Looking for the best Hillsboro pet-friendly camping? Finding a place to camp with your dog in New Mexico has never been easier. These scenic and easy-to-reach Hillsboro campsites are perfect for camping with dogs.
This state park has 173 developed campsites, beach camping and boat-in camping. If you like camping, fishing, boating, or just being outdoors, Elephant Butte is for you. There is plenty of water and plenty of beach room and this is New Mexico's largest State Park. Besides sandy beaches, the State Park offers restrooms, picnic areas, playgrounds, and developed sites with electric and water hook-ups for RV's. Park Elevation 4,527 ft
Campground Facilities: 29 Developed Campsites 23 Electric Sites Water in Campground RV Dump Station Group Campsites Restrooms: Restrooms with water Showers Vault Toilets Gardens Gift Shop
Odd volcanic rock formations give moon-like appearance to this popular picnic spot which also has three campsites, but little shade and no water.
$8 - $14 / night
Apaloosa campground has 23 sites that are tent and RV friendly with 30 am hookups, water, toilets and is pet friendly. No showers at this location. But it is located within walking distance to Caballo Lake and has pull through sites with electric and water to accomodate motorhomes, travel trailers, 5th wheels or tent camping
$40 / night
Elephant Butte Lake RV Resort offers 140 full hook-up sites with big rig, level sites up to 70 feet. 20, 30 and 50 amp service is available. Daily or monthly rates, cable TV, covered patio with picnic tables and BBQ grills by the lounges. Elephant Butte Lake RV Resort offers free Wi-Fi.
Scout
I love the Elephant Butte State Park and have stayed around 4 times. February 2024 I spent a week there in my small travel trailer. It can be quite windy in Feb/Mar so before booking I called the park office ans asked which campground might be more wind sheltered. They suggested Quail Run so that is what I booked. It was more out of the wind and a very nice, less exposed area. /bear in mind, the excellent prices are ending for 2025 and will be considerably more. I plan to spend a few days there in Dec before the prices go up.
Ranger
We stopped here for an unplanned overnight. It is ok. Friendly staff. Clean but dated bathrooms. Took 5 minutes to get hot water in the women’s shower and the water stream was very small. No space between rigs. Lots of people driving out late and early. Think some folks must live here and be heading off to work. Big clubhouse area with a library. Also indoor pool. Didn’t use these facilities. There is a laundry but we did not check it out. Reasonable price but we wouldn’t choose to stay here again.
Ranger
This small camp site is next to Smokey Bear Historical Park and museum is in a small town of Capitan, New Mexico.
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
Ok RV PRk. No showers or rest rooms, Needs a serious upgrade. Owner is nice. Lots of permanent trailers. Goat heads are everywhere, along with lots if weeds.
Ranger
Our grandsons loved this place. We went without reservations so there was no open place but they allow the overflow to camp in the group sites if they are empty.
You can spend hours exploring all the rocks.
With reservations you can get a spot with power but they are closer together. We were very happy with the great place we had. Would love to go again.
Guide
Great campground. Good size spots with good distance between sites. Ramadas at each site provide precious shade. Lots of trash bins nearby. Long flat trail (bike/walk) starts at the campground. Note that is has a boat launch except there’s no more water in this area.
GuideGreat flat spot with great views. It’s inside the Elephant Butte lake state park, but seems to be a dispersed site. No one around. No amenities. There is a vault toilet maybe a half mile away. There are pay stations around. We had paid for a site on south Monticello campground but came here instead.
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.
Scoutgreat rural campground. lake valley ghost town is worth the ride
Legend
There are a few hot spring resorts that we keep in the back of our minds, always ready to return whenever we’re within striking distance…and this is one of them! A good friend who used to live in T or C raved about this place, and let’s say she was not wrong.
While the campground itself isn’t much to write home about (just a parking lot across the street), quick access to the pools, the environment, and the scenery are simply amazing. The campsites are full-hook up slots, tastefully divided by local plants and shade trees, but very close to each other. You’re within the city limits, but it feels somehow more like a quiet neighborhood.
The resort offers showers, bathrooms, and of course a multitude of pools at different temperatures to balance whatever the weather might throw at you. With nothing but the Rio Grande River, and the Chihuahuan Desert sprawling into the distance, the resort is serene, and feels a million miles away from the interstate which is only a couple miles away.
