Looking for the best Carlsbad Caverns tent camping? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Carlsbad Caverns. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your New Mexico camping adventure.
High ancient sea ledges, deep rocky canyons, flowering cactus and desert wildlife - treasures above the ground in the Chihuahuan Desert. Hidden beneath the surface are more than 119 caves - formed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone leaving behind caverns of all sizes.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park offers no overnight lodging or campgrounds. Primitive camping is allowed in the backcountry only and requires a free permit which is issued at the park's visitor center when you arrive (not reservable in advance). Overnight RV parking is not permitted in the park. Seven miles (11 km) from the visitor center you will find a campground (RV/tent/cabin) and amenities in White's City.
The campground is located on the Guadalupe Peak trail, 3.1 miles from the Pine Springs trailhead, and 1 mile below the Peak. The campground is on a small knoll and only minimally protected from high winds. Makeshift windbreaks and rocks left behind on tent pads are a reminder to others to prepare for wind. Five campsites are available; a backcountry permit is required for use.
A backcountry use permit is required for all use of these campsites. The extra distance to the Tejas Wilderness Campground is worth the time for those who wish to stay in a more densely forested surrounding. The tall trees provide deep shade in the morning and late afternoon and protection from high winds aloft. Centrally located, the Tejas campground is 5.5 miles from Pine Springs trailhead or 6.2 miles from Dog Canyon.ADA Access: The Tejas Campground is a primitive camping area accessible only by foot trail.
The extra distance to the Tejas Wilderness Campground is worth the time for those who wish to stay in a more densely forested surrounding. The tall trees provide deep shade in the morning and late afternoon and protection from high winds aloft. Centrally located, the Tejas campground is 5.5 miles from Pine Springs trailhead or 6.2 miles from Dog Canyon.
The extra distance to the Tejas Wilderness Campground is worth the time for those who wish to stay in a more densely forested surrounding. The tall trees provide deep shade in the morning and late afternoon and protection from high winds aloft. Centrally located, the Tejas campground is 5.5 miles from Pine Springs trailhead or 6.2 miles from Dog Canyon.
A backcountry use permit is required for all use of these campsites. The extra distance to the Tejas Wilderness Campground is worth the time for those who wish to stay in a more densely forested surrounding. The tall trees provide deep shade in the morning and late afternoon and protection from high winds aloft. Centrally located, the Tejas campground is 5.5 miles from Pine Springs trailhead or 6.2 miles from Dog Canyon.ADA Access: The Tejas Campground is a primitive camping area accessible only by foot trail.
The extra distance to the Tejas Wilderness Campground is worth the time for those who wish to stay in a more densely forested surrounding. The tall trees provide deep shade in the morning and late afternoon and protection from high winds aloft. Centrally located, the Tejas campground is 5.5 miles from Pine Springs trailhead or 6.2 miles from Dog Canyon.
A Wilderness Use Permit is required for all use of these campsites. An interesting hike along the Permian Reef Trail meanders up 2,000 feet to Wilderness Ridge where the sudden transition from rock to trees is refreshing. Once on top, the trail is level through forested and open areas and takes you to the edge of the escarpment where the view is outstanding. Wilderness Ridge Campground is in the trees, and worth the extra distance to save the resource from unnecessary damage.
$6 - $48 / night
Legend
Only 20 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP and about 30 minutes from Carlsbad NM! Slaughter canyon trail is 20 minutes down the same road the campsite is on. This is a great spot off the highway. You can hear some noise throughout the night. Also, it can be noisy if neighbors are loud.
The area is a fenced-in level gravel lot with pit toilets, trash, picnic table sites, and tent sites. Each site has a grill and campfire area with a covered picnic table. Sites fill up quickly, but there are plenty of spots to park next to the fence. Easy to get here with any kind of camper (RV, trailer, ect). Views are great, and the area is maintained well.
The campground allows five consecutive nights of camping. Verizon service was good!
Traveler
4 miles from Carlsbad Caverns NP. Not traffic. No noise. We had area to our self. Level Dirt/gravel area. Bring water and toilet. Would stay here again.
