Best Tent Camping near Albuquerque, NM

Tent Camping Reviews near Albuquerque, NM

435 Reviews of 8 Albuquerque Campgrounds

• 

  Damon T.

  Guide

  Jun. 24, 2016

  Fourth of July Campground

  Clean campground with access to great fall foliage

  The Fourth of July Campground provides a starting point for hiking 4th of July Canyon, which is a must-do for anyone in NM in the fall.

  The campground itself is pretty standard: gravel pad, fire ring and a picnic table. The sites are a little close together, so don't expect too much privacy. We found one that had a flat spot up the hill a bit so we almost felt like we were alone, but the neighbors barking dogs when I went to the bathroom in the AM brought me quickly back to reality.

• 

  Day Hiker Chronicles

  Scout

  Sep. 30, 2019

  Fourth of July Campground

  Solid sites but nothing special

  This was our first time camping in the Manzanos. The campsites are well made with a picnic table and fire ring. There isn’t a tent pad but all of the spots have a nice section of relatively flat ground. There are several vault toilets spread through the site. Cost is $7 per night. There is no water source at or near the campsites so make sure to bring enough for your stay. The campground is clean and well maintained. The sites are relatively close together but the campsite wasn’t crowded. The road in is a forest road. SUV’s will be fine but starting to push it for cars. You can walk from the sites to the Fourth of July trail

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• L

  LeCena M.

  Traveler

  Aug. 18, 2018

  Cochiti Recreation Area

  beautiful scenery

  25 miles from Santa Fe and 50 miles from Albuquerque. concrete pads and concrete picnic table with charcoal grills with rock pebbles filled in and desert landscapes. very well spaced out and different levels so you have a view of the lake and surrounding area.

• 

  James N.

  Ranger

  Oct. 12, 2023

  Turquoise Trail Campground

  Peaceful Spot

  Great spot not too far from Albuquerque, very peaceful and quaint. Friendly staff and dog friendly ( on a leash). Picnic tables, showers, laundry, clean restrooms, all nestled in the pine and fur trees.

• 

  Roxy V.

  Guide

  Jun. 6, 2020

  Albuquerque KOA Journey

  Nice Campground

  We stayed here only overnight as part of our cross-country trip. Overall, nice for a quick stay but would not for an extended visit.

  Pros: Everyone there was friendly and accomodating. They have personel maintaining the gate 24/7. Restrooms & showers were clean. They offer RV sites, cabin rentals (which we were told they were all booked but saw no one there- possibly closed due to pandemic though), and tent sites. We tent camp. The site had a fire ring, picnic table, a shaded area, and is covered in pea gravel. The shaded area is not waterproof or "fully" covered. But seems it would help with the heat to provide some shaded comfort. It rained the night we were there, and I was unable to get all of our tent spikes into the ground for our rainfall (think there may have been concrete a few inches below). If you are staying for an extended time, I recommend bringing a tarp that you can tie to the shaded area to help with heat / rain. Each tent site is separated by a privacy wall (see pic). The best part was the sunrise! Absolutely stunning as you are literally at the base of the mountains. You just have to ignore the giant Geico billboard on highway in your view.

  Cons: EVERY review will tell you about the noise from highway, and it is no joke!! We were so tired we did not care. But it is BAD! If you are looking for peace and quiet - THIS IS NOT THE PLACE! You can see the highway wall in my pics. It appeared to be in what seemed as "not the best part of town". It is fully gated 24/7 which I appreciate, but makes you wonder where you are staying. However, we did not have any issues, and the few people we saw were all very polite. We arrived later in the evening and ran out to get a quick bite, but everything closes at 9p so be mindful.

  Pandemic note: We stayed here 6/1/20-6/2/20. Everyone was wearing masks, VERY mindful of social distancing, and you could not even go in to the office - they come out to you.

  I would recommend this only as a quick stop-over / last option campground.

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• 

  Katriza L.

  Ranger

  Jul. 23, 2021

  Cochiti Recreation Area

  Very clean but no shade

  We stayed at the Buffalo Grove Site #66 for one night. If you have an RV/trailer, Buffalo Grove is the best loop as all have 30/50 Amp, city water hookup, covered table, lantern and paved sites. There are other loops in the campground that may have 50 amp and no water or 15/30 amp with water and gravel. The Juniper loop requires a 100ft hose for shared spigots.

  Some sites in Buffalo Grove are drive through or back-in. Decent space between camps and some privacy but there’s not a lot of large shrubs, extremely scarce actually and no trees whatsoever making all sites at this campground super hot with full sun. We were praying for the rain to come. There are tent sites available but I can’t imagine withstanding this kind of heat in July. We hardly saw anyone hanging outside during the day.

  According to their map, there should be a playground right behind our site but it is nonexistent and clearly has been for some time and they’ve never updated their maps for it. The check-in was quick and simple, they gave us a map to our site and they were very friendly! The bathroom and shower facility close to our campsite was very clean and showers are free. There’s working water fountains outside of the bathroom. There’s no sewer hookups but there are two dump stations with water near the campground host location just outside of the Buffalo grove loop. There are no stores or laundry facilities inside the campground however if you drive past this campground you’ll find a mini mart, gas station, and laundry place.

  If you go down to the boat ramp there’s covered picnic tables right off the shoreline with a bathroom on the left and you can walk on the shoreline to the right and find several picnic tables with no shade. The fishing and swimming are down a different road and the swimming area is by far the most popular area. They don’t allow pets here (at swimming area, OK at campgrounds) and there was literally no one fishing (unless you’re on a boat)!

  Alcohol is not permitted and currently there’s fire restrictions that are not allowing fires (wood or charcoal, but propane is fine) though there are no fire rings in the Buffalo Grove area, not sure if that’s the case for other loops.

  Tent Rocks is about 5 minutes away but they are currently closed. The crest dam road is also currently closed at this time. Overall a great stay, we would come back - preferably in the spring!

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• 

  Dave V.

  Legend

  Sep. 4, 2018

  Turquoise Trail Campground

  Clean and close to the mountains and Albuquerque

  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.

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• W

  Walter and Winnie G.

  Traveler

  May. 15, 2022

  Manzano Mountains State Park Campground

  Quiet park. Clean and Shady.

  Nice tall shade trees at all sites. Clean facilities (vault toilets). Some tent sites have brick wind structures around their picnic tables, which can be a handy especially with NM spring winds.

• 

  Maya T.

  Guide

  Jun. 20, 2024

  Top of New Mexico - Dispersed Site

  Hidden Gem

  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!