Searching for a place to camp with your dog near Carlsbad? The Dyrt can help you find the best campsites for you and your dog. Each pet-friendly campsite offers quick access to one or more of Carlsbad's most popular destinations.
From the KOA website: Kick back with family and friends at this beautiful desert oasis built in 2000. This award-winning KOA is big rig friendly: All sites are huge 30/50-amp pull thrus with free Wi-Fi and free cable TV. The staff will spoil you as you enjoy the 2,000-square-foot community room, meals delivered to your site, a beautiful commercial laundry, outstanding restrooms, a fenced dog park and a heated pool. From this KOA in the heart of SE New Mexico, visit Carlsbad Caverns, Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park, Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area, Roswell's International UFO Museum and White Sands National Monument. Check out the Robert H. Goddard rocket collection at the Roswell Museum and Art Center and the "Billy the Kid" history at the campground. A horse hotel also is available. See how this KOA is going green with the help of a wind turbine. Pool: March 15 - October 15. Max pull thru: 75 feet. Your hosts: Scott, Susan and Brian Bacher.
Located twelve miles North of Carlsbad, NM, the park offers boating, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, hiking trails, exceptional bird watching, developed and primitive campsites and restrooms with showers. Whether you’re picnicking for the day, or camping in your RV for a week, you’ll be sure to find adventure at Brantley Lake State Park!
$8 - $18 / night
$20 - $45 / night
The Pine Springs RV campground is not a traditional campground. Be aware, this is a paved parking lot. The area shares a popular and busy trailhead accessing four major trails. The area is frequently congested with day use hikers searching for available parking and with foot traffic from overflow parking areas. Before booking a reservation: It is your responsibility to review all (Site Details, Allowable Equipment, Allowable Vehicle/Driveway and Need to Know) for the individual campsite. Failing to do so may result in being prohibited from occupying the site upon your arrival. Refunds are not provided by the park. Pine Springs Campground is located near the Pine Springs Visitor Center, just off U.S. 62/180 and at an elevation of 5,730 feet. The location offers great hiker access to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park trail system. The campground is situated at the opening to the Pine Springs Canyon with spectacular views of the worlds best example of a fossil reef and of the vast Permian Basin to the east. The campground is open year-round and is busiest, March-May and September-November. High winds with over 50 mph gusts are common, especially during winter and spring.
The Pine Springs Trailhead includes access to many different types of hikes. Hikes to Guadalupe Peak or the Bowl are strenuous, 8-9 miles, and have 2500-3000 feet of elevation gain. Another strenuous hike is the Devils Hall Trail (4.2 miles round-trip, 500 feet elevation gain, of the trail in a rocky, uneven wash which includes route-finding and boldering skills). For a more moderate hike consider the the Frijole/Foothills Trail. The El Capitan Trail offers excellent open views of the surrounding desert and close approaches to the cliff face of El Capitan. Because of its distance, lack of shade, some primitive route travel, and numerous elevation changes, this trail is best saved for cooler times of year and for people with experience in route-finding. The ruins of a Butterfield stage station, called the Pinery are next to the highway, and a short, paved nature trail connects the visitor center and the historic site. The Frijole Ranch & History Museum is 1.5 miles away. The grounds are always open, but the museum is staffed intermittently. Seven miles to the east on Hwy 62/180 is McKittrick Canyon. This area offers three trails, the McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail (0.9 miles loop), McKittrick Canyon Trail (4.8 miles round-trip to Pratt Cabin or 6.8 miles round-trip to the Grotto) and the Permian Reef Trail (8.4 miles round-trip, for serious geology buffs).
