Best Tent Camping near Blanco, NM

We came for a mid-week getaway to test a new tent. Camp hosts were friendly and we almost had the whole loop to ourself with some great amenities running water in the bathrooms and showers included for only $10. We had views of the lake, but not so close as to hear any of the boats. good tent sites and some shade from juniper trees.

The quieter side of Navajo Lake State Park, this is a nice, clean campground with pull through and tent sites (elec and non) close to Sims marina. Nothing spectacular and a bit remote, so not a place I would seek out necessarily. Keep in mind that this requires a little more driving to get to, so if you’re just passing through, be mindful that it’s ~17 miles from highway 64.

Pros:

• Quieter, seems less crowded than reg marina side of park
• A good mix of pull through and tent sites with plenty of room to drive in. Tent sites are multi level in a few cases (tables and pits are a short level below parking spot)
• Lake views for some spots (seem to be partial as trees do block some parts of view)
• Reasonably spaced, not super private but that is pretty much any paid campground
• Cleanish bathrooms and pit toilets, a little smelly on our visit and had no soap to wash hands (not in peak season, so think campgrounds are a little understaffed with no camp host until mid may)

Cons:

• A bit of a haul/remote if you’re just stopping through on way west through NM

Campground features shady sites that will accommodate big rigs. If you are tent camping you might feel surrounded, but most spaces are so far apart, we never heard a peep from our neighbors. Overall the campground was well run with super clean bathrooms in each loop. 15 minute drive to town makes this a great home base to explore Durango and the Animas Valley.

It's OASIS RV Resort & Cottages now, as you can see on Google Maps: https://www.myrvoasis.com

We've just stayed there and wouldn't go back. The location is very close to Durango but right off the highway so it's noisy. It was a noisy experience in general with large families partying every night (apparently they got warned by the hosts but that only helped one night), and loud music blasting in the washrooms 24/7. Some of the tent sites are mixed use, they come with electricity but the don't have a nice level gravel pad for the tent. Hosts seemed nice, facilities were very clean. Paper towels in the washrooms would be nice, or even better a hand free kickstand to open the door in times of Corona!

It’s a good campground. It’s just a little dated. We stayed at Tiffany Loop, 027. Some of the tent sites at that loop need some attention (the barrier fence was down and the site overgrown ). Our site was just fine for what it was. Nice sized parking spot that we backed into. Gravel pad with (uncovered) picnic table and fire pit. There was a grassy spot where we placed our tent. Lots of sticky prickly grass around so watch your little kids :) the water is down behind the camp sites , down a steep hillside. We were not able to explore the water as we had to leave early due to sick kids but there were lots of boaters, pontoons, and house boats out there and we were planning to rent something! At Tiffany Loop, there are flushing toilets, a sink, and coin showers that are all clean! At Rosa Loop (a short drive ), there are coin showers, flushing toilets, and coin laundry services. It is very hot and sunny during the day so I’d bring a shade tent too! There are cabins at Tiffany loop as well.

This was my first time staying at a more RV focused campground and I really liked it. Since we've started working full time from our van I wanted to make sure we had internet and electricity and camping here really gave me peace of mind as we worked for the week. We really have everything we need here. There are definitely some sites that I would not be very thrilled to get but I really liked the site we got- site 43. It felt a little more private than some and had a few trees and bushes around it making it feel nice and cozy. Not sure I would want to tent camp here...those sites didn't look as good. I also think the sites that you back into as opposed to the drive through seem nicer and a bit more private. The sites for the big rigs were more like a parking lot style. 

I've never stayed at a campground with so many amenities...pool, mini golf, laundry, store. It was really a fun change to stay somewhere with such a community feel. 

This campground is about a 15 minute drive to downtown Durango.

It’s about 6 miles from the hwy with the first 1/4 mile being beyond washboard. After that little stretch it’s on and off washboard. I can imagine if it rained it looks like it could be quite slick. Didn’t count, but I think about 9 sites half with a covered picnic table and campfire ring. A couple sites seemed to be geared towards tent camping while some of the others were only big enough for the smallest rv campers and a couple that might squeeze in a 30’. Their is one group site that even the big rigs could get into, but that’s only one and these sites can fill up fast. So it’s a gamble expecting a site that your rig will fit especially if you have something bigger than 20’. I felt quite lucky to find 3 sites available with my 22’ tt after beating myself and the contents in the trailer to get here. Near the entrance theirs parking at a overlook and day use picnic area halfway to the camping sites with vaulted toilets. Not much for hiking trails at the camp sites. Only one I found on the west side of the campground that follows the rim, but it’s short.

