Best Campgrounds near Ponderosa, NM

Pretty rough getting here as neighbors are sabotaging the road making it narrow using loose gravel & boulders on turns. There is now a locked gate on Palomino to keep non-locals out! 😏 once there we so enjoyed the views, sunsets, city lights & stars! 9 wild horses came to visit too!

Follow the directions in the app to avoid the private roads. It’s pretty easy to find. The road in is a little rocky but there is plenty of space and is a nice area.

Very convenient location for traveling through Albuquerque. Beautiful views, good pricing, everything you need around you. On the water and has kayak/paddle launch. Brewery infront you can walk to

The road up to the camping area is decent. There are big ruts headed into the camping area that are impassible to low clearance vehicles but nice spots otherwise.

Took a minute to find. Not a soul out here on a Wednesday. Very windy, forget using a tent. Not far from town yet remote and quiet.

Great place to camp if visiting Rio Rancho, Bernalillo and the surrounding area. Super nice camp sites, more than enough room for our 39’ trailer and inexpensive. You are next to the Rio Grande and in walking distance of the Pueblo Kuaua which is cool

This campground is a beast little spot. We were in a water/electric site. No dull hook. Up sites. They are sloped a bit, and the water was on the opposite side of our camper, but we made it work. The spots are large and have a shaded cover in every site. We would stay here again!!

Almost made to cell tower and end of road. Road got extremely rough towards end. Turned down 192 and found a spot about 1/4 miles in. 4 bars Verizon .

Nice place to stay. Very responsibly priced. Easy check in. Will definitely be back when passing through.

Great little find for a quick place to car camp while driving through Albuquerque without going too far out of the way. The directions in the app were helpful to know to avoid the private roads, as they were not marked private. We took Llano del Norte the whole way around and found the public lands easily.

Great place to stay. Convenient drive to Albuquerque.

We stopped for a night on the way through and it was so nice that we stayed an extra one just to relax and enjoy it. I highly recommend this little stop. The manager and staff were so nice!

My wife and I drove in late 9PM Friday night and host was there to meet us. Our 27ft class C RV made it up the hill, but kinda bumpy steep road. Rode our bikes all over Madrid and spent a lot of time exploring Madrid Cemetary, which is Awesome! The view and spot are breathtaking. We will return again.

Great hidden gem! Please don’t turn at Palomino Street to access this location it is a PRIVATE road.

When you first arrive to the end of the road and the beginning of the public land - you have the option to go left, straight, or right. The left turn has one semi level campsite with a homemade fire ring but not as much on that left side. The straight route has the most options I found. I drove around for 15 minutes looking for the best spot but didn't see too many  pre-cleared "camping spots" from previous travelers. Plenty of places to pull over to camp with a great view.

Incredible scenery, overlooking the valley and mountains in the West, with great sunsets. My first morning I was surrounded by a group of 5 cows grazing. They ended up laying 30 feet from the trailer all morning. Saw one other camper about a mile away. 

The gravel roads are really tight for my 27" trailer, manageable but did rub on a couple of trees and shrubs on the drive in. Don't necessarily need a 4WD unless there is bad weather, but a few spots where ground clearance of a regular truck or SUV is important. Pretty isolated from supplies, which is the charm, but come prepared. 

Great Starlink location and pretty good cell service (3/4 bars)

Don’t arrive when it’s dark. Not much going on, no fire rings, no wild horses to wake up to. Maybe it was too cold for the horses. No fire rings I saw nonetheless.

Mostly residential area until you get to the open space.  I didn't make it to the actual coordinates as I took a wrong turn near the end, but there is a ton of open space out here.   Easy to get to in 25' RV.   Recommend.