Looking for the best Carrizozo tent camping? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Several shelters, tables and fire rings are located here as well as a vault toilet. All sites are dry and on a first come/first served basis. The access road off of US 380 is graveled. There are no fees for camping in this area.
Monjeau Lookout is a famous landmark on the Smokey Bear Ranger District built originally in 1936 and then reconstructed in 1940 as part of a Civilian Conservation Corps project. This site is a wonderful and adventurous place to visit. Roads leading up to the site are dirt and can be steep in places. Visit during the summer months as the road leading to it closes during the winter with the advent of snow. Monjeau Lookout is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Click Here for a recent article from the "Lookout Network" detailing the entire history of this place.
The Skyline Campground is located just south of the famous Monjeau Lookout tower along Forest Road 117 at a little over 9,000' elevation. Access to it is via a well kept but steep gravel road but with inclement weather, this road can become rough and difficult to use. There are 17 sites here for tents only. Breathtaking mountain views abound and access to the White Mountain Wilderness can be found at the site via the Crest (T25) Trailhead. No trash service at this site. Please pack out what you pack in.
The Upper Bonito Dispersed Recreation Area is located at the end of Forest Road 107 in Bonito Canyon. It is a popular dispersed camping site with access to the adjacent White Mountain Wilderness Area and its trails.
Located on the outskirts of Ruidoso, Cedar Creek provides a wonderful space for groups visiting for the day or staying overnight. With a picnic shelter and three group campsites, the recreation area is ideal for an outing in Lincoln National Forest. A popular pastime is is hiking and mountain biking along the scenic multi-use trails adjacent to the Sam Tobias Memorial Group Campground. There are opporunities to see a number of different wildlife, including Mule deer and Elk in the area.
This was a beautiful location, near the town of Cloudcroft. We enjoyed the cooler weather up in the mountains. It was peaceful and quite. There were not very many spaces available. We should have have just stayed in the first location we found though. We went to the end of the road to find out that there was no way to turn our 29 ft trailer. We had to go in reverse about 1/4 mile to find a place to turn around.
There is NO River, small stream in a ditch. LIE# 2. Internet indicates SHOWERS. However if your camper has a shower ACCESS TO SHOWERS. DENIED!!! Also No fires allowed ! Highway noise drowns out any Peaceful sounds. In truth: NO Amenities… play in the ditch or stay in your camper.
Wrong time of year too come to Baca , snow covered. Able too park , spent one nite. Saw one other camper maybe two hundred yards away. Very quite. I’ll be back when the weather warms up for sure.
This was a really nice spot we stumbled upon. It's about 13 miles off the 54 on BLM land. The road was smooth (though gravel most of the way). It was also super quiet since it was so far away from the road. The actual camp was in the trees and great views of the surrounding mountains. Each spot has a table, fire pit, and gazebo. There are also a few trailheads at the back of camp. The only downside was that it cost $15.
Three Rivers Petroglyph BLM , NM Campground: Great location between White Sands and Valley of the Fires. It is about 3 miles from the highway off a gravel road that is in good condition. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 3 because most sites are in a large open gravel area . Our site: 4
Price 2024: $ w interagency pass
Security: No
Usage during visit: Full each night mostly with one or two night stays.
Site Privacy: 1 and 2 are set off by themselves a bit. The rest have no privacy.
Site Spacing: fine
Site surface: gravel
Reservations: First come first serve v
Campground Noise: Quiet
Outside Road Noise: No
Through Traffic in campground: Folks come in to hike.
Electric Hookup: Sites 1 & 2
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: No
Potable Water Available: Yes. Filter the water.
Generators: Yes
Bathroom: Very well kept flush toilets.
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: Most are
Cell Service (AT&T): 1 to 2 bars.
Setting: Open desert shrubbery between the splendid looking White Mountains and
Recent Weather: Winy time of year.
Solar: Absolutely.
Insects: None.
Host: On site.
Rig Size: Some sites can fit a large 5th wheel.
Sites: Most of the few sites are spread out in a graveled area. There is not much distinction between sites. Sites 1 and 2 set off from the rest and are the best sites.
Valley of Fire CG, NM: The RV area sits on a ridge. Great views. Tenting area sits by itself. No views there, but looks nice. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 5 for a campground offering space and extraordinary views.
Price 2024: $ 35 w interagency pass
Security: no
Usage during visit: RV area was full every day.
Site Privacy: no
Site Spacing: nice
Pad surface: blacktop
Reservations: Some sites require reservations. Some sites are first come first serve.
Campground Noise: Nice and quiet
Outside Road Noise: light trafficed highway might create some noise for the first few sites.
Through Traffic in campground: Some day visitors.
Electric Hookup: some sites
Sewer Hookup: no
Dump Station: yes
Potable Water Available: at most sites
Bathroom: one main bathroom. Also, two smaller bathrooms towards each end of the campground.
Showers: yes. Clean. Push button timer type. Hot water
Pull Throughs: yes
Cell Service (AT&T): four bars
Setting: on a ridge overlooking the black lava flow on one side and desert on the other
Recent Weather: windy
Solar: definitely
Insects: none
Host: yes
Rig Size: large rigs, no problem
Sites: 1-14: views both ways. Extraordinary sunset views. 15- 18: the views are nice, but one direction. away from the valley of fires view. 18 & 19 are more secluded.
We got lured in with a super reasonable monthly price so decided to book despite seeing it was close to a major street. It was ok to stay as we enjoyed exploring the surrounding mountains and of course white sands but the campground itself is nothing to brag about. Very noisy at night with lots of ambulances driving by but worst of all the electricity charge they presented us at the end of the stay was unbelievable high. We didn't even use air conditioning and they refused to show us proof of our usage. It is what it is but I wouldn't go back.
