Eagle Nest Lake State Park

Eagle Nest Lake State Park
New Mexico State Park
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Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Colfax
Location	Eagle Nest
- elevation	8,300 ft (2,530 m)
- coordinates
Area	3,488 acres (1,412 ha)
Founded	July 3, 2004
Management	New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department
Owner	NM State Parks Division, NM Department of Game and Fish
Location of Eagle Nest Lake State Park in New Mexico

Eagle Nest Lake State Park is a state park in New Mexico, United States. The park is located outside Eagle Nest, approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Taos. It was established on July 3, 2004. Its main attraction is a 2,400-acre (9.7 km²) lake which is popular for fishing and boating in the summer, and ice fishing and snowmobiling in the winter. The lake itself is a man-made reservoir created when the Cimarron River was impounded by the Eagle Nest Dam in 1918. The lake is home to several species of fish, including smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, European carp, white sucker, bluegill, brook trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, kokanee salmon, and northern pike. The park recommends that fishermen keep the northern pike (which were accidentally introduced into Eagle Nest) as they are considered a threat to the trout and salmon populations.

Eagle Nest Lake is at an elevation of 8,300 feet (2,500 m), making it an alpine lake, and it is situated in a glacial valley on the slopes of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest mountain. The surrounding mountains are rich in wildlife such as elk, deer, turkeys and bears.

• Fisherman at Eagle Nest Lake State Park (NM) Picture 1966.jpg

  Lone fisherman at Eagle Nest Lake State Park

• Wheeler Peak from Eagle Nest, New Mexico.jpg

  View of Wheeler Peak from Eagle Nest

• Sunrise at Eagle Nest Lake.jpg

  Sunrise at Eagle Nest Lake

External links

• Eagle Nest Lake State Park
• Friends of Eagle Nest Lake and Cimarron Canyon State Parks