oliver lee memorial state park

This is a chill park, even when it's full. I camp in a car, so I like the sites with shelters; these shelters are the best design I've seen. You can somehow position yourself to avoid the wind no matter which way it's coming from.Plenty of water, even if your site happens not to have any. Clean bathrooms and showers. Beautiful view of the basin, and quiet nights. See Oliver Lee's house, if you're here on a Saturday. Hike the rigorous mountain trail, or the leisurely riparian trail. Enjoy the museum in the visitor's center. Or, just plunk down a camp chair and read a book in the sunshine.

I drove out to the park to see what it had to offer. Considering that it is right next to Lincoln Forest, why would I PAY to go in here and then do a hike up the barren desert mountain? ANSWER: I didn't! I left. I hiked in the beautiful Lincoln Forest several times instead. It's beautiful, has dozens of different hiking paths and roads, and it's FREE. Go there instead, it's right above. They also have many campgrounds.

Just discovered an iasis in the desert this summer even though we've been here many times. If you hike the trail along the north side of the building, you will find it too. It's beautiful! You can camp out here too. And it's a great place for sunsets! And we all know New Mexico has some of the most amazing ones.

Great spot for the serious hiker in you. Quad-burning initial half mile of the path will have you wondering about your choices in life. After that it's an easy incline for the next mile. Alpine meadows and phenomenal views of the area mountains and the Tularosa Basin. Lots of wildlife, flowers and native plants and birds. The gutsy folks can try to complete the entire trail up to Cloudcroft. There is a much easier nature trail below the main trail.Park center has friendly staff and exhibits regarding local history and geology. Canyon is site of old Apache village. $5 parking fee. Unforgettable spot to experience beautiful New Mexico in its fullest.

Very beautiful and scenic trail. The first .6 miles is very strenuous but gets easier after the initial incline. I hiked 2.5 miles out to an old homesite then turned around. The most difficult part of the trail is after this spot.

Beautiful views of the valley below. Electrical hook ups available and very nice comfort stations conveniently located.

The hiking is serious, but you can't beat the views from the campground if you just want to chill out. The online reservation system is misleading. They only have a few spots that can be reserved so it looks like they are booked up, but they have a lot of first come first served sights, some with electric. Bathroom were clean and fine, but the showers really don't get hot. The visitor center is quite informative and the short nature trail is pretty. We stayed only one night and it is great for an over nighter.

This is a really nice campground. The spots are nice and big, its quiet, the views are awesome. The hike up Dog Canyon is very nice - probably one of New Mexico's best canyon hikes in my opinion. The visitor center is small but well done with a little bit of history and a little bit of nature.

Definitely not for kids. The trails are to steep for kids and the drop offs are quite intimidating. Otherwise, good scenery.

We camped here in the fall for a few days. The desert in this area is beautiful. There were so many flowers blooming and although it's not, the area looks landscaped. The hiking trail is beautiful and you can make it as long or as short as you feel like. Great views of the Tularosa basin and White Sands National Monument. It is situated about 12 miles out of town (22 to White Sands) which made for perfect skies to gaze at the stars...and some great Blood Moon photographs.

We camped there for 3 days in a tent for only $10 a day. There was also no entrance fee for the campers so we could visit the interpretative center for free and walk the trails for free.My husband walked both trails and it was really beautiful (see the pictures), especially the long one in Dog Canyon which penetrates into Lincoln National Forest. You can see wonderful nature, cacti in bloom and beautiful birds. But be careful, as it is montain lion country and there are also black bears in Lincoln National Forest in the Sacramento Mountains. But don't get me wrong, you won't find black bears in the camping area, you'll find them only very far away in the trails high in the montains.The interpretative center is very interesting and the volunteers are really nice. You get to learn about the history, American Indian People, a Frenchman who lived on site, the nature, animals, etc. You can also have a guided historical tour on week-ends and it is included in the entrance fee (and free if you are camping). The restrooms and showers were very clean and you had plenty of hot water. However, there is very little shade on site as you have no trees really, only cacti and they're not high enough to provide shade. You have a roof over the picnic table on some sites (but not on the one we had for a tent) which can provide shade. What is also a bit of a shame is that you cannot buy any drinks, snacks or bags of ice on site. So, remember to bring your own stuff, especially the bottles of water that you'll really need in this extremely dry area.

