Best Tent Camping near Carlsbad, NM

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!

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!

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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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.

Stayed 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.

General: small campground (four “RV” sites and nine tent sites (plus one group tent site). Access is remote (only one 60-mile paved option and one 30-mile dirt road alternative) so you need to make sure you have filled up with gas in Carlsbad as there are no services within many miles of the campground. No cell reception at all (not unexpected). Be aware that the park is on mountain time but close enough to the central time zone border that your smartphone/watch may not display the correct time!

Site Quality: The “RV” sites are just a gravel parking lot. Each site has a picnic table and while the sites are spaced a decent amount of distance apart, there is no physical separation between the sites. No hookups. The tent sites are walk-in. 

Bathhouse: We were expecting a pit toilet in such a remote location but there is one men’s and one women’s bathroom with a flush toilet and sink. They were very clean. Soap dispensers but no paper towels. Although there was no hot water, the restrooms were heated, which was a nice bonus. 

Activities: There is a .6-mile nature trail and several more challenging hiking trails. There was a horse corral behind the RV sites, but we did not see any horses while there. About 25 miles away is Sitting Bull Falls, a spring-fed waterfall that is a nice side trip. 

We camped here because we were not able to get reservations in the other more popular campground in Guadalupe Mountains NP. Access between the two sides of the park is long (about 60 miles) so while this was a nice, comfortable campground, it is not easy to get to.

Clean 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.

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.

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!

The 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.

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.

This 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.

Campers 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!

The 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.

We got here as the bins were being emptied. Very well maintained. Each spot has a shaded picnic table and grill. Limited spots though, 6 RV sites and 6 tent sites. We got the last spot when we got here, so it can be full even on a weekday. RV sites are all pull-through.

As other reviewers have noted, the RV sites are basically a parking lot. I was able to get one on the outskirts so I had stunning views. The tent sites appear to be spaced nicely. All sites require reservations. The visitor center and trailhead rangers were very friendly and helpful. This is very wild Texas.

We first pulled up to the main campground and ranger station. The bathrooms were very dirty and not well kept. The campground for rv’s was just a parking lot. I held out hope for this campground and after a 2hr drive it was another parking lot for rv’s. Right next to each other. Luckily after the first night everyone else left and we were there all by ourselves until that night. Tent camping looked nicer.

Decent level sites for the tents off one loop with the RV off to another loop (i like that you're not surrounded by an RV when in your tent). The tent sites are much nicer than the parking lot for the RVs. Sites are decently spaced out with your normal table and fire ring, you then also have nice clean restrooms and potable water. You're right up against the Guadalupe Mountains which are a wonderful sight.

Late December

Stayed 1 night in camper van. Tent sites were full so stayed in RV parking lot. Sites were painted lines on the concrete but big enough to have some space to yourself if you park correctly. Had a couple more secluded sites tucked in the corner. Free water pump, no electric. Bathrooms and dish station conveniently located. Trailheads in parking lot. Great location and $15. Would stay again