Rockhound State Park
Kids Can Take Home What They Dig Up at Southern NM Park By TANIA SOUSSAN Kids who visit Rockhound State Park might have to unlearn the usual lesson that state and national parks are places where you can take only pictures. “We’re one of only two state parks in the United States where you can take something,” said Manager Robert Apodaca. “That’s a very
Leonardo, 12, of Deming balances rocks at Rockhound State Park. Courtesy photo.
unique opportunity.” (The other is Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas: arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park) Visitors are encouraged to put a rock or two in their pockets as a souvenir from the park’s rocks and minerals. The most common is jasper, but rockhounds also find geodes and thunder eggs, pearlite and quartz, Apodaca said. Onyx, agate, crystalline rhyolite (which looks like petrified wood) and obsidian also are among the common rocks and minerals found in the park, according to the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. Set in the rugged, steep slopes of the Big and Little Florida Mountains near Deming, the southern New Mexico park is popular with campers and day-trippers. The intense summer heat makes spring and fall more comfortable times to visit. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Rockhound has been open for day use only and only to New Mexico residents. Hours have been 7 am to 4 pm Thursday through Sunday in the main unit of the park and 8 am to 4 pm daily in the nearby Spring Canyon unit. The visitor center has been closed. Check with the park for current conditions. “I love the park. It’s beautiful place,” said Sally Allen, president of Friends of Rockhound State Park. In addition to rock collecting, the park offers four trails, a labyrinth to walk, a native plant garden and bird watching. Once restrictions ease,
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New Mexico Kids!
March/April 2021
Spring at Rockhound State Park. Courtesy photo.
visitors can enjoy stunning sunsets, magnificent night skies, a peaceful campground and a range of programs. Just two miles south of the main unit of the park in the Big Florida Mountains is Spring Canyon. “There are some beautiful, scenic trails,” Apodaca said. The 1.5-mile round trip Spring Canyon Trail takes hikers to an ephemeral stream that flows for 100 to 150 feet after precipitation but is reduced to residual moss in drier times. The more intense 1.8-mile round trip Lovers Leap Trail switchbacks from 5,200 feet to 6,000 feet, Apodaca said. Spring Canyon is a popular area for birding and the best spot to look for Persian ibex, mountain goats from Iran that were introduced to the park in the 1970s. They can be seen on the hillsides. “They’re all around,” said Allen who recommends listening for falling rock and then scanning the hills with binoculars for the best chance to see one, particularly at dawn or dusk when they are most active. Other wildlife includes coatimundis, deer, antelope, mountain lions, snakes and many species of birds as well as small mammals such as prairie dogs, rabbits and badgers. A variety of cactus and other plants also thrive in the arid environment. But the prime attraction is the rocks, and the best place to look for them is in the main unit of the park. Many people start out from the visitor center on the half-mile Jasper Trail. It intersects with the Thunder Egg Trail, which follows the slope of the Little Floridas for about a mile and is the best place to search for rocks. Allen said the geodes are “just the coolest things” and her favorite finds. Digging geodes out of the hillside is tough but rewarding, according to Ruta Vaskys and Martin Iris, 9, and Quentin, 6, of Deming hike at Rockhound State Park. Photo by Heather Kelly. Freed, authors of continued on page 10
