Best Equestrian Camping near Canjilon, NM

My wife and I have stayed at Hopewell Lake twice now. The first time we stayed here, we stumbled upon this little gem of a site while driving from Durango, CO to Taos, NM. It was enchanting enough that we made sure to make it back for an opportunity to take in the scenery and relax during a long weekend. The only issue we ran into was an abundance of mosquitos, but this should be expected during the late Spring/early Summer in northern New Mexico and can be easily addressed with a citronella candle and a bit of bug spray. Our most recent stay was on one of those rare nights where you can pull off the rain fly and not worry about a midnight downpour, which left us with a wonderful view of the stars, and the sites are private enough that, as long as you don't set up next to the table, it's comfortable with an open tent and away from prying eyes.

The campground is nice, very well maintained, and the site host is friendly and helpful. The grounds are a

The website listed for this campground is correct Ponderosa campground Antonito, CO.

Phone 719.376.5857

This is a very relaxing place to stay and it seems like most of the people there have been there many times before. The drive in is easy on Route 17 and does not require a vehicle with high ground clearance. They do allow campfires, they have clean bathrooms and a shower house. I stayed in a backpacking tent after driving all day arriving on a Friday at about 4:00 PM. The campground is set-up for small campers and has some cabins for rent too. The bathrooms with showers are clean and comfortable. The sites have fire rings with grates and picnic tables. The owner manager is great, providing quality fishing advice, conversation and even a free cup of coffee in the morning. Hiking on the CDT is near the campground and fishing is right in the campground. The steam train is right up the pass and I happened to be there the night before opening day catching a photo when I drove over the pass to Chama New Mexico. The Cumbres and Toltec Train traveling between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico. This is a very nice drive and Chama is a cool place to visit, it is a trail town on the CDT.

I will visit this campground again for sure.

I've stayed here twice now since being in New Mexico. This site is right on the water, overlooks the canyon, and is close to a hike to the right side of the canyon through a dried up riverbed. I *love* staying here. It's so peaceful, quiet, enough trees to keep you shaded from the harsh sun here. The road is runner friendly, so you can go on a jog if you like. Its definitely a campsite for people looking to strictly hang out. 

views and sunsets are EPIC. Stay here instead of the packed Rio Chama campground if you're a casual camper who doesn't need amenities. And pick up your toilet paper so this place stays nice!

I’ve been coming to Fenton Lake for camping with family since I was little and we’ve always loved it. It’s beautiful and well taken care of. Park rangers are always making their rounds and always friendly and helpful. Plenty of tent sites; only a few have some good privacy. Not many electrical hookups though. Trash bins and vault toilets are usually close by. Love the trail that runs along the side of the camp and the stream that runs adjacent to the campsites. Fishing is fun but get there early because spots fill up quickly. Only downfall I’ve seen is that theres only one water spigot and it’s right at the lake.

We typically come up to Fenton Lake once a year and last year was fantastic however this year the park rangers aren’t that friendly (or that helpful). For instance, my father-in-law came up for a day but the power went out all over and didn’t have access to an ATM to pay the $5 day pass. They wouldn’t allow him to come up to our site to tell us (no cell service to call us) so he parked outside and had to hike in. He’s 73.

Also during our stay, a couple of ladies across our campsite got locked out and my husband and other male friend helped break into it as the park ranger watched claiming he couldn’t help for liability reasons so he just watched us like a hawk, completely unhelpful.

We were stopped several times when driving around and park rangers stop and walk up to your car to check we’re all paid up. I can understand this but it was rather excessive being stopped 2-3 times and then park rangers stopping at the camp to check the vehicles 4-5 times a day when we stayed for 3 nights feels like overkill. Expect to run into a park ranger often and see their trucks driving pass your site like clockwork.

Aside from that, our stay was very nice. We stayed at campsite 8 which was very nice for a big family. There’s no one behind you or to either side of you. The site easily accommodated our 32ft RV and the camp site could host 3+ tents. It’s close to the playground which was finally open! It rained heavily one night and flooded the back road behind the playground but they had the tractor out fixing this quickly.

If you’re coming for fishing, get there and grab a spot before 7am for your best chance of catching something. My husband caught two the day we left. It’s very packed and usually stays that way until about 5-6pm. One of the park rangers did mention that we had a better chance fishing the stream beside the campsites and did find a family that caught several fish that way so that’s much more private and easier, especially for little kids or if you don’t like crowds.

While many say that Georgia O’Keefe owned Ghost Ranch, that’s not true. She actually only owned 7.5 acres of the large ranch. The whole ranch has been turned into a top notch facility with campgrounds and motel rooms, horses for rent, classes, and great hiking. The campground is large with several interconnecting loops. There aren’t many trees, but the sites are not on top of each other so there is a semblance of privacy. Showers and laundry are available in the campground. It's pretty nice that this campground is pretty much open year round, and even better with tents and RV's kept separate. There are some great hiking trails heading out of the campground as well as from other parts of the ranch. Stop in the visitors center to get a map of trails and some advice about what to hike and when (don’t plan on any mid-day hikes as it is just too hot).

We stayed here just after Memorial Day weekend in late May, and again in mid-June. Such a great campsite! Although at 8,000 feet of elevation, prepare for cold nights and intermittent rain, hail, and high winds, even during the "summer" season. We experienced day time temps of 70s - 80s and nighttime drops to the low 40s on both trips. There was a burn notice in effect in May, which was lifted for our June trip - probably because the significant afternoon hail storms on the first two days of our trip nicely saturated everything!  ;) Day time weather was usually clear until noon, and then intermittent afternoon storms would set in, usually clearing by 6 pm. Basically, typical New Mexican mountain weather! 

The sites are very well maintained, and the Camp Host was incredibly friendly and made regular rounds. FYI - there is NO cell signal at any of the tent sites, although we were able to get a signal (Verizon) within 50 feet of the ranger station if you need to check your phone.

A note about the various campsites. There are four main loops past the RV/electric hookup section. Loop 1 (sites 1 - 9), loop 2 (sites 10- 14), loop 3 (sites 16 -18), and loop 4 (sites 19 -30). Each of the four main areas have their pros/cons and would be ideal depending on personal preference. 

Loop 1 - this is where we stayed in both May and June. It's the easiest walk to the lake, but also has the oldest vault toilet. This toilet locked itself a couple times after people left, and we had to ask the camp host to open it back up. Ultimately, he taped the lock in the unlocked position which worked fine. Several of the toilets have been upgraded throughout the site, but this one is still on the list.  

Loop 2 - there's a playground next to site 14 and this is a GREAT loop for folks with kids. If you're not a kid person, you'd probably prefer a different loop.  

Loop 3 - this is a beautiful loop with a brand-new vault toilet. With only sites 16, 17, and 18 sharing this loop, it seemed a little quieter.  

Loop 4 - the final loop. Furthest away from the lake, you'll get less traffic from folks going up and down the road to their site. 

Honestly, all of the sites are beautiful and your favorite site will depend a lot on personal preference. The river runs along the south side of the campsite road and we saw folks fishing - and catching fish! - at those campsites that backed  up to the river.  

This is a beautiful campground and we will definitely be back!