Best Glamping near Carson, NM

If your wanting to get out and play in the snow or explore more in depth the beautiful culture of New Mexico, Taos has a little for everyone

Not a bad setting. Surrounded by mountains, yet you are really in the city of Taos. Prices are fair, pull through with Electric and Water $43.00. The landscape is really cool, fits the New Mexico motif. A little noisy in the morning with the barking dogs in the surrounding neighborhood. We felt safe with no problems.

This is a great place to stay if you want to explore Taos. Much more vegetation than you would expect from a campground close to town. The staff are friendly. The facilities were clean. The park is older but in an charming New Mexico way. They have funky wooden shade structures at some of the sites.  We felt safe here. We will definitely stay here again.

If Jacks Creek campsite is all booked, this is the next one you should try. Iron gate is ok too but it’s a lot longer drive than you think and might need all wheel drive since the road to Iron gate gets bit tricky road every now and then. Holy! This campsite offered me a lot more than I expected! Nice trail heads nearby (not only one) and each campsite was spaced out well enough so you still get a privacy. Of course the site by the creek gets filled first. Be aware of skunks! Do not leave food unattended and keep your dogs under control ;) Overall, a decent campsite but only 3 in nation but I would give 4 in New Mexico!

I would have given this property 5 stars but they’ve become unfriendly to families. Children under 13 are not allowed in the hot springs.

The camping area is more of a campground than an RV park, in a positive way. Many of the sites are shaded with mature trees. A river runs by the edge of the campground (It can’t be seen from most sites).

Hike or mountain bike right from your campsite. No open flames are permitted but there’s a community campfire by the main lodge.

There’s an amazing restaurant on the property. Yoga is available in the yurt.

The National Forest Service campground is located on highway 64 between Angel Fire and Taos New Mexico. The site is just a few feet off the highway next to a small creek. They have about a dozen small campsites along the creek with privacy between the sites. The sites are very basic and come equipped with fire pits and picnic tables. The location had availability during the summer peak season. The site is self serve pay and does not have a camp host. The location may be a good option for those looking to visit Taos which is about 30 minutes away. I gave this a low rating due to the condition of the sites which needed basic maintenance and cleanup. The site was also far to close to the highway to enjoy a good camping experience. I think this is the type of place you use as a last resort while in transit to Taos or Eagles nest.

This was our 3rd visit and this time we stayed at site #14.  Beautiful forest, nice campground... however, this Red River area has been taken over by groups from Texas and Oklahoma primarily.  Large groups with multiple campers book up the sites and then put up canopies and tables for large parties.  It isn't quite the same as in years past.  I understand their states don't have pretty places like this, but every campground in the area (there are several forest service campgrounds as well as commercial campgrounds) are FULL to overflowing with these large groups.  

If you are looking for quiet and enjoying peace with nature, it isn't at Red River anymore.  It wouldn't bother us so much if there weren't STATE mandated orders about groups and wearing masks, but majority of these people do not follow these New Mexico rules.  Hearing them be abusive to locals and NM residents about it has really soured us on visiting here in the near future.  

It used to be a nice area... love the campground, but the CROWDS,,,, yuck.

We traveling through Northern New Mexico on our way back to Austin. The campsite was a bit of a disappointment after so many get camps in Colorado. Cimarron Canyon is still recovering from a major wildfire with large sections of the pine forest destroyed. As you travel up the canyon the damage is less so in the State Park. The highlight here is the trout stream that runs through the camp. We stayed at Tolby Campground. The park headquarters and park rangers are based here. So it’s resource for those looking to information or assistance. The campsite has a nice day use area with lots of parking excellent restrooms with for ADA. The camp host was very personable and welcomed each of the guests as they came in throughout the day. You had a mix of families and retirees at the camp enjoying the summer retreat. They firewood for sale as well. Our big grip was the lack of privacy and the size of the sites and campground itself. The sites are right next too each other and many of the huge 5th wheel RVs were running generators all day and night while others were lighting fires in the rain and smoking out the campground. It’s only $10 per night to camp here. So it may be an option for those looking to do some fishing and perhaps visiting in the week when the site isn’t completely full. The road is also very close and trucks can be heard all day long. I can’t recommend this place based on our experience, the condition of the sites,and the location.

