Best Tent Camping near Window Rock, AZ

This is a really nice peaceful campground at the entrance of the Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  Canyon de Chelly is beautiful and amazing and worth going out of your way for.  Be sure to pre arrange with an authorized tour guide, if you want to go down into the canyon. We didn't plan ahead and didn't get to go down, though driving all the way to the end of the canyon (we went along the south side) was beautiful on its own.  Just about each pull off has native vendors selling handmade art and goods.

$14/night (cash only!) for a tent site, and $5 for day use. Camp fee includes use of dump station and water fill, but heads up that the water is turned off for the winter. Dump station open year round.

There are flush toilets but no showers. 2 of the restrooms were closed for the winter as well. 

Sites come with a picnic table and grill, no fire rings (fires not allowed here). There is no privacy or any kind of barrier between sites. It was not a big deal when we were here as there were only a few other campers, but I could see it feeling crowded during busy season. Some sites have a lot of shade and some are in full sun, so there’s something for everyone. 

Heads up - this is Navajo Nation and there is no alcohol or marijuana use allowed, and there are loose dogs hanging out everywhere. 

ATT had LTE, and Verizon and TMobile were roaming.

We used this campground as a starting point for a research trip sampling Precambrian rocks of the Zuni Mountains. I hadn't spent much time in this part of New Mexico, and assumed that the trip was going to be hot and sun-bleached, similar to the desert exposed in nearby Gallup, NM. I was surprised to drive into a beautiful forest just a few minutes off I40.

The campsite includes basic forest service amenities: pit toilets, picnic tables, and metal-rimmed fire pit/grill sites. What set this apart from other non-hosted campsites for me was the condition of the grounds. The tent camping sites had well maintained, leveled tent pads, maintained gravel roads, and clean facilities. The Sites offered a reasonable degree of privacy, although some of the sites near the middle of the loop road place you in close proximity to your neighbor. The area is moderately wooded with pine and aspen, providing shade throughout the day and easy access to the dirt road that transects the Zuni Mountains, letting you out near the Bandera volcano and ice cave, which is a wonderful drive if you have a high clearance/4x4 and time to drive through.

We saw abundant wildlife while working in the Zunis, including several brown bears, deer, and elk. While we didn't have any run ins with these guy in camp, be aware that large animals are present in the area and be sure to take necessary bear-proofing precautions.

Camp fees were $5/night, which is quite the bargain given the well-kept grounds and wonderful scenery. If you're looking for a less-traveled escape from Albuquerque, or just want the chance to explore the under-valued Zuni mountains and western New Mexico landscape (and some pretty interesting geologic features such as orbicular granite), this campground is an excellent place to spend some time on the cheap.

Photos included are from the Zunis south of the campsite, as I didn't think to take any photos while we were at camp.

Indian Route 12 runs north to south and bisects the wheatfields lake and the main campground areas. Overnight camping and fires are discouraged along the lake but people get away with it. There is sporadic night traffic on the roadway throughout the night and it is sometimes loud. The campsites are hit and miss. Some have old dilapidated picnic tables and along with sandstone fire rings or barriers. The roads to the campsite are not graded and over time roads have been created through campsites with no regard.

There are 3 compost type toilet facilities at various parts of the lake. No running water. There are some trash receptacles but most leave their trash in piles next to the receptacles because the chutes to the receptacles are about 12x12 and wont accommodate a large trash bag. There are numerous stray dogs in the area that take advantage of the trash piles.

Fishing: I have only seen small rainbow trout. Stockers from the Navajo Hatchery in Toadlena NM. There is no motorized access to the east side of the lake as it was blocked off years back by metal tube barriers.

Too many rude fishers and kids running around unchecked. Fiddling with your fishing area and fishing gear.

Great little campground if you love quiet. No hookups whatsoever so fill your water before you get here. The restrooms are some of the cleanest we’ve seen so there’s a big plus! The forest service website says 22’ max trailer but that’s not what we found! I’m in a 38’ motor home and there were NO tight spots at all! Site 10 is back in but we had 30’ to spare. No tow car this time. There’s an east 3 mile trail for those who like to hike/walk. You are 10 miles from I40 so no vehicular noise to deal with. NO cell service - at least AT&T so bring your Starlink if you’ve got it.