Best Glamping near Gallup, NM

We were so grateful to stumble upon USA RV Park on our recent trip through New Mexico.  We were dealing with snow all the way from Colorado to Gallup, and decided about an hour out of Gallup to stop for the night.  We called USA RV Park, and while no one answered, they returned our call within the half hour.  They graciously accommodated our 2 trailers last minute with full hookups!  The campsite itself is large, clean, well marked, and very nice restrooms!  The store was well stocked with what we needed (including a tent repair kit for our pop up!).  The owner, John, was very kind, helpful, and a delight to chat with.  We filled our propane tank up on site and were on our way the next day!  Highly recommend! :)

We used this campground as a starting point for a research trip sampling Precambrian rocks of the Zuni Mountains. I hadn't spent much time in this part of New Mexico, and assumed that the trip was going to be hot and sun-bleached, similar to the desert exposed in nearby Gallup, NM. I was surprised to drive into a beautiful forest just a few minutes off I40.

The campsite includes basic forest service amenities: pit toilets, picnic tables, and metal-rimmed fire pit/grill sites. What set this apart from other non-hosted campsites for me was the condition of the grounds. The tent camping sites had well maintained, leveled tent pads, maintained gravel roads, and clean facilities. The Sites offered a reasonable degree of privacy, although some of the sites near the middle of the loop road place you in close proximity to your neighbor. The area is moderately wooded with pine and aspen, providing shade throughout the day and easy access to the dirt road that transects the Zuni Mountains, letting you out near the Bandera volcano and ice cave, which is a wonderful drive if you have a high clearance/4x4 and time to drive through.

We saw abundant wildlife while working in the Zunis, including several brown bears, deer, and elk. While we didn't have any run ins with these guy in camp, be aware that large animals are present in the area and be sure to take necessary bear-proofing precautions.

Camp fees were $5/night, which is quite the bargain given the well-kept grounds and wonderful scenery. If you're looking for a less-traveled escape from Albuquerque, or just want the chance to explore the under-valued Zuni mountains and western New Mexico landscape (and some pretty interesting geologic features such as orbicular granite), this campground is an excellent place to spend some time on the cheap.

Photos included are from the Zunis south of the campsite, as I didn't think to take any photos while we were at camp.

I booked this park months out- needed a place to stay on our way home from AZ. We left the Grand Canyon in the morning and stopped in Gallup to sleep before heading to Petroglyph NM the next morning. The staff member at the entry was very efficient, friendly, and informative. Our site was toward the back of the property- so we didn’t hear any road noise. The park was probably around 3/4 full on the Monday night we stayed- but it was pretty quiet. There was a pet area with a cinder block “fence” and several people walked dogs around in the park. I wanted to take a peek at the pool- so I picked up my 6 lb dog to walk into that area to see it and a lady quickly intercepted me and said dogs couldn’t be in that area. The pool looked decent from what I could see. The cell signal seemed strong from the indicators on our devices but I guess due to the number of users in the area, we had slow service. We tried the park’s WiFi but it was too slow to do much. Our site was mostly level so we used our small curved levelers on one side. The sites are VERY close together and many of the picnic tables seem to need new boards for seats.

When driving through Gallup, one doesn't expect to find such a great place to land on Route 66. On the surface it may appear to be a great over-nighter location - which it is! Level pull-through sites with a picnic table.  But it's so much more than that. First the business seems to be comprised of  family-owned and operated. They have excellent amenities including a lovely pool and playground area. Their shop is absolutely GREAT. The laundry area, showers, dish-washing area and other services are excellent.  Sites include electric, water and a picnic table. A dump station is positioned right by the exit. We had an unexpected delay for four days due to a medical situation, and they recommended a doctor who helped immensely, and they worked with us day to day to keep us in our spot as needed. Highly recommend this RV Park! Great folks!