NM -- City of Rocks State Park, 10-14 Feb 2020

City of Rocks State Park is 27 miles north of Deming, New Mexico.

City of Rocks gets its name from the incredible volcanic rock formations found here. The park encompasses a one square mile area in the scenic Chihuahuan desert region of southwestern New Mexico at an elevation of 5,200 feet.

"The “city” is a geologic formation made up of large, sculptured rock columns, or pinnacles, rising as high as 40 feet and separated by paths or lanes resembling city streets. These rocks were formed about 34.9 million years ago when a very large volcano erupted. Then, erosion over millions of years slowly formed the sculptured columns seen today, creating a stunning, otherworldly landscape.

Located about halfway between Silver City and Deming, City of Rocks offers camp sites, hiking trails, excellent mountain biking, wildlife viewing, birding, stargazing, picnic areas and a desert botanical garden. The uniquely designed, new Visitor Center includes a large display area and modern restrooms with hot showers."

Campground 

By the time we arrived at 2pm a lot of the roomier sites were already taken.

We backed the trailer into three different sites.  The sand was very soft from recent rains and the sites were very unlevel. We had flashbacks to Valley at Fire a few years ago.

Finally, we went to a site our friends had recommended:  # 30.  It was long enough, level and a pull-through but we only had a weak 3G data signal.  That's ok - we were happy.

We set up in the middle of thunderstorms.  The trailer was not level.  Additional leveling blocks would have just sunk into the sand.  We could live with it for four days.

We did not have any hook-ups.  However, we did great with our water conservation.  At the end of our stay we had to drive back to Deming to dump tanks.  Thankfully,  the set up at the 5R Travel Center made it easy.  There’s even a propane store just across the street so we stopped there first to fill one of our bottles.

We left Deming with full propane bottles, a full tank of diesel, and empty RV tanks.

We did not do as well with solar power during our stay.  The second day was cloudy and raining.  To add to the fun, the rain switched to snow in the afternoon and we had a couple of inches by the next morning.  

Our batteries were pretty low by the third day.  However, as soon as the sun peaked around the rocks and the fog lifted, the batteries recharged quickly.

Nearby Towns 

Deming is 30 miles south of City of Rocks, 60 miles west of Las Cruces, and thirty-three miles north of the Mexican border.

Deming sits at an elevation of 4,335 and has a population of almost 15,000.  It is the county seat and principal community of Luna County.

The small city has a good selection of services and shopping.

Silver City, is 32 miles to the northwest of City of Rocks.  Its history is linked to mining which continues today.

Silver City sits at an elevation of 5,895 and has a population of about 10,000.  However, it is home to Western New Mexico University which makes it feel larger. We had the impression that it is a vibrant small city.

It appeared to have a good selection of services and shopping. 

Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, is about 234 miles to the north.  It sits at a higher elevation of 5,312 feet.  With a metro population of just over a million people, you could find any service or shopping you would need there. 

Lucinda and Craig 

Our travel friends, Lucinda and Craig, were also there at the same time.  This was the fifth state that we have met up with them: Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico.  That’s a record!

We first met them four years ago when they were beginning their full-time travel adventure.  They have taken dry camping to a higher level with a very ruggedized solar and communication system.  It was fun to get a tour of their Arctic Fox.

Adventures 

City of Rocks Trail System

The day after the snow we got together for an adventure with Lucinda and Craig.  It was chilly but we did not have to drive at all!

We wanted to explore the trails that were available to us right at City of Rocks State Park.  Shawn and I walked around the loop to their Arctic Fox.  They made reservations and had a nice electric site in the “North Suburb area”.

We set out on the Site 16 Spur.  We turned left onto the Hydra Trail Loop to walk in counter clockwise manner, saving the highlight of the trail system for last.

The trail to the west that intersects with the Vault 3 Spur climbed to a good overlook on the campground where we could see our little home.

Just past the visitor center we climbed to the Observation Point overlook.  You can also drive to the overlook where they have a shelter and picnic table.

