Are there ticks in New Mexico?

Yes. New Mexico has ticks, led by the Rocky Mountain wood tick across the interior and, on the Pacific slope, the western blacklegged tick. Lyme disease is uncommon here; the wood tick's spring bite (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever) is the real concern. Today 0 of the state's 199 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.

What types of ticks live in New Mexico?

New Mexico's human-biting ticks are the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, tularemia), the western blacklegged tick (the Pacific-slope Lyme vector), the Pacific Coast tick, and the American dog tick. See the New Mexico tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.

When does tick season start and end in New Mexico?

In New Mexico, tick risk peaks in spring, the opposite of the Northeast. The Rocky Mountain wood tick quests from March into early summer, then summer heat and drought suppress activity. On the Pacific slope the western blacklegged tick also peaks in spring.

When is flea and tick season?

Flea and tick season in New Mexico centers on spring and early summer, when the Rocky Mountain wood tick and western blacklegged tick are most active, easing as the land dries in high summer. Start pet prevention by March.

Which tick carries Lyme disease in New Mexico?

On the Pacific slope, the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) is the Lyme vector, but Lyme is uncommon across New Mexico. The Rocky Mountain wood tick, the main biter inland, does not carry Lyme; it carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Colorado tick fever.

Ticks in New Mexico

Ticks are active in New Mexico whenever the ground is not frozen, led by the Lyme-carrying deer tick. TickZone scores all 199 New Mexico towns every morning, so risk stays local: pick your town for today's number, a 7-day outlook, and what's driving it.

Tick season in New Mexico

Tick season in New Mexico peaks in spring, the opposite of the Northeast. The Rocky Mountain wood tick, the main human biter across the interior West, quests from March into early summer and largely disappears as the high country dries out. On the Pacific slope the western blacklegged tick (the local Lyme vector) also peaks in spring, and in California's chaparral the Pacific Coast tick holds a late-summer window.

Generalized for the West, where risk peaks in spring and summer drought suppresses it.
Life stage	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Rocky Mountain wood tick
Western blacklegged tick
Pacific Coast tick
American dog tick

Peak Active

Generalized for the West, where risk peaks in spring and summer drought suppresses it. Activity windows by life stage from TickEncounter (Univ. of Rhode Island) and the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. Any warm spell can wake ticks earlier than the calendar suggests.

Summer heat is a low point out West, not a high one. The daily score on every town page folds the season, the weather, and local habitat into one number each morning, so it is the safer way to time hikes and yard work than the calendar alone.

Highest-risk towns in New Mexico (2026)

New Mexico's highest-risk towns are spread across several counties, led by Santa Fe County. The top 10 towns run 0 to 93 percent forest, ranked at peak season so the list stays stable.

1Rio Rancho Estates Sandoval CountyModerate at peak
2Santa Fe Foothills Santa Fe CountyModerate at peak
3Ponderosa Pine Bernalillo CountyModerate at peak
4Sandia Knolls Bernalillo CountyModerate at peak
5Tesuque Santa Fe CountyModerate at peak
6CaÃ±oncito Santa Fe CountyModerate at peak
7Taos Ski Valley Taos CountyModerate at peak
8Jemez Springs Sandoval CountyModerate at peak
9Mescalero Otero CountyModerate at peak
10Cloudcroft Otero CountyModerate at peak

See the riskiest towns in every state →

All New Mexico towns, by county

Bernalillo County · 12 towns

Catron County · 1 towns

Reserve

Chaves County · 4 towns

Cibola County · 5 towns

Colfax County · 6 towns

Curry County · 5 towns

De Baca County · 1 towns

Fort Sumner

Doña Ana County · 13 towns

Eddy County · 6 towns

Grant County · 6 towns

Guadalupe County · 2 towns

Harding County · 2 towns

Hidalgo County · 2 towns

Lea County · 6 towns

Lincoln County · 5 towns

Los Alamos County · 2 towns

Luna County · 3 towns

McKinley County · 10 towns

Mora County · 1 towns

Wagon Mound

Otero County · 7 towns

Quay County · 4 towns

Rio Arriba County · 6 towns

Roosevelt County · 5 towns

San Juan County · 17 towns

San Miguel County · 2 towns

Sandoval County · 11 towns

Santa Fe County · 18 towns

Sierra County · 3 towns

Socorro County · 3 towns

Taos County · 7 towns

Torrance County · 6 towns

Union County · 4 towns

Valencia County · 14 towns

New Mexico tick questions

Are there ticks in New Mexico?: Yes. New Mexico has ticks, led by the Rocky Mountain wood tick across the interior and, on the Pacific slope, the western blacklegged tick. Lyme disease is uncommon here; the wood tick's spring bite (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever) is the real concern. Today 0 of the state's 199 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.
What types of ticks live in New Mexico?: New Mexico's human-biting ticks are the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, tularemia), the western blacklegged tick (the Pacific-slope Lyme vector), the Pacific Coast tick, and the American dog tick. See the New Mexico tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.
When does tick season start and end in New Mexico?: In New Mexico, tick risk peaks in spring, the opposite of the Northeast. The Rocky Mountain wood tick quests from March into early summer, then summer heat and drought suppress activity. On the Pacific slope the western blacklegged tick also peaks in spring.
When is flea and tick season?: Flea and tick season in New Mexico centers on spring and early summer, when the Rocky Mountain wood tick and western blacklegged tick are most active, easing as the land dries in high summer. Start pet prevention by March.
Which tick carries Lyme disease in New Mexico?: On the Pacific slope, the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) is the Lyme vector, but Lyme is uncommon across New Mexico. The Rocky Mountain wood tick, the main biter inland, does not carry Lyme; it carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Colorado tick fever.