Park Remains Closed for Season
LEDOUX, NM – Morphy Lake State Park will remain closed until the spring of 2020 in order to complete key park improvement projects. The park was closed for much of the 2018 summer season due to extreme fire danger and construction work on the dam. During the closure, work began on much needed renovations to campsites and facilities at the lake and the park remained closed during the 2019 season while construction continued. Dam construction is complete, but there is still substantial work to do on the campgrounds. The park will not reopen until the spring to complete all upgrade projects.
“I want to thank our ancestors for building Morphy Lake Dam and the NM Legislature for supporting this renovation project,” stated Harold Trujillo, President, Acequia de La Isla. “We also appreciate the investment and renovations being made to the park, as it is important to the local, regional, and statewide economy.”
“I appreciate the work that State Parks is doing in renovating the picnic and camping areas and the boat ramp,” said Joe Pacheco, President of the Acequia de la San Jose. “The work is awesome and I want to thank our legislators and partners for their help.”
The last major park renovations occurred in 1999. The current renovations include updating the campsites and expanding parking areas. “The existing campsites were far too crowded and left little room for parking vehicles. We also had issues with sites being too close together,” said Chris Vigil, Park Superintendent. “These upgrades will make the sites more comfortable and provide a better camping experience for park visitors.”
In addition to campsite improvements, staff are developing expanded day use parking areas, extending the boat ramp, installing a boat dock, making road improvements, and improving ADA accessibility. The upgrades also include two ADA accessible sites near the boat ramp. Parks also partnered with Volunteers for the Outdoors to develop a new hiking trail around the lake.
The improvements at Morphy Lake State Park will make it more accessible to the public and are all part of the recently announced Next Generation of Adventure campaign. New trails, improved facilities, and additional recreation access will go a long way to making the park experience better for all visitors.
Morphy Lake closes for the winter season each year from November through February and is scheduled to re-open March 2020.