Why it’s called “Little Florida Mountains”  when we’re in New Mexico, who knows?  Rockhound State Park is a favorite place  for “rockhounds” because of the abundant  colored stones  and quartz crystals found there. And the Hiking trails have great views of the surrounding landscape.

Scattered throughout the park are rock and mineral examples of volcanic origin. These gems range from varieties of jasper, silica minerals, quartz crystals, chalcedony, Agate, and common opal, all very pretty rocks. Visitors are allowed to take up to 15 pounds of the rock for their personal collections.  All the rocks in this area are volcanic rocks that are between 22 and 38 million years old.

Different walks around the park

When the sun goes down we get to see the city of Deming, NM all lite up from a distance.

Here we have Pacman And a glove

Despite the name of the park it’s not particularly easy to get good rock, crystal or quartz samples. The park has been here for awhile and all the valuable rocks have been scooped up. Collectors will need a large hammer, several chisels and a spade, along with a good bit of time spent on the hillside to get a valuable rock. We don’t have any of the above tools, but it’s still fun to look.  And we always seem to find a colorful fun shaped rock.