//
Photo: Matthew.kowal, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Just south of town and adjoins a larger state wildlife preserve. There are viewing platforms and a few short trails. Best visited in late fall and early spring, when migratory birds are passing through; winter can be bleak and summer hot, and the resident population of wildlife isn't as great as the number of seasonal transients. Entry to the Refuge as well as McAllister Lake are free.
Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge is a protected natural area in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States, managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a National Wildlife Refuge. With the Rocky Mountains to the west, the Great Plains to the east, and the Chihuahuan Desert to the south, Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge encompasses a diversity of habitats. Located along the Central Flyway, it provides an important resting, feeding, and wintering area for migrating geese, ducks, and cranes.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
A state preserve nestled in the middle of the Las Vegas Wildlife Refuge. Seasonal fishing is available as well as limited dispersed camping during fishing season. Inquire locally for fishing conditions.
Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM (10AM-4PM Sundays May-September). Exhibits on local history, the Santa Fe Trail, and Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, who held reunions in Las Vegas. Free.
A classic drive-in theater from the 1950s that has managed to survive and still shows double features on summer weekends. There's only one screen, the buildings are old, and the parking lot is rutted, but the nostalgia factor makes it all worth it.
This 80 acre park is full-service with showers, RV dump station, marina, and overnight camping. It is well known regionally for its windsurfing and windsurfers are a common sight on the lake during spring, summer, and fall. There is an entry fee to the park as well as a charge for overnight camping.
Located on the property of the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West, these hot springs are open to the public. Do not enter the college proper but look for the pull offs along NM 65. Bathing suits required.