We stayed 2 nights. Bathrooms were clean and the hikes were very fun. To see and imagine the people who created the petroglyphs was incredible. We also drove to the mountain camp area and took a short hike up the 3 river. It was fun!
We were able to catch a first come first serve site. It had awesome views of the mountains and a nice shade shelter. The pit toilets were clean and showers are always a plus. The hike through the lava rocks was informative and easy. Love this place!
We stopped here for one night after visiting White Sands National Monument. The sites are very close together. The side of our camper almost touched the slide out of the RV next to us. Water, sewer & electricity. They have bright lights st the sites which is annoying. There is a duck pond. Bathrooms and showers were adequate. About 5 miles from Alamogordo and 20 miles from White Sands.
First come first serve. 2 sites w elec/water no sewer hook up. Great cel service. Perfect spot!
Three Rivers Campground finally reopened "for good" at the start of 2024 after some stops and starts due to fires around the area.
This place is unique as it is one of the few places you can camp on the Western edge of Sierra Blanca / the White Mountain Wilderness. Tons of hiking opportunities with 3 separate trails originating at the campground.
Well maintained dirt roads lead up to the campground. There's a single spot where water flows over the road but it was only an inch or so deep and padded with concrete.
$6 per vehicle per night. Hosts present and active. Very nice couple watching over the sites.
Please tread lightly, leave no trace, and be gentle with the wilderness. This place has gone through a lot of fire related hardships.
when i got to the site there was only one other person. we were at opposite ends of the site and couldn’t even see each others camps. very quiet and feels very secluded, but its only about 5 min off the highway. site has trash, toilets, grills, picnic tables, and already established fire pits. i did not see any of the free range cattle at the site, but i did see a large herd of deer at the back side of the site. i did a decent amount of exploring on the land across the road from the site, once off the site you will see a lot of manure but it was cool wandering around, found a bunch of animal skeletons. if you are wanting more dispersed camping with better views, i recommend going past the site entirely and camping off the road somewhere. you should only go on the trail if you have 4x4 though. there were some primitive campsites along the ~20 mile trail that had much better views. will be back to camp further down the trail! i’ve attached a pic marked with the location of camp and highlighted the trail. the trail does circle all the way around to the camp entrance.
RV area is old and not really kept up, a lot of trucks park here and stay at the motel. Close to the railroad tracks south bound train just track noise , the north bound start blowing their horn I think a mile south of town and don’t quit until they are a mile north of town. The lady that manages the park is very friendly and helpful. Can’t say enough good about her.
The camping is great and the views are amazing. However, the trail up to the camping spots is steep, washed out, and tight. Can be navigated with a stock 4x4 pick up. Also, there is a gun range at the bottom, so you'll hear gun shots til sundown. Also, a little highway noise is present in the distance.
Very small campground with beautiful spots. Trash bins and awnings.
Lovely level sites, as I am in a van. Spacious sites, firebox available, tables at the sites, deer, wild horses come to visit. Firewood available per bundle.
It is a small but very nice campground. No electricity water or sewer but trash toilets and privacy. Would be hot in high summer and cold right now end of November but if you have a generator and can be off the grid what a cute place to be.
It really is just a big parking lot. Pit toilet water and electric. There's an extra fee to use the dump station 20 bucks a night for full service. Thing is it's perfect if you're here in the winter and you don't want any shade and you want to hike all the trails without any traffic it's terrific for that. Pretty sure I can work from my level parking spot for the week and there's enough exploring to be done that I shouldn't run out of things to do. Barely barely barely have cell phone service but I seem to be connected and with very little traffic on it it seems to be okay.
The map icon shows this as being near the Gran Quivara unit of Salinas Pueblo missions National Monument. It is not. As at least one other review indicates it is near White sands National Monument. I used the link from the campground description to try to get to this in about 2 and 1/2 mi short of it is a locked gate. Whoever dropped the pin and gave this location data gave a bogus location.
Several permanent trailers here, but we got a good site (#14 which was marked as 21). Outdoor fire pit and gas grill available. 30 or 50 amp ($10 more for 50). FHU. Friendly staff. Did not use the facilities but grounds were very clean.
This is a great campground for a quick overnight trip or a longer stay as homebase while exploring the area. Nice easy access pull thru sites with amazing views of the sunrise and sunset. Nice short paved nature trail through the lava beds. Park and bathrooms are very clean. Camp host is friendly and helpful.
Lovely campsites, good tent sites and a few pull thru and back in sites for small Rv’s. Saw several teardrops. No showers but clean pit toilets.
Big trees, level camp site and for the most part spaced out. Absolutely beautiful. First come first serve I would suggest arriving Thursday’s around lunch to snag your self a beautiful camp site.
It’s a nice area to spend with another person and even with kids, restrooms are clean, there’s some privacy if you find s good spot, could be busy during the weekend, but it’s worth visiting
This is a good spot, great cell service and good Starlink reception, but it gets overrun with absolute idiots and just generally clueless campers. They will park and camp right on the roads, they will run their generators into the early hours of the morning, they will come blazing through on their OHVs blaring the most obnoxious music as loud as they can. If that’s your thing, great! You’ll love it. Otherwise there’s plenty more camping in the forest with a bit more seclusion and far fewer weekend warriors
We stayed here in January and the stay was wonderful. We were greeted by friendly and helpful hosts. Nice office and with couches and a book/dvd lending library. There is a pool in the summer and an area for breakfast. Our stay in January was wonderful. You can also refill your propane on site. We would come back here any time !
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Carrizozo, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Carrizozo, NM is Fort Stanton Cave Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Carrizozo, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Carrizozo, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
