Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Elephant Butte? The Dyrt is an easy way to find tent camping spots near Elephant Butte. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Elephant Butte campsites are perfect for tent campers.
6 campsites with Adirondack shelters provide access to Apache Kid Wilderness and San Mateo Peak Lookout by hiking or horseback.
Small campground located along the north side of New Mexico Highway 152, near mile marker 40, near Middle Percha Creek, on the eastern edge of the small town of Kingston, NM.
This is a beautiful remote camping area. Trail #94 begins at the rear of the campground.Located in a remote area of forest__approximately 30 miles from the Wilderness Ranger District office. This campground is accessible from FR 150, and driving approximately .5 miles from the road, across the stream. You will enter an area with a newer vault toilet__and a beautiful meadow next to the stream.Please be advised - the district recommends high-clearance 4x4 vehicles on FR 150.
This is a fairly small campground and is popular with horse riders and hunters.
Lower Gallinas Campground is situated in a tight little canyon and is easily accessed by New Mexico Highway 152. It is approximately 35 miles east of Silver City within the Black Range Mountains.
Black Canyon Campground offers a great remote camping experience.Located in a remote area of the forest__approximately 30 miles from the Wilderness Ranger District office. This campground is accessible from Forest Road 150 (North Star Road). The upper campground is the first camping area__you will come across and is visible from the entrance road.The forest recommends high-clearance 4x4 vehicles on Forest Road 150.
Popular campground at 8100' has 2 sites and dispersed camping with trailhead for hiking seven tough miles to Mt. Withington Lookout
Legend
This is a very nicely spaced campground. Can't really see the water from here but the sites have water and electric. The bathroom was being worked on so not open during the visit and the water level is at like 5 % capacity but there are lots of places to walk and bike and camping here in the winter provides very livable temperatures.
Legend
This is a pretty normal lake campground. Not a lot of shade or privacy but picnic tables and covered outdoor spaces. There are bathrooms close by and they seem fine. Quiet during the off season and nice hiking trails.
LegendIf it were to stay here again, I'd stay in this campground as the layout is a lot nicer and more private. This campground is full and none of the others are right now. Nice walking trails and spots with some privacy and full hook ups.
Legend
You can camp right up next to the lake if you want. This appeals to certain campers. No services and you are literally just parking. I'm not sure what the above review is on about, this would be just like camping near any other lake in NM.
Legend
Caballo is kind of hidden between Percha and Elephant Butte but has lots of places to camp and is well maintained. This has a nice paved road leading to it, tons of spots where you can have privacy and trees. During the spring, it would keep you out of the wind.
Legend
I stayed here in 2018 and the trees didn't look very good. They must have had to remove a lot of them and the spots are now in the sun. Very hot and dry most of the year and the river doesn't run most of the year either. Stickers everywhere and the trails are not well maintained.
Legend
As the photos show, I'm not sure this is open. Nice long and private spots if it were open.
Legend
This is the most exposed of the campgrounds to the road. Nice and close to get to a picnic table but I'd stay at one of the others before staying here.
Legend
Of the handful of formal places to camp, this is very small but very nice. Trees, a decent hike on a maintained trail. Only a few spots to take but cute if you get one.
Legend
This is a picnic ground and you park on the road and walk up to. It is not maintained and I don't think the pit toilet is open
Legend
I walked through Kingstown and which is a friendly, adorable town. It is just up the road from their provided campground.
The campground is really just a couple of spots with a picnic table and not a destination but worthy of stopping if the mountains are cold.
Scout
I love the Elephant Butte State Park and have stayed around 4 times. February 2024 I spent a week there in my small travel trailer. It can be quite windy in Feb/Mar so before booking I called the park office ans asked which campground might be more wind sheltered. They suggested Quail Run so that is what I booked. It was more out of the wind and a very nice, less exposed area. /bear in mind, the excellent prices are ending for 2025 and will be considerably more. I plan to spend a few days there in Dec before the prices go up.
