Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Cliff, NM

Don't go to the Gila Lower Box looking for formal campsites and places to hook up an rv. This is primitive camping at one of New Mexico's truest oases. 

Why? Because in 1990, cattle were prohibited from grazing this stretch of the Gila River. 

The result? One of the lushest, most verdant riparian environments left in the desert southwest.
For those with a 4wd or very high clearance, you can camp down along the cliffs right at the edge of the river corridor. Being a birders paradise, it's a very unique experience to sit on the edge of the cliffs, 20-30 feet above the tops of the cottonwoods and watch all the bird activity below. 

You can also watch bands of coatimundis grazing through the bosque. Watch out for rattlesnakes and Gila monsters during the warmer months though. 

I rate this as one of New Mexico's best outdoor experiences. (A note: I camp to the west of the location shown on the map.)

This is an awesome park. The RV sites all have full hookups and are extra long and wide. Because the rv sites are situated around the perimeter of the very large greenspace and dog park, all sites have expansive views in all directions. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets! There are tent sites in the central green area with picnic table, firepit and shade trees. There is a great hiking trail, about 1/2 mile, that makes a loop. It is comfortably wide so you and your dog can see the trail and won't accidentally run into cactus. The park is a straight-shot easy 15 minute drive into Silver City and is convenient to Gila NF trails, several Continental Divide trailheads, the Catwalk and lots of other natural areas. Rosie and Bill, the owners are a wealth of info about the local sites and trails. The campground has a bathhouse, laundry, gym, communal library with books, games and puzzles.

The bathrooms were a little outdated but that didn’t take away from how well kept the bathrooms were. Especially when I got there after hours. The water pressure for the shower in the bathroom was decent. It was a darker lot, which I’m not mad about because I don’t like sun beaming in the camper anyways. Made a reservation with a man on the phone, he was very nice. Came after hours & had no problem with it. The “dog park” isn’t the best of the KOAs I’ve been to.. but it’s better than nothing. If I was passing through, I’d stay again. & also, the pool wasn’t filled. Not sure why..

I was worried that this place wasn’t open due to the fact there were only two reviews and it had been a while since a review. I can happily share that they are open and thriving. I was driving from Gila Cliff Dwellings towards White Sands NP and needed a place to camp. I passed some dispersed camping along the way, but most of the cultivated sites were closed, I’m guessing due to COVID as New Mexico has really cracked down on their camping and I ran into lots of sites that were either closed or only open to residents. Anyway, this place was a STEAL. For only $21 (the typical price of most regular vault toilet and picnic table camp sites), you get heaven on earth. You wouldn’t expect it driving in from either direction, but the sites themselves are extremely shaded and surrounded by trees and as private as possible given the close proximity to neighbors. I stayed at site #47 and even though I was right next to the pools and bathhouse, I couldn’t be seen at all from those places. There’s a potable water tap at EACH campsite, free showers, unlimited 24/7 access to hot springs (clothing required & clothing optional pools), a clubhouse to wash dishes or cook or simply hang out inside in a comfortable chair to read or play games at a table), several bathrooms, phone service (and I didn’t have any driving in or out), peacocks and other wildlife to admire, friendly staff, firewood for sale, labyrinth maze, short scenic trails to watch the sunset and rise, inside facilities, amazing cabins (cheapest one is only $60 and comes with an hour long soak in a private pool which is otherwise $28 for one hour), etc. I could go on and on about this place. The best $21 I have ever spent to spend the night anywhere in my entire life and I am always camping and traveling. A literal oasis. I soaked from 7pm-11pm and had the pools to myself several times on a Sunday evening. Everyone was respectful and there was no sense of party / loud groups as so common is seen at hot springs. Alcohol allowed.

Last week I visited Faywood, New Mexico which is located about halfway in between Silver City and Deming, and I came across a unique terrain with structures of Boulder rocks that are “formed of volcanic ash and sculpted by wind and water into rows of monolithic blocks”, according to stateparks.com; I had never seen anything like it.

This unique and tucked-away gem has all the perfect essentials for a State Park including a Visitor Center, hot showers and clean restrooms, dry camping, picnicking and a Botanical Garden .

I absolutely enjoy being in a place that is preserved in its authenticity and City of Rocks State Park is all of that and a bag of organic chips. It is not just another “area of attraction”, but it is a place for healing, stillness, discipline and community. The miles of hiking and biking trails through rolling grasslands gives you an opportunity to reconnect with yourself, walking into the fields to sit in stillness and listen to the migration of the numerous bird species disciplines your senses, and for those of you who enjoy making new connections you will quickly find yourself in conversations with humans alike or vastly different in ways that allow you see yourself, and others, in the form of how God sees us all — in love and in truth.