New Mexico’s national parks, sites brought $139 million in 2022 – Which was the biggest earner?

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico has more than a dozen sites operated by the National Park Service. From Aztec Ruins National Monument to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico’s natural and cultural sites generated $139 million in visitor spending in 2022, according to a new report.

The biggest earner for the state was White Sands National Park. Visitors spent over $42 million on services related to White Sands park visits last year, data from the National Park Service shows. Nearly 30% of that was on hotels, just over $20% was on gasoline, and about $20% was on restaurant spending. The National Park Service estimates White Sands contributed about $26 million in added value to the local economy in 2022.

After White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns brought in the second most money, adding nearly $17 million to the local economy, the National Park Service estimates. Petroglyph National Monument and Bandelier National Monument each added over $10 million to the economy.

While parks brought millions to New Mexico, none of the local parks had anywhere near the impact of the nation’s most popular sites.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California added over $1 billion to the local economy. The Grand Canyon added over $500 million, the National Park Service Estimates.

To explore the data and a map of parks’ impacts around the U.S., check out this link to the National Park Service.