El Rito, NM is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—El Rito is surrounded by family-friendly activities. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your El Rito camping trip.
$40 - $60 / night
"We stayed in the camping loop, and even with electricity and wifi available, had plenty of sunshine for solar power as well as good access for our Starlink."
"Its attached to the Ojo Caliente Spa Resort. The spaces only had eletric and water."
$10 - $80 / night
"After a drive up to Abuquiu Lake NM from Albuquerque we checked out some possible boondocking campsites down river from the lake."
"There are nice trails that you can hike or mountain bike. Some are near cliff edges and not for the beginners. The lake is nice for New Mexico and sees a lot of use."
"The campground includes a bath house with laundry room and electric hookups if needed. $30 to tent camp (no electric). Lodging, yurts and cabins, are also available."
"All in all we got three meals for our family of 4 and a nights stay while we hiked around trails on the property for less than $100 all in, and the food (upscale summer camp type) was very good."
"Much more vegetation than you would expect from a campground close to town. The staff are friendly. The facilities were clean. The park is older but in an charming New Mexico way."
"What a wonderful find, just a short distance from the beautiful town of Taos! Plenty of privacy at each site with your own sagebrush garden, picnic table, grill and water pump."
$25 / night
"The trailer was really cute- we had "Jazzy," which had a separate bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen/living area. The kitchen was fully stocked with cookware, silverware, and coffee."
"But camping here means you have access to the very clean bathrooms/showers, water, and other services at the "hotel."
Surprise! "
"Lots of dispersed camping a few fire pits. There’s a 1.25 mile hike down to the river to cool down. Plenty of shade and lots of off road trails for driving/running/biking."
"Pulled in around 4pm on a Saturday and only 1 other camper was here. A few vehicles were parked at the bathroom/trailhead, super friendly."
"New Mexico is just beautiful and this park really brings that to life. Its a great place for fishing, camping, hiking and breath taking river veiws. Love every picture I took here."
"It's actually only 10 miles off the main road, & 6 miles after the pavement ends, but Google took us down the wrong path."
$15 - $150 / night
"It has a table, grill and fire pit. 2 Vault toilets nearby. Spaced far enough to enjoy the space. Occasional road noise that died as the night came from mountain traffic."
"Black Canyon Campground is just before the Hyde Memorial State Park entrance."
LegendThis is another great spot in the New Mexican high country, especially if you’re a fan of hot springs AND vintage campers. In addition to full-hook up camping/ RV spots, the resort offers vintage campers for rent. It is a great and quiet place to rest, recuperate,
and just enjoy yourself.
We stayed in the camping loop, and even with electricity and wifi available, had plenty of sunshine for solar power as well as good access for our Starlink. Cell service was pretty skimpy though.
The bathhouse at the camping area was well heated with wonderfully hot showers, flush toilets, and plenty of space. Water and a dump station was available in the camping area for an extra fee.
Access to the hot springs spa was NOT included in the price for camping, and not inexpensive, but the variety of pools and the beauty of the place was worth it. They offer steam rooms, a multitude of pools of varying temperature and mineral content, in addition to a mud bath, lap swimming pool and full locker/ changing room. They also offer full spa services, massages, etc. It was very busy on the weekend with day-use customers, but going early or mid week was a far less crowded time.
The onsite restaurant/pub is a class act and delicious. Nearby there are a few hiking trails right from the property, and with the national forest nearby there’s lots of outdoor adventures available.
The nearest grocery/ convenience store is just down the road, but the selection is pretty limited. The closest town with full services is in Espanola about 30 minutes away.
RangerMy wife and I just spend two days at this RV resort. Its attached to the Ojo Caliente Spa Resort. The spaces only had eletric and water. The eletric and water outlets where placed in an odd location for the site and a dumb station is available for extra $20. One thing we both noticed about the RV park was how quite it was at night. No campfires in the RV park but the spa area had a big fire pit lit every night and where there so many of the RV community hung out there. It gave us a chance to meet our neighbors and talk traveling. We spent one whole day at the spa and was given a discount on its entrance price while staying at the RV park. There is also a great restaurant on site. We where traveling in a 34 foot 5th wheel. Cell service is spotty.
TravelerWe stayed 3 nights on our first trip with our new rig. The spot was mostly level making set up easy. We had access to a fire pit as well as a grill and table. The creek flowed about 75’ from the site. The camp host was great and very friendly. The bathrooms were clean. Road noise was minimal.
GuideThis place is great for staying close to the baths and getting the full experience while also camping.
The sites are a bit tight for our liking but not many folks were camping this weekend (2/12/22). The bathhouse was nice and heated, which is a plus this time of year.
We also missed having a campfire and there didn’t seem to be a communal fire going on as referenced in other reviews.