The Pine Springs Campground is in an area with small, scattered trees, shrubs, and grasses. Trees include gray oaks and alligator junipers, which cast partial shade at some sites. Texas madrones, bigtooth maples, chinquapin oaks, and ponderosa pines become more common along the canyon floor. Higher elevations include Douglas fir and hop-hornbeam. Shrubs include whitethorn acacia, Mexican orange, Apache plume, sumacs, and algerita. Desert-adapted plants also occur in this area, and include prickly pear cactus, New Mexico agave, sotols, and soaptree yuccas. Hunter Peak and cross-sectional views of the Capitan reef are visible from the campground. Roadside pullouts (one mile and four miles away) provide excellent views of El Capitan. Hiking into Pine Springs canyon or along the foothills reveals Guadalupe Peak. The Guadalupe Peak trail ascends to the highest point in Texas and offers excellent views of the surrounding desert. Birds commonly seen and/or heard around the campground can include Canyon towhees, turkey vultures, white-winged doves, common ravens, chipping sparrows, Says phoebes, common poorwills, and phainopeplas depending on the season. Night sky visibility is excellent and nearly pristine directly overhead, to the south, and the southwest. Nearby high ridges and peaks are situated to the west and north.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park: In addition to a variety of cave tours, the national park also offers hiking trails and a scenic drive. Rattlesnake Springs and Slaughter Canyon, part of Carlsbad Caverns are nearer attractions for day use activities. Birding is excellent at Rattlesnake Springs. Lincoln National Forest: The Guadalupe District of the Lincoln National Forest is located just over the state line, north of the national park. Road access is through New Mexico, north of Whites City, via Dark Canyon Road to NM SR 137 through Queen (also the way to the national parks Dog Canyon). The forest provides for various camping, hiking, caving, hunting, and picnicking opportunities. Sitting Bull Falls is a nice waterfall and picnic area in the Lincoln National Forest. Five Point Vista is a glorious ridge road ride of the area, closer to Dog Canyon. Fort Davis National Historic Site and State Park: Fort Davis is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars' frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and on the Chihuahua Trail. This is located about 2.5 hours south of the park. A state park is located nearby with camping and a scenic drive. Also located in Fort Davis is McDonald Observatory with several programs available. White Sands National Park: Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dunefield, along with the plants and animals that live here. Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site: Hueco Tanks State Park is located on the east side of El Paso, about an hour and a half from the Guadalupes. At Hueco Tanks, you can hike, rock climb, bird watch, study nature and history, picnic and stargaze. Visitors can take guided and self-guided tours to view rock imagery.
Individual Site: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you modify your reservation or change your stay dates. Cancelling your reservation prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time two nights before your stay will incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. Camping reservations cancelled the day before and day of arrival incur a $10 cancellation fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. If you need to cancel or modify your reservation, you must do so through Recreation.gov. Group Site: Customers who cancel a group overnight reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee & forfeit the first night's use fee.
$60 / night
Dispersed camp sites are located along most secondary roads and may not be marked. Popular locations can be recognized by the telltale flat disturbed area that has been used as a camp site before. Not all flat spots are sites. If possible, please use existing sites to avoid creating new disturbances. To further protect your public lands, campers must not dispose of any refuse, hazardous materials, sewage, or in any manner pollute the surrounding area.
States may have additional requirements or restrictions for dispersed camping. Please see Regional Information before planning your trip.
Guide
Way off the beaten path. It happened to be extra windy the day I was there. Nice desert/lake view. Quiet. No working dump station right now. Ranger was very friendly and helpful.
RangerWe stayed here before going to Carlsbad Caverns. Pros: only $14 for electric and water site. Sites well spaced and private. Easy to make online reservations. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers. Friendly staff. Cons: ran out of hot water when no one else was showering. Not much to do here if you are not using the lake (which seems low). Pretty far from anything. I’d stay again if needing a spot while passing through, but wouldn’t make a point of coming here just for the campground.
Ranger
If not for the great locale for hiking, this would be a 2 star (nice views). As noted in other reviews, this is a paved parking lot, with sites in middle being parking spaces. Parking on perimeter have some tables. Due to middle spaces being pull through parking spaces, with the markers on ground and receipt post across street there was a misunderstanding with a couple of hikers who parked in wrong place and so camper who paid waited and waited for them to finish their hike (hikes here can take all day). IF you can, mark your spot with something before you leave.
