South Monticello — Elephant Butte Lake State Park, near Elephant Butte, New Mexico, is a solid choice for campers looking for a peaceful escape with essential amenities. The campground offers spacious sites equipped with picnic tables and shelters, making it easy to enjoy meals outdoors while staying protected from the elements.

Visitors appreciate the clean facilities, including a well-kept bathhouse with hot showers and flush toilets. Many sites come with water and electric hookups, which means you can leave the generator at home. As one camper noted, “For what you get at this campground, it’s a bargain at twice the price.”

Outdoor activities abound, with hiking and biking trails accessible right from the campground. The nearby Rio Grande offers opportunities for fishing and boating, while the stunning night sky provides a perfect backdrop for stargazing. Campers have raved about the views of the Milky Way on clear nights, making it a great spot for those who love to gaze at the stars.

If you need supplies or a bite to eat, the small town of Truth or Consequences is just a short drive away, offering everything from groceries to hot springs. With its tranquil atmosphere and convenient amenities, South Monticello is a great spot for a relaxing camping trip.

SANTA FE, NM - 208 MILES.  
New Mexico is beginning our Outdoor Recreation Plan and needs your input! The plan will:

- Address the state and nation's outdoor recreation trends and their economic impacts
- Inventory the state's resources and address how best to protect them
- Help determine the state's priorities for awarding federal funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund

South Monticello Campground — Elephant Butte Lake

Are you in need of a campground near Truth or Consequences, NM? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that New Mexico camping has to offer. Discover great camping spots near Truth or Consequences, reviewed by campers like you.

Truth or Consequences

The Best Camping Near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

There is a 7 mile curvy road from I25 exit 89 to the Monticello campsite but once you are there, you will discover a quiet site, spaced apart from your neighbors with a beautiful view of the lake. No stores nearby so go in fully stocked. Each campsite has water and electricity, a dump is easy to utilize on your way out. There is a boat ramp available, showers in the main restrooms and adequate cell coverage.

Montecello, a quiet end of a busy lake. 

This very popular state park, on the edge of the Elephant Butte reservoir, is a great wintertime get away. We spent the winter solstice here and woke up at sunrise to see the moon setting in the west and the sun rising in the east. Spectacular!

The campground offers many reservable spots, as well as first-come, first-served sites. Each site has water, electric, picnic table (with sunshade) and a fire ring. The bathrooms are either vault toilets or full service with showers. There are no trees for privacy, but the sites are nicely spaced apart so you don't feel like you are on top of your neighbors.

Now, we don’t normally get critical of other reviews on this site. But some were very negative about the bathrooms, and we simply cannot understand why. The bathrooms were heated, the toilets were clean, as were the showers. The water was warm! Yes, these showers are the push-button type which only gives you a minute or so of water before you push it again. However, the showers were free with the campsite, which only costs $14 (2018) and is in the desert! Water is a precious resource here, so you can’t get your nose out of joint over decisions made by management to limit water consumption when you’re only paying this little.

During the summer months when the reservoir is up to recreational levels, boating and fishing are the most popular activities. Judging by the size of the boat-launch parking lot, you’re going to have to get up early in the morning to grab a spot. There is a great hiking and mountain biking trail right out of the campground which winds between all the other park roads, picnic areas and amenities on the western side of the lake. The trail is relatively new and in most areas is graveled. However, rainstorms have washed a lot of sand across the trail in areas and it can be pretty soft. Further south along the trail we encountered many more arroyos which upped the challenge. The nice thing is that you can always hop back on the pavement to return to the campground.

The town of Elephant Butte is nearby which offers a few restaurants, a general store, and gas. But just 15 miles south is the larger town of Truth or Consequences (interesting story about the name). This town has everything you might need, grocery, gas, food and other lodging....and hot springs! Check out our [blog](https://followshariandhutch.blogspot.com/2019/01/hike-camp-soak-repeat.html) for more details about the latter.

Quiet, Inexpensive, & Warm in December!

Of all the campsites to choose from at EBSP, this is by far the best. 

Pleasant Lake Views

Beautiful surroundings.  Peaceful and tranquil.   Close enough to T or C to make grocery trips and for $97 a week you can't beat the 50amp service, excellent water pressure and 5G cell service with TMobile

Beautiful

Finding campsites a bit confusing. Great campsites and very clean bathhouse. 

Elephant butte campgrounds 

South Monticello Campground is part of Elephant Butte State Park.
It is very quiet compared to Lions Beach and definitely the rowdy beach camping further South on the lake.  

