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4 wildlife areas in New Mexico you should know about

Hide away: San Lorenzo Canyon is a colorful retreat not too far from home

San Lorenzo Canyon in Socorro County photographed on June 24, 2020.

Cathy Cook
Cathy Cook Staff Writer
Published Modified

New Mexico Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced Thursday that Bureau of Land Management lands near Placitas will be ineligible for mineral extraction for the next 50 years.

Haaland said the area is culturally and spiritually significant to Native people, important for wildlife and offers outdoor recreation opportunities.

But Placitas is certainly not the only pocket of New Mexico where public lands are home to wildlife. Here are four other spots worth visiting:

1. Pancho Villa State Park

The location: 400 West Highway 9, Columbus

What to know: This state park is near the U.S. Mexico border and offers opportunities for hiking, biking and birding. More than that, the park also features historical exhibits on the Pancho Villa Raid and Camp Furlong.

More info: emnrd.nm.gov/spd/find-a-park/pancho-villa-state-park/

2. Rockhound State Park

Location: 9880 Stirrup SE, Deming

What to know: Near Deming, Rockhound State Park is an excellent spot for bird watching. Birds like Gambel’s quail, Hutton’s vireo and the western bluebird are known to winter there. The lesser nighthawk is one of the bird species that breeds at Rockhound State Park in the summer.

More info: emnrd.nm.gov/spd/find-a-park/rockhound-state-park/

Wildlife is abundant in New Mexico

Hide away: San Lorenzo Canyon is a colorful retreat not too far from home
San Lorenzo Canyon in Socorro County photographed on June 24, 2020.
Hide away: San Lorenzo Canyon is a colorful retreat not too far from home
San Lorenzo Canyon in Socorro County photographed on June 24, 2020.
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Amigos de la Sevilleta hosted a free 5K hike of the Mesa View Trail at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.
A female Mexican gray wolf looks to avoid being captured for its annual vaccinations and medical checkup at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in 2011.
The moon sets over The Bear Mountains in the Cibola National Forest near the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.
Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Services Manager Jeannine Kimble and Refuge Manager Kathy Granillo do a little bird watching on the western side of the refuge.
Wandering Wolf
A photo taken on Feb. 9 shows female Mexican gray wolf F2754 in a capture box at the agency’s wolf management facility at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico. The wolf remains in captivity in March 2025.
A female Mexican gray wolf at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico in 2011. Wildlife advocates hope new rules will stop the endangered wolves from being blamed for killing livestock they didn’t eat.
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A bee harvests nectar from wild flowers along the trail at Petroglyph National Monument Rinconada Canyon Trail in Albuquerque Sept. 23, 2023 (Elizabeth Tucker / Albuquerque Journal
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Roberto E. Rosales/Journal
Petroglyph National Monument visitors center in Albuquerque Sept. 23, 2023 (Elizabeth Tucker / Albuquerque Journal
Petroglyph National Monument Rinconada Canyon Trail in Albuquerque Sept. 23, 2023 (Elizabeth Tucker / Albuquerque Journal
Joyce Jentoft, from Ohio, look for Petroglyphs among the volcano rocks at Petroglyph National Monument Rinconada Canyon Trail in Albuquerque Sept. 23, 2023 (Elizabeth Tucker / Albuquerque Journal
Petroglyphs are etched into the rocks at Petroglyph National Monument Rinconada Canyon Trail in Albuquerque Sept. 23, 2023 (Elizabeth Tucker / Albuquerque Journal
Petroglyphs are etched into the rocks at Petroglyph National Monument Rinconada Canyon Trail in Albuquerque Sept. 23, 2023 (Elizabeth Tucker / Albuquerque Journal
Visitors at Petroglyph National Monument Rinconada Canyon Trail walk along the trail surrounded by lava rocks in Albuquerque Sept. 23, 2023 (Elizabeth Tucker / Albuquerque Journal

3. Petroglyph National Monument

The location: 6510 Western NW, Albuquerque

What to know: The Petroglyph National Monument is best known for protecting one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, but the volcanoes day use areas also give visitors the chance to explore cinder cone volcanoes and enjoy the scenic landscape of the Southwest.

More info:nps.gov/petr/index.htm

4. San Lorenzo Canyon

Location: Sevilleta Wildlife Refuge, La Joya

What to know: Located in the Sevilleta Wildlife Refuge just north of Socorro, San Lorenzo Canyon has sandstone cliffs, sheltered caves, hoodoos and arches, making it ideal for scenic hikes and photography. Sevilleta Wildlife Refuge is also home to a broad array of New Mexico plants and animals, including pronghorns, burrowing owls and Gunnison’s prairie dogs.

More info: fws.gov/refuge/sevilleta/visit-us/trails

More stories from the Albuquerque Journal

4,200 acres of BLM in Placitas off limits to mining, drilling

Petroglyph National Monument: What to know about exploring 4 different trails (30 + photos)

Check out this bike trail winding past volcanoes on ABQ's West Side

petroglyph national monument wildlife management area west highway north america new mexico lifestyle la joya haaland deming deb haaland columbus camp furlong bureau of land management albuquerque sevilleta national wildlife refuge secretary of the interior san lorenzo canyon san lorenzo
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