Eagle Nest Lake State Park

Eagle Nest Lake State Park is New Mexico's newest state park. New Mexico State Parks and New Mexico Fish and Game worked together to buy the lake from the CS Ranch. While there is a day use area already in place just east of Eagle Nest on the north shore, the main part of the state park is south of Eagle Nest on the west shore of the lake. Eagle Nest Lake is usually around 2,400 acres in size while the park always contains 3,488 acres.

Originally, Eagle Nest Lake was built by the CS Ranch so they could control water flows downstream in Cimarron Canyon and store plenty of irrigation water for dry years. Today, it is one of the premier fishing and vacation spots in northern New Mexico.

The new campground offers 19 developed sites with vault toilets and community water. The park also has a visitor center with exhibits, a classroom and a nice outdoor patio area. Activities available include fishing, boating, picnicking, wildlife watching and hiking in the warmer months, and snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing in the cooler months.

The Eagle Nest Lake State Park day use hours are from 6 am to 9 pm daily. To get there: the main part of the state park is just south of Eagle Nest along US Highway 64.

The Wheeler Peak complex rising above the lake

Looking east across the lake from the main area of the state park