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Best Equestrian Camping near Española, NM

92 Reviews

RV Park at HIPICO Santa Fe features a horse-corral on its grounds and caters specifically to equestrians camping near Española, New Mexico. The campground accommodates both tents and RVs across its spacious sites, with special provisions for overnight horse stabling. Located 20 minutes southwest of downtown Santa Fe, the park provides campers with drinking water, electric hookups including fifty-amp service, and sewer connections. Showers, toilets, and trash service are maintained for guest comfort. The property connects to public lands, offering convenient riding access. Campground discounts apply for extended stays, with 10% off for 4-6 day visits and 15% off for 7-14 day stays. The spacious layout and quiet atmosphere create a relaxed environment for both horses and riders.

Jacks Creek Horse Camp serves as another option for equestrian campers in the region, positioned along NM 63 about 15 miles north of Pecos. The campground provides multiple units of corrals with ample parking and turnaround space specifically designed for large horse trailers. Trail access is excellent, with direct connections to the Pecos Wilderness via well-maintained hiking and riding routes including Cave Creek Trail and the path to Round Mountain, which offers superb views through aspen groves. The camp features drinking water, trash disposal, and clean vault toilets maintained by an active camp host. While fires are not permitted at Jacks Creek Horse Camp, the campground's elevation provides naturally cooler temperatures during summer months. Weekday visits typically offer a quieter experience, as the campground becomes considerably busier on weekends.

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Best Equestrian Sites Near Española, New Mexico (14)

    1. Borrego Mesa Campground

    6 Reviews
    Truchas, NM
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (505) 753-7331

    "About a 15min drive from the highway. Only 5 or 6 sites. Close to the Rio Mario Trail trailhead. Campsite is at elevation over 8,000ft so it can get chilly at night. Worked great for tent camping."

    "Campground is a little off the beaten path, about 30m from the High Drive highway. Dirt roads were nothing to worry about, should be fine for any SUV or sedan."

    2. Santa Barbara Campground

    8 Reviews
    Llano, NM
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (435) 245-6521

    $22 - $70 / night

    "Stay at Santa Barbara Campground in Northern New Mexico. Was a beautiful spot. Road to Campground was well taken care of Beautiful trails throughout area"

    "The trails are absolutely wonderful and well worth taking a few hours to walk part of them. Hard core hikers will use the campground as a starting point for a lengthy hikes."

    3. Iron Gate Campground

    8 Reviews
    Tererro, NM
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (505) 757-6121

    "During rainy seasons, ruts form with deep mud on some spots driving up."

    "It's a nice little place tucked away in the woods. The road to get there is a bit rough, hence the title. By no means, Not a road for a large trailer or 5th wheel. Wild life everywhere.."

    4. Agua Piedra Campground

    10 Reviews
    Llano, NM
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (435) 245-6521

    $40 / night

    "There is a trail head with 2 trails, one atv accessible and one hiking/horse that goes up to Indian Lake. Beautiful views and about 1200' elevation change."

    "Tent camped at this location in the middle of September (a week before closing). Very beautiful place to watch the leaves change, trailheads close by and picnic tables at each site."

    5. Jacks Creek Horse Camp

    3 Reviews
    Tererro, NM
    26 miles
    Website

    "The sites on the outside of the loops are decently wooded, smaller and not well suited to RVs. The sites on the inside of the loops have longer, RV sized pull in and little trees."

    "Great overnight spot to use as a "home base" with lots of trail access. Multiple units of corrals and plenty of parking and turnaround space for large trailers."

    6. Fenton Lake State Park Campground

    16 Reviews
    Jemez Springs, NM
    38 miles
    Website
    +1 (575) 829-3630

    $15 - $90 / night

    "I’ve been coming to Fenton Lake for camping with family since I was little and we’ve always loved it. It’s beautiful and well taken care of."

    "We typically come up to Fenton Lake once a year and last year was fantastic however this year the park rangers aren’t that friendly (or that helpful)."

    7. Ghost Ranch

    6 Reviews
    Cañones, NM
    31 miles
    Website

    "The whole ranch has been turned into a top notch facility with campgrounds and motel rooms, horses for rent, classes, and great hiking. The campground is large with several interconnecting loops."

    "Recommend arriving not too late to see if you can get a good spot, we didn’t have shade so had to go find a nice shady bench away from our site for eating lunch / relaxing after our hike."

