Elephant Butte Lake State Park

Elephant Butte Lake State Park

Parks Directory of the United States / State Parks / New Mexico

Location: 5 miles north of Truth or Consequences via I-25, Exit 83.
Facilities: 132 developed campsites (98 with electric hookups), restrooms (é), showers, picnic areas (é), group shelters, playground, hiking trails, marina, houseboat rentals, ski boat rentals, pontoon and kayak rentals, 4 boat ramps, 5 courtesy docks, visitor center, interpretive exhibits.
Activities: Camping, boating, sailing, windsurfing, fishing, water-skiing, jet skiing, swimming, hiking, winter sports.
Special Features: New Mexico's largest and most popular state park is situated beside 36,000-acre Elephant Butte Reservoir. The name "Elephant Butte" was derived from the eroded core of an ancient volcano, now an island in the reservoir, in the shape of an elephant. Though not related to the park's name, fossils of stegomastodon (a primitive relative of today's elephant) have been discovered near the reservoir, and the area was also a favorite hunting ground of the tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur.
Address: PO Box 13
Elephant Butte, NM 87935
Phone: 505-744-5923;
Web: www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/elephant.htm
Size: 24,500 acres land; 36,500 acres water. Elevation: 4,500 feet.

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