Best Campgrounds near Española, NM

It’s bitter sweet - out camping in what was a devastating fire so hot i see burnt stumps but also witnessing the forrest coming back and healing. No longer charred and black, but shrubs have moved in and groves of Aspen are crawling back up and some pines survived to prove shade on some of the turnoffs. Definitely recommend clearance 4wd. It was muddy and rocky after some rains. Spots closer to road are available to cars but i drove back until i didn’t want to cross a mud pit and found a grove of trees to call home while I explore. The speed test of reported on here was starlink, no mobile device.

Pros. went on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of July. Absolute solitude. saw someone else the afternoon of the forth, off in the distance, but it was empty and the view was fantastic. you will pass some logging that has happened at some point, but go beyond that. the view from the ridge is incredible. Cons. if it has rained the access is washed out and mud holes and ruts and mud will require a 4x4. access to the spots we were at were up a short steep ridge, again glad for the 4x4. ground clearance is a must. do not pull to the right, short road that will take you to the bottom of the restroom overlook off the main road. went to the left at first and did not find any good spots but had fun in the mud, the best spots are to the center, on the right hand side. you cant see them from the trial, you only see small trails going up. my opinion is just past the logging then to your right. perfect trees to camp and hang your hammock. cant wait to go back. Also, its going to get colder than you think at night. bring a fleece or warm jacket at the least.

I found this campground on the Dyrt before visiting Los Alamos, NM. I checked out the website a little bit too, but didn’t see that reservations could be made ahead of time. Everything I read on the Dyrt said it was first come first serve. When we got here, there was a QR code on the electrical box that took me to an online reservation site. I called the parks department and the lady I talked to said they changed it about 6 months ago and it was no longer first come first served. Luckily she was able to tell me which two sites were available for the time I wanted to stay, and I was able to get it reserved online after that. There were several sites that were empty, and stayed that way overnight into the next day, even though they were “unavailable” online. Someone else kept changing their spot to try and have more room, so I’m guessing a lot of people still assume it’s first come. If you don’t want to risk it, make a reservation ahead of time.

The park (parking lot) is very basic with electrical hookups at each site. There is a dump station and a water station to fill tanks as well. The spaces are pretty narrow, so an awning can’t be fully extended. All spaces are pull-through and have plenty of room for long rigs and vehicles. Some spaces are decently level, but others need leveling blocks.

There’s a dog run area with artificial turf and a water pump and bowl. It was clean and well kept.

There is a shuttle area with bathrooms nearby, but the bathrooms were locked and there was no shuttle service when we were here.

Overall, this was a good short-term RV park for our quick visit. It had everything we needed.