Best Equestrian Camping near Albuquerque, NM

Didn't camp here but came to enjoy the beautiful sunset. Drove a short distance from Albuquerque through Placitas, saw so many horses! This is an open space that overlooks the tail of Albuquerque, and the vistas beyond. I came for the sunset but would definitely stay if I was car camping. Wouldn't necessarily set up a tent for me, but some are braver than others!

Top of New Mexico" near Albuquerque is a fantastic camping spot if you love open spaces and beautiful desert views. The sunsets here are breathtaking, and you might even spot wild horses roaming around. There's plenty of space for tents or RVs, and it's quiet and well-maintained, making it a perfect place to relax and enjoy nature. It can get a little windy, but that just adds to the experience. The road to get there winds through some houses, but once you arrive, you're surrounded by pure nature. also the food is so good, there are many food brands like subway menu who offers quality fast food services.

This was a great place to stop East of Albuquerque, just 3 miles north of I-40. There aren’t many RV parks around and of the handful this is the one where you are going to get some space. There’s a playground for the kids and possibly some horses in the stables. It has full hookups and laundry and is very well maintained.

Really easy to get to, up this lil windy residential road, go slow, that opens up into a huge public land past an open gate. Lots of paths from cars, just follow anyone you'd like and then pull over beside any ol bush. Don't run over any cactus.

Stayed for two nights and the sunsets were awesome. During the day it was very very windy but not too hot. Saw some wild horses the first morning but when I got too close one of them starting running toward me and I said hell no. Classic dispersed desert camping but with good service and close to Albuquerque.

Don’t arrive when it’s dark. Not much going on, no fire rings, no wild horses to wake up to. Maybe it was too cold for the horses. No fire rings I saw nonetheless.

Stayed here overnight for a quick stop. Wide open range with amazing views and a herd of wild horses.

We had the perfect 5 night stay. It was easy to get around to the sites we had planned on visiting. The hosts were super nice and accomodating when we had a wifi issues, they got us up and running again quickly. We used the grill area and even hosted friends visiting one night with their horse trailer and 2 horses. We stayed one night in the TeePee which was just magical and cozy, a mini vacay inside of our otherwise rustic van camping trip! The bathroom is located inside an enclosed out building with the shower located in an outdoor but private/roofed adjacent area. All and all, thumbs up for communication, comfort, basic amenities and ambience!

Pulled in right before sunset and only saw 2 other cars in the area. Watched a rainbow form over the Sandia Mtns and a herd of wild horses ran right through our campsite! Best night of my life!!

Great place to stay. Convenient drive to Albuquerque.

This is a gem of a spot. You drive through a residential area of really nice hi purses and horses. It’s opens up with a spectacular view and some wide open spots to watch the sun go down. It is windy though but worth it.

There are no neighbors, and other vehicles are parked here, but they had to be a quarter of a mile away. Wild horses visit in the morning. We enjoyed the sunrise to sunset. There are easy hikes, and you can do some mountain biking.

This campground offered amazing views of the Sandia mountains and the surrounding area. We found a fire ring and plenty of level areas to set up camp in addition to large bushes to take shelter behind. Also plenty of wild horses roaming around, though we didn't ever see any at near our campsite.

Curvy tight roads coming in there’s also wild horses in the area so look out for them. I didn’t go to far down the road because of the rocks I’m in a Camry I started dragging the bottom but there’s a couple spots with good views of the mountains and sunset views there’s lots of hiking and MTBiking trails around too if ya into that

This is my second time camping here and it is a perfect hidden gem for campervanning. Road gets a little sketchy at the end but you don’t have to go all the way to the coordinates. Beautiful sunrise and sunset. Wild horses in the area. And, you can clearly see the Milky Way. No light pollution except the beautiful view of the city far away.

We stayed here with Rick for 3 months in our Travel Trailer, Rick was very accommodating and helpful during the whole stay. He was always prompt with filling our propane, making sure we got our mail and keeping things tidy around the park. If he isn’t in the office he’s more than likely working on something new around the park or just keeping it maintained. He also has a large storage area in the back, laundry, restrooms, a few airbnbs on site, a playground and a horse hotel! great views and no complaints.

