Looking for the best Dexter tent camping? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Dexter, including sites, reviews, and tips. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Scout
As we got close I sent a message to the park asking about tent camping. message received was "no tent camping here, try midway.
Traveler
Fun place to spend the weekend, we tent camped at D4 and it was quite and peaceful, great bike trail leading to the big lake too!
GuideThere's not much privacy anywhere at this campground, but the tent sites were so close to each other that we decided to pay to switch to a site with hook-ups that we didn't need. We really liked our new site and would definitely stay here again--just not at the tent sites. The bathrooms were clean and convenient, but the showers were luke warm and push button style with very little pressure. The whole campground seemed very well maintained. Our site had easy access to water and trash cans. The park is nice and it was fun exploring all of the lakes.
Guide
We stayed one night in their tent site with electric. Facilities were clean, and the site was nice.
Traveler
This was a great spot not too far from the main parts of town and had all the amenities you need. Did not see any tent camping but a great RV spot.
GuideArrived here, after 6PM, on a last minute reservation Severe thunderstorms in area Check In was smooth and friendly. Staff advised us game room would remain open all night, In case tenters wanted to have a dry place Ownwer offered us A Deluxe Cabin for $12.00 more We took the offer due to the weather Yea! Cabin was cleanand well stocked, complete with porch swing. One downer Bed needs to be replaced unless rolling to the middle is fun for you . Tent sites are close together with little shade Showers and toilets are great A little less than an hour to Carlsbad Caverns. Bring groceries with you, as the campground store has a limited stock of necessities. $38.00 per night for a tent site with no utilities.
TravelerWe decided to take our girls tent camping for the first time here. Had a nice spot (D4) and some shade. Was too hot to stay the whole night so we went home. Saw some cool animals and had a raccoon raid the garbage can. Definitely will camp again..during the week of winter in January or February...
Scout
Great deal for tent camping ($9) but the lack of a map of where to camp was confusing (maybe you can actually camp anywhere?). Ended up here due to an unexpected delay on our way to White Sands. Camped near the RVs mostly due to exhaustion. There was an unpleasant sewage smell. Several bright lights around the picnic tables were annoying. Bathrooms are heated though, big plus. After driving around the lake in the morning there seem to be several level spots down by the lake that would be nice for tenting. Outhouses are scattered around but very few picnic tables. Overall a great deal for a basic city campground.
LegendThe state park boasts several lakes, a mountain bike trail, views, playgrounds in the day use area, and many campsites. There is a RV area at Lea Lake, which is half reserved and half first come. There are tent pads in that area also, showers and flushing toilets are there also. If you are tent camping you are missing out if you stay at lea lake, camp in the primitive areas around the smaller lakes. They are isolated, and have abundant wildlife. Vault toilets are nearby, nasty venomous spiders hide in the vaults but like all unpleasant creatures they dont like the light, so take a flashlight. If you come with pops you should consider footwear for them, the goat heads prevent them from going off road otherwise.
GuideOur expectations of this place were low for whatever reason but it turned out to be pretty awesome. The lake at the Lea Lake CG is awesome for swimming or floating around in. Can walk to it right from the campsite which is a bonus. The bathroom has flush toilets and hot showers that don't cost to use (unlimited shower time after boondocking for 5 weeks was heaven!). Small campground overall. Tent sites are $10 (plus $4 reservation fee if booking online)/night. Each site has it's own water access, covered picnic table, and grill (which in May there was a fire ban so use of it was prohibited).
ScoutStayed for 2 nights in mid November 2021. Area has full hookups or tent/dispersed camping. Located in Dexter, NM.
Scout
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.
Ranger
What a nice, cozy spot in Roswell! It has all you need for a home base from which to explore southern New Mexico: nice showers, laundry, restrooms, common areas with books and dvd's, even bottle of pop for $2 each. Lovely sunsets, level sites, friendly hosts. Couldn't be better!
LegendGreat scenery here, and luckily New Mexico now allows camping again at its state parks, but... there are about a trillion sandburs on the grass here. We have 4 dogs and have spent an inordinate amount of time saving their paws from the burs. Love the looks, wouldn’t bring pets.
ScoutI bought a year pass during covid for New Mexico State park in 2019. I only used it 2 times and parks shut down. Now due to fires many parks have had to close. I do not recommend buying a year pass . I received no notification of any compensation for not being able to use the parks.
GuideAlthough a bit rough around the edges, if you are traveling in SE New Mexico, this location is great for an overnighter. When we arrived, all of the full hook-up sites were taken (looked like long term locals). I called the number at the un-manned office and the gentleman who answered was very friendly and let us know that we could camp anywhere around the lake for $9. The location is close to a nice residential area, so it’s relatively quiet with the exception of the occasional train passing by. There is a scent of cow manure depending on which way the wind is blowing; but it’s not unbearable. Overall, it was a nice place to stop over for the night as we were heading towards the Carlsbad Caverns the following day.
