New Mexico
New Mexico’s Glorious ‘Quiet Lake’ Is A Serene State Park Escape With Stellar Fishing And Camping – AOL
New Mexico is officially known as the Land of Enchantment, thanks to its mix of vibrant cities like Albuquerque along with dramatic desert and mountain landscapes. And while New Mexico’s federally protected places like White Sands National Park and Bandelier National Monument might have more name recognition, you can find some incredible beauty in one of New Mexico’s 35 state parks. Just look at Heron Lake State Park in northern New Mexico. It’s a designated “quiet lake,” since boats can’t go fast enough to leave a wake, which helps make for a relaxing getaway. This lake is an ideal place for all kinds of outdoor recreation, including fishing, kayaking, camping, hiking, and stargazing.
The park is near the Colorado border, about 2 hours and 45 minutes north of Albuquerque and a little under 2 hours from Taos. It’s a relatively new lake; the dam was built in 1971 on Willow Creek as a part of the San Juan-Chama Project. This pretty lake sits at 7,167 feet, and it’s surrounded by pine forest.
Heron Lake is popular for fishing year round, including ice fishing in the winter, and it holds the record as the location for the largest lake trout caught in the state. It’s also good for rainbow trout and kokanee salmon. Make sure to check all regulations for what’s in season, and get a state fishing license before you go.
Read more: Think Twice Before Swimming In These Dangerous US Lakes
Boating and hiking at New Mexico’s Heron Lake State Park
Kayaker paddling on Heron Lake State Park in New Mexico – VisitNewMexico/YouTube
While boats are required to go slow enough that they don’t leave a wake at Heron Lake State Park, you can still get out on the water. It’ll just be a calmer experience than at many other lakes. There are a couple of boat docks and a marina, so it’s easy to launch a kayak, paddleboard, or a sail boat, and there’s miles of peaceful shoreline to explore. There are also areas for swimming. It can get hot here in summer, so a dip in the lake is a great way to cool off.
If getting out on the trail is more your thing, you can put your hiking shoes to good use at Heron Lake State Park. The Salmon Run Trail is 5 miles long one way, and it runs along the south side of the lake. It’s open for hiking as well as mountain biking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. The East Meadow Trail takes you about 2.5 miles one way from the Visitor Center to a lake overlook. You can even get to the neighboring El Vado State Park via the Rio Chama Trail. It’s a 5.5 mile one-way trail that takes hikers through the ponderosa pine forest and across a suspension bridge over the Rio Chama Gorge.
Birdwatching and camping at Heron Lake State Park
Camper at Heron Lake State Park – Swifty Travels/YouTube
While you might guess that Heron Lake State Park got its name from the bird, it was actually named after Kenneth A. Heron, a New Mexico engineer. But even though its name came from a person, it’s still a good place for bird watching: bald eagles, snow geese, white faced ibises, American avocets, and more all make their home here for at least a part of the year. Other wildlife that you might find here include black bears, so be bear aware when you’re hiking and camping.
If you have the gear for a camping trip, it’s well worth staying the night, in part because the star gazing here is fantastic. It’s more than an hour away from a major city, so there’s not much light pollution, and its higher elevation often means there are clearer skies.
The park has nearly 200 campsites spread across eight different campgrounds, including some electric sites for RVs. There are also showers and restrooms. If you’d rather rough it, there are also three primitive camping areas.
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Read the original article on Islands.
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The Social Security Office released the most popular baby names for 2025 on Thursday. And here in New Mexico, we saw some familiar names top the charts once again.
Coming in at No. 1 for girls is Mia, and as for the boys, Noah ranks No. 1. That’s no change from 2024 when Mia and Noah also led the pack, both coming in at No 1. For 2025, there were a total of 66 babies named Mia and 115 babies named Noah, while in 2024, there were 81 Mias and 105 Noahs.
What do the names mean? Online sources list a few different interpretations for Mia, but one common association is with the Italian word “mia,” which means “mine.” As for Noah, the name is most commonly associated with the prominent bible figure. It’s thought to mean “rest,” or “comfort.”
Here’s a look at some of the other top baby names in New Mexico for 2025.
- Girls:
- Olivia (65 total)
- Sophia (65 total)
- Sofia (60 total)
- Camila (59 total)
- Eliana (57 total)
- Isabella (56 total)
- Amelia (53 total)
- Aria (45 total)
- Aurora (45 total)
- Boys:
- Liam (109 total)
- Mateo (99 total)
- Elijah (76 total)
- Santiago (70 total)
- Sebastian (69 total)
- Ezra (67 total)
- Elias (66 total)
- Ezekiel (66 total)
- Levi (69 total)
Nationally, Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names, and have been for the past seven years, according to the Social Security Administration. As for the fastest-rising names, Klarity jumped nearly 1,400 spots on the girls’ list, and Kasai jumped 1,108 for boy names.
Other names rising in popularity for boys include Atlas, Adriel, Emiliano, Arthur, and Archer. On the girls’ list, Ailany, Sienna, Amara, and Georgia are becoming more popular.
You can find the full list by state online.
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. — An ‘imposter nurse’ in Las Cruces is facing 34 charges after nearly causing the death of a patient and illegally giving medications to patients under 18 years old.
A Doña Ana County grand jury indicted Margarita Gonzalez. She is accused of assuming the identities of nurses in Texas to get hired at four nursing facilities in Las Cruces:
- Village at Northrise
- Las Cruces Wellness and Rehabilitation
- Peak Behavioral Health
- Matrix Home Care
The New Mexico Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau investigated and discovered instances where Gonzalez illegally gave injections and dispensed prescriptions, including narcotics to eight inpatient residents under 18 years old.
An investigation also found Gonzalez was also about to allegedly give “an incorrect insulin dose” to a patient that they claim could’ve killed the patient if another nurse hadn’t caught the error.
Several facilities fired Gonzalez over patient safety concerns and an observed lack of knowledge.
“Impersonating a healthcare provider is a reckless and selfish crime that subjects those most vulnerable to risk of serious injury or death,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said. “I will not tolerate those who risk the safety of patients or cause danger and unnecessary confusion within the healthcare system. These charges should keep anyone attempting to pose as a healthcare provider on notice: we will find you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law to protect New Mexicans.”
Gonzalez’s charges include identity theft, nursing without a license, abuse of a resident, distribution of controlled substances to a minor and fraud totaling over $25,000.
If convicted on all counts, Gonzalez could face up to 100 years in prison.
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