Ute Lake State Park

New Mexico built this lake by itself to keep water it had been promised. The 1950 Canadian River Compact with Texas and Oklahoma let the state store part of the river, and the Interstate Stream Commission finished Ute Dam in 1963 without federal money; a labyrinth spillway added in 1984 raised the lake twenty-seven feet. The reservoir's yield is contracted to towns on the plains to the south, Clovis and Portales among them, whose Ogallala wells keep falling. A pipeline to carry the water there broke ground in 2023, aimed at 2030.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Ute Lake State Park Offering the best walleye fishing in New Mexico, this reservoir on the Canadian River also provides good fishing for both white and largemouth bass, channel catfish and crappie. Park facilities include camping, picnicking sites, a playground, boat ramps and a marina.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Blue Swallow Motel — 22 mi
  A twelve-room tourist court on Tucumcari's stretch of Route 66, built in 1939, run for four decades by one woman, and lit by one of the most photographed motel signs on the road.

More markers nearby

• Llano Estacado — 19 mi
• Tucumcari — 20 mi
• Tucumcari — 21 mi
• Tucumcari Mountain — 21 mi