GuideNice camping spot only about 5 miles from Carlsbad Caverns. The sites are nice and the vault toilet was very clean. I camped here in February and there was plenty of room. I got here around 5:30 PM.
Scout
Restrooms were clean and showers were hot! Super windy while we were there, but made for a nice, quiet place to sleep. About an hour from Carlsbad Caverns, which was awesome! Dump station, if you care, was closed while we were there.
Guide
Crowded, charming, typical KOA. Located about 30 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Quaint store, great play room (super nice staff- left the playroom open for us an additional hour due to downpour!) Accommodated our family as our reservation was deleted and we had nowhere else to go! :) Great clean restrooms and showers.
Legend
Let'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.
LegendExcellent full service RV park. The hook ups are in excellent repair. This particular KOA offers hot food delivered to the sites in Lou of eating inside the facility. Despite the name, it is quite a hike from Carlsbad Caverns if that is your destination. It is very close to Beantly Lake and a very quiet setting. The pads are gravel but level. Excellent staff. Would stay again!
Legend
Only 20 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP and about 35 minutes from Guadeloupe Mountains NP!
The area is a large gravel lot with some brush and scubs scattered about. Very cool campground with cave systems to explore. Bring helmets, headlamps, and some sturdy boots! As you drive up to the camping area, there are a lot of pull off sites if you don't want to camp in the larger area near the cave systems. Lots of fire rings!
Dispersed area, pack in pack out. Verizon service was good!
Guide
The tent camping sites are all private making it a very peaceful experience! The views are beautiful with access to several hiking trails. There are vault toilets at the tent sites with flush toilets at the rv lot. There are no other facilities but if you are looking for remote primitive camping this is a great option!
Legend
Only 30 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP and about 20 minutes from Carlsbad NM! This is a great spot off the highway with basically no noise from cars.
The area is a level gravel lot with some brush and scubs scattered about. Seems like a place that isn't well known. I'd recommend high clearance to get up to the main area. There are other sites as you follow the road up the hill, but the road gets more rocky the further you go up. One fire ring in the main area and some fire rings in other sites. If you want a site that you can't see the highway from, this is the spot.
Dispersed area, pack in pack out. Verizon service was good!
LegendThis KOA was a great property in thy it was very clean and had a lot to offer for families with kids, and even adult only patrons. They had a really big “Rec Room” for kids and adults to play ping pong, or a video game. They also deliver food to your site, and they smoke their own BBQ on site! It’s less than an hour from Carlsbad Caverns, and only 15 minutes from Carlsbad proper, in case you need some supplies or want to go find a place to eat in town. The only downside to this place was the sulfur/propane smell from the gas/oil wells in the area, and the fact that there wasn’t much to block the wind.
Legend
Like all NP campgrounds, no fires are allowed which is disappointing. There are pit toilets which are incredibly clean however, the walk up to the flushing RV toilets isn't too far. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of privacy at the sites because they seem pretty tightly packed at first. Each site has a nice tent pad and picnic table. The parking isn't very adequate and at most of the sites you will need to carry your gear from your car a little way to the campsites. Sites are first come first serve. We got there in the late morning during busy season and had several sites to pick from but the camp ground did fill every day. The views are decent from the campground. Location is ideal. It's pretty central in GMNP and only 30 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP(where they only have back country sites). Overall, not a bad campground and probably the best option around while visiting GMNP and CCNP if you're a tent camper(their RV parking lot looked terrible).
Rangerf backcountry hike-in spots aren't your thing, this is a place to crash on your way to/from Carlsbad Caverns (which are EPIC- GO THERE). This place itself- anh. Maybe, technically, this park qualifies as an oasis, but don't get your hopes up too high. The place is not exactly scenic. On first glance it all looks pretty barren, but the water clearly supports a lot of life- tons of birds, rabbits, and plants you won't really see in the surrounding landscape. So there's that. We'll call it very subtle beauty. Ultimately, sunrise/set made it all worth it. After driving around the area for a while, and growing weary of all the depressing drilling operations that overwhelm the sounding area, this place offers some reprieve- like breath of fresh air but for the eyeballs. In short, I guess this place is noteworthy in part because of what it is NOT- another expansive oil field.
