leasburg dam state park

Nice park in the valley. Can get busy on weekends but remains a solid bet during the week. Not a lot to do but soak in the atmosphere.

This was our very first time in our "new to us" camper. Not too far from town if you need some supplies, but might want to grab some ice on the way in first.New Mexico state parks website is quite easy to navigate. We booked a site online. Just print it out and show it to the ranger as you pull in. Speaking of the ranger who greeted us as well as the camp host- both were very pleasant people. We let the camp host know it was our first time with the camper and he stopped by to see if we needed help with anything. He sells firewood from his host site for only $5 a good-sized bundle. Campground has several different sites to choose from. We had an electric and water site. (There is a dump station as well.) The showers and bathroom were clean and not too far from our site. Showers were nice and hot too! Be sure to take a walk down some of the trails that lead right from the campsites. It is a whole other world right down by the river. It was pretty muddy so we didn't get in the water. Speaking of water, even though it was a quick trail (Mogollon) you can get easily and quickly dehydrated in the desert...bring more water than you think you need for walking! I had camera issues so I didn't pictures of the really neat trees and the area by the river.Saw lots of jackrabbits and horny toads while there. If you are into geocaching, there is one right along that trail I just mentioned. Stargazing was awesome there! I have never been able to see the Milky Way until this trip. They also have an observatory there that partners with a local astronomical society on certain weekends. Be sure to check their calendar if you want to time a camping trip with one of these presentations. My husband went to the visitor center and said the exhibits were pretty interesting. I plan to see it next time. :-)If you are not camping, you can park at the front of the park, down by the river, or by their area with covered picnic tables. I believe there is a fee to get into the park. (We had already paid everything online.)We definitely plan on coming back!

This is a nice spot close to Las Cruces. Like a lot of state parks in NM, the camping is better than decent. I would stay there again.

We heartily recommend Leasburg State Park about half an hour north of Las Cruces, NM.They have a sort of town hall meeting area near the visitors' center which has beautiful shade trees, cactus, green grass and covered picnic tables and grills.We spent Memorial Day weekend there, and on Saturday night, they had a show called Meteors and Music. A local folk band played, and the local astronomy club came out. The park has an observatory, and everyone got to look at the planets.One of the park rangers is part-Navajo and he told stories to the kids. It was great.As for facilities, the park has a great bathhouse,and covered and shaded campsites, and is just a short hike from the river. We fished, birded, and saw wildlife, including horned toads.No fire ban, so we made a campfire at our site, and the kids roasted hotdogs and smores.Not bad for $14 a night for tent camping.

We stayed here for three nights and had a blast. We were lucky to be there for the local astronomy's club monthly star party and we weren't disappointed. There were many telescopes to look through and everyone was friendly and informative. The campground host was pleasant and outgoing and all too eager to talk about all the things to do in the area. This park is a must stay location if you are going to be in the Las Cruces area. You are just about 10 miles from town so close to everything! We will definitely stay here again.