Even with the electrical hook ups, we still gathered all we needed with our solar powered system, and our south facing campsite was perfect for satellite internet as well, even though the resort has some spotty wifi.
The town within walking distance has everything you might want, especially if you like New Mexican cuisine, the answer is always “Christmas” WYKYK. Gas, food, Walmart all close by, etc. it’s all there.
Nearby is the Elephant Butte State Park with a massive reservoir for all kinds of boating recreation, mountain biking and hiking. Just make sure you go at the right time of year! Also check out the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge if you are at all interested in birds and other wildlife. You'll find reviews for all of these places on our The Dyrt Reviews.
Guide
Very clean and well maintained. Staff were very friendly. No shade for the trailer, but the covered picnic table was good. Electric hookup worked. Water was off due to water system maintenance. We were able to fill up at the campground below the dam. Quiet at night, just some road noise from the highway. The lake is great with easy access for kayaking at the boat ramp. We would stay here again.
LegendSituated on the edge of a sprawling reservoir along the Rio Grande river, this park is the perfect place to enjoy the vast landscape of the area. The nearby town of Truth or Consequences, NM is small, but has all the services you might need for food, gas, supplies, or soaking in hot springs.
The campground is well spaced out, each spot has a picnic table with shade/rain structure (I’ll let you guess which purpose gets more use) and nearly all have electricity and water. That means NO generators! The bath house is clean and offers flush toilets, running sinks and warm showers. All sites are reservation only, but you can do that when you get there as there is plenty of LTE cell service. We've never seen this place crowded in the winter months. For what you get at this campground, it’s a bargain at twice the price.
The campground is ideal for solar power, as is the New Mexico weather. We also had no problem connecting with Starlink. Hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing and all other sorts of desert recreation is available right from the campground. Definitely worth the visit!
Scout
Nice level spot, but winds must blow year round in one direction, the trees are actually leaning. Nice check in clerk, but never provided a code to Showers. Locked by the time we tried the doors. Sitting outside at night the winds blew a constant Gasoline Vapor, even filled the RV. Great place for a one night stop, make sure you get the Shower Code!
Scout
Stayed in the open area not at a site . Area I parked had a big area with shaded trees, very quite at night and had no issues with neighbors
Guide$14 for an RV site with electric and water. Good TMobile service.
They have reservation as well as first come first serve sites.
Amazing volunteers, so knowledgeable and fun to talk to. You could just walk around the rocks and campground or take one of the trails out into the desert landscape. We had our bikes and were not disappointed!
Would absolutely come back.
Guide
When I called about availability we were told there were a lot of dry spots available. Works for us! When we got there the person at gate had no idea where the campgrounds were and would not let us check out sites without paying for day use. The campground had water shutoff on Memorial Day weekend. No bathrooms or showers.
Management aside, this place is gorgeous. We dry camped by lake right under mountains. Would not pay for campground with no water but for $10 to dry camp by the water, love it.
Great T-Mobile service. Easy to access.
GuideI spent two weeks here at three different sites, and while I was ready to get back to civilization (the park is fairly remote), I genuinely had a relaxing time.
The bathrooms/comfort station are clean and fairly new—the only downsides are they’re only open from 7am-5pm to conserve water and it’s a bit of a trek by foot if you’re at one of the far campsites. I also had strong enough reception with T-Mobile to work remotely, and good service through Verizon as well.
Site 25 (Crab): a truly iconic site within a park where nearly every site is a gem. Downside: very little privacy and no shade from the afternoon sun. Upside: Site is level, great sunset views and a quick walk to the pit toilets.
Site 24 (Hercules): Connects to site 25 via a the rock formations, but more private as it’s not directly on the main loop. Again, close to the pit bathroom. There’s a fun and semi private climb up into the rocks to the left of the picnic table that will give you a stellar sunset view. Site is level and protected from the worst of the south/SW winds. I also saw the most wildlife from this site (marmot, roadrunner, jack rabbit, and more). Downside: the site curves rather drastically and is best suited for vans, tent camping, or very small RVs; little shade as the tree that used to offer shade was removed.
