Experience Tranquility and Adventure at Elephant Butte Lake in New Mexico

Florida is not the only state with white sand beaches and turquoise water. We found a spot in New Mexico that is simply perfect! It has beautiful white sand, clear turquoise water, and ..... cactus!

Elephant Butte Lake (Reservoir ) is New Mexico’s largest lake and was formed by a dam built in 1916 on the Rio Grande. The water level was pretty low when we were there.

It is around 40 miles long and surrounded by white sandy beaches. The water is a beautiful turquoise color when the sun is hitting it, but… every time I tried taking a picture, the sun would go behind the clouds. Oh well, it’s a beautiful blue in the photos. I can live with that!

Expect to see tons of quail and big floppy eared rabbits around the lake! We literally saw hundreds of both!

Lodging:

Camping spots are available at the state park and lodging is available in town, but we chose to stay at the Elephant Butte Inn & Spa.

The rates were very reasonable and the room was clean.

The back of the hotel overlooks the lake. Amazing View!!!

The whole back area is covered with rabbits late afternoon and at dark. I'm talking about at least 100 of them!!!

My husband, being an avid fisherman, was impressed with the boat ramp and marina. We actually spent several minutes looking at the ramp, with him saying, " I can't believe how big that ramp is!" 😲 It is located within the state park.

Elephant Butte Lake is such a beautiful place with many activities to do at the lake and close to the area. Truth or Consequences is only about a 10 minute drive and White Sands National Monument is less than 2 hours.


Address:

Elephant Butte Lake State Park

101 Hwy 195

Elephant Butte, NM 87935

Happy Travels! 

Lake Lure (Blue Ridge Mountains) North Carolina

Lake Lure is a small area located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.

We stumbled upon Lake Lure by accident. We were headed to Chimney Rock and decide not to go when we got the entrance. Three tour buses were pulling in ahead of us! It was early morning and we had about an 8 hour drive ahead of us that day. 

We looked around Chimney Rock Village. Everything was closed because of it being so early, but it was very charming. The town became popular in the 20’s and 30’s which is when most of the buildings were constructed.

We walked over bridges and explored along the river running behind the shops on Main Street.

A little ways down the road is where is found Lake Lure.

The area was so pretty, especially the lake in the early morning light!

The lake is located in the Hickory Nut Gorge and is surrounded by granite cliffs and tree covered mountains.

I didn't find out until later that the Lake Lure area has been the filming location for many movie scenes. Some of the movies include:  Dirty Dancing, Forrest Gump, The Last of the Mohicans, A Breed Apart, Thunder Road, and Firestarter. They even have a Dirty Dancing Festival there! How cool is that!

The large sandy beach at the swimming area would be a perfect spot for relaxing in the sun on a summer day. This is a place that I would love to return to when the weather is warmer!


Happy Travels!