TravelerVery pretty. Not a lot of hiking. Decent campsites. Really hot in the afternoon in May, but still cool at night. The staff does a pretty good job at trying to keep up with visitors' messes but there's still trash in a lot of places... i.e. bathroom, Lea Lake, shower, campsites. Might be better for winter camping. The night sky has some light pollution but it's still very pretty. There's shelters at the sites but the sun can be brutal so bring an extra tarp and rope for shade. Lots of bunnies, hawks, other birds, lizards and some tiny fish were seen on our trip.
Dexter and Roswell are close enough for resupply if need be.
The lake in natural spring fed so it's very cold. Even a shocker in 100+ degree temps. Totally worth it though.
Bringing your own grill might be better especially with the wind and common drought environment.
GuideMany RV parks on this app show that tents are allowed but when you arrive they treat you like vagabond scum because you don’t have a $100,000 RV. This is one of them. Screw them.
TravelerPlenty of room drive thru’s room for rvs tents has nice laundry mat and a pool during summer months. They have awesome food and you can call it in and they deliver to your campsite.
GuideWe stayed here 3 nights. Our campsite #28 was very level. Views of the Caverns. There was a picnic table with roof. No trees for shade so it was pretty hot! However, the beautiful lake was within walking distance. We enjoyed our time kayaking. Short drive into the town of Roswell. Campground had a good mix of tents and RVs. Would stay again!
TravelerOverall a good campsite, some minor drawbacks. Site is close to highway, so lots of road noise throughout the day and night. Contained tent hexagon shelter structure was nice, allowed for contained and divided campsites. Marginal shade and pretty dusty.
Legend
Arrived on a Sunday and there were two other campers. There’s a total of 5 sites with covered picnic tables and grills. There’s a large center area where you could park if sites were full or you have extra trailers from bringing your OHV toys. Extremely quiet at night and lots of coyotes in the distance. There’s a clean vault toilet and trash cans at every site. No water or hookups so come prepared. Town is about 25 minutes away. Easy pull in off the main road. If you are a tent camper, I’d think twice before staying here. The winds at night (1-4am) were intensely shaking my van and I could smell the dirt being blown in throw my vents so in a tent, I couldn’t imagine. Felt very safe and would recommend to others! Had 2 bars of AT&T.
ScoutThe mosquitoes are awful. Also, as I sit here leaving this review my neighbors have been running two cars in order to provide light on their campsite table. It’s 9:00pm and they’ve been running their two cars for almost an hour. I guess they must have forgotten their camping lanterns. Thankfully I camp out of the back of my truck. If I was in a tent this would be a miserable experience.
TravelerIt’s not $5. It’s $14, plus $4 reservation fee…so it’s $18. (can only be reserved/rented online, not in person at site, but can be done same day…I made reservation driving to the site from Roswell).
I took infamous site 24, closest to the lake and the bathrooms. Large pull-through site w plenty of space for a rig much larger than my Prius with a rooftop tent. I’m pretty sure anything you can drive here will fit here.
Bathrooms are a short walk across a small stream feeding off Lea Lake where rabbits and mosquitos roamed free. Men’s room was large but dark until you get about 12 feet inside and motion activate lights. Toilets were…not clean. There was TP. Early am, some crawly bugs (roaches?) came running toward me from different directions and I had to stomp them before they got to my feet/clothes. Gross. There were what looked like shower heads along one wall and floor drains, but I couldn’t tell how to operate them or if that’s what was going on.
Outside bathroom building are shower poles for cleaning off after swimming/beach (beach is also located next to bathrooms), which were operating in mid-September. Felt kind of warm, but prob because it was cold early morning air.
Did I mention mosquitos? They’ve got ‘em. A bunch made it into the tent. Ugh.
Overall? Fine place to stop for a refreshing night or two.
ScoutThere’s a store in the office with RV supplies, snacks, drinks, toiletries, and other necessities. A restaurant is located in the office that will deliver to the sites. Someone escorted us to our spot when we arrived. They were mostly pull through slots with full hookup. It was a huge space with a lot of amenities: a community room, dog park, playground, etc. There are also cabins for rent and tent spaces. We paid about $53 per night.
GuideBottomless Lakes State Park is the most relaxing place that I have stayed thus far. It is very spacious and the campsite loops are quiet and clean.
My site, #22, had electric and water hookups—which I use at my own convenience since I have a Jeep/Rooftop Tent Setup, and is close to the restrooms.
The site lists showers, but they are far from it. Instead, you push a button and water runs for a few seconds and then it shuts off. The sink water runs longer and you have to press and hold the button for it to work, plus no soap is stocked for washing your hands. Restrooms are clean, and park rangers come in to clean them regularly.
The lake is very close by, I carried lunch and my chair to it to sit and relax during the day.
The weather is nice and warm during the beginning of December (and gets cold at night).
Overall, the park is nice and great for solo travelers (and families—there were a few there and I still had peace and quiet time to myself).
GuideGreat fishing and camping right in town
Tent camping near Dexter, New Mexico offers a unique experience with stunning landscapes and a variety of outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for solitude or adventure, there are excellent spots to pitch your tent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Dexter, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Dexter, NM is Alamo Road Camp with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Dexter, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 tent camping locations near Dexter, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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