Best Glamping near Conchas Dam, NM

We stayed here primarily because it was on our route to Northern New Mexico and Colorado. It was exactly as we expected and we enjoyed an overnight here in June. Fortunately we had electric power for AC and were comfortable. Enjoyed some short hikes right from our campsite. Very isolated location between Tucumcari and Las Vegas, New Mexico, but that was our intended route. Marginal highway, but almost no traffic.

Book on Reserve America for New Mexico “Santa Rosa Lake” very pretty and peaceful. Not all streets were labeled but the directions worked to get us there just fine. Park for kids, gorgeous sunsets and the stars show off at night. Clean bathrooms. Had hookups.

We spent two nights and it only cost us $16. We were parked right on the lake, and being right after a holiday the lake was pretty much empty. They have several different campsites, with a website that makes it easy to reserve a spot. However, we called to ask, and ranger let us know we could come for first come first serve. They have signs that make finding your way around easy, also having stations that you can pay(cash only) for your campsite. The rangers were sweet and helpful as well as having a host, who was there all night in case of an emergencies. The restrooms/showers were clean and it looked to be recently remodeled. Also they had ramps going into the water for boats and a dock for fishing. Something else we learned about New Mexico, not being from here, April-May is a rainy and windy season. So be sure to check the weather before heading out

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.

Nice views of the lake and rocks from Bell Point campground. We stayed in site B19 and it was easy to back in to with our 20' camper. Electric was appreciated, but water was unavailable due to repairs, the dump station and showers were closed - making our stay shorter than expected. There were porta-potties available at the restrooms. The only place around to get water is in the town of Tecumcari, atleast a 30 min drive. If we're in the area and the water gets turned back on, we'd visit again. ATT signal is good and Starlink worked great here, no interruptions in school, work, streaming or gaming. Loved the views, did a bit of hiking around the lake area, saw a boat or two on the lake every now and then. We saw a roadrunner near our site which was really neat

This has to be my favorite lake in NM. Bathrooms with showers, restaurant and convenient store, and gas station. We always rent a boat slip and go night fishing!

We stayed at bell point campground and although it’s still a Rocky hike to the beach the views are breathtaking. Camp was quiet enough (depends on your neighbors). Deer cover the campground. Each camp site has a covered wind break area for eating lunch. No ATVs. Kids loved it and so did dogs. Friendly staff - the rangers gave the kiddos a coloring book and badge when we got here. All the sites are nice that I can tell but not all have water views

The area is nice, for desert lakes. There are trees and more opportunities for shade in the North and Bell point campgrounds. Cove campground is quite bare but almost every site has some kind of shade structure. We've stayed at both the "primitive" and established campsites with a 24' trailer. Its hot during the summer with storms that roll in almost every afternoon from June and start slowing down in August. Don't have anything that catches the wind up when they come. The lake is nice clear and warm. Great for bass and walleye. The weekends usually have a lot of people that disappear during the week. On the weekends the lake is full of fishermen and boaters and kayaks. The people in speedboats like to go by the kayakers and fishing boats as close and fast as they can to be big jerks in so little words, but thats just NM people in general. Anyways I will be coming back again.

I stayed at the North Campground in the park and it was great. The bath house was recently renovated and very clean. The only downside to the park was that the tent pads we rock and gravel making it very difficult to stake a tent. Each site had a covered picnic table and a charcoal grill. There was easy access to drinking water and there was an access road to the lake close by.

Has been closed for more than a decade. Anyone who left a positive review must have went to a different campground

While I usually am pretty sad when I find a site which does not welcome tents, this spot was actually quite nice to check out and I feel had I been able to enjoy it a bit more I could have rated it higher. So why a 3?

I always keep my eye out as a travel blogger for sites which might interest my fellow traveler or followers and I have a lot of questions about equestrian camps because people like to travel for rides and such. I also am constantly asked about RV sites which are large enough for big rigs to easily navigate around instead of being crushed.

This place fits both of those needs really well!

Visually, it isn't much I must say on the outside, mostly because there isn't a ton of vegetation, but it is kind of in the desert so that can't really be held against them. It is the perfect destination for a good trail ride, which is actually what this place is designed to do.

So what does set it apart for someone like myself though who isn't interested in trail rides? The clubhouse!! It is visually probably one of the best clubhouses I have found. Bright bold colors, a pool table, fun paintings and a staff which is so friendly.

Then did I mention it is part of a Wildlife Refuge area? Yep, so if you are like me and LOVE to see nature at its finest this place checks off a lot of boxes. If only it could check off the tent site box it probably would have been the perfect blend of nature an nearby Route 66 to me.

TIPS:

• Check out their working camper program it is pretty cool, the camp host was telling me just a little about it and it was very appealing.

• Sure if you are there for the trails, Route 66 might seem an after thought but there are some really amazing preserved spots just in town that you will love if you like a bit of history.

This RV Park is closed; out of business.

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.

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.