Next, we took the Hydra Trail to the intersection with the Table Mountain Trail just northeast of the campground.  At this point we had walked over five miles with the highlight but the most challenging part ahead of us.  Shawn’s back was still bothering him and decided against it.

Lucinda, Craig and I started up the narrow trail that immediately pitched up and became rocky.  In addition, a few spots were muddy from the rain and snow a few days before.  The last few hundred yards to the 5,726 foot overlook was a scramble!

From the top we had a great view of the campground and back to the Cooks Mountain Range and the Gila Wilderness area.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument 

We invited Lucinda and Craig to go with us to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.  We all piled into our big Dodge truck for the hour and 45 minute drive to get there.

The National Monument was created to protect the Mogollon cliff dwellings in the Gila Wilderness.

“The Monument landscape ranges in elevation from around 5,700 to 7,300 feet above sea level and follows the branches of the Gila River. The terrain around the ruins is rugged and arid, and contains steep-sided canyons cut by shallow spring rivers and mesas and bluffs forested with Ponderosa Pine, Gambel’s oak, Douglas fir, New Mexico juniper, pinon pine, and alligator juniper.”

“The area geologic history stems from volcanic activity that covered the area with ash.  The Monument’s hot springs are remnants of this volcanic history.”  Our first stop was the Visitor Center.

We were disappointed to see a school bus pull into the Visitor Center and see a few dozen teenagers pile out.  Good for them for getting out for an interesting field trip.  However…

We didn’t take the time to watch the film as we normally would since the small theater was packed with high school students.  I quickly purchased my sticker and got my passport book stamped.

The four of us eagerly drove the few miles up the road to see the cliff dwellings.  The nice ranger at the trailhead recommended that we go clockwise.  But he also mentioned it was steeper on the way back and icy.  We set out to go counterclockwise and we’re glad we did as we made our way up the steep icy trail.

We were all amazed when we arrived at the first cave.  “The developers made use of natural caves to build interlinked dwellings within five cliff alcoves above Cliff Dweller Canyon overlooking the Gila River.”

We eagerly climbed the 15 foot ladder to further explore the large alcove.  After the monument was established in 1912, the Park Service stabilized the caves in order to protect them from the increase in visitors.

It was fun to explore the different rooms and to see the view they had out the windows and imagine living a day-to-day life there.

It was expansive.  “Archaeologists have identified 46 rooms in the five caves and believe they were occupied by 10 to 15 families.”

As we picked our way through the snow and ice down the less steep trail into the Canyon, we first heard and then met the group of boisterous teenagers headed up to the caves.  Our timing was perfect.

 

 

We chose to make our way back though Silver City to complete a loop drive.  On the way, we stopped at Doc’s, Craig’s favorite store in the area.  “The first park ranger was an early settler to the region, Doc Cambell.”

Shawn and I found an interesting book on edible plants for New Mexico.  It will be a nice addition to our future collection of reference books.

A portion of the drive along Highway 15 was interesting to say the least.  It was only about a lane and a half wide without a center line.  In addition, it was winding and hilly.  We had a few close calls with oncoming traffic as we tried to maneuver a few turns.  Our big truck feels huge on those little roads.

Next, we stopped for lunch in Silver City.  We ate at Mi Casita restaurant recommended by another travel friend.  It was delicious, authentic New Mexican food with the green, red, or “Christmas” chili we were looking for.

Finally, we drove through the school area that Shawn’s sister Nichole attended back in the day.  She was really excited when we sent her pictures of Western New Mexico University.

The highway from Silver City back to the campground was a good four lane road.
 
It was another wonderful meeting with Lucinda and Craig and we look forward to meeting them again during their travels. 

Next… 

After City of Rocks, we made short stops in Alamogordo, Socorro and Bernalillo.

Now we are in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Our nine year traveling odyssey has ended.  However, we are thrilled to have a home base in a great community and we will continue to make occasional trips.

We'll have the blogs out for our final stops over the next few weeks. We will also have a finale blog that summarizes our nine years of travel. 

Parting Shots

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