Best RV Parks & Resorts near Counselor, NM

This RV Park is the most haphazardly laid out place I've seen. Imagine if you had a really large lot. Near the front, you own a small beauty parlor. On your land are a couple of old mobile homes. You decide to add some RV hookups(probably 20 years ago) and you just kinda scatter them about in what is only a semblance of order. That gives you an idea. I had called a few weeks before and"reserved" a 50 amp site(there are only 2). She took my name. That was it. No confirmation#, nothing. I had a bad feeling from the start. We arrive just before 7(that's when we said we'd arrive) and both 50 amp spots were taken. She had forgotten we were coming. She offered us a 30 amp site, which for one night, was more than fine. We backed in(sites are uneven, we had to add blocks to keep our motorhome from being held in the air by the jacks) and started set up. I got my money's worth from my EMS that day! We got a reverse polarity error!!! Fortunately, the site near us(unused) was close enough I could run my power cable that way, and it checked out okay. After that, all was well.

It's a very good location, on the north end of Cuba(tiny town). We grabbed take out dinner from the historic El Bruno restaurant, which was phenomenal. The next morning, we struck camp and drove away. It all worked out okay, but don't expect your reservations to be honored. Theresa is super friendly, but clearly relies only on her memory to help her with reservations. Be prepared with a Plan B, I guess, in case you show up and she's rented everything. But at$20, it's a reasonable stay.

Rio Chama RV park in Chama, New Mexico, is at the intersection of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the upper Rio Chama. A nice place to stay May 1 thru mid October. The train passing by twice a day is an exciting event and it's a short walk to the train yard.

Pull through sites have great shade and full hookups with 30 or 50 amp electrical service. Spacious tent sites with full service restrooms nearby. Pet friendly with dog park and free wifi. A great place for fishing, train watching and relaxing.

We were trying to find something before the sun went down and stopped here, but ended up moving on as they didn't have tent sites that we were interested in and we wanted a bit more seclusion. I was able to grab some info though. This campground is sort of between building of the fairgrounds.

About the park: This is a large RV park along the San Juan River between Farmington and Bloomfield. There are over 100 dry camping sites. 574 RV spaces with electric and water hookups.The sites don't have tables or fires pits. Each of these sites is 21’ by 41’. There is a dump station on site.  There are a lot of sites on the river.

Security patrols the area frequently.

Lots of activities happening at the fair and close to town. 

Showers and restrooms are by fair buildings so they are a little walk away from the sites, hence the "prefect for RV's".

This is a fine campground kept up well with clean bathrooms and facilities.  The only real issue is how close all the sites are.  It would seem with so much room they could be spread out so you could get more of a sense of the power of the place rather than feeling so much like you were in an RV park.  There is a septic dump and water available but no hookups.  The hike at the back of the campground is a nice evening stroll and you can get cell service up on the hill behind the campground.

I didn’t realize some sites are for RVs and some are for tents. I sleep in the back of my pick up truck and was stuck in the middle of RVs running their generators. Still loved the area. Great hiking right off the campground. Nice restrooms. 

Navajo Lake State park is situated on a relatively big lake for New Mexico standards. The campsites are relatively small and close together. Also bring plenty of leveling materials because several of the sites are uneven. The views from some of the sites are beautiful. Getting to the lake is a steep and rocky walk or a short drive to the marina. Most of the sites don’t have water or electricity. Pine campground is the only one from my recollection. Probably a mad house during regular season and relatively quiet off season. The marina has services and we didn’t use any of them.

Stopped on our way to Moab. Needed an overnight stay and wanted hookups to dump and get some water.
Theresa’s worked for us. Theresa was really nice and we came in at dark. $30 got us a pull through site with water sewer and 50 amp electric. 30 amp also available.
Spot was gravel/ground up asphalt, bit actually close to level.
It was chilly (low 30s) at night but water still turned on.
There is some highway noise but we got a good nights sleep.

This campground is not easy to get to, so get your head around that. The last 5 miles of the unpaved road getting to the park boundary will be a challenge, so take it slllooow. It is worth it, and you’ll have fewer crowds at this amazing place. 

The campground is similar to many national parks, with nicely spaced out, no hook up campsites. The toilets are clean and well maintained, flush toilets, and sinks, but no showers.  Water is available throughout the campground, and there’s a big sink for dumping your dish water. 

The campground is ideal for solar power, as is the New Mexico weather.  We also had no problem connecting with Starlink, but there was no LTE or phone service to speak of. 

Hiking in the park is simply stunning. With the ruins of the Chaco Culture all around, you can pick your adventure or simply drive the park loop road, stopping to wander through the remains of this vibrant place that was once the heart of a vast cultural empire. 

