Elephant Butte Lake is approximately twice as full as it was at this time last year, attracting large numbers of visitors looking to take advantage of the high water levels.
“It’s nice to see the water,” Cameron House, an Elephant Butte visitor, recently told KOB 4. “I mean, it’s good. We’re excited.”
Memorial Day weekend was especially busy. The lake was stocked with RVs, boats, jet skis and people soaking in the sun.
“It’s busy,” House said. “You look around and you see everybody, all the RVs are parked and the boats are all sitting on the beach. It’s chaos. But once you accept it, and you know it’s going to be, it’s kind of fun.”
Businesses that depend on the lake to attract customers are thrilled with the increased attendance, especially during the Memorial Day weekend.
“We’re very blessed to have people start to come back to town again,” Derek Bean, general manager of New Mexico Wake in Elephant Butte, told KOB 4 this week. “We’re obviously super excited...the town is already packed which is amazing, we look forward to these big weekends...local business owners get super excited to have outside people come into town and spend money with us and boost our economy.”
House shared a quick itinerary for the day at their favorite spot.
“We’re gonna load up here at the marina,” he said. “Then we’re gonna head over to Pirate’s Cove and go meet up with some friends over there, and put the boat up and hang out with the canopy up.”
Although it was overcast, that didn’t stop visitors from filling up their boats or enjoying some water-skiing. The people who were there commented that if you have not come down to Elephant Butte yet, now is the time to do it because of the level of water as compared to last year. That is one of the signs of the healthy water levels right now in New Mexico.
Elephant Butte is New Mexico's largest state park and boasts ample room to accommodate watercraft of many styles and sizes including kayaks, pontoons, jet skis, ski boats, sailboats, cruisers and houseboats; the State's Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) website said. The State Park offers restrooms, picnic areas, playgrounds and developed sites with electric and water hookups for RVs.
The website also reminds visitors to wear life jackets and practice safe boating.
