Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Artesia, NM is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Artesia. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Artesia, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
"Great amenities: Spotless restrooms and showers, well stocked store with friendly staff, clean pool, fish pond with seating area, big sites with picnic table and fire ring, on-site restaurant with delicious"
"We like having a bed to spread our sleeping bags out on sometimes, access to AC after a hot day of exploration and the kids like a chance to 'plug in' while we are unplugged...."
$10 - $35 / night
"I bought a year pass during covid for New Mexico State park in 2019. I only used it 2 times and parks shut down. Now due to fires many parks have had to close."
"Bottomless Lakes State Park is the most relaxing place that I have stayed thus far. It is very spacious and the campsite loops are quiet and clean."
"It is gated, has friendly staff, two cabins, tent spaces, a store, super clean and nice bathrooms/showers, laundry facility and pool."
"A very nice campground with brand new bath houses. Nice laundry facilities. Gift store with ice cream, yes. Very convenient to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and to Carlsbad, New Mexico."
$9 - $15 / night
"Although a bit rough around the edges, if you are traveling in SE New Mexico, this location is great for an overnighter."
"It's a City Park campground but well maintained and a well-stocked Lake. You can boondock for a small fee or have a full hookup."
$20 - $45 / night
"It was a great open space
We had tought we were going to eat at the restaurant/cafe on other side of street for the evening, but that was closed because they were out of staff."
"Full hookups and a store right next door within walking distance."
$25 - $45 / night
"Nice bathroom, friendly staff. A few trees, but mostly desert. Need an exception to have a dog over 25 lbs. They also want to know what kind. People are bad at not picking up after their dog."
$25 / night
"We moved from our free dispersed campsite to fill up, charge up, shower and do laundry. Very friendly staff and clean facilities."
ScoutThis RV spot is right in town on the Main Street. It is gated, has friendly staff, two cabins, tent spaces, a store, super clean and nice bathrooms/showers, laundry facility and pool.
This is not typical wooded or beautiful camping, it’s a place to park your RV or tent and that is just about right. If you are making a quick stop over or heading to Carlsbad Caverns then what more do you need?
We stayed in the cabin because we didn’t want to get all our camping stuff out for a quick overnight before we head to our destination (SW CO). It was only $15 more than tent camping so it made sense. It was also raining hard when we got here so we were double grateful. The cabins have a double bed and a bunk bed. It has a TV that we never turned on, a fridge, microwave and AC. The mattresses are like the ones you find at camp, wrapped in plastic but we just put our bedding and memory foam on top of it and it was just fine. I’d recommend it because it was just what we needed on our way and at a good price. Also the shower/ bathrooms are probably the nicest I’ve ever seen at a campground.
GuideGreat Campsite! Great amenities: Spotless restrooms and showers, well stocked store with friendly staff, clean pool, fish pond with seating area, big sites with picnic table and fire ring, on-site restaurant with delicious bbq, wildish rabbits roaming freely. The area is very quiet. My favorite part was the visibility of the stars at night.
RangerIf you haven't yet discovered the beauty of the chihuahuan desert, the Carlsbad KOA is a great place to hang your hat while you explore.
I often stay in camping cabins at KOA's while on road trips with my children. We like having a bed to spread our sleeping bags out on sometimes, access to AC after a hot day of exploration and the kids like a chance to 'plug in' while we are unplugged....
Carlsbad KOA is big, but it has adequate bathrooms and showers for the size, and they were in very good shape when we visited in June 2016. There is a pool, laundry, all the amenities you need if you are RVing, a game room and food on site. If you like camp cabins, the cabins had grills, picnic tables, the usual double + set of bunks (bring your own bedding), and AC.
Campground was peaceful. The great tailed grackels were courting and whistling, quail wandered through and rabbits romped around our cabin.
If you are in this area, visit the Living Desert State Park and Zoo and of course Carlsbad Caverns - stay and watch the bats fly out in the evening.
The only drawback on this KOA was that the wifi signal was spotty at our cabin, and I had some work to do. If you are taking an ACTUAL vacation, it wouldn't be an issue!
GuideI car camped here on the tent grounds, where sites are FCFS with grass and gravel options, some with awnings/tables/campfires/etc. Pretty views and near Carlsbad, CCNP, and GMNP; however, bathhouses were lacking shower curtains and toilet stalls didn’t have proper doors. Prices were steep, considering this.
GuideA very nice campground with brand new bath houses. Nice laundry facilities. Gift store with ice cream, yes. Very convenient to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Nice indoorheated pool and a family-friendly environment. Treats for your dog and several dog parks fort off leash fun. We managed to get one of these shaded sites for our pop-up trailer.
