Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Hatch, NM
Caballo Lake State Park's multiple pet-friendly campgrounds—Appaloosa, Riverside, Stallion, and Palomino—provide numerous options for camping with dogs near Hatch, New Mexico. All sites welcome pets and offer electric and water hookups, with many featuring picnic tables and fire rings. Tent campers, RV owners, and those seeking more rugged experiences can find suitable accommodations across the park's various camping areas. Percha Dam State Park Campground also allows pets within its grounds, offering electric and water hookups in pull-through sites that can accommodate larger rigs. Las Cruces KOA, located south of Hatch, offers a wider range of pet-friendly accommodation options including tent sites, RV spots with full hookups, and cabins. The campground's covered picnic tables and patios provide shade for pets during hot summer days. Bathrooms are generally clean and well-maintained across most properties, though facilities at Percha Dam have been described as basic with occasionally unfilled toilet paper dispensers.
Hiking trails around Caballo Lake provide excellent opportunities for dog walking, with morning kayaking trips offering peaceful experiences for pets comfortable on water. The Rio Grande riverbank at Riverside Campground features flat walking paths ideal for leashed dogs. Visitors should be aware of goathead thorns in certain areas, particularly at Percha Dam, which can injure pets' paws. Camping during weekdays typically offers a quieter experience for nervous dogs, as weekends bring larger crowds to the more popular water access points. Summer temperatures in the region can reach the upper 80s during the day, requiring careful attention to pet hydration and shade access. The Aguirre Spring Recreation Area and Campground east of Las Cruces features additional pet-friendly trails with stunning mountain views, though it offers more primitive facilities without electric hookups or showers.