Best Cabin Camping near Conchas Dam, NM

This is a great place to hang out on the weekend in Eastern New Mexico. The water is great and it's pretty clean lake. When the wind kicks up it can get pretty rough but overall nice. The grounds are well taken care of as well. I would recommend staying on the South side of the lake if you like it quiet, you can also find more "trees". Try to keep your elevation low because the wind always blows in New Mexico.

This is a hidden gem. We were evacuated from our camping spot in Northern New Mexico due to wildfires and set out for a new spot. Exhausted from driving, we pulled into this campground. It is clean, well maintained and the dog got a kick out of doing a bit of swimming. There is unique topography and enough to explore for a night or two.

Traveling the old familiar Route 66 time and time again I have found so many stops to enjoy. I try to make it a point to check out new places each time I pass to get a full perspective of what this strip of highway has to offer. Not always will you be able to stay in a classic roadside stop, but when you can get within throwing distance of one you have to jump on the opportunity.

The grass here is semi green the spaces are large enough to not be on top of your neighbor and the staff is friendly. I like that they have a grassy tent area with the signature KOA feel in the picnic structures and while you are in a semi desolate looking space, you feel that the area has a sense of community with a lot of retro trailers and rvs passing though on the same mission as you.

This seems to be an older KOA so some of the amenities, while nice are not as up to date as other campgrounds. I noticed this mostly in the playground, and while I am perfectly happy with the see-saws and older swing sets which remind me of my own childhood, I am sure to newer parents used to all things plastic and padded this is a nightmare waiting to happen.

The pool is not large but perfectly sized for a small group and is gated to protect it from being used by just anyone at the camp during any non-specific type of hour. It is, like at many KOA camps, seasonal so if you are wanting to take a dip, might call in advance to make sure you aren't there when it isn't open. The one thing that was a little strange to me was the height of the fence, a little tall and made me think they ave had issues with fence jumping previously, then again maybe it is just an extra precaution for insurance.

Nights here are pretty quiet and if you can get past the appearance of chainlink surrounding the property you have an amazing New Mexico sunset only a short distance from the old Neons of Route 66.

The sites themselves for tents come in 3 basic types, standard grassy sites with no improvements, pull thru sites with water and electric and group sites known as the tent village. The prices vary depending on type of site and location and for tent village I will recommend booking well in advance online because I tried on three different sets of dates and it always said NOT AVAILABLE. Average cost of camp however is between $28 and $35 before tax.

TIPS:

• Opt for a site further from the road because traffic can be a bit loud along the road side of this campground.
• Checkout is at 11 a.m. make sure you are aware of this because otherwise you are subject to an additional days charge at any KOA camp.

The sites are nice for this kind of place. A little bit pricey but I wanted electricity to run my AC in my Tiger Moth. The staff is very friendly and gave me a cookie at check in. The bathroom is OK but two of the three men’s toilets were out of order. One sink was not working either. Good place to stop for an overnight.

We stayed for an overnight on the way to Arizona. Check in was very easy and well organized. There is a store and they will also bring breakfast to your site which is a great added feature. If you get a site at the very back of the park, like we did, you have an unobstructed view, of Tucumcari Mountain which was very nice to watch the sunset. Clean bathrooms, quiet aside from the interstate noise. Con - was a little pricey for the area and I’ve seen people complain it’s a little harder to get to then some of the other parks, but it was really a simple turnaround. It is on the east side of town so you reached the park before you reach anything in town but you can get DoorDash there if you want dinner delivered. Would stay again.

Small dog run. Playground could use an update. Good water pressure. Level sites. Spread out decently. Gravel/dirt roads through site. Plenty of picnic tables. Constant strong hog/cattle farm smell untold winds turned.