Percha Dam State Park
Set in the intimate shade of towering cottonwoods, Percha Dam State Park features camping, picnicking, fishing and bird-watching on the Rio Grande. Cottonwood and velvet ash trees shelter park visitors from the southern New Mexico sun. Visitors fish and swim to the backdrop of the Rio Grande.
The park is covered with a blanket of grass protected by cottonwoods, salt cedar and Russian olive trees. The park provides excellent fishing and bird watching along the river. Swimming and sunbathing are also activities enjoyed by park visitors.
Percha Dam State Park is among the area's best bird-watching locales, with about the same species as nearby Caballo Lake, but often in greater numbers, and it is easier to see them because Percha Dam is usually less crowded. Migratory species include ducks and geese, American white pelicans, trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, both great blue and little blue herons, golden eagles, bald eagles, northern goshawks, scaled quail, yellow-rumped warblers, song sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, great-tailed grackles, western meadowlarks, western bluebirds, willow flycatchers, dark-eyed juncos, and yellow-breasted chats.
The developed campsites are spacious, shady, and serene, and most are close enough to hear the river, even when its view is blocked by trees. The park has no designated hiking trails, just paths leading to favorite fishing and bird-watching spots, but a very pleasant walk of a mile or so can be had along the park's dirt roads.
Getting TherePercha Dam State Park is 21 miles south of Truth or Consequences via I-25, exit 59
.
Fees:
$5
day use; annual day use $40 all parks. $8-18 overnight camping; annual
$180-225 all parks. More info:
www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/FeesPermits.htm
Photos courtesy of Percha Dam State Park
