Between Albuquerque And Flagstaff Is New Mexico's State Park With Camping And Fishing On A Scenic Lake

When travelers think of heading to the southwestern United States for a vacation, the first thing that comes to mind usually isn't tranquil lakes full of electric-blue water. Instead, they likely think of the arid scrubland, grasslands, and deserts that dominate the region. However, in the midst of that unforgiving landscape lies an up-and-coming New Mexico state park that's suddenly appearing on people's bucket lists: Bluewater Lake State Park. Located around 230 miles away from Flagstaff, Arizona, and around 100 miles away from Albuquerque, it's a perfect road trip stop, with stunning vistas of the nearby Zuni Mountains, many amenities, and famous fishing. If you're flying instead, you will likely want to fly into Albuquerque International Sunport.

Explorers might come to Bluewater Lake State Park for the beautiful landscapes, but they stay for the plethora of fun things to do. Camping, hiking, birding, and horseback riding are all popular land-based activities to engage in here. On the water, you can go kayaking, boating, swimming, paddleboarding, and fishing. 

Bluewater Lake State Park's views of the water, mountains, and expansive arid forests make it an ideal park for camping, much like New Mexico's under-the-radar El Vado Lake State Park. In total, there are 149 campsites here; the park has electric and non-electric camping, with campgrounds both near the lake and farther into the desert scrub. Thankfully, the campgrounds do have water, restrooms, and showers. For adventurous explorers, primitive camping on the beach or on a boat is allowed.

There are two main hiking trails to explore in the park: the Bluewater Lake Creek Hike and the Bluewater Dam Trail. Although neither of these is over 3 miles long, only the Bluewater Dam Trail is considered easy. Bluewater Lake Creek Hike isn't flat like its sister trail; instead, this loop has some steep inclines for hikers to traverse. Both hikes have views of the water and mountain vistas, and they let you get up-close and personal with the local desert environment. 

While hiking at Bluewater Lake, keep an eye out for birds. Like many of New Mexico's state parks brimming with wildlife, this park is full of diverse animals to see. Birding is particularly popular, with some of the species found here including hummingbirds, hawks, ibises, herons, songbirds, and egrets.

Bluewater Lake State Park isn't the only hidden-gem oasis in New Mexico, but it is one of only two places in New Mexico where anglers can find rare tiger muskies. They're rare, because they aren't naturally occurring fish — tiger muskies are hybrids bred from muskellunge and northern pikes. In the early 2000s, these hybrids were added here to combat two invasive fish species: goldfish and white suckers. Releasing them into the lake had another added benefit, as their presence draws in anglers from around the United States. Adult tiger muskies can be over 40 inches long, meaning they are quite the prize. The largest one at Bluewater was caught in 2012, coming in at a massive 50.5 inches in length.

These striped fish aren't the only freshwater specimens that can be caught here, though. Cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, catfish, walleye, bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, perch, and northern pike are also found in abundance. Before setting out on a fishing trip, always remember that fishing in New Mexico requires a license, which can be obtained online through the New Mexico Department of Wildlife.