Adventures in the Southwest: City of Rocks highlights New Mexico’s violent geological past

Summer is time for picnics and maybe even overnight camps. What better place to enjoy the out of doors than a state park full of hoodoos. 

Thirty miles north of Deming, City of Rocks State Park is comprised of acres of welded volcanic ash and pumice sculpted by wind, rain and dramatic temperature swings, leaving pinnacles, monoliths and fascinating hoodoos, some reaching 40 feet in height. So unique are these natural “works of art,” they exist only in six other places in the world. 

City of Rocks was born nearly 35 million years ago when the Kneeling Nun volcano erupted and vented turbulent clouds of hot gas and ash, which settled in a thick, dense layers. The park was established a little later — in 1952. The ash compacted into layers. Heat welded it into rock. Over time, wind and weather exposed the layers and eroded them into the forms we see today. 

You can examine the sculptures from a graded path beginning at the visitor’s center and winding through the park. Since most of the area has only gently rising slopes, it’s even easy to hike off-trail and explore shaded stone arches and pinnacles as if wandering streets and alleys of some ancient European village. 

Imaginative observers will note some sculptures take on unique and sometimes whimsical forms. One looks like a chick’s head. Another a bell. There are a few rounded boulders sitting atop pinnacles much like Nelson in Trafalgar Square. Some are trapezoidal with bases eroded so they stand almost en pointe. 

Beyond this fantasyland of rock formations, you can focus on abundant Chihuahuan Desert plant and animal life. Oaks, also shaped by the wind, grow among the rocks — along with various species of barrel, prickly pear, hedgehog and other cacti. Yucca, ocotillo, agave, desert bird-of-paradise, and desert willow are also common. In June, you’ll find of colorful wild flowers and grama grasses growing on the valley floor. Be sure to walk through the park’s desert botanical garden to see the great variety of plant life. 

Chipmunks, squirrels, mule deer, javelinas and rabbits are frequently seen in the park or surrounding area at dawn or dusk. You may also spy a wily coyote on the prowl. For bird watchers, there’s opportunity to add over 35 species to life lists, including golden eagles, hawks, owls, wrens, finches, and New Mexico’s celebrity roadrunner.   

Among reptilian occupants are a large variety of lizards and several species of snakes, including Western diamondback, prairie and Mojave green rattlesnakes along with bull, garter and hognose snakes. There are even sightings of desert tortoise, scorpions and tarantulas. 

There are also human artifacts to be found among these rock wonders. As late as 800 years ago, the Mimbres people hunted and camped among the formations, some of which form natural shelters. If you look, you’ll find cone-shaped holes carved in flat rock surfaces. These are mortars used by the native people to grind grain. 

When you’ve finished trekking the park, be sure to drive to the Observation Point, just east of the entrance kiosk. From several hundred feet above the valley floor, you’ll have a panoramic view of the formations and surrounding mountains. To the east, Table Mountain will show you the extent of the ash formation.To the north, the highest peak is Kneeling Nun, whose volcanic origin created the park. 

Since 2005, City of Rocks has been one of New Mexico’s state parks also outfitted with an observatory. It consists of a 12-by-16-foot building with a roll-off roof, exposing a permanently installed 14-inch Meade telescope. Since the park enjoys some of the darkest skies in North America, it only made sense to help visitors understand the vast carpet of stars they see, resolving the sweeping arms of the Milky Way and the nebulous smudges that come into focus as other distant galaxies. 

More Adventures in the Southwest 

Celebrate Father's Day at Gila Cliff Dwellings

Petroglyphs and lava flows in southern New Mexico

Lincoln preserves history of tumultuous war

If your visit is more than day-long and you need more than a picnic table, the Park’s facilities include camp sites, 10 of which have electrical and water hookups, picnic areas, and a complex offering modern restrooms and hot showers. Campgrounds are available by reservation. The visitor’s center incorporates a large display area with exhibits detailing the geologic and biological history of the park. 

City of Rocks is reached by taking U.S. 180 north from Deming toward Silver City.  About 23 miles north, turn right on NM 61 and drive another five miles to the park entrance. The park is open year-around from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Information at http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/cityofrocksstatepark.html. 

Las Cruces freelance writer Bud Russo is author of "Heroes and Villains of New Mexico: A Collection of True Stories." See his website at budrusso.com.