New Mexico’s state parks charge $5 per vehicle for residents and $10 for non-residents during day use, with camping starting at $10 per night, and the New Mexico state parks rules and regulations cover everything from 10-foot leash limits to loaded firearms to drone flights. Rangers carry full police authority inside park boundaries, so the rules below are enforceable, not advisory. Reading them before you arrive is the difference between a clean trip and a citation.
Day-Use Fees and Annual Passes
Most parks charge a flat per-vehicle, per-day entrance fee: $5 for New Mexico residents with a valid state ID or New Mexico plate, $10 for non-residents. Walk-ins and cyclists get in free. School buses carrying non-resident students are $15, and commercial charter buses are $50.1New Mexico State Records Center and Archives. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.6 NMAC – Park Fee Schedule
Residents pay nothing for day use from October 1 through April 30 each year.2New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. New State Parks Entrance and Camping Fees If you plan winter visits, this is a real savings.
Three parks use their own per-person fee structure year-round instead of the standard per-vehicle rate:
- Living Desert Zoo and Gardens: $10 per adult, $5 for children 7–12, free for children 6 and under, $5 per person for groups of 20 or more.
- Smokey Bear Historical Park: $6 per adult, $4 for seniors 62 and older, $3 for children 7–12, free for children 6 and under.
- Rio Grande Nature Center: $5 per vehicle, walk-ins and cyclists free.1New Mexico State Records Center and Archives. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.6 NMAC – Park Fee Schedule
The 2026 annual day-use pass is $75 for residents and $150 for non-residents and covers unlimited entry to all state parks. Every pass expires December 31 regardless of purchase date, so buying in January gets you the most value. The pass does not cover camping.3New Mexico State Parks. New Mexico State Parks – Passes
Camping Fees and Stay Limits
Camping is charged per vehicle, per night, and everyone pays, including walk-ins and cyclists:
- Primitive site: $10 resident, $15 non-resident
- Developed site: $15 resident, $20 non-resident
- Water hookup: $5 per day
- Electric hookup: $10 per day
- Sewer hookup: $5 per day
Hookup fees are charged based on availability at the site, not on whether you use them. A non-resident at a developed site with full hookups pays $40 a night.2New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. New State Parks Entrance and Camping Fees
Stay limits shift with the season. From October 1 through April 30, you can camp up to 14 calendar days within any 20-day period. From May 1 through September 30, the cap drops to seven days within a 20-day period. Park directors can extend, shorten, or waive these limits park by park. Once you reach the maximum, you have to remove all your camping equipment from the park before you can return.4Legal Information Institute. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.2.12 – Camping
Reserve sites in advance at newmexicostateparks.reserveamerica.com.5New Mexico State Parks. New Mexico State Parks – Campgrounds and Camping
Quiet Hours, Fires, and Trash
Quiet hours run from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. During those hours you cannot run generators, radios, or unmuffled vehicles, or make other loud noise.6Legal Information Institute. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.2.26 – Noise Limitations Rangers enforce this one closely.
When no fire restrictions are in place, campfires are allowed in park-provided grills and fire rings in developed campgrounds and picnic areas. In dry conditions, staged restrictions kick in. Under Stage I, fires are permitted only in park-provided grills and stoves in developed areas; liquid petroleum and LPG devices with an on/off switch are allowed if surrounded by at least three feet of cleared ground, and smoking is limited to enclosed vehicles, buildings, or cleared areas. Under Stage II, all fires are banned, including in developed campgrounds; LPG stoves with the same clearance are still allowed, and smoking is restricted to enclosed vehicles and buildings. Restrictions can change at any time and vary by park, so check park alerts before your trip.7New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Park Alerts – Restrictions
Keep your site clean and use park trash receptacles. Some parks and areas are pack-in, pack-out, meaning you carry out everything you brought in, including human bioproducts. Dumping commercial waste, construction debris, appliances, or furnishings is prohibited, and you cannot bring outside trash into a park to dispose of it.8New Mexico State Records Center and Archives. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.2 NMAC – Park Visitor Provisions
Pets and Service Animals
Dogs must be on a leash no longer than 10 feet at all times unless the park superintendent has specifically designated an off-leash area. Other domestic animals must be restrained too. Pick up after your animals. Pets cannot bark excessively or make loud noises, and you cannot leave animals unattended in vehicles or at campsites. All animals must be vaccinated per applicable local and state law. Dogs used in authorized field trials, retriever training, or hunting are exempt from the leash rule.9Legal Information Institute. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.2.28 – Animals
Three parks bar all animals except service animals: Rio Grande Nature Center, Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, and Smokey Bear Historical Park. Under the ADA, only dogs and miniature horses trained to perform a specific task related to a disability qualify as service animals. Emotional support, comfort, and therapy animals do not.9Legal Information Institute. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.2.28 – Animals
Firearms
You cannot carry a loaded firearm in a state park unless you fall into one of five categories: a licensed hunter during a designated hunting season in a park area open to hunting for that species; an on-duty law enforcement officer; a holder of a valid New Mexico concealed handgun license; a holder of a concealed handgun license from a state with a reciprocity agreement with New Mexico; or a person carrying a firearm in a private vehicle for lawful protection of person or property.10Legal Information Institute. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.2.21 – Firearms and Bows
In practice: if you have a valid New Mexico or reciprocal concealed carry license, you can carry concealed. Otherwise your firearm must be unloaded. Hunters should confirm the specific park has areas designated open to hunting before assuming they can carry loaded.