    8. Jacks Creek Group Area

    1 Review
    Tererro, NM
    26 miles
    Website

    $100 / night

    "Beautiful drive out, creeks on both sides. Nestled deep in the Pecos Wilderness. Camping overlooks the mountains. Beatty’s trail head is nearby. Made a fire and had electric to charge my phone"

    9. Rio Chama Campground

    14 Reviews
    Gallina, NM
    42 miles
    Website
    +1 (575) 638-5526

    "Rio Chama RV park in Chama, New Mexico, is at the intersection of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the upper Rio Chama. A nice place to stay May 1 thru mid October."

    "It's an easy dirt road drive down the river and you will pass many dispersed site and a couple of defined camping grounds."

    10. RV Park at HIPICO Santa Fe

    1 Review
    Santa Fe, NM
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (505) 474-0999

    $55 / night

    "This is a very spacious private campground southwest of Santa Fe with access to public land. Located 20 minutes from downtown Santa Fe. There are probably 50 sites with restrooms and showers."

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Equestrian Camping Reviews near Española, NM

92 Reviews of 14 Española Campgrounds

  • marycatmathis ..The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 29, 2020

    Oak Point Campground

    Lovely, Beachy, Scenic

    These coordinates are a rough estimate, but this entire forrest road is filled with amazing campsites you can simply pull off and camp in. currently there’s a fire ban, so it makes it hard to stay warm at night, but the stars are amazing. it’s quiet. it’s lovely. there’s canyon walls for miles. it’s really amazing. some of these pics are from the nearby canyon that’s a bit of a walk up the road, but most are from our campground. loved our first experience camping in New Mexico!

  • Karen N.
    Aug. 21, 2023

    Santa Barbara Campground

    Beautiful weekend

    Stay at Santa Barbara Campground in Northern New Mexico. Was a beautiful spot. Road to Campground was well taken care of Beautiful trails throughout area

  • Beth B.
    Aug. 16, 2018

    Rio Chama Campground

    Great place to watch the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Train

    Rio Chama RV park in Chama, New Mexico, is at the intersection of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the upper Rio Chama. A nice place to stay May 1 thru mid October. The train passing by twice a day is an exciting event and it's a short walk to the train yard.

    Pull through sites have great shade and full hookups with 30 or 50 amp electrical service. Spacious tent sites with full service restrooms nearby. Pet friendly with dog park and free wifi. A great place for fishing, train watching and relaxing.

  • Tyler G.
    Jun. 22, 2016

    Hopewell Lake Campground

    Wonderful Campground in the scenic Tusas Mountains

    My wife and I have stayed at Hopewell Lake twice now. The first time we stayed here, we stumbled upon this little gem of a site while driving from Durango, CO to Taos, NM. It was enchanting enough that we made sure to make it back for an opportunity to take in the scenery and relax during a long weekend. The only issue we ran into was an abundance of mosquitos, but this should be expected during the late Spring/early Summer in northern New Mexico and can be easily addressed with a citronella candle and a bit of bug spray. Our most recent stay was on one of those rare nights where you can pull off the rain fly and not worry about a midnight downpour, which left us with a wonderful view of the stars, and the sites are private enough that, as long as you don't set up next to the table, it's comfortable with an open tent and away from prying eyes.

    The campground is nice, very well maintained, and the site host is friendly and helpful. The grounds are a

  • marycatmathis ..The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 17, 2020

    Oak Point Campground

    yet another amazing site at Oak Point

    I've stayed here twice now since being in New Mexico. This site is right on the water, overlooks the canyon, and is close to a hike to the right side of the canyon through a dried up riverbed. I *love* staying here. It's so peaceful, quiet, enough trees to keep you shaded from the harsh sun here. The road is runner friendly, so you can go on a jog if you like. Its definitely a campsite for people looking to strictly hang out. 

    views and sunsets are EPIC. Stay here instead of the packed Rio Chama campground if you're a casual camper who doesn't need amenities. And pick up your toilet paper so this place stays nice!

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 28, 2025

    Iron Gate Campground

    Not as great as I thought it would be.

