Best Cabin Camping near Española, NM

I stayed at a camping cabin. I’d been car camping for a month and had stayed at a camping cabin at las cruces Koa and loved it. This cabin has a heater that was not able to keep the cabin warm - it was really cold maybe 15 at night and I could not get rid of a chill all night even though I was bundled up. Then in the morning I went to close the door and the door handle broke locking me out. Luckily I had my dog and car keys but no one was in office yet and it was bitter cold. They let me cancel my next night and did offer a free night but didn’t refund the money I spent. Loved Santa Fe tho the food and coffee are Amazing!!!

We stayed at this site on the way back to Texas from our Colorado trip this summer. This is a great National Forest Campground south of Taos in the Carson Forest. The campground is just off the highway and situated in a beautiful mountain pine forest and next to a great trout stream. You have great shade during the hotter summer months. It’s far enough away from the highway that you don’t hear the traffic. It has a huge meadow and group camp site which look fantastic. The individual sites have some privacy between the sites and come equipped with fire pits and picnic tables. We made a reservation but the camp had a number of open sites in the peak summer season. The highlight here is the proximity of great hiking to nearby lakes and fishing in the trout stream. They had great facilities including clean pit toilets and some historic log cabins. They have a camp host and the sites accommodate tents and smaller vans and campers. I would give this another visit on our next trip to NM.

Great spot for group camping of 20-40 campers. Nice shaded/wooded area for primitive tent camping with plenty of space to spread out. Gorgeous open meadow at base of camp area perfect for group games, sports. 1930s cabin with tables for meals and cooking under shelter. Campfire ring and outdoor table. Vault toilet. Beautiful views of Sangre de Cristos and Carson National Forest. Trail to Indian Lake is an easy hike of 2.5 Miles each way and perfect for families or hikers with the need for low-impact trails. There is an awesome swimming hole just a few miles west on Hwy 518 past Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort—worth the short drive!

Only a few cons—water onsite is listed as potable but smells and tastes so strongly of sulphur that it cannot be tolerated for drinking or cooking. Make sure to haul in water. Also tent camping area in woods is not level so there will be some incline. Important for those with circulatory issues.

This 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.

We were very excited on our first night to settle into our campsite after a long day of adventuring. Just a short drive to the outskirts of Santa Fe in mountain country we found our campground, Rancheros de Santa Fe.

Upon entry the staff was very friendly and welcoming and we felt like this would be a great place to call home away from home.

The campsites were laid out well with room between campers and because it was the end of a weekend, they were not entirely at capacity which made for a pleasant sense of space in the great outdoors.

Our campsite was positioned in the "high road" tent site area which is a primitive campsite without additional amenities. Each campsite has a fire ring and also a picnic table for campers to utilize and a pad site for tents slightly raises from ground level.

It made for a beautiful night sleep under the chilly New Mexico skies.

By morning we ventured up to the public showers and restrooms which were clean and had amazon water pressure and hot water to set the morning in motion perfectly.

The facility also offers a pool and theater room during summer months so while we didn't get to take advantage we were excited to know upon return we would have these features available.

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Overall we give this campground a 4 of 5 Bunniea! The only things we noticed which kept it from a 5 were the lack of wifi reach in the back sections of the campground, wouldn't have been a big deal but cell service in the off grid location was also patchy so the wifi would have been handy. And the pad site was not designed for a tent quite our size. Our tent is a 12x8 and had a little side hang on on the 12 foot end.

Stayed for 3 nights. Awesome experience. Campground is rustic. Water and electric only. They do have a dump station but it is an extra cost. Sites were small and some hookups are in strange places. Our site #2 was shaded but hookups were at front of site and on wrong side so make sure you have enough power cord and hose. Campground does have a small bathroom and vintage rental trailers. You still have to pay for entry to springs but you get a discount for being in campground. The hot springs are amazing and you can leave and come back. Open till 10 pm which was great and we showered in the great locker rooms at the springs area before going back to camp. There is a great restaurant on site as well as beer and wine.