Leasburg Dam State Park, New Mexico

I spent most of last summer exploring quite a few of the state parks in New Mexico. Leasburg Dam was one I missed, so I stopped here this year on my way through. This park is easy to find, very close to Interstate 25. It is located at Radium Springs, which is a little community that has a Family Dollar and a fire station for facilities. Plus, there's a state monument for the Fort Selden ruins.

I arrived on a rainy day and the park was full. I had called the day before and someone told me I might be able to find a spot. Apparently, this was not the case. They have an overflow area, a large sandy/gravel area where you can park for boondocking. I pulled in there and was not going to bother unhooking until the rain stopped. One of the camp hosts came walking up to me with his umbrella and told me of a spot with hookups that had just become available. I got back in my truck and made tracks for that spot! I have to say that the camp hosts here (2 couples) have been some of the best I've met in my travels.

I was happy with my little spot for the night, but I had to leave the next day before 2 PM. I decided to reserve a spot for the weekend, so I called the booking service (the only way to reserve, unless you do it online). I got 3 days starting Sunday, which was 3 days away, so I decided to camp in the boondocking area for the two days in between. So, if you ever think about visiting here, I suggest reservations since this is a small park, and very busy.  One of the reasons the park is so small is that they have land to add more sites, but archaeologists have not approved development because of historical items that are still buried and have not been excavated.

I moved the next day and at least it wasn't raining, but it was totally overcast, so I hibernated. It is turning cold here, which is not bad if you have sun during the day, but the dampness made it seem colder. The next day was bright, clear and sunny so I spent most of the day soaking up the sun and warmth.

 

There are short hiking trails throughout the park and I hiked one that took me down a hill, across a small creek on a bridge and down a road to the dam that you can see in the photo below. This is just a diversion dam that was built for farming. Most of the water in the riverbed is from hot springs in the area, but fish are still thriving in it.

Las Cruces is just down the road about 15 miles, so if you need big city things, it's not far. There is a small post office where I had mail sent to me. It's a good spot to stay and relax a few days.  And the sunsets turn the mountains a nice color in the east.