    Based on the reviews I thought this place would be a cool oasis up in the trees. Alas, it's not. There's a loop with 14 total sites. Unfortunately, at least half the sites in the inner ring are unusable because of road runoff making it tough to get to them, and we have a Toyota Tacoma. As a result, they do not get used and are, therefore, overgrown with New Mexico ground cover, which is not comparable to soft grass. That immediately bumps it down to about 10 sites. When we arrived, there was one site available that we could access. It was behind the main trailhead parking area and completely shaded. All in all, not bad, just not our ideal choice since it's right there close to any and all foot traffic. Luckily, as we walked the rest of the loop to see if there was anything else, a couple was just finishing packing up so we were able to snag their spot (#13), which we felt was the best one. Score! 

    Now, let's talk the road to get there. Absolutely do not try to take a camper of any size to this campground unless it's a legit overland type tear or squaredrop, ideally with an articulating hitch. People are not kidding when they say that's not a good idea. We had our Tacoma in 4L and I'm honestly not sure how some 2WD vehicles make it. There are many spots where the incline is pretty good, a number of deep crevices as a result of water runoff, many sections that are absolutely one lane only, and at least 6 spots where there was a small pond of standing water to drive through. Were any of the ponds show stoppers, no, but the water in one dip came up past the bottom of our doors. All in all, the road is no joke. Yes, I get this is a forest road, but the road snakes through multiple pieces of residential property (albeit they are probably summer homes but we saw people at almost every house when we drove past), and there's a hiking trailhead at the campground, so I expected it to be not THAT bad. In my book, it's not officially 'offroading' but it's worse than other forest service roads we've been on. Oh, and the couple residents we passed driving in their vehicles (you can tell by looking at them they are not campers or hikers) made it abundantly clear they weren't happy with us being on their road. All in all, nice campground with great trailheads but there are too many other beautiful places to hike and camp in NM for us to want to go back.

  • Jeff K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 28, 2020

    Borrego Mesa Campground

    Great campsite!!

    Good road all the way in. About a 15min drive from the highway. Only 5 or 6 sites. Close to the Rio Mario Trail trailhead. Campsite is at elevation over 8,000ft so it can get chilly at night. Worked great for tent camping. Sites have a small horse pen but you would need to make a gate on them. Not good for big LQ horse trailers.

  • Tina M.
    May. 21, 2022

    RavenHouse RV Spot and Horse Hotel

    Majestic skies + Decent Amenities

    We had the perfect 5 night stay. It was easy to get around to the sites we had planned on visiting. The hosts were super nice and accomodating when we had a wifi issues, they got us up and running again quickly. We used the grill area and even hosted friends visiting one night with their horse trailer and 2 horses. We stayed one night in the TeePee which was just magical and cozy, a mini vacay inside of our otherwise rustic van camping trip! The bathroom is located inside an enclosed out building with the shower located in an outdoor but private/roofed adjacent area. All and all, thumbs up for communication, comfort, basic amenities and ambience!

  • Steve & Ashley G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 16, 2019

    Agua Piedra Campground

    Great Northern New Mexico Camp

    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.

Guide to Española

New Mexico offers a unique experience for horse camping enthusiasts, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to both equestrians and nature lovers alike.

Equestrian campgrounds include ample amenities for horses

  • At Jacks Creek Horse Camp, you'll find well-maintained sites with clean vault toilets and fire rings, perfect for a comfortable stay with your horse.
  • Iron Gate Campground provides a remote setting with plenty of space for horse trailers and easy access to nearby trails.
  • Agua Piedra Campground features a beautiful forested area, making it an ideal spot for horse camping with scenic views and nearby hiking trails.

Equestrian campers like these nearby activities

  • Enjoy exploring the trails at Jacks Creek Group Area, which offers access to the stunning Pecos Wilderness for horseback riding and hiking.
  • Santa Barbara Campground is close to beautiful hiking trails and a river, providing a perfect backdrop for outdoor adventures with your horse.
  • At Borrego Mesa Campground, you can enjoy low-traffic areas ideal for riding and exploring the surrounding nature.

Campers appreciate these amenities for horses

  • RV Park at HIPICO Santa Fe offers spacious sites with access to public land, making it a convenient choice for horse camping near Santa Fe.
  • Ghost Ranch provides a unique experience with horseback riding opportunities and beautiful landscapes, perfect for equestrian campers looking for adventure.
  • Calaveras Canyon allows for horse camping in a scenic area, although it’s essential to be prepared for a more rustic experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Española, NM?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Española, NM is Borrego Mesa Campground with a 3.8-star rating from 6 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Española, NM?

TheDyrt.com has all 14 equestrian camping locations near Española, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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