Cerrillos Hills State Park Cerrillos, New Mexico

The Cerrillos Hills is an area with rich mineral resources. The state park preserves 1100 acres of this land and contains over 5 miles of trails that takes you by several abandoned mines that were used in the past and offers spectacular views of the Sandia, Ortiz, Jemez, and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges.

The minerals you can find here are galena, manganese zinc copper, iron and turquoise. You can learn about the geology and mining history here at the visitors center, it’s open sat/sun from 10-4. We visited on a Monday and the visitor center was open, it is likely open daily in the summer, but not posted on the website- so you may want to call ahead.

Exact change $5 daily. The park is a day use park and is available for hiking, biking, and horse back riding.

In 1879, the Village of Cerrillos began as a tent encampment situated between the lead and silver deposits in the Cerrillos Hills to the north, and the coal mines of Madrid as well as the gold mines of the Placer and Ortiz Mountains to the south. Cerrillos prospered by providing access to exploit the natural resources in both areas. However, it was the arrival of the railroad in 1880 that ensured Cerrillos would have a different trajectory than the nearby mining town of Carbonateville. The railroad connection solidified Cerrillos' importance as a transportation and supply hub for the surrounding mining districts.

The Cerrillos Mining Museum and Petting Zoo looked like a lot of fun and was closed during our visit..

After exploring the town of Cerrillos we drove back to Albuquerque stopping in Madrid, NM for an amazing green Chile cheeseburger at the Mine Shaft Tavern. I highly recommend!

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