Cycling is also a great option -- bike/ hike your way around the park from the campground. The visitor’s center is good, and worth spending some time in.  The closest town with services is a long long way away, in any direction, so come prepared with your supplies, food, etc. 

There is a convenience store/ gas station about 20 miles out, but the drive back along the rough road will take an hour in an RV.  

This park is so worth a visit and the campground makes it easy to stay for as long as you can to soak up the solitude of this simply amazing place!

Several sites with concrete pad, table, electric, fire ring, shade and water. Crowded but sites are tucked away. Can be a little loud at night with all the RVs running. River is a short walk from most sites and about 20 mins driving to the marina.

I’ve been coming to Fenton Lake for camping with family since I was little and we’ve always loved it. It’s beautiful and well taken care of. Park rangers are always making their rounds and always friendly and helpful. Plenty of tent sites; only a few have some good privacy. Not many electrical hookups though. Trash bins and vault toilets are usually close by. Love the trail that runs along the side of the camp and the stream that runs adjacent to the campsites. Fishing is fun but get there early because spots fill up quickly. Only downfall I’ve seen is that theres only one water spigot and it’s right at the lake.

It says you need to reserve your space online, so we did. We've got to back in site overlooking the marina and Navajo Lake. It's a very beautiful view. We have Water and Electric hookups and a shaded picnic table. We're in site d46. About a hundred yards from the bathhouse. Probably the worst design shower I've seen. The handicap shower is about 20 ft long and has a bench and some hooks to hang your clothes on. The other shower is about 6 ft long with no bench and no hooks. The water turns on with one of those time nozzles. You get about 10 seconds each time you push it in. And there are no shower curtains so everything gets wet while you shower. It is at 6000 FT elevation so we are getting used to that. There are some spots with shade trees.

This is a campground that has access to the San Juan River below the Navajo Dam. There is direct access to bait Waters as the campground is on the river. The Quality Waters, which are catch and release and barbless fly fishing only, are a short drive away. This campground has shade, which is nice because the summer sun is very intense. It has hookups and is RV friendly, with both drive through and driveway sites available. The campground has bathrooms facilities, but NO SHOWERS. The campground is accessed by a rough dirt road, which may present an issue for some people. Overall, we really enjoyed our time here and we recommend this campground.

Access to the Angel Peak Scenic Area is off US Highway 550, 15 miles south of Bloomfield on County Road 7175. Follow the gravel road along the canyon rim for approximately six miles to reach the campground. It is important to note the gravel road may become dangerous in bad weather. 

First of picnic areas is a mile down a gravel road. Many RV's seem to be using this for boondocking. I don't blame them, but try and keep them open for day trippers if possible. The Picnic areas are on the rim of the canyon. The campground is 6 miles down the same road.

 Three picnic areas and a campground are located along the canyon rim overlooking Angel Peak and the Kutz Canyon badlands. Three picnic areas(Sage, Castle Rock, and Cliffs). In total there are seven developed sites located along the rim road. Each site has a shelter, tables on a concrete slab, a gravel pathway, and a fire grate. Trash cans are located in all three picnic areas. There are vault toilets available at both Sage and Cliffs picnic areas. These are BLM sites and are incredibly well maintained in the Winter. No electrical hookups or water is available.

Angel Peak Campground has nine sites available for tent camping. They each have picnic tables on a concrete underfoot, gravel pathways, and fire grates. Picnic shelters are located at three campsites; two with single shelters and one with a double shelter that seems to be a great spot for larger groups. Two accessible vault toilets and trash receptacles are in the campground. 

There is a nature trail that heads though light brush and along the rim to a beautiful bench that overlooks the incredible canyon.

Owners Wayne & Yolanda have created a space for camping with desert all around.  It was a great place to see the annular eclipse and , most importantly, a safe place to leave our trailer so we didn't have to take it on the rough road into Chaco Culture Heritage Site.  

There are no amenities and during the eclipse we were charged 40.00/nt.  However, the space was fairly level and the owners were lovely folks, very hospitable.  I'd definitely recommend utilizing their evolving campground while visiting Chaco.

It looks like a miniature Grand Canyon. Striations in the rock show its sedimentary origin, and the erosion reveals voids under the layers. We camped on the rim where the bottom drops out precipitously. Hikes along the sheer cliffs test the meddle and nerve of brave hikers.

About New Mexico sunrises and sunsets, there are two shows daily, no reservations required!

It’s out in the middle of nowhere. The camp grounds are actually fairly nice, flush toilets with AC but no hook ups and no showers. The tough part is getting there, plan for at least a 1 1/2 hour drive on washboard dirt roads. Once you get there, they have paved roads throughout the park. Sites are amazing.

