Looking for an adventure where you can explore Hillsboro and then fall asleep in your tent? The Dyrt helps you find campsites near Hillsboro with tent camping. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Small campground located along the north side of New Mexico Highway 152, near mile marker 40, near Middle Percha Creek, on the eastern edge of the small town of Kingston, NM.
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.
This is a fairly small campground and is popular with horse riders and hunters.
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 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.
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.
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.
ScoutOk 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
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.
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.
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.
Traveler
2-night minimum, at the end of a maintained gravel road. I have a camper van, no hookups, and paid $48 for two nights. Large rec room with full kitchen, satellite tv, pool table, and pop/candy/ice cream for sale. Laundry and hot showers. Very friendly and a majority of sites are long time full timers. Cash or check only, no credit cards. Good wi-fi. Propane available. About 10 miles to town and 30 miles to City of Rocks state park.
GuideNothing extravagant extra clean. Well taken of. Nicely helpful heated shower rooms. I looked at it Lots of restaurants nearby. There was lots of availability staff very nice
RangerBeautiful scenery, clean facilities. Sites in the main campground are kinda close together, but dispersed camping has better views and plenty of space. Good Verizon service, hot showers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Hillsboro, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Hillsboro, NM is Railroad Canyon Campground with a 3.4-star rating from 5 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near Hillsboro, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