LegendThe National Forest Service campground is located on highway 64 between Angel Fire and Taos New Mexico. The site is just a few feet off the highway next to a small creek. They have about a dozen small campsites along the creek with privacy between the sites. The sites are very basic and come equipped with fire pits and picnic tables. The location had availability during the summer peak season. The site is self serve pay and does not have a camp host. The location may be a good option for those looking to visit Taos which is about 30 minutes away. I gave this a low rating due to the condition of the sites which needed basic maintenance and cleanup. The site was also far to close to the highway to enjoy a good camping experience. I think this is the type of place you use as a last resort while in transit to Taos or Eagles nest.
ScoutThis will be a lengthy review but I need people to know not to book, especially site 11.
I’ll start by saying I don’t normally stay at developed camp sites so maybe all my issues are typical and I’m just ignorant. That being said, camp site 11 is an unfortunate little piece of land. It is unusably small (maybe 25sq ft of barely usable space) and bordered by a mountain, the road, spot 10’s driveway, and trees. The picnic table and fire pit are centered in a way that left very little room for our 2 tents on rocky uneven ground. My tent was forced to be less than 3 feet from driveway 10. Our other tent had to be so close to the fire pit that it would have caught fire if the pit was used. It also is a waterway for all the road water and mountain side so a small river formed through our space (hitting both tents) when it rained. All this on top of the fact that every other spot around us was so plentiful (4 to 5 times our size) in space it almost made our spot seem like a cruel joke. It should cost 1/4 of the price of the rest and should be for small RV or day picnics only.
Now the camp area as a whole is well maintained and the vaulted toilets smelled surprising decent the entire 4 day stay. The mountains are beautiful as mountains tend to be. The hiking is great and there is an awesome stream that rolls through the campground in certain areas. There is constant highway noise so be aware of that, though the spots further in or near the stream probably don’t deal with it. A lot of the sites are packed close and you can easily hear many conversations at normal talking volumes.
The camp staff guy (Bill?) was friendly at first but that changed rapidly after the first night. There was a no wood fire restriction at the time of our stay despite days of rain and rain every day so we used only our propane stove the entire time. This didn’t stop Bill from calling the fire department on us the first night because he “thought we had a wood fire”. We didn’t.
Now this second part I’ll admit was on us but was handled poorly. I didn't know there were curfews at that campsite. The bulletin board does show quiet hour times but it’s buried in a novel of information most of which was about a bear sighting so that may have distracted my attention when I first looked at the bulletin. Quiet time is 10-6 and I know that now. So we’re hanging out around the “campfire” and I decide to walk down to the restroom, it’s about 11pm. As I’m walking back, I pass Bill and say hi. He doesn’t acknowledge me (he wouldn’t talk or look my way the rest of our stay either). When I return to the campsite the 2 women and 2 children I was with told me Bill had just ran up on them and was standing over them in a very aggressive fashion pointing his finger in their face and reprimanding them for breaking the quiet hour rules. He left after getting directly in one of the females face and saying “don’t make me come back here” in a very threatening tone. They all, just remained silent throughout the ordeal. C’mon man. We messed up and felt horrible but it was an honest mistake and had he just told us respectfully we would have shut up just the same but instead he created this uneasy tension for three days. And to put a cherry on top, other campsites broke the rule every night and morning (music, laughter, generators) and were not reprimanded. I know because everyone was so close we could see what was going on. Also, we saw Bill greet every camp site every day multiple times a day except ours. We aren’t abrasive people, we try to be generally respectful, courteous, and aware of our actions so the treatment of our camp was unjust. I will say that had he not had it out for us for one reason or another I’m sure things would have been cool. We saw Bill constantly having friendly conversations with everyone so I’m sure he’s nice to most campers.
In short, I know there are better campsites out there. Go find them.
GuideIf you have a pet and want to overnight versus stay at the Casitas, it’s just a short walk to the spa and hot springs (20% discount). RV/campsites offer simple flat overnight spaces and picnic benches. On-site showers too.
Guide3 people, tiny camper, tent, dog. It has a table, grill and fire pit. 2 Vault toilets nearby. Spaced far enough to enjoy the space. Occasional road noise that died as the night came from mountain traffic. Lots of access to the MTN and trails. 25-30 min to the bottom @ Santa Fe. Stayed Sept 30 and Oct 1
GuideNice little campground next to hot springs . Nice level site . Hook up were on passenger side and towards front of TT we had enough hose and cords to reach . It says they have loaners if needed . 20% discount if you camp and visit hot springs. Hot springs were very relaxing. No fire or outside smoking . On site bathroom and shower however we didn’t use or check them out . Had a great week end with wife
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near El Rito, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near El Rito, NM is Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa with a 4.4-star rating from 15 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near El Rito, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 28 glamping camping locations near El Rito, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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