Great little find for a quick place to car camp while driving through Albuquerque without going too far out of the way. The directions in the app were helpful to know to avoid the private roads, as they were not marked private. We took Llano del Norte the whole way around and found the public lands easily.

This is a very spacious private campground southwest of Santa Fe with access to public land. Located 20 minutes from downtown Santa Fe. There are probably 50 sites with restrooms and showers. I saw a few tent but this is really geared toward RVs. They have discounts if you stay 4 to 6 days it is 10% off and 7 to 14 days it is 15% off. There is really nothing to it but it is so spacious and quiet, great vibe and the staff is super nice and helpful. They offer overnight stabling for horses too.

Keep in mind that you will be cutting through neighborhoods once the pavement ends you will see signs stating "public land". Some of the roads are gravel and rocky, so if you have a low car be cautious. Horses roam freely out here. Open space. You can literally camp anywhere out here. I personally don't like camping off the main road. Several "signs" of camp fires, some trash (please pick up your trash people) not a lot. Not enough to make the place dirty etc. The place is literally 40 mins away from me so this is a great get away place. I spent the day there and plan on camping there.

Used Google Maps and had no problem finding the place. Lots of open area to choose from for parking. The road up to the location is paved but once you enter it is gravel. I have a pro master van and had absolutely no problems. Just drive slow and you should be fine. Might be worse if it was raining heavy or something but overall not a bad path. Saw wild horses which was awesome. The vegetation has a lot of thorns and spikes so for a casual hiker it’s best to stay on the gravel roads. The cell signal was pretty good but not perfect. Enough to have phone calls easy but internet connection was a bit slow.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Turquoise Trail Campground, Cedar Crest, NM

Turquoise Trail Campground is a small privately owned campground located five miles north of I-40 off Route 14 (exit 175) just outside the east side of Albuquerque. Tucked along the base of the Sandia mountains, at 6940’ elevation. http://www.turquoisetrailcampground.com/

There is plenty of visible signage to guide you down Snowline Dr into the campground.

As you approach the office/museum on the right, the RV/Camper loop is visible on the left (which appeared full). Behind the office building are two tent loops (upper and lower). There are two very clean bathroom/showerhouses located between the office and tent loops. A laundry room and dishwashing sink is located at the back of the office building. *This is also the only water access for the tent loops.

RV sites have full hookups. Tent sites have only a leveled, gravel tent pad, picnic table and standing grill. Only stove fires were permitted at our visit due to open fire restrictions.

Tent sites are separated by scrub brush, which offered partial privacy between most sites, but you will hear your neighbors. The outer tent sites back up to a residential area, with a fence separating. Bring earplugs for undisturbed sleeping, as road noise from Route 14 can be heard, along with local dogs randomly in the distance.

At $20 a night, the campground is convenient and sufficiently met our needs as we traveled west on a tight itinerary.

Shower tokens are provided with your nightly fee. Each token gives you 7 minutes of shower time.

There is plenty to do nearby, with bike trails and hiking trails…though nothing of particular interest in the campground itself.

The bustling city of Albuquerque is the next exit west, so you are still very close to shopping, eateries, and nightlife.

Everything about this place is gorgeous. The 360 views from the top are incredible. I didn’t go down into the valley to see what was available but a man came through and mentioned there were options there too.

On the top of the ridge you’re a little limited for spots but it wasn’t busy enough to cause me an issue. My closest neighbor was a few hundred yards away just like I like it.

I car camp in a small SUV and the road is definitely not as well worn in as others. You’re also pretty close to the sides of the mountain on a winding rock path so larger or trailered vehicles are probably not ideal.

The wild horses are active. I saw them in the neighborhood coming through and they came through camp a few times in the evening/night. Dog didn’t love it but they gave us about 30ft of space and didn’t bother much.

Love this spot but definitely keep size and safety in mind.