Boating and Fishing
Safety-equipment rules on the water vary by vessel. Everyone on a personal watercraft, kayak, canoe, stand-up paddleboard, or inflatable device must wear a U.S. Coast Guard–approved life jacket at all times. On motorboats and sailboats, children under 13 must wear one while the vessel is underway, as must anyone being towed. Motorboats must carry a certificate of registration for inspection, the operator must carry a boater education card, and required equipment includes a rope at least as long as the vessel, a paddle or oar, a bailing bucket or hand-operated bilge pump, and a sound-producing device audible from at least half a mile.11New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Required Safety Equipment
Fishing in any state park requires a valid New Mexico fishing license, which runs from April 1 through March 31 of the following year. Catch limits and seasonal restrictions are set by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and vary by species and water body.12Justia Law. New Mexico Statutes 17-3-1 – Current License Required
Drones and Off-Highway Vehicles
Drones are prohibited at Bottomless Lakes, Navajo Lake, and Rio Grande Nature Center under NMAC 19.5.2.9C, and other parks may impose bans at any time. Always check park-specific alerts before flying.7New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Park Alerts – Restrictions
ATVs, dirt bikes, side-by-sides, and other off-highway vehicles are broadly banned inside state park boundaries. Elephant Butte Lake, Bluewater Lake, Fenton Lake, Navajo Lake, Cerrillos Hills, and Eagle Nest Lake all explicitly prohibit OHV use, and all vehicle traffic must stay on established roadways. The prohibition rests on both the New Mexico OHV Act and state park regulations.7New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Park Alerts – Restrictions For OHV riding, look to Bureau of Land Management or National Forest lands instead.
Wildlife and Artifacts
New Mexico parks include habitat for threatened and endangered species protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act. The law prohibits taking, possessing, or selling federally listed endangered species unless the action helps preserve the species.13Justia Law. New Mexico Statutes 17-2-37 – Short Title Don’t feed, chase, or crowd wildlife. Use zoom lenses or binoculars.
Collecting natural or cultural artifacts from state parks is prohibited: no rocks, plants, pottery shards, or other items. The one exception is Rockhound State Park, where visitors may collect small amounts of rocks and minerals as personal souvenirs using hand tools only, with no commercial resale or trade.8New Mexico State Records Center and Archives. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.2 NMAC – Park Visitor Provisions Discharging pollutants into park waters is also prohibited, so be careful with soap, fuel, and chemicals near waterways.
Enforcement and Ejection
Rangers are peace officers. Under state law, the director of the State Parks Division and designated employees hold general police power within all state parks and recreation areas, enforce state laws and department regulations, and can forcibly eject anyone who knowingly violates the rules. In emergencies, they can exercise law enforcement powers outside park boundaries when assisting other peace officers.14FindLaw. New Mexico Statutes Chapter 16 Section 16-2-30
The park-specific consequence is ejection, temporary or permanent depending on the conduct. Permanent ejection requires a written notification from the regional manager. If you receive one, you have 15 calendar days to submit a written request for review to the division director, who issues a final written decision after reviewing statements and, if warranted, oral testimony under oath.8New Mexico State Records Center and Archives. New Mexico Administrative Code 19.5.2 NMAC – Park Visitor Provisions Conduct that also violates state criminal law, such as vandalism, illegal hunting, or theft of cultural artifacts, carries the penalties of the underlying statute on top of ejection, and rangers can issue citations on the spot.