I've stayed at Oliver Lee State Park many times. Obviously, I like the place. Winters, early spring, late fall. You could not pay me to go into the heat there in summer. There are two loops, one ostensibly for tents, the other for trailers and campers. One complaint I do have, though I understand why they do it: I have been settled in, enjoying the fantastic views, when a camper or small trailer pulls in next to me in the tent loop, covering any possible view in that direction. It doesn't happen often. The tent area has gorgeous views fore and aft. This loop is exactly at the foot of the Sacramento Mountains, sedimentary, large hills and mesas that still look like underwater sites and have the fossils to prove it. Some look distinctly like Mayan temples, others like temples in southern India. A great horned owl has lived there for years and hoots every night. The trailer loop also has beautiful views, the same ones, actually, except the perspective of the Sacramento Mts behind is different, as the trailer loop is a bit further from it. The toilet/shower area is in between the two loops. Before you, the Tularosa Plains fold out, turning lavender in the evenings, as you watch the shadows expand. In the far distance, sharp, purple mountains rise, the beautiful Organ Mts, the Oscuro, and the San Andres (mostly owned by the military). They look like cutouts, without detail, as the sun sets behind them. At night, stars are brilliant in their millions. If the moon is full, you need no light at night for walking. Their are a couple hikes I like. One is along a permanent stream (more later) in a very narrow canyon. It's a stunningly beautiful hike. Some rocks are humped, gray waves where little pools of water attract dragonflies and blue faced damselflies. There is maidenhair fern in the shadows with yellow columbine, both growing out of crevasses in the rock wall, wet with seeped water. Horsetail grows in abundance, a plant so old it was one of the first ones on earth. It looks it, primitive stalks with nodes like bamboo. People used it to scour utensils, because it has a kind of glass in it, a silica. Scouring rush, they called it. There are cattails and rushes and warblers and many other songbirds, and the stream as it sings. After a while, the hike becomes a bit more strenuous. Eventually, it ends at a packed sand cliff in the middle of the stream bed that you're walking on. The other hike is the more traveled one and the much more strenuous one. It goes up behind the Visitor's Center and up onto the mesa in a rather steep ascend on a maintained trail, though at times you have to use rocks as steps. I have seen tiny wildflowers on this trail, like purple and yellow dalea and yellow flax. You will pass the Mayan temple mesas, and they will look as mysterious as they did further away. After what feels quite a long time, there is a plateau where you can rest. After that, the trail continues up all the way to the bigger plateau and part of the stream I spoke of earlier. It is three miles, I believe, to get to this point, all uphill. Most days, even in winter, make me wilt with heat. There have been times when it was overcast and a bit windy, and that was delightful. In some places, steps have carved into rock because it is so steep. Take a stick. Here and there are benches, usually hollowed out rock, to sit and rest on. But the views, sometimes out to White Sands, glimmering white in the distance, are spectacular! There are edges of cliffs and small animal trails you can use to see even more. The higher you get, of course, the deeper the canyon. If you don't like heights, do not do this hike. There are a thousand marvels, from cacti to rock shelters to yucca to sky. Finally, the main plateau is there. It's a lovely place. In winter, when I go, the long grasses are golden and sky so blue. There are some trees up there, not huge, but shady. Errant boulders just sitting unattached. You can walk over to inspect the mesa sides. The trail continues on to The Eyebrow up on the next mesa. I've not gone up there, always stopping on this plateau, down by the creek bed where it's shady and lush. There are four, falling-down rock walls that were a line camp. there used to be an old iron bed frame in there. The sense of history is immediate, not distant. I like it when there is no water, because you can walk down a ways. The stream bed is beautiful and interesting. It is not a trail and can be strenuous, and unless you're prepared and understand Southwest rock and soil, don't go there. But it is safe, if not a stroll, to go down a little bit. I love to sit on the edge of an overhang to have lunch and look down the dry bed at the trees and sky and rock.At night, I like to wrap up in a sleeping bag and lie on the picnic table to watch the stars whirl in the deep night. Nights are very quiet.I have always liked the camp hosts, who are ready to be helpful but not intrusive. The people up in the center are knowledgable and nice. They know the fascinating history of the place, including political intrigue and murder. The fight over permanent water in this part of the country was inevitable. Mornings are lovely, as the deep shadows move away from the plains and back into the mesas behind the camp area where the sun takes a while to get above them. The last time I was there, mist hung on the tops of mesas all day.I find the place peaceful and spectacularly beautiful.

They found me a shady ramada for the tent so I could sack in before dusk, which also sheltered against the unseasonable high winds which came up later that night. Showers were great, everything clean and the trash policed to perfection. Quiet stay, and the host (John) was knowledgeable and helpful. State of NM takes better care of its campgrounds than most commercial properties.

This was a nice place to camp. Clean campsite and bathrooms, nice rangers and visitor center. Had a nice hiking train. Plus within driving distance of Cloudcroft and the Space Museum. We had a really fun time with our family and friends.

A long hike up an unforgivingly hot trail. Not for everyone over 14. Bring extra water, wear light clothing and a big hat, even in the winter.