The quieter side of Navajo Lake State Park, this is a nice, clean campground with pull through and tent sites (elec and non) close to Sims marina. Nothing spectacular and a bit remote, so not a place I would seek out necessarily. Keep in mind that this requires a little more driving to get to, so if you’re just passing through, be mindful that it’s ~17 miles from highway 64.

Pros:

• Quieter, seems less crowded than reg marina side of park
• A good mix of pull through and tent sites with plenty of room to drive in. Tent sites are multi level in a few cases (tables and pits are a short level below parking spot)
• Lake views for some spots (seem to be partial as trees do block some parts of view)
• Reasonably spaced, not super private but that is pretty much any paid campground
• Cleanish bathrooms and pit toilets, a little smelly on our visit and had no soap to wash hands (not in peak season, so think campgrounds are a little understaffed with no camp host until mid may)

Cons:

• A bit of a haul/remote if you’re just stopping through on way west through NM

I've stayed here twice now since being in New Mexico. This site is right on the water, overlooks the canyon, and is close to a hike to the right side of the canyon through a dried up riverbed. I *love* staying here. It's so peaceful, quiet, enough trees to keep you shaded from the harsh sun here. The road is runner friendly, so you can go on a jog if you like. Its definitely a campsite for people looking to strictly hang out. 

views and sunsets are EPIC. Stay here instead of the packed Rio Chama campground if you're a casual camper who doesn't need amenities. And pick up your toilet paper so this place stays nice!

Chaco Canyon is my favorite camping spot. The campground is hard to reach down a pot holed dirt road, good for small RV’s and car camping and once you arrive, it’s hard to leave. There is no water or electric at the camp sites, as is true with most western national parks, but the bathroom close by is heated for the cold desert nights of October and the thousands of rooms of ruin are still a mystery to archeologists who continue to study the Oueblo people who lived here.

We had the goal of exploring New Mexico back country and Bisti, which we did! The Dyrt directions to the trailhead here are perfect. There were a few folks camping at the parking lot and there is a relatively clean pit toilet there though bring TP. We drove past the lot and got over a ditch no problem with our Tacoma. Past the second lot there is dispersed camping. We picked a great spot on the left. Nearby our spot 100 yards were very cool rock formations. We hiked in the badlands and found some neat formations and petrified wood though nothing like the beautiful photos published online. It was still worth it for the unique experience. We did a 6 mile out/back hike with 2 dogs. Flat but hot and windy at times. Some of the wind got intense at our camp spot. All in all this is a worthwhile experience if you like getting off the beaten path and exploring something different. We drove from here to Alien Throne. GPS was spotty but got us there and we had on/off service in Bisti.

The campground is reached via 511 to 173 (top of the hill when you see The Sportsman Bar and Grill and a scenic drive). Wind through the little town of Navajo Dam, cross the river and  then you turn on Rd 4280, which is approximately 2 miles of rough washboard gravel. This takes you to the park entrance which is nicely paved. The entrance is currently under construction as of my visit and there is heavy machinery moving earth to make a more elevated entrance road. The need for this was evidenced by signs of washouts on the existing entrance road. However, this construction has nothing to do with the rough gravel road leading to the park entrance road.

Once inside, this campground is a big loop with 47 campsites coming off like spokes on a wheel. The inside sites have views of the other sites across the circle. The outside loop sites are more private.

Overall, the campground is nicely shaded by large cottonwoods and many of the sites back right up to the river. There is a decent amount of space between sites. A few don't have much in the way of vegetation between them, so not much privacy for those. There are back in and pull through sites. Also a dump on site and a group site. Hookups for water and electric. I used the restrooms and they were clean and adequate. Not sure if there were shower facilities. I didn't use them.

There is a paved trail to the river with benches for relaxing and taking in the beauty of the San Juan and there is a trailhead at the end of Rd 4280, but I didn't hike it.

I had zero Verizon cell service. Had to drive up to The Sportsman Bar and Grill in Navajo Dam to get a signal.

This is a fly fishers paradise as you can wade right into the river, fish and then walk back to your campsite with your catch.

This campground is an excellent location for winter fishing and birding. The restrooms are clean and heated. There are many available sites with hookups. Unless you are lucky on the weather, it is best to have a heater for your tent or camper.

The local "camp robber" bird is a white breasted nuthatch, which is a first for me.

There is a trail on the north side of the river leading up the Texas Hole that is walkable, but in poor repair. There are some sections where the trail is lost.

I expect the new bridge will be completed soon, it looks like they are only waiting on warmer weather so they can lay the asphalt.