Bottomless Lakes State Park
Bottomless Lakes is a strange place to arrive.
The landscape around Lea Lake is dry, exposed, and wind-shaped. Low brush, hard light, gravel roads, and open ground. Then the water appears below it all, clear and blue against the desert like it was dropped there from somewhere else.
The wind was part of the stay from the beginning.
This is not the kind of place where you casually leave a rig door or car door open. You hold onto it. Awnings were temporary, and only with attention. When the wind stopped, the whole place felt different.
The campground had some activity around the lake, but not much. Continuing the trend of stunning and underutilized state parks across the country.
🗺️ The Lay of the Land
- Location: Roswell, New Mexico · 33.3947, -104.3269 · [Google Maps]
- Official site: Bottomless Lakes State Park
- Landscape: Chihuahuan Desert · gypsum sinkhole lakes
- Vibe: Hot, windy, epic sunsets.
- Our stay & conditions: April 2026 · 5 nights · large temperature swings, dry air, persistent wind, intense midday sun
🏕️ Camp Setup
- Site types: Back In & Pull thru RV sites (Lea Lake) · Primitive sites · Tent Sites
- Arrival & setup: Easy
- Hookups: 💧 / ⚡ | 🧻
- Connectivity: 📶 AT&T ⚠️ | 📶 Verizon ⚠️ | 📶 T-Mobile ⚠️ | 📡 Starlink 🟢 | 📶 Park Wi-Fi ⟂
- Facilities: Restrooms · Showers · Dump · Lake access · Designated swimming area
Legend:
🚽 = sewer at site · 🧻 = dump station
🟢 = solid for work · ⚠️ = usable with limits · ❌ = unusable
Our days revolved around temperature and light.
Mornings were for longer dog walks or bike rides, usually ending with the dogs swimming. The water is still and clear enough that it felt almost out of place against the surrounding terrain.
By midday, the sun takes over.
The temperature swing was real. Cool mornings turn into hot afternoons, and without humidity, the difference between sun and shade was immediate. That became the work window inside the rig.
The light was the best part of the park.
Starting about an hour before sunset and lasting well after, the sky changed slowly across the lake. Different colors, different clouds different intensity each night. Midday was harsh and unforgiving. Twilight was the opposite.
We also rode the park’s short mountain bike course, and made a day trip into Roswell.
We stopped at a local brewery, visited the UFO Museum, and took the classic Welcome to Roswell sign photo. Roswell knows what people come for, and it leans into it.
The park was not complicated, but it gave the days a clear structure.
🚴 On the Ground
- Activities available: ● 🥾 Hiking | ● 🚴 Biking | ● 🐕 Dogs | ● 🚣 Paddling | ○ 🎣 Fishing | ○ 🐦 Wildlife / Birding | ● 🏊 Swimming | ● 📸 Photography | ● 🏕️ Camp-centric | ○ 🧗 Climbing
- Trail mileage available: 🥾 ~4 mi. | 🚴 3.1 mi. MB trail | 🚣 ⟂
- Crowd level: Slow
Legend: ● = available · ○ = not available
Park Highlights
The name is the first thing to understand.
The 'Bottomless Lakes' are not actually bottomless. The park is a chain of sinkhole lakes ranging from ~17 to 90 feet deep. The name came from cowboys who reportedly could not find the bottom with their ropes.
The geology is what makes the place interesting.
The lakes formed along the east edge of the Pecos River, where groundwater dissolved gypsum and limestone below the surface. As voids formed below ground, the land collapsed into sinkholes. Those basins then filled with groundwater.
That’s why the water is so clear.
There’s no major sediment inflow. The water is coming from below, not washing in from above.
Some are shallow and have gradually filled in over time. Others remain deeper and more defined. Lea Lake, where the campground sits, is one of the most accessible and stable.
The park was established as New Mexico’s first state park, built around preserving this exact contrast—water where it shouldn’t be.
It is not preserved because it is grand.
It is preserved because it is unusual.
⚡ TL;DR
- Park highlight: Clear sinkhole lakes set into dry desert terrain along the Pecos River valley
- Best for: Swimming, paddling, photography, and seeing a rare desert-water system up close
- Skip if: You want extensive marked trails, shade, or protection from wind
- Worth planning around?: Maybe
Final Takeaways
Bottomless Lakes was not the most comfortable park we stayed in, but it was one of the more distinct. With a closed Visitor Center and little traffic it was an interesting stay.
The wind shaped the days. The heat kept us honest. The water gave the dogs a place to reset, and the evening light made the whole park worth paying attention to.
It is not a place that gives everything away at first glance.
