Searching for a tent camping spot near Gila National Forest? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Lower Scorpion Campground is a partially developed campground within walking distance of the West Fork of the Gila River. The campground is located less than one mile from the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument just off NM State Highway 15. Drinking water is available, tables and grills are provided at select sites. Vault toilets are available on site. Camping is free of charge and first-come, first-served.
This campground features beautiful cliffs along the West Fork of the__Gila River.This campground is a great place to stop__on the way to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (15 miles north). Overnight camping is allowed in the upper portion of Forks; however, the lower portion of the Forks__Recreation Site__along the__West Fork of the Gila River is day use only.
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.
Lake Roberts is located in the Wilderness Ranger District along NM 35.__It can be accessed via NM 35 or NM 15. NM 15 is__a narrow paved, winding road that may__not be suitable for trucks with trailers.
This is a fairly small campground and is popular with horse riders and hunters.
Willow Creek Campground provides a quiet, peaceful area in the pines. Willow Creek is located approximately 55 miles from the town of Reserve. Willow Creek is a very beautiful campground nestled in the canyon under tall pines. The camp sites run along both sides of the stream.
A remote campground on the northeast edge of the Gila Wilderness located south of New Mexico Hwy 59 (Beaverhead Road). High clearance vehicles are recommended. This campground is approximately 90 miles northeast of Truth or Consequences, NM
Aeroplane Mesa Campground is a great location for hikers and horseback riders to access the wilderness. The area is relatively open and 'park-like' with grass interspersed with trees.
Ranger
Man, free pulled pork BBQ every Sat. evening garnered this place the 5th star! :)
Stayed 4/23- 4/30. Nice RV park just outside of Silver City with large spaces and junipers between the spaces. We were in #16 which was huge. Full hookups, laundry. Only one bath with a shower. Naturalized pet relief area with some desert vegetation. Dirt road to the place from Kirkland. No playground so saw no kids staying there. Seemed like mature, respectful RVers. Some folks were extended stay, seemed like any long term residents were in a different area; overall nice, neat, quiet, and tidy. John keeps things in good order.
BTW, in Silver City for Tour of the Gila, cool to see the stage races.
Food aside: Heated up some frozen Bertolli pasta dinner and then: nothing on Sat. night because, free BBQ!! Donations appreciated.
Scout
Road is a little rough but well worth it. No one camped near us. Was able to let the dogs roam without fear. Lots of wood in the area. A small creek along the road. Good hiking area. Will definitely go back.
Legend
Apache Creek CG: Apache Creek store is right across the street. Up the road an eighth of a mile. Ice is available there.
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 5 for a one night stop over Security: no Usage during visit: light Site Spacing: Spread out campsites Pad surface: dirt Reservations: Looks to be first come first serve. Campground Noise: Quiet Outside Road Noise: no Through Traffic in campground: No Electric Hookup: no Sewer Hookup: no Dump Station: no Potable Water Available: I did not see any water spigots. Generators: allowed Bathroom: Vault toilet Showers: no Pull Throughs: yes Setting: in open Ponderosa Forest and deciduous trees. Solar: Sites look to have nice solar Rig Size: Large rigs Sites: All sites are pretty nice.
Legend
Cottonwood Campground: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: Not an appealing campground except as a stop over.
Security: no
Usage during visit: light
Site Privacy: no
Pad surface: Dirt
Reservations: No
Outside Road Noise: This cg is right off the highway. Some sites back up towards the highway.
Through Traffic in campground: No
Setting: Under tree canopy.
Solar: solar looks to be pretty good in most sites.
Insects: Did not seem to be a problem during our brief April visit.
Host: No
Sites: Near highway. Site 1 backs up towards the highway.
Legend
Bighorn, NM: great for stopover., As it is right off the highway (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 3 perfect for a stop over Security: no Usage during visit: light Site Privacy: no Site Spacing: OK Pad surface: dirt Outside Road Noise: some highway noise Through Traffic in campground: no Electric Hookup: no Sewer Hookup: no, Dump Station: no, Potable Water Available: no Generators: allowed Bathroom: pit toilet Showers: no Setting: parallel with creek, just off the highway. Solar: great Insects: none during our visit in April. Host: no Sites: along the creek bed, just off the highway.
TravelerClean, quiet campground not far from Emory pass. Pit toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables. Only a handful of people there on Friday night
Ranger
I stayed here for CDT Days. Great location walking distance to everything. There’s a grocery store around the corner. Super quiet. Woke up to the birds chirping away. Priced fairly and would stay here again.
Traveler
Not many spots. Had to squeeze in between a couple people. I’d say there are about 20-25 spots in total if you don’t mind being a little close. What amazing 360 views of the sky. You feel like you are in a globe.
TravelerGreat place and close to sights, yet nestled in a lovely spot.
GuideThis camp ground is conveniently located to Old Town Silver City.
The staff is friendly, the site was clean and level. The bathrooms and showers were clean as well. They were very fairly priced. I booked for one night but may well stay for two.
They have a nice laundry facility. It was a quiet enjoyable stay! I would come back again.
Guide
A handful of sites located on the other side of Skates Canyon from Sapillo Campground. Close to great hiking around the CDT and fishing in Lake Roberts. Most of the sites sit on the shades of ponderosa and there's plenty of space for group camping.
This is as bare as it gets. No services, no cell signal, no trash disposal, not even a pit toilet. Some sites have rock rings for campfires but that's about it. Please recreate responsibly and leave no trace. Pack out whatever you pack in.
Quiet during the winter, but gets busy during the summer as evidenced by how well worn the dirt paths around the area are.
