New Mexico’s 35-million-year-old volcanic rock city looks like another planet

It’s halfway between two small towns

City of Rocks State Park sits in southwestern New Mexico, right between Silver City and Deming, and you could drive past it without knowing what’s inside.

The park covers one square mile of Chihuahuan Desert at 5,200 feet, where giant volcanic columns rise 40 feet off the ground and form what looks like a small city with streets, alleyways, and courtyards.

Only six other places on Earth have rock formations like these.

The columns are 35 million years old, and the story of how they got here starts with one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in North American history.

A single eruption 1,000 times bigger than Mount St. Helens

About 34. 9 million years ago, a volcano called the Emory Caldera blew at the southern end of the Black Range.

The eruption dwarfed Mount St.Helens by a factor of 1,000, blanketing the land in ash so hot it fused into solid rock called Kneeling Nun Tuff.

Then wind, water, and freeze-thaw cycles went to work for millions of years, carving that rock into the columns and pinnacles you see today.

The Mimbres people lived among these formations from about 750 to 1250 AD and left behind pottery, arrowheads, and grinding holes in the stone.

Spanish explorers came later and carved crosses into the rock.

Walk the shaded alleys between 40-foot pillars

Narrow gaps between the rock columns form cool, shaded alleyways and hidden chambers you can wander through at your own pace.

No set path, no ropes, no guided tour.

You just walk in and explore. Some of the campsites sit right inside natural stone enclosures, with picnic tables surrounded by rock walls on three sides.

Kids scramble over sun-warmed boulders while families spread out through the maze.

A circular park road loops the whole formation area, so you can also take it in from your car with views from every angle.

The Hydra Trail loops 3.3 miles through open grassland

The park’s most popular hike, the Hydra Trail, runs 3.3 miles around the rock formations through open desert grassland.

It stays flat and wide the whole way, with large granite markers at every intersection so you don’t second-guess a single turn.

On one side, you get the rock pinnacles. On the other hand, open desert stretches out to the horizon. You can also mountain bike the loop if hiking isn’t your speed.

A Youth Conservation Corps crew built the trail in 2004, led by the person who now manages the park.

Climb 695 feet up Table Mountain for the big view

If you want more elevation, the Table Mountain Trail branches off the Hydra and climbs about 695 feet to a summit at 5,726 feet.

The ground gets steeper and rockier, so bring solid shoes. From the top, you can see across the desert valleys and out to distant mountain ranges in every direction.

Keep your eyes up, too, because golden eagles, elk, and the occasional bighorn sheep move through the higher ground.

Back down, the 2-mile Cienega Trail leads to desert springs and a boardwalk, and birdwatchers tend to gather there.

Free-climb routes from beginner V0 to advanced V6

Climbers know this park. Bouldering routes range from V0 to V6, and you don’t need a permit or a fee beyond your park entry.

The catch is that bolting and fixed ropes aren’t allowed, so every climb is free-style on volcanic rock. Routes carry names like Megatron Falls, Mind Over Matter, and Ice Bucket.

Every Halloween weekend, the annual BoulderFest draws climbers from across the region. Several guidebooks cover the park’s routes in detail, so you can plan your sends before you show up.

The Milky Way stretches right over the rock pillars

The park sits in Bortle Class 2 darkness, which puts it among the darkest skies in New Mexico. No city glow reaches here.

On a clear night, the Milky Way runs across the sky in a thick band directly above the rock formations, visible to the naked eye without a telescope or any equipment at all.

Astrophotographers travel from around the country to frame their shots between the pillars. Even the campsites lean into it.

They carry constellation names like the Orion Group Area and Pegasus Campground.

A 14-inch telescope powered entirely by the sun

The Gene and Elisabeth Simon Observatory was the first observatory ever built in a New Mexico state park.

A local ranching couple funded it, and it houses a 14-inch Meade telescope that runs on solar energy.

Monthly Stars-N-Parks programs give you a laser-guided tour of the constellations, and afterward, you line up to look through the telescope at planets, distant galaxies, and deep-sky objects.

The programs are open to campers and to anyone from the nearby communities who wants to drive out.

Over 300 plant species fill one square mile of desert

A botanical garden near the park entrance grows plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert, including cow’s tongue succulents, bunny ear cacti, yucca, agave, ocotillo, and tall century plants.

Across the park, researchers have counted more than 300 species, plus at least 10 types of cacti. The Fishhook Barrel Cactus stands out with its round shape and curved spines.

After a good rainy season, wildflowers push up through the desert floor around the base of the rock formations and turn the brown landscape into patches of color.

Golden eagles and roadrunners nest inside the rocks

More than 120 bird species live in the park or pass through during migration, and at least 35 of them nest directly in the crevices and cavities of the rock formations.

Golden eagles, great horned owls, cactus wrens, and the Greater Roadrunner, New Mexico’s state bird, all raise their young here. The Cienega Trail’s desert springs pull in even more species.

On the ground, you might spot mule deer, coyotes, javelinas, and jackrabbits. Mountain lions and black bears pass through less often.

Rattlesnakes, desert tortoises, and several lizard species round out the wildlife.

Camp inside the rock walls with hot showers nearby

About 50 campsites are spread through the park, and many of them sit inside natural openings between the rock formations. Rock walls on two or three sides give you privacy you won’t find in most campgrounds.

Ten sites come with water and electric hookups, while the rest are primitive spots for tents and dry RV camping. Every site has a picnic table and a fire ring.

Restrooms with hot showers stay open around the clock. The park runs year-round, and a day pass costs $5 per vehicle.

Explore City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico

You can find City of Rocks State Park at 327 Highway 61, Faywood, N.M., about 29 miles northwest of Deming and 30 miles south of Silver City.

The park stays open year-round from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and overnight campers can stay past closing.

Day use runs $5 per vehicle, and camping costs between $8 and $18 a night, depending on the site. Stock up on gas, food, and supplies in Deming or Silver City before you head out, because there’s nothing in between.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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