Site 30 (Triangulum): hands down, the best site in the park IMO. Lots of shade and privacy as it’s set far back from the main road; it almost feels like you have the park to yourself. Pit toilets are conveniently at the end of the drive. Downside: people climbing through the rocks occasionally end up near your site, but no one ever wandered too far; the windmill does makes some noise but it’s really not too bad; this site has FULL shade, which is ideal unless you run on solar panels. For a few hours a day I had to back my van into the sun, which put it at a fairly severe angle as the drive slopes once you back out of the sweet spot by the picnic table; very little protection from the wind, but there is some.
LegendCity of Rocks, NMSP: NON- ELECTRIC Sites: Sites Nestled into Uniqueness. One of the best campgrounds , in regards to campsite layout, we have stayed in during 4 1/2 years of full timing - (Electric sites are not so. They do have views, but are crowded together.) (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 5 for the non-electric sites. The are nestled into semi private/private locations. I did not see a non-electric site that I would not enjoy. Even the worst of these sites would be among the best at many campgrounds. Sites in the back loop where we stayed were among the best.
Price 2024
: $10 for non-electric sites
Security: I think the gates are locked at night. Not sure.
Usage during visit: Electric sites were full . Primitive sites had some availability.
Site Privacy: Good to great
Site Spacing: Many sites are very well spaced.
Site surface: Gravel
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: Quiet
Outside Road Noise: Too isolated for this to be an issue.
Through Traffic in campground: None
Electric Hookup: Availability
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: No
Potable Water Available: Yes
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: Pit toilets are throughout the campground.
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: Yes, there are some.
Cell Service (AT&T): 0 - 2 bars depending on location
Setting: Primitive sites are set among the rocks. Electric hook up sites are close together, but have a view of the rocks and desert. They are not as nicely laid out.
ScoutThis is an amazing place with beautiful rock formations that you can spend hours exploring. Overall I really enjoyed staying here and seeing the sights. However, I ran into two issues (one major) while camping at site #28:
1. There is a large wasp nest in the base of the tree at this site. Depending on the time of day, there can be a LOT of wasps flying around throughout the entire area of site#28, making the entire site unusable. Notably, this nest is in the only shaded area of the site, so you have no usable shade. Once you bring food outside, even more come out and they get aggressive. I got stung twice while trying to eat outside. I contacted the park about this by e-mailing the park manager (Gabriel Medrano) twice. He never responded to the e-mails. I also called the park office during business hours, but they did not answer. I left a voicemail, but they never called back. Clearly this park's management does not care about its guests. I later talked to one of the rangers. They said they are not allowed to disturb the wasp nest by spraying it or doing anything else due to directives from management. In other words, the park manager would rather preserve a dangerous pest instead of ensuring visitor safety and park usability.
2. There is a windmill near site #28 that makes a very loud and annoying metal grinding noise when it turns slowly. It is shockingly loud and at first I thought that there was some sort of metal fabrication factory or construction site nearby. This happens any time of day or night, depending on the wind, and can be clearly heard from most sites on the west side of the campground. It would be loud enough to wake someone in a tent, but probably not an RV. Again, I e-mailed the park manager (Gabriel Medrano) about this, and didn't even get the courtesy of a reply.
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.
Guide
Had to duck in here one afternoon to avoid 70 mph cross winds on the highway. What a find! Loops A, B, and C of Lions Beach are terraces high above Elephant Butte Lake. Spectacular lake views! Loop B (sites 66 thru 79) is particularly sweet because the sites back up to the edge of the terrace for gorgeous lake views right from your camper window. We wish we could've stayed longer.
TravelerGreat place and close to sights, yet nestled in a lovely spot.
Scout
Just an overnight after 5hr drive. Lots of different animals at ranch. Provided adapter for 50 to 30 amps. Would stay again!
TravelerThe animals are cute and the owners are friendly. It’s a quiet place to pull off the highway and spend the night. The night skies are very dark, so it’s perfect for stargazing.
ScoutFree camping (14 days) on the riverside! Amazing. Perfect for van life. Space for big rigs too but only a couple big turnaround spots so just be strategic about it.
Ranger
We drove all the way to the power line rd, made a right and then proceeded through multiple BLM gates that we had to open then close behind us. We ended up down in the reservoir valley, out of the wind. Phenomenal spot. Good verizon service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Hillsboro, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Hillsboro, NM is Lower Ridge Road — Elephant Butte Lake State Park with a 4.3-star rating from 29 reviews.
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