Joe Skeen Campground

Was pleasantly surprised by how nice this free campground was. Each site has a covered picnic table, grill, fire pit & garbage bin. They are spaced out nicely. There are pit toilets, but no water or dump facilities. These fill up fast, so come early. Most people leave early in the morning, so if you can get here before noon, you may get lucky. We arrived around 11 am & there were only 2 sites open. The road coming in was a bit rough and has quite a deep dip in the road. We were here in April and it stayed full.

Not too far from I-40.  The campground was clean and free.  Even though this was the off-season and a weekday, it was almost full.

Very quiet and easy to get to. We arrived at 9:30pm and there were still several spots open. Each spot has a flat dirt area and a large covered area with a picnic table. There are clean vault toilets and trash bins. It was dead quiet from the time we arrived until we left at 1:30pm the next day even though there were campers close by. The surrounding landscape was beautiful. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to check out the trails or anything nearby.

The facilities are great! Almost every site was already taken when I got here around 7:30 pm. I’d recommend getting here early if you want a spot.

I didn't spend a lot of time here; I arrived late in the evening, set up my crossover to sleep in, and left fairly early in the morning. So I don't have much to say, but it was totally adequate for what I needed: a safe place to sleep. I will say there was nothing particularly interesting to me about this campground. Everything was good, but I don't feel a strong desire to return unless I'm just passing through.

The campground: It's about a fifteen minute drive off highway 40. Once inside the campground the road is gravel and fairly easy to navigate. There's about 10 sites; each site has a pavilion with a picnic table, a grill, and a fire pit with a grill on top. Plus there are two vault toilets; one in the upper area and one in the lower area. I arrived just before sundown and there was only one site left, so getting a spot might be an issue during busier times. Everything was clean, including the toilets. It was very quiet; everyone seemed to turn in not long after I arrived.

The area: It's in El Malpais area, and I've been told there's a lot to explore around there; unfortunately I didn't have the time. There's a Phillips 66 located where you get off 40 to head to the campground.

Booking: No booking or fee, but minimal sites. I didn't see any good spots to camp inside the campground that weren't official sites. There's some "restoration" areas that might have been spots for camping, but are now blocked off.

Cell service: Spotty with Verizon. I could make calls, but couldn't text or use the internet. My spot was near a ridge, so maybe other spots had better service.

Only a few others here in December. Sights are about 50 yards apart with brush and tall grass in between. Well maintained. Each site has a nice awning, picnic table, fire pit and grill. Can’t bet it for a free stay.

It’s a great place to stay outside of Albuquerque. Water is only available at certain times. The bathroom was clean. No showers. Beautiful clear sky & flat spots for tenting

We did not get to stay here as all spots were full. Also, we are 43’ fifth wheel and the only places that were big enough for us were taken by a couple of tent campers.  As this was the week of the Balloon fest, we did not try any other areas but moved on west.  The sites were very unlevel, there were vault toilets.

It is a bit of a drive from the interstate but it is mostly paved roads.

Great spot, small campground, loved it in the fall.

Every site has a metal pavilion! Dusty but quiet! Easy to find! Los of room!

Only 10 sites and all have covered picnic tables, bbq grill and fire ring. Unfortunately maybe 1 or 2 are level sites. A 30’ rv might be the max because of the uneven ground. I have a 22’ TT and had to use extra blocks to level out. When I arrived their were only 2 sites left. The one I didn’t pick was kinda part of a group site where the picnic tables were close otherwise the sites are 100’ or more apart. Half of the sites were occupied by either tents or people sleeping in their cars. Trash bins scattered throughout the park and 2 vaulted toilets in different areas. No water, electricity or dump. Because this area can fill up fast, it’s best to have an alternate plan, especially near the weekends.