Best City Park: Cahoon Park

Cahoon Park is Roswell's main park near downtown, stretching along the Spring River. It provides much-needed natural space in the middle of the city. Cahoon Park covers roughly 26 acres and holds several playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, sand volleyball, picnic areas, and walking and cycling paths, plus an outdoor swimming pool open during the summer.  

The highlight is the Sunken Gardens, a beautiful corner with fountains, a waterfall, and a pond of fish and turtles that's popular for weddings and photos. Cahoon Park also hosts many outdoor community events throughout the year, from concerts to seasonal festivals. 

Best Day Trip & Swimming Hole: Bottomless Lakes State Park

Located around 15 miles southeast of Roswell, Bottomless Lakes was established in 1933 as New Mexico's first state park. This unique park is certainly worth the drive, and there's enough to do here to make it a weekend day trip! The lakes are sinkholes, also called cenotes, ranging from 17 to 90 feet deep and surrounded by dramatic red bluffs.  

Lea Lake is the one you can swim in, with a sandy beach, summer lifeguards, and a small marina that rents paddleboards and pedal boats from Memorial Day through Labor Day. You can also hike the bluff trails, fish, camp, or even scuba dive in the deeper water, which makes this an easy full-day trip from town. The campsites can accommodate tents and also RVs/campers. There's a small day-use fee at the entrance.

Best Walk or Run: Spring River Parkway Trail

The Spring River Parkway Trail is the main hiking and biking paved path in Roswell. It runs about four miles along the Spring River and links to five parks and gardens. It passes through Cahoon Park and the J. Kenneth Bird Sanctuary and Nature Center. It's flat, easy terrain with benches and picnic tables along the way, so it's popular  for a walk, a run, or an easy bike ride. Dogs are welcome, provided they are on a leash.  

One stretch passes MIA-POW Park, named for the German prisoners of war who lined the riverbanks with stone, where you can also see a fragment of the Berlin Wall donated by the German Air Force. The trail also connects to the Spring River Park and Zoo, a free zoo with a historic carousel and a prairie dog town. 

Best for Disc Golf: Enchanted Lands

Enchanted Lands is a 25-acre city park with a free 18-hole disc golf course that's been a local favorite since 2001. The course plays at a moderate, beginner-friendly level, with small hills and trees that set up interesting shots and concrete tees that keep the park playable all year long.  

Beyond disc golf, the park has a playground, facilities for baseball/softball, soccer fields, a walking track, and picnic shelters with grills. Each spring, Enchanted Lands hosts the Alien City Open, one of the bigger disc golf tournaments in the state.

Best for Birders & Nature Lovers: Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge 

Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is about seven miles northeast of Roswell, where the Chihuahuan Desert, the Southern Plains, and the Pecos River all meet, which makes it one of the best birding spots in the state. With so much water, plants and animals thrive here. More than 350 bird species have been recorded here, including tens of thousands of sandhill cranes and snow geese that show up during fall and winter migration.  

The refuge is also one of the best places in North America to see dragonflies, with more than 100 species and a Dragonfly Festival each September. Dawn and dusk are the best times to visit, and admission is free. This oasis in the desert is an ideal place for nature photography, given the many species that live at or pass through the park each year.