Brantley Reservoir

About Brantley Reservoir

Recreation at Brantley Dam, Reservoir, Brantley Project, is managed by New Mexico State Parks under agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation. The State Park is open 24 hours year round. There is a visitor center 4.5 miles from park entrance at U.S. 285. Good access roads. No concessionaires. No food service. No lodging within park. Nearest communities from park entrance are Carlsbad, 12 miles south and Artesia, 24 miles north. Year-round fishing for white bass, catfish, largemouth bass, walleye, and crappie however,due to recent findings of DDT in certain species of fish evaluated and tested by the NM Environment Department, State Parks recommends catch and release only.. There are hiking trails and water skiing. Scuba diving for game fish is permitted. Boating must conform to New Mexico regulations.

How to Get There

Take US-285 north about 12 miles from Carlsbad, New Mexico or south 24 miles from Artesia.

Plan Your Visit to Brantley Reservoir

Heading to Brantley Reservoir? A few things to know before you go:

• Reservations: popular sites fill up fast — check Recreation.gov 6 months in advance
• Fees: day-use and camping fees vary; check current rates on the official park page
• Trash & pack-out: follow Leave No Trace principles
• Wildlife: store food in bear boxes where provided; never feed wildlife
• Weather: the 5-day forecast above is updated every 6 hours; verify just before you go

References & Official Resources

• Official Recreation.gov page
• Park map (PDF)
• View on OpenStreetMap
• Driving directions (Google Maps)