Cimarron Canton State Park is a wonderful place to stay, right on the Cimarron River. Bring your fishing gear and license for some relaxing fishing. Some of the sites are immediately adjacent to the river. My favorite campground is Tolby, the Westernmost. It has a Ranger/Information Station in the east end of the campground. It has flush toilets and sinks, but no shower. This is my favorite, because I love to hike and backpack. Just south across Highway 64 from the campground entrance is the Tolby Trailhead. The Tolby Trail takes you all the way back to Tolby Meadow on an excellent trail. A good spot for overnight tent camping. Tolby campground is also just minutes from Eagle Nest, NM and within easy range of Angel Fire, Red River, and a little less than an hour from Taos.

There are two other campgrounds for RVs, Maverick and Ponderosa, as well as one more for tent camping. Maverick sits right next to a pair of gravel pit lakes for added Fishing opportunities. Ponderosa is across the street from that, but is more like a parking lot with painted camping slots around its perimeter.

In the town of Cimarron I recommend dining at the Historic St. James hotel (very haunted) or lunch at the Creemee. Stop in at the headquarters of Philmont Scout Ranch for the National Scounting Museum and a Tour of the Villa Philimonte (Waite Phillips’ mansion). Also recommended is the Tooth of Time Traders at Philmont. It’s a camping/hiking store that is like an REI.

If you’re coming via Raton, the Colfax Tavern between Raton and Cimarron at Cold Beer New Mexico is a great place to stop for food and drinks.

I love this campsite. It is definitely one of my favorites on the Questa side of the Carson National forest. The views here are breathtaking and the sound of the river drowns out the noise from the road which is fairly close. The sites are are very nice and spacious with a grill pit and a huge circular fire pit.

The bathrooms are simple vault toilets and there is a small wash station. There are plenty of potable water spots and the rangers here are always helpful.

On one side you have the amazing views of the mountains and the other is just beautiful forest with the river running along side. There are a few trailheads towards the back of the campground with awesome trails. Plus this campground is in between the amazing Red River ski resort and Questa. Red River has some great restaurants including a local brewery that is my personal favorite. They also have a small market, or you could head into Questa or Taos for full size grocery stores.

This place is so cool. There is a “hotel” made up of old airstreams and other RVs, a solid brewery and a music venue that brings pretty serious acts in.

We paid $10 to park our van essentially. Parked in the gravel lot, had acces to showers and bathrooms. There was also tent camping for $10 a night as wel and that looked really legit with unobstructed views .

10/10 will 100% go back to this spot and support what they are doing

This place is cool. Its made up of about 15 1960-70's trailers, all updated and stylish, on the wide open Taos Mess. There's also tent camping available for $10 a night. Showers (indoor and outdoor) and bathrooms are all really nice and clean. The owners and employees are all a joy. 15 minutes to downtown Taos. There is a brewery right across the street with live music and an awesome patio.

My partner and I spent a night here in December with our dog. The trailer was really cute- we had "Jazzy," which had a separate bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen/living area. The kitchen was fully stocked with cookware, silverware, and coffee. The views from the large back window were unbeatable.

There was a heater, but we thought it got a little cold at night. We're not big folks, and we found it a little "cozy" in places- worth considering if you're a taller/larger person.

We stayed one night out in the dispersed camping area and pretty much had the huge area all to ourselves. I wouldn't say it was the greatest site in the world but the sunrise in the morning was pretty spectacular. And it was nice to have a clean bathroom and shower to use if we wanted to.

There are makeshift fire rings out in the dispersed area and it's really just a free for all - just park anywhere!

I took a few pictures of the campers you can stay in but never saw the inside of one.

Only about a 10-15 minute drive into Taos. There is also a brewery literally right next to the campground but it was closed the day we were there.

We wanted to love this place. A few years ago, we had our wedding at Taos Mesa Brewing, which is conveniently located next door. When we rolled up to the hip Luna Mystica, we told to camp as far away as possible from the airstreams. Then, we were charged $25 for dispersed camping. No shade, no amenities, no nothing. Another camper secretly gave us the code to the bathrooms (designated for the airstream campers). Confused by the complete lack of amenities for $25 (and not wanting to roast in the sun while feeling like second class citizens, we left after a few hours and camped elsewhere.

We are not RV park people but found ourselves in need of showers and laundry. Taos Valley is easy to find and very convenient to Taos. Office was friendly and helpful. The no hook-up area was very quiet. The area is attractive with trees and other landscaping. The park included a ‘natural’ area perfect for walking dogs. We only planned for one day but stayed for two.