Best Tent Camping near Buckhorn, NM

Bighorn, NM: great for stopover., As it is right off the highway (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 3 perfect for a stop over Security: no Usage during visit: light Site Privacy: no Site Spacing: OK Pad surface: dirt Outside Road Noise: some highway noise Through Traffic in campground: no Electric Hookup: no Sewer Hookup: no, Dump Station: no, Potable Water Available: no Generators: allowed Bathroom: pit toilet Showers: no Setting: parallel with creek, just off the highway. Solar: great Insects: none during our visit in April. Host: no Sites: along the creek bed, just off the highway.

About 10 designated sites around a loop. The sites are set up as to where you pull/back your vehicle/camper into the site. There is a picnic table. The site itself is compacted gravel. There is an area at each site where you can set up tent(s) on dirt. Very little to no shade so suggest you bring a popup canopy. Each site has a fire ring, but be sure to check (and respect) the burn ban status. Two pit toilets. No water available at campground so be sure to pack in. There are also dispersed sites off the main loop. There are basically just where you set up a tent where you can find a nice spot. Most have a rock fire ring. The dispersed sites offer solitude away from other campers, but a longer walk to the latrines. There are 4 cement pads at the main campsite area to set telescopes. The stars are incredible. Great viewing of Milky Way (when on cosmic calendar). Constellations galore. Too many satellites to count.

A handful of sites located on the other side of Skates Canyon from Sapillo Campground. Close to great hiking around the CDT and fishing in Lake Roberts. Most of the sites sit on the shades of ponderosa and there's plenty of space for group camping.

This is as bare as it gets. No services, no cell signal, no trash disposal, not even a pit toilet. Some sites have rock rings for campfires but that's about it. Please recreate responsibly and leave no trace. Pack out whatever you pack in.

Quiet during the winter, but gets busy during the summer as evidenced by how well worn the dirt paths around the area are.

Stayed here with a couple of friends in late December of 2019. Great proximity to Gila National Forest, which is the primary reason we chose this campground. Obviously was very cold during December, but we were comfortable with an all-season tent & sleeping bags.

Camp hosts were super nice and gave us a lighter when we couldn’t find ours, which was a saving grace when it came to be dinner time. Picnic tables were great, especially when you’ve become used to primitive camping without such luxuries. Pit toilets were clean and accessible. Overall, nothing special but a great campground for the location and the helpfulness of the hosts.

After not finding a campsite at the other near one called Cherry Creek. We ended up at McMillan campsite. Super close to the restroom but not close enough where it is unsanitary. Perfect place the camp. There are only 3 sites but they have picnic tables and fire pits. Plenty of space even for large groups. No cell phone service at all! For miles you won’t have service especially coming from Silver City so plan accordingly! The Park ranger came by to clean out the bathrooms. No place to dump trash and no water. During our time here the weather was unpredictable, which is probably expected deep in the mountain. We had a great time!! The only down side was that some random hikers parked at a site and were extremely loud at 8 in the morning however they were not campers.

Absolutely the best campsite I've ever stayed at! You'll never experience anything like it, seeing the stars like how they should be! Unfortunately there's a little light pollution to the west, and to north, but almost nothing to the South or East.

This is truly remote camping, absolutely nothing nearby. Hardly any road noise or airplanes overhead.

This is Bear country, so be sure to store your food properly and practice proper campsite safety. I actually sat out and watched the stars with a can of bear mace in my camping chair right next to me, just in case. I was the only person at the campsite.

It's very well maintained, with very nice facilities. Need to bring in your own water, but there are restrooms.

If you're heading east from here, you can drive through the very large telescope array the next day, which is also amazing!

I can't recommend this campsite enough, it's unlike anything you'll ever experience!

This is one of our favorite springtime camping spots. There aren’t any numbered sites, but there are makeshift campfires and flat areas all around. The site also has trash disposal and vault toilets. Lots of trees for shade and hammocks.

This spot is popular with large crowds and off road vehicle enthusiasts. Expect music until 10pm and the sound of engines. It’s a great place to boondock with a generator.

Lots of easy trails to ride around on with our mini bikes. Plenty of space to set up camp with 2 families and a few smaller tents.

Lake Roberts is just zip the road for fishing opportunities.

Stayed here for a couple nights in the beginning of September 2023. Weather was upper 80’s during the day and mid 50’s during the night. This site is free and provides a vault toilet (which was clean), water, a fire ring and picnic table. There were about 6-8 sites. I lucked out and ended up getting the last one. The sites were pretty close together but spread out enough. I was able to walk right to the entrance of the cliff dwellings trail from this site in about 5 minutes. I could also walk across street and woods to the river, wasn’t much water though. From silver city on 15, it took me about 90 minutes to reach the campsite. It’s a paved road but gets pretty twisty in spots. I stocked up on food and everything I needed at wal mart in silver city. There was no cell service from silver city to the campground. There is a store, Docs, that will let you use their Wi-Fi. The store has a few things but nothing impressive. It was also difficult finding wood in the immediate area, so either bring wood or stock up along 15 when you’re in the pines. There is also no trash pickup anywhere in the area, so prepare to pack out all trash. The only downside of this site is being able to get a spot. There is also the lower scorpion campsite, plus a few others along the way. There are also plenty of dispersed sites along 15.