We did not reserve but got last spot 27 for a Mon/Tues stay. Nice clean bathrooms with flush toilets and soap. Campground is adjacent to trailhead parking so busy and some parked cars overnight. Nice view of stars and milky way. Only 1 short trail for dogs.
We also used this as base to go to Carlsbad Caverns.
RangerWell appointed. Easy to make the reservation online. Clearly marked sites with convenient stone-marked pathways to the restrooms/shower. Hot showers, clean bathrooms.
All states should be this good
Campsites all have covered eating area although early and late sun can get under it.
Traveler
I car camped here on the tent grounds, where sites are FCFS with grass and gravel options, some with awnings/tables/campfires/etc. Pretty views and near Carlsbad, CCNP, and GMNP; however, bathhouses were lacking shower curtains and toilet stalls didn’t have proper doors. Prices were steep, considering this.
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Guide
Nice gravel sites. Wide roads to get into sites. Pool, playground. Restrooms OK. Only issue not great Wifi.
Guide
Cool spot, but beware of NAILS! Other than that, some night you might get some loud locals riding OHV on the other side of the lake.
GuideArrived towards the end of July on a Sunday evening. Campground was largely empty. Some sites are marked "Reservation Only" however there were plenty of walk up sites to choose from. Sites were spaced out very well. Each site has the usual grill, and picnic table. Tables were shielded from the elements by a shade shelter roof. Fire rings were absent.
We especially liked the QR code on the campsite number post that allows you to link directly to the website and pay for your site. No need for exact cash or a visit to the park office.
All facilities were well maintained. Trails were easy to follow.
As with most desert like environments, all the plants want to kill you. Be careful going off trail and don't let your pets wander.
RV dump station was convenient on our way out.
Traveler
This was a great camping spot off the beaten path. I would make sure to have high clearance and even 4 wheel drive for the steep rocky drive up if you plan to go past the main camp area. I was worried it would be busy this time of year, but we were the only ones there. We drove up the road a way past the camp site. Beautiful views. It did get very windy at night. Very quiet and far off from traffic noise.
Guide
I stayed here for a few nights in march. I have a high clearance truck that allowed me to get up a bit higher. The view is nice, you can see the lights from the oilfield. Walmart is about 20 min, but at 70mpg the entire time.
Scout
Two 40 ft toy haulers fit great place
GuideWe stopped here for 2 nights to escape the heat after dry camping outside of Carlsbad. I booked this easily online, and the other campers that weekend were very friendly. Overall this place is accommodating and quiet at nights. The sunsets are incredible. We biked to the lake for a swim and cool down. Would stay here again!
Great T-Mobile service. Bathrooms clean. Showers okay. $18 a night, booked last minute
They have an entire first come first serve section that had a lot of availability.
Dump station under construction- can dump for free at Eagle Draw Park in Artesia.
GuideYou can reserve a few van/RV spots but most are first come first serve. Don't worry about the check in time - all hookups and bathrooms/shower are unlocked. If you get a reserved spot you can pay online, otherwise self pay AT the campground, not at the gate (just in case they're full). Showers are good. Ok playground for little kids (4-5 age). Every site has a covered picnic table with stationary grill.
Convenient to Carlsbad, 30- 40ish minutes? north of the caverns, little over an hour south of Roswell.
Legend
This place makes a good basecamp for Carlsbad Caverns NO, Guadalupe Mountains NP and more. Even Roswell is less than 90 minutes away and Living Desert Zoo State Park is close, too. Staff does a good job with upkeep and the bathrooms seem new, they are really nice. Laundry room well maintained, as are the sites, which are mostly level gravel. Road noise near front can be a bit annoying, but the front sites seem bigger and nicer, so worth the trade-off.