I seriously don't know where to start here!  This is a Costa Rican style resort filled with fun for the whole family!  60' rock wall, 60' free fall, zipline over the river, 18 hole disc golf, 2 huge fenced-in off leach dog parks, 1/2 mile of riverfront property on both sides, 2 sand bottom ponds with free stand up paddle boards, shuttles and tubes to rent to take you up river to tube back to the resort, white sand beach volleyball, trampoline, slip n slide into a catch pool next to the river, waterslide, launching waterslide, FIREWORKS every Saturday night in the spring/summer/fall, FIRE PEFORMERS Saturday nights (weather permitting), and live bands and DJs in the huge  riverside dance pavilion on Holliday weekends.  75 full hookup sites (soon to be 150) with daily, weekly, and monthly affordable pricing.  A few tent sites available.  SCHOOLIES WELCOME!!!!  FAMILY FUN ENCOURAGED!!! All of this in an area with so many amazing things to do within a 30 min drive....but you may not want to leave the resort because it's so much fun!!!!!

Face it, you don't go to Chaco Canyon, or Chaco Culture National Historical Park, for the camping experience. You go for the history, archaeology, ruins, mystery, astronomy and appreciation for the peoples who built these great houses 1200 years ago. But the facilities for tent camping are adequate-to-better, with very good restroom facilities and drinking water. No showers - carefully read the descriptions. No T-Mobile coverage to speak of, although if you make the climb up to Pueblo Alto to overlook Pueblo Bonito, I did get a weak signal that was good enough to download emails, but that was it.

Some of the campsites are closer to each other than others. The camp is arranged in a loop, generally I'd prefer to be toward the far end end of the loop for vehicle privacy. 

CAUTION: Pay attention to the weather and especially rain in the preceding days. I drove up to Chaco from Grants (from the south) and got stuck in about what turned out to be about a foot of mud under a few inches of standing water in a wash 4.4 miles from the Chaco Visitor's Center. Don't risk it! I drove out to the north on the road that connects to NM 550. That's the much preferred road IMO, and apparently the one also usually recommended by the NPS staff.

Access to the Angel Peak Scenic Area is off US Highway 550, 15 miles south of Bloomfield on County Road 7175. Follow the gravel road along the canyon rim for approximately six miles to reach the campground. It is important to note the gravel road may become dangerous in bad weather. 

First of picnic areas is a mile down a gravel road. Many RV's seem to be using this for boondocking. I don't blame them, but try and keep them open for day trippers if possible. The Picnic areas are on the rim of the canyon. The campground is 6 miles down the same road.

 Three picnic areas and a campground are located along the canyon rim overlooking Angel Peak and the Kutz Canyon badlands. Three picnic areas(Sage, Castle Rock, and Cliffs). In total there are seven developed sites located along the rim road. Each site has a shelter, tables on a concrete slab, a gravel pathway, and a fire grate. Trash cans are located in all three picnic areas. There are vault toilets available at both Sage and Cliffs picnic areas. These are BLM sites and are incredibly well maintained in the Winter. No electrical hookups or water is available.

Angel Peak Campground has nine sites available for tent camping. They each have picnic tables on a concrete underfoot, gravel pathways, and fire grates. Picnic shelters are located at three campsites; two with single shelters and one with a double shelter that seems to be a great spot for larger groups. Two accessible vault toilets and trash receptacles are in the campground. 

There is a nature trail that heads though light brush and along the rim to a beautiful bench that overlooks the incredible canyon.

We drove up Hwy 491 from I40 and were surprised there were no sites all the way up to Farmington or Shiprock. We chose this site but got there when it was already dark. Apple Maps to ok us directly to the site. It’s about 3 miles on a long dirt road. The road was dry when we visited so we had no problems. We drove into the tents sites on a Tuesday night and found several vacant.