LegendLet's start with the fact that there are few actually camping areas close to Carlsbad Caverns or Guadalupe National Park. Assuming travelers are coming to Carlsbad to see these great places, the location becomes a major player. Fine print: there is a small campground (absolutely no amenity campground) in Guadalupe National Park which is first-come, first-serve (aka: full), and there a campground in White's City--although having driven past it, I don't think I want to stay there.
Carlsbad RV Park is primarily an RV Park. In fact, while we were there, they were bulldozing their only tent sites and I'm not sure if they are upgrading them or replacing them with more RV sites. So the "tent" site status is tentative. As with most RV Parks, the RVs are crammed in, side by side, and really the place is like an RV parking lot with amenities and hook-ups--but they do appear to be mostly pull through and the staff will show the way to go to pull through without hiccups. These are not spacious by any means. We stayed in one of two cabins, which were very reasonably priced, esp. when comparing to Carlsbad KOA. They even came with a cable and a fridge.
The RV Park (like all of the RV Parks in Carlsbad) has overall become a residence for the oil field workers, so be prepared to try and sleep through the 4 a.m. traffic rush out of camp to oil field. However, the neighbors are pleasant and quiet to have, even if they must drive away before the roosters announce the coming of the sun.
The park has gated access and we felt very safe during our stay. There is a playground that was being bulldozed with the tent site; I am unsure if it is being upgraded or eliminated. There is a camp store, a pool, a game room, showers (which were ok), laundry, a dishwashing sink, picnic tables at the cabins, and universal fire pit. Please note that I am inherently biased against parking lot style RV parks--so 2 stars from me for an RV Park is quite a compliment.
Carlsbad RV Park and Carlsbad KOA direct comparison: we have stayed at both the Carlsbad KOA and the Carlsbad RV Park. The KOA is NOT actually in Carlsbad, and is over an hour away from Carlsbad Caverns and 30 minutes from town. On the other hand, the RV Park is at the southern end of town and only 30 minutes to the Caverns. While the KOA lots are more spacious, they offer no more and no fewer amenities than the RV Park…well the KOA sort-of offers meals but the RV Park is right in town, so delivery is an option. The basic, no frill KOA cabins cost double the RV Park charges. Additionally, the KOA staff was not as friendly or as helpful as the RV Park staff, imho.
While in Carlsbad check out Fiesta Drive-In for one of America's few remaining drive-in movie theaters.
LegendWhen looking for a campground close to Carlsbad Caverns, the most recommended for proximity happens to be that of White's City RV and Campground also known as Carlsbad Campground. Only a short 7 miles from the visitors center and only a few hundred yards from the main entrance, the campsite offers over 200 camping zones for those coming to the area.
We arrived late afternoon to the site and noticed a large quantity of rv campers but very few tents on premise. In fact only a single tent camper was on site at the time of arrival.
We searched for the check in and were a bit baffled as to where to stop as no clear registration was marked. Instead we stopped and asked someone on site in the RV area and they were very welcoming and informative.
For those camping, arrival check ins are at the local gift shop about a block away, the sleepy town closes by 6 p.m. however so if you arrive past this time you are forwarded to a local hotel for check in.
After overcoming the confusion we were finally able to start unpacking. Due to it being early in season, we were able to pick our campsite and settle in without any issues.
Campsites are all equipped with a picnic table and fire ring area and a light shade cover. Water hook ups are on hand and the camp keeps a camping hose accessible to all for extinguishing camp fires at night.
We noticed upon our arrival and throughout the evening a plethora of native Bunnies grazing which made for a pleasant atmosphere of bringing nature to our camp.
The camping facilities were grassy and softer than many other sites we had visited along our journey. A nice shade tree made for a great block to the early morning rays.
Our only areas which we noticed could be improved were in the bathrooms as we noted a lack of recent maintenance and lights needing to be changed to improve brightness in the mirror and sink area. Also the showers were a bit of a question mark for us as they closely resembled indoor beach showers and had no doors.
During our stay we were the only ones using the facilities so we had plenty of privacy, however during busy season this shower could pose an issue for campers. We recommend the buddy system during busy season here so someone can either hold a towel for a make shift door or be a look out for additional guests coming in.
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Overall this campground gets 3 of 5 Bunnies, in major part because of the bathroom facilities. However we do also have to consider the confusion with check in. We suggest doing a call reservation with payment to avoid having to check multiple facilities just to check in!
ScoutAll spots are larger than typical koa campgrounds. There are Fire pits! Large playground for the kiddos and pet friendly!
LegendGreat scenery here, and luckily New Mexico now allows camping again at its state parks, but... there are about a trillion sandburs on the grass here. We have 4 dogs and have spent an inordinate amount of time saving their paws from the burs. Love the looks, wouldn’t bring pets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Artesia, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Artesia, NM is Carlsbad KOA with a 4-star rating from 39 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 7 glamping camping locations near Artesia, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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