Today was a bit more relaxed than typical. Did laundry & packed up my hunting gear for shipment which kept me in Las Cruces all morning. Headed out to Deming for lunch with Dad at Irma’s Restaurant which has some dynamite food (best chicken gorditas anywhere). Plan for the day was to check out the views up north in the Gila National Forest. Some of Dad’s co-workers suggested I check out City of Rocks State Park on the way.
Inside the visitor center there are several hands-on nature & history displays. Great for kids to learn more about the desert animals and geology.
An old metal windmill sits on the park drive next to what looks like a water tank.
In the distance is a large mountain/plateau (sorry I don’t recall the name). You can hike here but park rangers found rattlesnakes on the trail this morning and suggested I stay away.
The rocks in the “city” were formed from a volcanic explosion of the Emory Caldera in the Black Range.
Campsites are scattered throughout the main “city” area with different names primarily based on astrological names/symbols.
On the west(?) side of the park is the main hike & bike trail head. The paths circle the park and also cross directly through it.
Here’s a wider view of the “city” from the main entrance drive. Kinda resembles Stonehenge or maybe The Flintstones cartoons. Yabba Dabba Doooooo!
From the main park entrance you can drive up a small hill for some panorama views. From here the stones look very small.
Next stop: Gila National Forest!
Lat = 32.5903587 , Long = -107.9758682 -- Show at Google Maps