Unfortunately because the lake is so low the boat ramp is out of the water and only the Rio Grande River runs through there. Keeps the crowds down!

There’s a great trail that wonders from the campground 11 miles south.  We rode our bicycles and most of the trail was well maintained but there can be spots where flooding cause sandy spots and can be difficult to ride through.  Perfect for an adventure walking or running. Photo of the map on review.

We were there in October and many flocks of Sandhill cranes fly over and sometimes land in the valley below near the river.

The shelters are great with large smooth concrete bases and nice big tables.  The sites are raked in a fun Fen Shui pattern by the Camphost.

The spaces are spread out along several loops along the edge of the mesas over looking the valley to the Rio and Elephant Butte lake. Water and electric hook ups!

It’s 9 miles to Elephant Butte  for gas, a dollar store and several decent “eats”.  A golf course in town that looks nice but we don’t golf so no review on that. 

Another 5 to the town of Truth or Consequences for WalMart, Sonic, McDonalds, Denny’s, etc!   T or C is know for its hots springs and Ted Turner owns Sierra Grande a motel and spa.  I’ve heard some rooms have hot springs tubs in the room!

Would have loved to stay longer but the park has a 14 day limit!

Gorgeous Setting

This is a quite, spacious, clean campground with marvelous views of the Milky Way on clear nights!

Milky Way 

There used to be a lake, that was an idea our forebears had. Times were good and even more people showed up. Three generations later and the lake is dry, the river over-tapped, and the river recharging system stressed to breaking. 

This place is truly sublime; beauty and fright side-by-side. 

I spent my first Crimbus (Xmas for any consumers out there and Christmas for all ya ‘livers!) living in a converted bus at this campground. It was perfect. 

Zen Garden in the Anthropocene 

Great state park campground with electric and water hook ups. No water views from this campground. If you’re wanting to be closer to water/town, I would stay at Lions Beach.

During a summer weekend, this campground didn’t even get half full. Fine by us- saw many rabbits, quail, and hummingbirds. Super quiet at night, but the mosquitoes kept us inside.

Dump station on the way out of the park was a perk!

Calm and Quiet 

We camped here for 5 days. Water and electric on every site. Beautiful view of the lake. It was very quiet. The camp host was wonderful. We had some stakes that came with the tent and they didn't work. He gave us some heavy duty ones that didn't bend.

Very nice

Very quiet with water and electric at each site. Spaced out a bit and you can walk to the lake but no real views of it. There is a 12 mile trail that takes off from here. Well laid out and very easy walking. Otherwise during the winter it is great but I'm guessing very hot in summer with no shade.

Lake campground 

Beautiful scenery, clean facilities. Sites in the main campground are kinda close together, but dispersed camping has better views and plenty of space. Good Verizon service, hot showers.

Great place to stay 

Situated on the edge of a sprawling reservoir along the Rio Grande river, this park is the perfect place to enjoy the vast landscape of the area. The nearby town of Truth or Consequences, NM is small, but has all the services you might need for food, gas, supplies, or soaking in hot springs. 

  

The campground is well spaced out, each spot has a picnic table with shade/rain structure (I’ll let you guess which purpose gets more use) and nearly all have electricity and water. That means NO generators! The bath house is clean and offers flush toilets, running sinks and warm showers. All sites are reservation only, but you can do that when you get there as there is plenty of LTE cell service.  We've never seen this place crowded in the winter months.  For what you get at this campground, it’s a bargain at twice the price. 

  

The campground is ideal for solar power, as is the New Mexico weather. We also had no problem connecting with Starlink.  Hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing and all other sorts of desert recreation is available right from the campground.  Definitely worth the visit!

Beautiful, Remote, & Inexpensive

Great flat spot with great views. It’s inside the Elephant Butte lake state park, but seems to be a dispersed site. No one around. No amenities. There is a vault toilet maybe a half mile away. There are pay stations around. We had paid for a site on south Monticello campground but came here instead. 

Primitive site just outside state park campground 

Great campground. Good size spots with good distance between sites. Ramadas at each site provide precious shade. Lots of trash bins nearby. Long flat trail (bike/walk) starts at the campground. Note that is has a boat launch except there’s no more water in this area. 

Beautiful and quiet. 

I loved the view from this campsite. If I had known better, I would have booked a site along the lake. There were plenty of sites and only maybe 1/5 were booked. Easy to back in and hook up in minutes. Plenty of open space and using my Starlink was a breeze. Hope to stay again!

Photos of South Monticello Campground — Elephant Butte Lake

Real photos from real campers