GuideThis KOA will start texting you in advance of your arrival, which I found a bit tedious, but it came in handy during our stay.
Check in was simple and informative. The pool is open and was clean. It definitely came in handy during this heat!
The campground is based about an hour away from Carlsbad Caverns, which worked for us so we could drop our rig and make the drive the next morning. Only about 20 minutes from the town of Carlsbad.
On our second night, there was a wicked storm and we started heading loud booms. The park was thoughtful enough to text everyone after hours to reassure us that the pecan fields up the road use air cannons to prevent hail. Not sure about the effectiveness but was so glad to know what was happening.
We would certainly return if we ever need full hook ups in the area.
GuideStayed here nights 1 and 2 of a road trip and had zero problems with the site. Tent camped both nights and made it pretty far back in 2WD Ford Fusion with low clearance so if you're just looking for a great spot to post up for Guadalupe Mountains National Park or Carlsbad Caverns National Park, this is it.
GuideArrived here, after 6PM, on a last minute reservation Severe thunderstorms in area Check In was smooth and friendly. Staff advised us game room would remain open all night, In case tenters wanted to have a dry place Ownwer offered us A Deluxe Cabin for $12.00 more We took the offer due to the weather Yea! Cabin was cleanand well stocked, complete with porch swing. One downer Bed needs to be replaced unless rolling to the middle is fun for you . Tent sites are close together with little shade Showers and toilets are great A little less than an hour to Carlsbad Caverns. Bring groceries with you, as the campground store has a limited stock of necessities. $38.00 per night for a tent site with no utilities.
Traveler
Visiting Guadalupe national park was very surprising, after finding out that no reservations are required to camp I was a little worried that the location was going to packed but going in the middle of February it was just right. The tent camping side has a total of 19 tent sites which have benches as well as a prepared area for your tent which was nice the site had a bathroom nearby and trash cans very close to every site. The rv side had multiple spots for rvs (didn't count the spaces) but outside of the parking lot were flush toilets and a dish washing station, the trail heads were right by the parking lot so very convenient.
The trail the main trail guadalupe peak was breath taking (literally) the climb up takes about a 2 and half hours but the view up top is amazing! My only complaint of this place is that the amount of trails is lacking (only about 5) and after a day or two your pretty much done but if your in the are the hike up top is unbeatable.
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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.
GuideWe stayed one night in their tent site with electric. Facilities were clean, and the site was nice.
GuideGUMO has tent camping with more typical sites. Water and pits toilets. RV camping sites are in a medium sized parking lot. Sites 21-25 have picnic tables. No fires
RangerSmall with 5 RV sites and a few tent sites. Each RV site has a picnic table and a cover. Filled up quick. Quiet except a little road noise.
LegendClean basic amenities. We used a RV site with our Campervan. The RV site could be more charming (it is basically a parking lot). Prefer the tent site.
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.
GuideThe tent sites are clustered together near the vault toilet (smelly) and they are all walk in sites. Only tents are allowed in this area. The RV parking lot is by flush toilets and sink area. No tents are allowed. The flies were terrible! It is really hot right now and shade is limited.
GuideThis is a great campground if you have an RV, or are car camping. There isn't much privacy, and very little cell signal (Verizon). Other carriers reported better on Recreation.gov. Great for one night, but if I was to stay here longer, I'd prefer the tent sites.
TravelerCampers should know that despite being small and “unknown” this campground fills up without warning. The pit toilets are NOT smelly and there is a water source. You will need to hike a short distance in to your tent site but it is totally worth it!
TravelerThe place is amazing. Awesome views.
The sign says only camping in designated spots, so no side camps.
There's 6 RV spots and 6 tent sites.
The road getting in is really rough. I did fine with my 32ft fifth wheel. I came in at 8mph. It's rough with embedded rocks.
Tent camping near Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in stunning natural landscapes while exploring the wonders of the caverns. With several well-reviewed options available, campers can enjoy a variety of amenities and activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Carlsbad Caverns, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Carlsbad Caverns, NM is Rattlesnake Canyon - Backcountry Camping — Carlsbad Caverns National Park with a 4.6-star rating from 5 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near Carlsbad Caverns, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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