Best Campgrounds near Dexter, NM

Just needed a place to pop up the RTT with others in the convoy it worked but it’s definitely rocky and has nails at certain locations drive with caution ⚠️. Great views of the sunset on the lake besides the abandoned motorhome in the way 🤙

Restrooms were clean and showers were hot! Super windy while we were there, but made for a nice, quiet place to sleep. About an hour from Carlsbad Caverns, which was awesome! Dump station, if you care, was closed while we were there.

Brantley Lake State Park Campground offered a pleasant camping experience. The spacious sites, complete with picnic tables and shade shelters, provided a comfortable base for our explorations. We appreciated the clean and well-maintained facilities, especially the hot showers after a long day of hiking. Our dog enjoyed the pet-friendly environment, and the proximity to the lake was a huge plus, offering a refreshing escape from the New Mexico heat. The sunsets were indeed breathtaking, and we made sure to catch them every evening. While the wind did pick up at times, it wasn't a major deterrent. The campground's location made it easy to access Carlsbad Caverns and other nearby attractions, making it a convenient choice for exploring southeastern New Mexico.

Three womens showers, 1 locked, 1 a trickle and 1 barely a trickle.

Mens showers: 3       Water was not warm.

The park is nice...bathrooms need work and cleaning.  There is a host getting a free site.

Nice walking trail. some nice long sites. Other than showers park is nice.

I stayed here for the second week of November. It rained a day or two before I got here and the mosquitoes were still a little bad but the weather was great up until my moving Day when I was leaving today November 18th. As long as it doesn't rain hard the ground should be good but if it rains really hard it gets really muddy. The cell phone signal is amazing for T-Mobile it's very quiet at night your neighbors are a couple football fields away if you have any at all. There is a target shooting range on DOD land about 2 mi away so during the day you do hear gunshots from time to time. Everyone shooting there is shooting North so stay south of the zig zag road sign.

Way off the beaten path. It happened to be extra windy the day I was there. Nice desert/lake view. Quiet. No working dump station right now. Ranger was very friendly and helpful.

We stayed here before going to Carlsbad Caverns. Pros: only $14 for electric and water site. Sites well spaced and private. Easy to make online reservations. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers. Friendly staff. Cons: ran out of hot water when no one else was showering. Not much to do here if you are not using the lake (which seems low). Pretty far from anything. I’d stay again if needing a spot while passing through, but wouldn’t make a point of coming here just for the campground.

Reservations only, but we were able to reserve online while surveying campground to see what was open: https://newmexicostateparks.reserveamerica.com/ (on way north so stopped for a night, getting there late afternoon).

Pretty basic. Most sites have no shade except for over picnic table. Lots of flying things: flies, mosquitos. Many stickers (so walk dog carefully). 

--->At 02:30 in morning a drone very noisily buzzed us and sounded like it circled us for what seemed like 5 min. Not sure what that was about.... Racoon walked up to door screen and pawed at it while we were making dinner.

Well appointed. Easy to make the reservation online. Clearly marked sites with convenient stone-marked pathways to the restrooms/shower. Hot showers, clean bathrooms.

All states should be this good

Campsites all have covered eating area although early and late sun can get under it.

I travel from Durango to San Antonio frequently. This is such a nice sleep-over in my van. Weekends can be tough with drunken, blaring radio, 200,000 lumen, ATVs running all night. I had one light-up my old trailer by the bathrooms - note to self - don’t park here again!!!!

When its kicking, sleep by the dumpsters, they will never go there 😉

But seriously, this is an OHV park and there are few places for folks to have this kind of fun. I wouldn’t mind a rip through these dunes on an ATV myself 😜

This was an offseason midweek visit with nobody else around and quiet all night.

Reservations are needed and can be made online through the NM State Park website. The drive into the camp area was a little bumpy. Watch the curves! At the time we arrived the water was a beautiful aqua color with a clear sunny sky. The rest of our time there was overcast which gave us a nice break from the heat. The beach area was not crowded at all during our time here. Bring your kayak/canoe/SUP. They rent pedal boats. The mosquitos were out around dusk, so be sure to have bug spray! We would definitely stay again.

Arrived towards the end of July on a Sunday evening.  Campground was largely empty.  Some sites are marked "Reservation Only"  however there were plenty of walk up sites to choose from.  Sites were spaced out very well.  Each site has the usual grill, and picnic table.  Tables were shielded from the elements by a shade shelter roof.  Fire rings were absent. 

We especially liked the QR code on the campsite number post that allows you to link directly to the website and pay for your site. No need for exact cash or a visit to the park office.

All facilities were well maintained.  Trails were easy to follow. 

As with most desert like environments,  all the plants want to kill you.  Be careful going off trail and don't let your pets wander. 

RV dump station was convenient on our way out.

We stopped here for 2 nights to escape the heat after dry camping outside of Carlsbad. I booked this easily online, and the other campers that weekend were very friendly. Overall this place is accommodating and quiet at nights. The sunsets are incredible. We biked to the lake for a swim and cool down. Would stay here again!

Great T-Mobile service. Bathrooms clean. Showers okay. $18 a night, booked last minute

They have an entire first come first serve section that had a lot of availability.

Dump station under construction- can dump for free at Eagle Draw Park in Artesia.

You can reserve a few van/RV spots but most are first come first serve. Don't worry about the check in time - all hookups and bathrooms/shower are unlocked. If you get a reserved spot you can pay online, otherwise self pay AT the campground, not at the gate (just in case they're full). Showers are good. Ok playground for little kids (4-5 age). Every site has a covered picnic table with stationary grill.

Convenient to Carlsbad, 30- 40ish minutes? north of the caverns, little over an hour south of Roswell.

This is a lovely park. Clean, shaded, with a comfortable common area. Lee is a wonderful host who allowed us to charge our EV from the 50 amp outlet at our site.

I spent 2 nights here and while the sunsets are something to write home about, I clearly stayed in a place where locals use it as target practice. Shelf casings and garbage abound. I don't carry big trash bags with me but I picked up what I could. I would not discourage people from staying here. If I ever come back to the area, I will probably stay here again....I will just bring a bunch of trash bags with me.