Guide
We liked Rose Valley Ranch and would stay again. We didn’t talk to a soul our entire 3 day stay. We kind of felt isolated which isn’t a bad thing necessarily if you’re not looking for that sort of thing. The sites are huge and feel very private, offering a little fenced in, personal yard at most sites. The bathrooms were very clean and also private feeling. There is only one dumpster and it was very far from our site. Walking around will also involve walking through dirt areas to reach your destination. All in all though it’s a nice, private, roomy park that puts you right near Silver City’s local shops!
Guide
Sapillo Creek lies straddling the original branch of the CDT. This is a free, national forest dispersed campsite with a couple pit toilets and very few other amenities, no cell signal either. Easily accessible from NM-35 and near a couple of general stores in Lake Roberts (10 minute drive north) and Mimbres (15 minute drive south).
Popular with the local crowd during peak camping/ATV season, so be mindful that there might be some related noise during the summer; but generally sees little use during winter and the shoulder seasons.
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.
Guide
There are plenty of nice spots to camp along North Star Road, north of Mimbres, NM. You'll find dispersed campsites with fire-rings all along the edges of the road and on spur forest roads sprouting from it. North Star Road is usually well maintained and most vehicles should make it to at least North Star Mesa.
Nothing in terms of services and amenities, but nice hiking nearby. Very clear skies at night.
As always, please follow LNT principles when dispersed camping.
Legend
We enjoyed how small this campsite is and we were the only people there during our visit.
I gave it 3 stars because it’s right next to the road, but also next to the water.
It has large trees and flat camping spots. It even has a vault toilet.
Legend
We stayed at Mesa Campground during a tour of the Gila National Forest with friends.
The lake views aren’t great, but you can easily walk down to the shore.
The trash bins and running water are really nice amenities. Our site had a table and grill and we were able to fit our truck with a rooftop tent and a truck with a small pull behind, but we were really close to each other.
We’ve also caught and ate trout from Lake Roberts.
LegendThis is one of our favorite springtime camping spots. There aren’t any numbered sites, but there are makeshift campfires and flat areas all around. The site also has trash disposal and vault toilets. Lots of trees for shade and hammocks.
This spot is popular with large crowds and off road vehicle enthusiasts. Expect music until 10pm and the sound of engines. It’s a great place to boondock with a generator.
Lots of easy trails to ride around on with our mini bikes. Plenty of space to set up camp with 2 families and a few smaller tents.
Lake Roberts is just zip the road for fishing opportunities.
Legend
Stayed here for a couple nights in the beginning of September 2023. Weather was upper 80’s during the day and mid 50’s during the night. This site is free and provides a vault toilet (which was clean), water, a fire ring and picnic table. There were about 6-8 sites. I lucked out and ended up getting the last one. The sites were pretty close together but spread out enough. I was able to walk right to the entrance of the cliff dwellings trail from this site in about 5 minutes. I could also walk across street and woods to the river, wasn’t much water though. From silver city on 15, it took me about 90 minutes to reach the campsite. It’s a paved road but gets pretty twisty in spots. I stocked up on food and everything I needed at wal mart in silver city. There was no cell service from silver city to the campground. There is a store, Docs, that will let you use their Wi-Fi. The store has a few things but nothing impressive. It was also difficult finding wood in the immediate area, so either bring wood or stock up along 15 when you’re in the pines. There is also no trash pickup anywhere in the area, so prepare to pack out all trash. The only downside of this site is being able to get a spot. There is also the lower scorpion campsite, plus a few others along the way. There are also plenty of dispersed sites along 15.
Ranger
We tent camped at Cherry Creek campground in late July 2023. We arrived about 4pm on a Saturday and there were like 2 sites available. First come, first serve, no fee, but a ranger told me that could change soon. Lots of nice tall pines. The creek was dry. Very scenic valley. There’s a short, informal trail at the north end of the campground past the bathroom. The trail goes about 0.25 miles out; so 0.5 mile round trip. A nice evening or morning stroll or both. But…there was a big group next to us that partied loud and late—with a generator that lit up their site, and ours. Oh well! At least they were enjoying the outdoors like we were, I think.
GuideBeautiful dispersed camp site both pull through and back in. We camped there in and only saw one other camper. Keep in mind zero cell service.
Scout
The campground itself is nice enough, but the owners are downright rude and creepy. The owner, Allen, often drinks and then peruses the campground to leer at women in the pools and make innapropriate and offensive conversation. On one occasion, myself and my girlfriends were soaking, and he wouldn't leave us alone, so we just left. Not a very relaxing way to spend a vacation!
ScoutLower Gallinas is a beautiful 2 Mile hike Barricaded at 152 it should be reopened ASAP
Guide
The staff are top notch! Young energetic and as helpful as can be. Friendly service, the facilities are very clean.
GuideOwner is great and park is well kept with a good amount of space between sites. Laundry room only has small washers and 3 out of 4 were broken when we got here.
GuideThis trail requires 4x4 and high clearance. It is a bumpy road for all 3+ miles into the mountainside. But it is far worth the drive for the seclusion. There are plenty of spaces to camp before the creek. But we kept going for about 3 miles, hit a road gate, and started traveling into the valley. It will eventually open up and you will see meadow creek. Spots to the left and right of the fork, we settled at the bottom. No service in the valley. Extremely magical, and serene. Leave it better than you left it please! If you want a camp spot off the beaten path, this is it. Perfect for tent camping/car camping.
ScoutWe came out here to enjoy NM for the weekend so we stopped here to enjoy the views and the night sky, I’m amazed how few people are out here! If you have this place on your bucket list of places to stop, do it! It’s beautiful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Gila National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Gila National Forest is Lower Scorpion Campground with a 3.6-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Gila National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 19 tent camping locations near Gila National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
