Explore New Mexico

Find your next stop, from white dunes to ancient canyon dwellings.

The parks & monuments guide
Explore by interest

15 parks & monuments

Dune grass and rippled gypsum sand at White Sands National Park OutdoorsWhite SandsAlamogordo

Hiroooooo · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

National Park

World's largest gypsum dunefield.

Read the park guide
Entrance
$25 per vehicle, 7 days
Before you go
None, but missile-test closures
Map location
White Sands Visitor Center

Enter from US 70 between mile markers 199 and 200. Dunes Drive begins here; check park and highway closures before leaving.

Location source checked .

Illuminated limestone formations in the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns UndergroundCarlsbad CavernsCarlsbad

NPS / Anthony Mazzucco · Commons · Public domain

National Park

Massive limestone show cave.

Read the park guide
Entrance
$15 per person age 16 and up, 3 days
Before you go
Timed entry required, $1 via Recreation.gov
Map location
Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center

Follow the seven-mile park road from Whites City to the visitor center. Cave entry requires a separate timed reservation.

Location source checked .

A reconstructed cliff house beneath the tuff cliffs at Bandelier HistoryBandelierLos Alamos

Daniel Mayer (Mav) · Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

National Monument

Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings in Frijoles Canyon.

Official visitor information
Entrance
$25 per vehicle, cashless
Before you go
Intermittent shuttle on selected weekends and holidays, March 19–October 14, 2026; check the schedule
Map location
Bandelier Visitor Center, Frijoles Canyon

This is the canyon visitor center. On scheduled shuttle days, parking may be at Frey Trailhead; check the current shuttle and parking instructions.

Location source checked .

Pueblo Bonito seen from above in Chaco Canyon, photographed in 1982 HistoryChaco CultureNageezi

Gerd Eichmann · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

National Historical Park

Monumental Ancestral Puebloan great houses.

Official visitor information
Entrance
$25 per vehicle, cashless
Before you go
None; rough dirt-road approach
Map location
Chaco Culture Visitor Center

Follow NPS approach instructions: GPS can suggest unsafe or private roads. The recommended northern approach includes 13 miles of rough dirt road.

Location source checked .

Open grassland and distant forested hills in Valles Caldera OutdoorsValles CalderaJemez Springs

Thomas Shahan · Commons · CC BY 2.0

National Preserve

Vast grassland volcanic caldera.

Official visitor information
Entrance
$25 per vehicle, cashless
Before you go
Backcountry driving pass May 15 to November 15
Map location
Volcano Discovery Center, Valles Caldera

Visitor services are in the Cabin District, four miles along the main entrance road from NM 4. Driving beyond the Cabin District requires a backcountry vehicle pass.

Location source checked .

Aerial view of Capulin Volcano and the road winding up its cinder cone OutdoorsCapulin VolcanoCapulin

NPS staff · Commons · Public domain

National Monument

Drivable extinct cinder cone with rim trail.

Official visitor information
Entrance
$20 per vehicle, cashless
Before you go
None
Map location
Capulin Volcano Visitor Center

The entrance is three miles north of Capulin on NM 325. Stop at the visitor center before driving Volcano Road to the rim.

Location source checked .

The stone rooms of Aztec West and reconstructed Great Kiva at Aztec Ruins HistoryAztec RuinsAztec

King of Hearts · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

National Monument

Great house ruins and a reconstructed great kiva.

Official visitor information
Entrance
Free
Before you go
None
Map location
Aztec Ruins Visitor Center

Start at the visitor center at 725 Ruins Road in Aztec for the museum and the West Ruins walking route.

Location source checked .

Petroglyphs carved into volcanic boulders in Boca Negra Canyon HistoryPetroglyphAlbuquerque

SunnyintheSouthwest · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

National Monument

About 24,000 petroglyphs on a volcanic escarpment.