The site itself was layered with gravel. There’s a covered picnic table and large fire ring in each site. We are tent campers and appreciated not setting the tent in the mid or dirt. The other sites are close but not so close you are forced to make conversation. That’s a choice here!

We didn’t hike while here but you could easily have some fun out there!

Cedar Springs Campground is located in northern New Mexico within Carson National Forest, near the town of Blanco, NM. The campground is accessed via Forest Road 87, which branches off from Highway 522. Sitting at an elevation of around 8,500 feet in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the area offers cooler temperatures compared to the valley below. 

This is a dispersed camping area. It is located near the Jicarilla Apache reservation. There are no amenities such as bathrooms or trash disposal, so campers must pack out all trash. The sites are accessible for tents and smaller RVs, offering a basic, self-reliant camping experience.

Check out this video for a drive around the campground: https://youtu.be/ni2fqlVKbPg

It looks like a miniature Grand Canyon. Striations in the rock show its sedimentary origin, and the erosion reveals voids under the layers. We camped on the rim where the bottom drops out precipitously. Hikes along the sheer cliffs test the meddle and nerve of brave hikers.

About New Mexico sunrises and sunsets, there are two shows daily, no reservations required!

Navajo Lake State park is situated on a relatively big lake for New Mexico standards. The campsites are relatively small and close together. Also bring plenty of leveling materials because several of the sites are uneven. The views from some of the sites are beautiful. Getting to the lake is a steep and rocky walk or a short drive to the marina. Most of the sites don’t have water or electricity. Pine campground is the only one from my recollection. Probably a mad house during regular season and relatively quiet off season. The marina has services and we didn’t use any of them.

Plan your next trip here!! I grew up a few miles away. it has always been great, it is better now. The campgrounds are spread all throughout the lake which reaches from Northern New Mexico into Colorado.

The Marina is newly remodeled and expansive. There are bass fishing tournaments, every type of boat rental, lake houses, a fishing area for kids, and much more.

The fishing at this lake and the San Juan river are world renowned. The river has a few guided tour companies, but Abe’s is the best. They have a store, gas, restaurant, and hotel.

The area is great whether you are in CO or NM. Durango, CO is a short drive away on the edge of the mountains. Ignacio houses a Casino and hotel nearby as well.

We had the goal of exploring New Mexico back country and Bisti, which we did! The Dyrt directions to the trailhead here are perfect. There were a few folks camping at the parking lot and there is a relatively clean pit toilet there though bring TP. We drove past the lot and got over a ditch no problem with our Tacoma. Past the second lot there is dispersed camping. We picked a great spot on the left. Nearby our spot 100 yards were very cool rock formations. We hiked in the badlands and found some neat formations and petrified wood though nothing like the beautiful photos published online. It was still worth it for the unique experience. We did a 6 mile out/back hike with 2 dogs. Flat but hot and windy at times. Some of the wind got intense at our camp spot. All in all this is a worthwhile experience if you like getting off the beaten path and exploring something different. We drove from here to Alien Throne. GPS was spotty but got us there and we had on/off service in Bisti.

This campground is not easy to get to, so get your head around that. The last 5 miles of the unpaved road getting to the park boundary will be a challenge, so take it slllooow. It is worth it, and you’ll have fewer crowds at this amazing place. 

The campground is similar to many national parks, with nicely spaced out, no hook up campsites. The toilets are clean and well maintained, flush toilets, and sinks, but no showers.  Water is available throughout the campground, and there’s a big sink for dumping your dish water. 

The campground is ideal for solar power, as is the New Mexico weather.  We also had no problem connecting with Starlink, but there was no LTE or phone service to speak of. 

Hiking in the park is simply stunning. With the ruins of the Chaco Culture all around, you can pick your adventure or simply drive the park loop road, stopping to wander through the remains of this vibrant place that was once the heart of a vast cultural empire. 

Cycling is also a great option -- bike/ hike your way around the park from the campground. The visitor’s center is good, and worth spending some time in.  The closest town with services is a long long way away, in any direction, so come prepared with your supplies, food, etc. 

There is a convenience store/ gas station about 20 miles out, but the drive back along the rough road will take an hour in an RV.  

This park is so worth a visit and the campground makes it easy to stay for as long as you can to soak up the solitude of this simply amazing place!