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Find out which New Mexico State Park lives up to its name

A rattlesnake warning sign stands along a snowy trail at Oasis State Park, where visitors explore the desert landscape of trees, dunes and wildlife.

Snow covers the grounds around the Oasis State Park visitor's center, where travelers learn about the park’s grove, fishing pond and trails.

Snow covers the sand dunes, prairie and brush at Oasis State Park, where cottonwood trees mark the historic oasis in eastern New Mexico.

Snow blankets a camping spot at Oasis State Park, where cottonwood trees and desert vegetation frame a wintry landscape near the visitor facilities.

Snow lines the shore of the Oasis State Park fishing pond, highlighting the grove of trees that inspired the park’s name and continue to draw visitors.

The fishing pond at Oasis State Park reflects a clear winter sky amid dry grassland and sheltering trees in Roosevelt County.

Bird footprints trail across the park’s pale sand, highlighting wildlife that inhabits the dunes of Oasis State Park.

Donn Friedman and Rebeca Zimmermann Donn Friedman and Rebeca Zimmermann Donn Friedman and Rebeca Zimmermann GO New Mexico

Published February 1, 2026 - 9:00 a.m.

History of Oasis State Park

When the founders of Oasis State Park saw the tall grove of trees standing in the sandy prairie, like an oasis in the desert, they named the park “Oasis.” The trees were once a popular picnicking area known as Taylor’s Grove.

It was named after Will Taylor, a homesteader who in 1902 planted cottonwoods, chinaberries, locusts and junipers by a natural spring.

In 1960, five Portales businessmen convinced the state to buy Taylor’s Grove. Within the year the land was purchased, an operating budget was approved, and Gov. Edwin L. Mechem signed the bill creating Oasis State Park.

Oasis is home to a three-acre fishing pond that was built in 1972. It is sealed with a synthetic liner and topped with bentonite clay to hold the water. Well water now is pumped into the pond to keep it full. Because the pond bottom can be easily damaged, boating, swimming and wading are not permitted.

SOURCE: Oasis State Park visitor’s center

On our many trips to visit family in Texas, Oasis State Park was relegated to just a brown sign on the road to Clovis. But it turns out the park is another hidden gem, located just minutes off a main highway.

For many years we had missed seeing the dunes rising above the Eastern New Mexico flatlands. This time, battling the aftermath of an Arctic blast, we stopped, turning the park into our own oasis.

Tired of the ice and snow-covered roads returning to New Mexico from central Texas, we set our sights toward Oasis State Park to camp. But the sun began to set, and the snowmelt threatened to turn into black ice, so we found a closer oasis — the Ray and Donna West Free RV Park in Muleshoe, Texas.

This camping spot, feet from U.S. Highway 84/60, was snow-covered but manageable. It offers a few nights free for weary travelers with about a dozen spaces that include free hookups. We avoided using electricity and climbed from the front seats to the back without touching the remaining three inches of snow for a restful night despite the few trucks and trains slipping past in the darkness. Donations are appreciated, the City of Muleshoe website said, but we could not find the place to contribute. The RV space is near the Muleshoe Heritage Center, a display of ranch houses and farming equipment just down the road from the giant Muleshoe, celebrating the town’s namesake.

The weather dipped into the low teens; we appreciated our diesel heater/stove as it took the nip out of the air as dinner boiled.

The next morning, the sun came out and we pointed west for a quick detour on the way back to Albuquerque. But first, looking out our windows, we noticed tracks in the snow — first dog, then human — leading directly to our rig. We chalked it up to an adventuresome pup until we noticed boot prints directly leading up to our windows on both sides of the van. We probably looked stranded in the sea of snow since we parked in the middle of the RV spots. Luckily, our Wanderful blackout window covers kept us incognito from prying eyes. The insulated covers also kept the cold under control as we slept through the night.

As we crossed from Texas to New Mexico, Oasis State Park signs soon appeared. Once in Clovis, a short drive over a bridge just before Cannon Air Force Base on U.S. 84/60 and less than 30 minutes took us to Oasis State Park. From Albuquerque, it is about a three-and-a-half hour drive, located about nine miles north of Portales on New Mexico Highway 467.

Oasis State Park draws crowds in the warmer months, but this winter morning, we had the dunes, trails and pond almost to ourselves. The pond was frozen, but the park manager advised us in an email to not step on the ice or toss anything onto it. On our hike around the pond, we saw what appeared to be a few holes cut in the ice for fishing, although it seemed quite chancy.

Like most state parks, it is free during the winter months for New Mexico residents. Many of the park’s amenities remain open, including the campgrounds, the heated bathrooms and the hiking trails, which are far less strenuous without the summer heat.

The small fishing lake, fed by a spring, has a plastic liner to hold the water, so swimming is not allowed even in warmer months. It is stocked with fish. While ice fishing is not typically allowed due to fluctuating ice conditions, when it’s ice-free, anglers can cast a line for rainbow trout stocked by the New Mexico Department of Wildlife.

The short, interconnected hiking trails were sprinkled with snow after the recent storm. Without the threat of rattlesnakes or fear of heat stroke as signs warned, the trails provided panoramic views of the flatness that reaches out in all directions from the park with its trees and dunes.

A handful of campers took advantage of electric and water hookups, which can be reserved at the New Mexico State Parks website. A few sites are first-come, first-served. The park also has a playground as well as a park office with additional information.

Winter seems to be a perfect time to hike the trails, circumnavigate the pond and listen to the birds on the dune trails.

The park is just a short distance from the home of the Clovis people. Blackwater Draw National Historic Landmark site is closed for winter. A museum details what until recently was thought to be the earliest human occupation in North America, about 10,000 years ago. The museum highlighting the 1920s research is open year-round. The museum is located in Portales, about 20 minutes south on the campus of Eastern New Mexico University. Recent discoveries at White Sands National Park appear to predate the Clovis people findings.