Ranger
This small camp site is next to Smokey Bear Historical Park and museum is in a small town of Capitan, New Mexico.
ScoutOk RV PRk. No showers or rest rooms, Needs a serious upgrade. Owner is nice. Lots of permanent trailers. Goat heads are everywhere, along with lots if weeds.
Guide
Great campground. Good size spots with good distance between sites. Ramadas at each site provide precious shade. Lots of trash bins nearby. Long flat trail (bike/walk) starts at the campground. Note that is has a boat launch except there’s no more water in this area.
GuideGreat flat spot with great views. It’s inside the Elephant Butte lake state park, but seems to be a dispersed site. No one around. No amenities. There is a vault toilet maybe a half mile away. There are pay stations around. We had paid for a site on south Monticello campground but came here instead.
Scoutgreat rural campground. lake valley ghost town is worth the ride
Guide
Very clean and well maintained. Staff were very friendly. No shade for the trailer, but the covered picnic table was good. Electric hookup worked. Water was off due to water system maintenance. We were able to fill up at the campground below the dam. Quiet at night, just some road noise from the highway. The lake is great with easy access for kayaking at the boat ramp. We would stay here again.
LegendSituated on the edge of a sprawling reservoir along the Rio Grande river, this park is the perfect place to enjoy the vast landscape of the area. The nearby town of Truth or Consequences, NM is small, but has all the services you might need for food, gas, supplies, or soaking in hot springs.
The campground is well spaced out, each spot has a picnic table with shade/rain structure (I’ll let you guess which purpose gets more use) and nearly all have electricity and water. That means NO generators! The bath house is clean and offers flush toilets, running sinks and warm showers. All sites are reservation only, but you can do that when you get there as there is plenty of LTE cell service. We've never seen this place crowded in the winter months. For what you get at this campground, it’s a bargain at twice the price.
The campground is ideal for solar power, as is the New Mexico weather. We also had no problem connecting with Starlink. Hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing and all other sorts of desert recreation is available right from the campground. Definitely worth the visit!
ScoutStayed in the open area not at a site . Area I parked had a big area with shaded trees, very quite at night and had no issues with neighbors
Guide
When I called about availability we were told there were a lot of dry spots available. Works for us! When we got there the person at gate had no idea where the campgrounds were and would not let us check out sites without paying for day use. The campground had water shutoff on Memorial Day weekend. No bathrooms or showers.
Management aside, this place is gorgeous. We dry camped by lake right under mountains. Would not pay for campground with no water but for $10 to dry camp by the water, love it.
Great T-Mobile service. Easy to access.
Traveler
Clean, quiet campground not far from Emory pass. Pit toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables. Only a handful of people there on Friday night
ScoutFree camping (14 days) on the riverside! Amazing. Perfect for van life. Space for big rigs too but only a couple big turnaround spots so just be strategic about it.
RangerBeautiful scenery, clean facilities. Sites in the main campground are kinda close together, but dispersed camping has better views and plenty of space. Good Verizon service, hot showers.
Guide
Highly recommend this gem. It’s tucked away and such a cozy and slow place to stay. We stayed in a campsite for 5 nights. Highly recommend more than one day so you can enjoy the springs and the town! It has lovely clean hot spring tubs that are open 24/7. It’s an intimate camp so we rarely had to wait for a tub. Also has clean bathrooms and showers and a grill. 2 blocks away from Main Street and 2 blocks from the Rio grande. Great host and great service too.
RangerStay for two days to allow us to visit Gila lift Dwellings. Full hookups (30 amp) with water and sewer. Good cell coverage. Amazing Starlink speeds. Staff was awesome and they filled our propane for us.
ScoutThe site was clean the hookups were in good condition. We enjoyed our stay. There is a huge tower of some kind, maybe cellphone, in the middle of the park.
Tent camping near Elephant Butte, New Mexico offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Elephant Butte, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Elephant Butte, NM is Railroad Canyon Campground with a 3.7-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Elephant Butte, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Elephant Butte, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
