

The park is unusual in that visitors are actually encouraged to gather a few mineral samples while visiting. In the past there was a limit of several pounds, which was abused by commercial dealers, so now the limit is much smaller. 

A small visitor center at the entrance to the park has great visuals and descriptions of local wildflowers and wildlife, as well as the geologic history of the area. We were lucky in the timiing of our visit, the Mexian Gold Poppies were just beginning to bloom and really brightened up the slopes of the mountains. 

State geologic groups have donated some amazing mineral samples on display in the visitor center, and there are samples for sale too, for those who don't want to roam the hillsides looking for something to take home as a souvenir. Rock shops in Demming offer additional opportunties to "collect" samples from the area.

A botanical trail meanders around the north side of the campground and makes it easy to enjoy the several types of prickly pear, barrel and cholla cactus. Any time after early March will probably offer wildflowers, and the birds are always singing. My Merlin app identified 6 different birds in a 90 second recording. 

A smaller day-use-only park, Spring Canyon, is also available to explore - admission to that is included with your entrance to Rock Hound park. We haven't explored that park yet, so it's on the list for our next visit. 

For those interested in more of the geology of the area, The New Mexico Department of Geology and Mineral Resources has posted a Geologic Tour for several areas, the tour for Rockhound State Park is here. In short, the area is basically volcanic in origin, that translates to a lot of granite as well as the minerals that make up granite. The cactus love the decomposed granite soil, and are some of the healthiest I have seen. Over time water trickling through the layers of mineral deposits has created geodes, lots of geodes! The visitor center has some lovely ones on display as well as excellent information on how they are formed. If you know what to look for while you are hiking the trails you may find one to take home!

The evening views are worth waiting for.