Hyde Memorial State Park

New visit to this area by fairly fit seniors. Beautiful state park with trails and camping. We started on an early hike elsewhere but was too muddy so we came up here on a whim, parked in the campground lot away from the main road and walked towards the lodge where we found signage for east west circle trail. It was a nice cool morning fall hike -lots of trees, very few people, and a well marked/maintained trail- can’t ask for more.

We visited the park today on a whim and are so glad we did. The lady working at the visitor center was friendly and beyond helpful. I wanted to see the waterfall but have hip issues. She advised us which trail would be easiest to navigate and I was so excited I made it. The falls are half frozen so cascading at the top and then flowing under ice which was beautiful. Restrooms are available and parking was easy when she told us where to go. Definitely worth the trip.

Good launch pad to explore and avoid crowds compared to more "popular" and perhaps easier access trailheads. I will be back again and will choose this spot again to go explore other trails for shurz.

My group stayed in the yurts. It was a beautiful area and the one employee we met was very nice. I had never camped in NM before, so the bugs (small caterpillar looking things) dropping from the trees and crawling ALL OVER us, our bags, our food, the tables outside, EVERYWHERE were a big surprise. There were countless of them and they were annoying to say the least. Seriously, what the heck are those things? Is it there spawning week? The yurts are clean, but be warned there are no tables in them and the beds are small. If you roll over in your sleep you will definitely fall off. We had an extra bed and ended up needing to use it as a table. Other yurts I’ve stayed in have at least one small table, so it’s kind of strange that these don’t have them. Also, two of the three windows in our yurt had torn screens. So I couldn’t leave the windows open to get fresh air without letting in a bunch of the devils spawn bugs. We did the waterfall trail which was more difficult than described online. Definitely not for hikers with balance issues. And I’m not sure I would describe it as a “waterfall”. “Water flowing down on rocks” would be more accurate (see picture). Overall, it was nice to spend time with loved ones and the views were beautiful. It’s unfortunate that the other issues made it so I wouldn’t go here again.

As a first time visitor we entered the park and the Visitor Center had a no parking sign on both sides of the Visitor Center. We looked at the Web page and thought we would be able to find the trail we wanted. The signage was minimal and miniscule so you couldn't see anything from the street. We finally parked where there were alot of cars. We were told by several hikers the no parking signs are always there at the Visitor Center. The trail we walked was nice and the views were beautiful. But the signage around the Visitor Center wasn't very welcoming. It was a disappointing trip in the park.

Nice trails, and the camping spots look great-well maintained and with sturdy looking shelters for the picnic tables. As a first time visitor coming for just a day it was hard to figure out where to park (visitor center and lodge seem closed for renovations currently) but eventually we found a spot on the side of the road and a trail. Waterfall looks like it would be lovely after some more rain!

I did the East Circle trail that connects to the Piggyback trail. It's about a 1 mile trail with nice scenery. There's some construction right after you start the Piggyback trail so it's confusing which way it goes. I ended up taking the campground road and made it to the visitor's center. The campgrounds are well kept and clean. There's a volleyball area as well as a playground. Several bathrooms available on the Piggyback trail. There's also several tables and seating available to eat a snack. The trail wasn't busy so my dogs loved it! I visited in early October, the color in the trees haven't changed.

New Mexico has some of the cleanest parks I have seen in a lone time. We hiked a short trail to see a cascading waterfall. It was a easy hike and a wonderful time. The state parks cost 5.00 a day make sure you use the self pay station. We saw some people get tickets for not paying.

I love to drive up here and just chill. The park is well kept, for what it is... but could definitely use more funding for upgrades, if our state government is reading.

We have been to Hyde Memorial State Park several times since the 70's. How lucky visitors and locals are, that this exists because of the generous land donation. Recently we hiked Bear Wallow and Big Tescuque Trails in December. We used Yaktracks and poles (purchased at Christy Sports-which was a great experience as well) !!!

For a few years back in the mid-90s I lived in Glorieta and never knew this state park existed. How much poorer my life was as a result. It wasn't until the early 2000s that I ran across this hidden gem of a state park. Wow! The grounds were pristine and the campsites well-maintained. Our particular site had a wooden structure with a picnic table and a fire ring with trails emanating into multiple unknown directions. Of course we had to explore in order to find out. The usual park amenities abounded but not at the expense of enjoying nature. What brought comfort and peace of mind was how readily available the park rangers were to any questions or concerns we had. I could see them driving by at regular intervals. Don't pass on an opportunity to camp here.

It was a lovely day exploring some trails in Hyde Park. No trash in site, we were able to catch the cusp of the changing leaves during the first week of September. Definitely a great backdrop to recharge the soul! We packed a picnic lunch and took in the tall trees and mountain breeze, a really easy day trip from Albuquerque. Not far from 10,000 waves for a hot tub sesh :) I would say mid-September through mid-October is prime, aspen color changing paradise. I can't comment on the overnight camping experience, but the day hike, casual visit was refreshing and worth the drive!

