Best Glamping near Capitan, NM

We love Royce and the Camp @ Cloudcroft. We started out coming here NYE. We stayed in the teardrop camper — so cold outside but the teardrop was warm and cozy. Since then we’ve been back several times! They have new beautifully renovated shower houses. They have a Yurt with all you could ever think of as well as a pop up trailer (amazing king size bed). When you rent these, you basically can come with clothes and food. They think of everything else from utensils, grills, stoves, linens, seasonings ... even a deck of cards! There’s WiFi throughout the campground. They also have RV spaces and tent areas. Super super nice staff (Sissy and her pup Mickey). Can’t recommend this place enough and we can’t wait to get back to our home away from home!!

This campground has it all. Beautiful surroundings, not far from downtown shopping in Ruidoso, most helpful hosts on site. My husband was not in the best of health when we went. The hosts helped him set up, with them doing the majority of the work, in the rain. The campground is pet friendly, has an enclosed run where you can take them off the leash for a bit, also has several locations with poop bags available. This seems to be a super secure location as hosts are on duty 24/7. No one comes into the campground without stopping at the office and checking in, anyone failing to do this, will be followed in and information gathered or asked to leave. Sites, once vacated are gone over with a fine tooth comb to make sure Nothing is left behind, the fire pits are cleaned, and everything is in order for the next camper. There are horseshoe pits and sand volleyball available for entertainment. Showers and laundry facilities are available and kept super clean. Rio Bonito flows along the side of the campground

I was looking to get away from the heat in Albuquerque and maybe even do a little fishing. I picked a site next to the upper river (Rio Bonito). The water was clear and moving, but no sign of any fish. The river is more of a creek (expected for New Mexico), but still pretty. It was barely visible from my camp, but just a short hike away. No ATT or Verizon cell service at my site, but I did find a weak signal up near the office. The wifi was a struggle. It was barely adequate the first day, but absolutely miserable the second day. I could easily connect to their router, but constantly got an error of “no internet service” and had to log off and on several times. I had limited shade at my site, but thankfully the AC kept the trailer cool enough, as it was nearly 90 degrees outside. The hosts were very nice and the park is kept pretty clean. No tents allowed, though.

In direct contrast to the White Sands backcountry camping which offers absolutely zero thrills and access to luxuries, the White Sand KOA is a great place to stay for those wanting some of the comforts of home. Located about 10 minutes from White Sands this campground is in a great location for a run to the store, a meal at one of the great local restaurants or a trip to some of the other area attractions.

While visiting here I noticed there were plenty of options for RV campers, something lacking at the White Sands itself. But RV camping is not all created equal, and this one by far surpasses other area options. Sites were latge enough even for the largest of rigs but also offered smaller sites for someone traveling a bit lighter like myself.

Tent row seemed to be a very popular options and while the sites here were a bit closer together there was still plenty of room to move around.

The hosts were extremely friendly and welcoming. The restrooms were private and very well throught creating a feeling of being at home while on the road. There was even a small store located on property with goodies and merchandise to commemorate your trip to the area.

This place really has the family in mind with a pool, playground and game room which will leave a smile on the faces of even the smallest guests.

Tips:

• Go check out the New Mexico Space Museum where you can find the first primate launched into space's memorial, some awesome space rockets and tons of information that will leave your head in space.
• Take a trip out to the White Sands only a short 10 minute drive from camp and spend the day sledding down the cool white dunes.

Stopped in for one night for a cross country trip.

First KOA experience and it was amazing!

Bathroom ✅ Showers (small stalls) ✅ Laundry ✅ Store on site ✅ Nice privacy walls ✅

It’s very close to white sands main gate. The staff was very friendly and the campground was clean and manacured. The sell propane there and other odd and end things.

BEWARE: March is “Windy season”. We got caught on the first day of it I think! Big gusty winds at night for us. The drive there can get dangerous and could possibly expect a bumpy night in a camper there! Other than that it was a amazing experience!

KOAs tend to be a go to chain for me. They usually offer similar amenities between locations and good prices. I should probably consider becoming a member. This KOA was great. They had spotlights at each tent pad that you could turn on and adjust where they point. This made my nighttime arrival set up experience so much smoother. I'm pretty skilled at night time set up at this point, but having light always makes things move faster when you're solo. Each tent site also had a water spicket and 1 or 3 tables. The tent sites are huge and can fit any tent I've ever seen. Close to white sands national park. They also offer sleds you can borrow for free and wax for a $1 deposit. I highly recommend going there and sledding. Be aware of the weather/season because the sand will be hot during the day in the summer months