Elephant Butte Lake State Park
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.
See other parks in
New Mexico.