Life jackets save lives, wear it! ¡Chalecos salvavidas salvan vidas, úsalos!

Santa Fe, NM – After a two-year hiatus, the State Parks Division (State Parks) of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department announces the boat ramp at Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas will re-open Friday, May 26, 2023, just in time for the busy Memorial Day weekend.

Widespread drought and extremely low water levels forced the closure of the Storrie Lake Boat Ramp on May 6, 2021. Now, thanks to recent rain and runoff from snowmelt, the lake has risen approximately 12 feet compared to the same time last year allowing the park to re-open the ramp to all types of watercraft.

“We’re looking forward to a great summer on the water,” said Wendy Mason, NM State Parks Marketing and Public Relations Manager. “The melting snowpack is expected to give us about another month of runoff in Northern New Mexico, and the recent rainstorms are a bonus.”

State Parks is participating in National Safe Boating week, May 20-26, 2023. State law requires that you wear a life jacket when on a canoe, kayak, or raft and that all children 12 years old and younger wear a life jacket while on the deck of a moving vessel. Anyone born after January 1, 1989 must also take a Boating Education course to operate a motorized vessel or sailboat. Log onto our website at www.emnrd.nm.gov, click on the State Parks tab, and choose Boating in New Mexico for detailed information. Classes are available online and in-person statewide. For information in Spanish go to Navegando América.

Storrie Lake Park State Park is conveniently located near the historic northern New Mexico community of Las Vegas in San Miguel County, and offers fishing, boating, camping, and abundant bird watching opportunities.  

For more information on all 35 of your New Mexico State Parks found across 25 of 33 counties across our state, please visit our website at www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/. Book your camping reservation six months in advance! Log onto https://www.reserveamerica.com/ and save the perfect camping spot at your favorite New Mexico State Park today. ¡Vámanos! Let’s Go New Mexico!