Scout
Just got here, nice level spot! Hot but good breeze so in my Casita or any type of shade is ok! Road off main road is gravel and washboarded so go slow! High clearance is not needed,
TravelerWent on cavern tour which is highly recommended. Set up camp around 1600. Tent camping is interesting when you have 20 mph winds with gusts. Great location. A little road noise from highway. Almost no one else around. Would be ideal in overlander trailer or camper. Road past first parking area a little rough but 4WD made it seem easy. Some parts might not be optimal for low clearance vehicle.
GuideReally easy to find, just pull off from the national parks highway and you'll find a big clearing at the base of the hill. More campsites up the hill but it's pretty rocky and a little steep, go slow and 4wd. It was extremely windy, which was refreshing, but there was a fire watch. I didn't build a fire but there were pits for them. Overall great location for a night in the desert, must visit Carlsbad Caverns 20 minutes away it's mindblowing.
Legend
Dog Canyon RV area: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 3.5
Price 2024: $ 10 winteragency pass
Security: No
Usage during visit: 50 to 100%, however there are more no shows than usually experienced elsewhere.
Site Privacy: No
Site Spacing: Close
Pad surface: Gravel
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: Quiet
Outside Road Noise: This campground is the end of the road.
Through Traffic in campground: Hiker parking area across from the RV sites
Electric Hookup: No
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: No
Potable Water Available: Yes. I didn’t notice the hand pump to the left of the trailhead the first couple days here.
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: Flush toilets are a short walk, located in the tent camping area. There is also a heated bathroom at the visitor center which is a short distance further.
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: All 4 sites are back in
Cell Service (AT&T): No bars. There is WiFi at the visitor center. We were able to periodically pick up WiFi at our campsite, RV- D.
Setting: Surrounded by ridges.
Recent Weather: Very windy and cold nights.
Solar: Excellent.
Insects: None
Host: Not filled.
Rig Size: i cannot imagine that these sites will accommodate rigs over 25’.
Sites: RV-A, and RV-D are on the ends. These are the best sites. RV-A door faces horse trailer parking area. No horse there trailers during our stay. RV- D is the best site if you can park your RV nose first. This makes sitting area more private . In RV- D and RV-A sites the occupant can spread out more.
GuideThe proximity to both Guadalupe Mountains NP and Carlsbad Caverns NP are unbeatable and the sunsets over the mountains are truly phenomenal. I even got a kick out of the cows.
Spacious with fire rings, and a thousand times better than Sunset Reef (they were packed in like sardines with zero privacy) but beware of the winds! I was caught in a two day dust storm with 70mph winds and it was admittedly miserable, as was the amount of dirt inside my van.
Overall I would recommend staying here, but don’t rely too heavily on the weather forecast—it drastically changed every hour I was there over 4 days. Cell service was also phenomenal for working remotely.
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.
TravelerReally nice place to stop. Impeccable cell service, lots of space with any neighbors far away, and location 20 minutes away from Carlsbad Caverns can't be beat. No sun or wind protection though!
GuideWe needed a night to get to our reserved time to see Carlsbad Caverns in the morning next day and called them up and got a spot for the RV 28 foot.
It was a great open space
We had tought we were going to eat at the restaurant/cafe on other side of street for the evening, but that was closed because they were out of staff.
So BBQ it was then ,which was fine , had a firepit and a grill .
Two laundry rooms ,so got some washing done after been dry camping for five days it was about time. Full hookups
Free wifi
It was a gift store there and one could get to buy some food in the store too,but not to many choices.
Bathroom/shower concrete floor , but it was clean and had lots of hot water.
Best part it was just at the entrance to get to the caverns and just drow up hill 4 miles.
Scoutgood post
GuideOnly stayed here for a night. Super easy to find. I took the first spot available and made camp. I awoke to cows near my tent. Unphased by me doing their on thing. There were plenty other spots available that were higher up that gave beautiful views
Frequently Asked Questions
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