Official visitor information
Entrance
Free entrance
Before you go
None
Map location
Petroglyph Visitor Information Center · multi-site park

Start at 6510 Western Trail NW for orientation. No petroglyph-viewing trails start here; the canyon trailheads require separate drives.

Location source checked .

A hiker crossing the dark lava landscape at El Malpais OutdoorsEl MalpaisGrants

NPS / Justin Peinado · Commons · Public domain

National Monument

Lava flows, lava tubes and sandstone bluffs.

Official visitor information
Entrance
Free
Before you go
Free in-person cave permit required; lava tube caves close November 1–April 30
Map location
El Malpais Visitor Center, Grants · multi-site park

The visitor center is at I-40 exit 85 in Grants. Lava trails, overlooks and cave access are separate stops reached from NM 53 or NM 117.

Location source checked .

Sandstone cliffs rising above juniper trees at El Morro HistoryEl MorroRamah

dconvertini · Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

National Monument

Inscription Rock: centuries of carved signatures at a desert waterhole.

Official visitor information
Entrance
Free
Before you go
None
Map location
El Morro Visitor Center

Enter from NM 53 between mile markers 44 and 45. The Inscription and Headland trails begin at the visitor center; check trail hours before arrival.

Location source checked .

Adobe walls and chimneys of the officers' quarters at Fort Union HistoryFort UnionWatrous

Eric T Gunther · Commons · CC BY 3.0

National Monument

Largest 19th-century frontier fort ruins on the Santa Fe Trail.

Official visitor information
Entrance
Free
Before you go
None
Map location
Fort Union Visitor Center

Follow NM 161 for eight miles from I-25 exit 366 at Watrous to the monument and visitor center.

Location source checked .

The red adobe mission church ruins at Pecos National Historical Park HistoryPecosPecos

Letice Rugula · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

National Historical Park

Pueblo and Spanish mission ruins plus the Glorieta Pass battlefield.

Official visitor information
Entrance
Free
Before you go
None
Map location
Pecos Visitor Center

Use the main park entrance at 1 Peach Drive for the pueblo and mission trail. The Glorieta Battlefield trailhead is a separate drive.

Location source checked .

Sandstone mission walls at the Abó unit of Salinas Pueblo Missions HistorySalinas Pueblo MissionsMountainair

MLMarkel · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

National Monument

Three sites of pueblo and mission ruins.

Official visitor information
Entrance
Free
Before you go
None
Map location
Mountainair Visitor Center · three-site park

The headquarters visitor center at 105 South Ripley Avenue provides orientation. Abó, Quarai and Gran Quivira are three separate sites reached by car.

Location source checked .

Stone dwellings sheltered beneath a rock alcove at Gila Cliff Dwellings HistoryGila Cliff DwellingsSilver City

Gillfoto · Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

National Monument

Mogollon cliff dwellings at the edge of the Gila Wilderness.

Official visitor information
Entrance
Free
Before you go
None
Map location
Gila Visitor Center

This pin marks the visitor center parking area; the cliff-dwellings trailhead is two miles farther. Follow NPS road guidance, especially for large vehicles.

Location source checked .

The timber exterior of Fuller Lodge in Los Alamos HistoryManhattan Project, Los Alamos unitLos Alamos

Mike McBey · Commons · CC BY 2.0

National Historical Park

Atomic-history sites in Los Alamos.

Official visitor information
Entrance
Free
Before you go
Visitor center and community sites; laboratory access is restricted and tours have separate arrangements
Map location
Manhattan Project Visitor Center, Los Alamos

This is the public visitor center in town. Historic laboratory properties have restricted access and are not ordinary drive-up stops.

Location source checked .

Opening New Mexico…

Choose a pin to find your next stop.

15 park places to explore. Pins mark visitor arrival points.

Sources & photograph credits

Visitor facts checked September 22, 2026; arrival sources are linked in each place. Fees, access and conditions can change. Photography via Wikimedia Commons; images resized and cropped for this layout.