The day we hiked in Hyde Memorial State Park, we ascended over a thousand feet during the course of our 3 mile hike. It wasn't all that easy, but the trail wasn't too slippery so managed it. Looking back from the top, it was easy to see how worth while that climb was; we got to take in several lovely vistas of the plains north of Santa Fe and also of the surrounding mountains. As long as you're a person that's in reasonably good hiking shape, then making the ascent here is a fairly fun way to spend a few hours. There are even a couple of spots on the West side that you can stop for a picnic!

Santa Fe is associated with its arts scene, so Hyde Memorial Park is an underrated gem. With its well-maintained trails, clean mountain air, the fall color of quaking aspens, it's a place of peace and quiet. It's the southernmost point of the Rockies, with views of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, the Sandia and Jemez Mountains. $5 for parking is a deal. Great for a picnic. As the famous John Denver sang "Rocky Mountain High." Hyde Memorial Park is a beautiful area to do what's called "leaf peeping" in New England. The reds, golds, and oranges are breathtaking.

Trail experience here was nice. $5/car for great hiking trails in the mountains with pleasant views. Waterfall at the end of the waterfall trail was more like a "rock drizzle" in late August, but may be better in other months. Can't speak to the camping experience, but would recommend for a those looking for a short hike not far outside of Santa Fe.

This park may not be as well known as some of the others in the area. But it's definitely worth a look... Great scenic drive,awesome views, and it's so easy to get navigate through the park. Great hiking trails and dog friendly too! If you have the time, and enjoy the outdoors treat yourself.

Visited so I could decide on whether to purchase the annual state park pass. Trashy campground that looks like it hasn't had any attending to for a long time. Very dusty, steep, narrow rutted road in one of the loops I visited. Can't imagine traveling on it during a rain storm. If I had to make a decision to purchase the pass based on this experience I'd have to say no.

We had a blast with our three small children sledding just before Christmas. The hills are fun and the people were friendly. Parking is limited and cost $5 per car. I recommend that you bring your own sled and snacks. There are restrooms at the base, but they aren't well maintained. Good luck finding soap. The snow was starting to melt, so I assume that this will be a better place later in the season.

RV campers BEWARE! Bad experience for easy going seasoned travelers here. Beautiful park, lovely trails and we hiked to a waterfall with our dogs. Terrible communication through the reservation service and obnoxious campground host. We thought the rates were great but the experience cost us extra pack up and tons of time. The poor people that supposedly had reserved the spot we were in and already paid for as did we, waited for two hours before we got back to move for them....and this same thing happened to them last time they were here. The miscommunication comes from the answering service person that tells you there are electric and water sites available first come first serve for $14 or $ 10 no electric. Non Reservable sites. You get there and the sinage in the electric sites all say reserved all sites are occupied, with permanent placards which we assume are the first come first serve as we we told on the phone. This is the only RV electric area right? And with permanent placards. Which we have never seen. But there are people camping there. But there is no tags of last names or dates of stay posted anywhere. Weird. But there's a pay station. Long story. We moved and the people waiting were very nice the host blonde woman with little dog was awful,asking the situation miserable for both parties and actually shamed us as human beings. My husband and I are also camp hosts we know the power trippers. But what we wanna now is who takes the cash out of the box when other people show up and pay. We wrote a check which, we will cancel. We offered to pay for a night for the people who were inconvienced but they paid through Reserve America. The terrible camp host said she was the only one in charge.

On the day I arrived there was no water or dump station in the whole park! The visitor center was closed in the middle of the day. At the electric campground, no water, no showers (just a single vault toilet). No cell phone service. I drove out of the park so I could call the park and one kind ranger said they were simply "out of water" but that if I came to the ranger headquarters he would let me fill my fresh water tank on the camper van. Without his kindness I would simply have left in tears after a very long drive. This park basically follows a winding road up a thickly wooded canyon outside of Santa Fe. Lots of tall pines and aspen, and in June, wonderfully cool. Still the few electric sites are right next to the road and right next to each other. Fortunately the road isn't that busy. Not a ton of trails you can walk on that are adjacent to the electric sites and there is no walkway on the road. This shows me two things: A park can have amazing potential but be ruined by poor planning. AND simple courtesy and kindness counts for so much when it comes to travel. I'm sorry this park is having such trouble with water and drought. Again, Reserve America does a very poor job telling you when a park lacks some amenity. I stayed only one night and lost my fee for the second. Without a phone to call a taxi (and go see Santa Fe) and with no shower or dump station, I couldn't stay. With a small camper can like mine, you can really only take one bird bath shower before the storage tank fills up.

just back from a 4 night stay in Hyde Memorial State Park - Great place to camp and enjoy beautiful scenery. Camp sites are wooded and well tended. No running water so plan accordingly. The Camp Host - Travis and his family were very diligent and friendly and took care of a site problem I had when I arrived. Could be a little noisy due to the Ski Basin Road, but the park itself was quiet. No cell phone service due to the remoteness of the area. Hiked the 11 mile Aspen Vista trail to the top of the Ski Basin and it was challenging for a flatlander from Houston. Recommend to any tent or car camper.