Campsites are small yet private due to the wonderful shrubbery and small trees. There is a great trail that winds through the back of the property. The bathrooms could use an upgrade, but after all, it is a campground. Pool in the summer and fire pits in the winter. I love this campground!
This is a great U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campground. Great level sites with water and 50amp power for RVs and water at tent sites. Clean restrooms with showers. No sewer hookups but dump stations. Stays are limited to14 days, RVspaces are $20 tent sites are $14, 50% discount if you have an Access pass. Fishing docks at the lake, boating (no wake) hiking trails and lots to see and do in the area.
This is a great U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campground. Great level sites with water and 50amp power for RVs and water at tent sites. Clean restrooms with showers. No sewer hookups but dump stations. Stays are limited to14 days, RVspaces are $20 tent sites are $14, 50% discount if you have an Access pass. Fishing docks at the lake, boating (no wake) hiking trails and lots to see and do in the area.
This was a true Gem! We stayed the evening here and we were greeted with friendly faces! The spaces were amazing level and wide Each site had a fire area and a covered picnic area nice concrete area at each site! Walking trails and beautiful lakes for fishing!
Campground Review:
Imagine 1.25 Ma ago an eruption blew apart the landscape of Northern New Mexico that would rival the shear volume erupted by the world famous Yellowstone hotspot! Jemez Falls and its namesake campground are the closest, largest, and most developed CG to the Valles Caldera proper and the entrance to the caldera's access roads. The Jemez Falls CG is more developed than the nearby primitive (dispersed) sites that surround the flanks of the caldera proper, this CG offers 50 single sites and 2 double sites, $10 and $50 respectively. Most of the sites can accommodate RVs and trailers up to 40' in length with good options for tent camping as well. Each site has the usual metal fire ring, along with picnic tables and a paved driveway/parking area. You can reserve sites from mid May through Mid September.
Even if you plan to stay here for a couple weeks (which is the limit) you'll have more than enough to keep you preoccupied! If you want to drive around and hike or fish in the caldera proper then you will need to go to the Valles Caldera Visitors Center and buy a pass. They typically cost $25 but when we visited during the International Balloon Fiesta the fee was waived. If they are charging when you arrive, you can also use your National Parks Pass to get entrance. Be sure to arrive early on the weekends as they restrict the # of permits they hand out.
Now with all this exposed rock you know there's going to be some amazing climbing! All of the rock in the immediate area was created by the caldera and related volcanic and magmatic activity in the area in the past few million years. This gives you the opportunity to climb on some "bulletproof" welded tuff (hardened volcanic ash) much like what exists at the world famous Smith Rock State Park in Oregon. If you want to find out more about the interesting geology of the area you can look Here
Product Review:
Being a Ranger for the Dyrt allows us to test and review gear from time to time! This time we got to test out the Men's Free Rein Jacket by Red Ledge.
Pros:
- First thing I want to say about this jacket is that it is super cheap for a rain jacket this rugged and with this many features! It was only ~90$ after shipping and is comparable to some of my other jackets that were 2-3x as much!
- I also really liked the mesh fabric on the inner portion of the breast pockets. It added another dimension of breath ability to the jacket to prevent condensation from building up on the inside. This was a nice addition to the gusseted armpits flaps to help air out.
- The last thing I really liked about this jacket was the amount of high-vis color options you had to choose from! I went with the Hi-Vis Orange which is close to a hunters orange and came in very handy as there was active hunting while we were hiking in the Valles Caldera.
Cons:
- There were only a couple of things that we thought could have been improved. The first was to have the armpit openings be meshed on the inside to prevent it from opening wide up. We really liked that feature in the breast/side pockets and wished it had been incorporated into the armpits as well.
- The other thing was the inability to zip the jacket from the top or bottom, which would have allowed you to kind of blouse the bottom of the jacket.
Score: 4/5
- While other jackets have more features, this is a great, durable rain jacket at a price point that is reasonable and affordable for most. This was a great jacket to test and I anticipate using it for many more rainstorms and windy belays in the future.
This is one of the best day use areas that we visited while on a 2 day tour in and around the Valles Caldera! It has over 250 climbing routes spread out along the East Fork of the Jemez River with something for every level of climber! The belay areas are nice and flat and the approach will at most take you an hour to get to the furthest walls. Some of the climbs even allow for setting up top ropes from the tops of the cliffs. You can access the cattle wall easily from the east parking lot but if you want to walk along the creek then use the parking lot that is to the west. If you plan on staying overnight then the closest developed campground is the Jemez Falls CG just up the road to the west.
This is a nice secluded dispersed campsite on the eastern flanks of the Valles Caldera. It's the closest CG to Sante Fe along the 4 before it enters the caldera proper. While most of the trees in this area were burnt by fires less than 10 years ago, it still provides great views of the valley below and the highest mountains in all of New Mexico! The campground has no amenities so bring everything you'll need and bring along a high clearance vehicle if you plan on heading up the road beyond the campsites that are right off the pavement to the right.
Besides exploring the caldera there are plenty of amazing things to do in nearby Sante Fe! Our favorite attraction was the MeowWolf permanent art exhibit. It's an absolutely amazing surreal piece of art that you walk through and interact. I cannot stress enough how much you should visit because in addition to being an art pillar in New Mexico they also contribute to local and soon regional art and philanthropic endeavors.
The park is great with beautiful views. The problem is the 12 miles of access road riddled with large& deep pot holes. They don't care about maintaining it either. If you value your vehicle or rv avoid this park at the low rates, can you afford to bend an axle?
High altitude early fall camping. Woke up to brisk fall morning covered in ice from overnight sleet. Tall standing pines made campground awesome place to stay.
I visited this magical place. It is absolutely beautiful. During the day the myriad of plants are enchanting. At night the stars and sounds otherworldly. And the healing energy of Michaela and Ernesto brought me back into light. Forever grateful.
There are 4 different loops, from the oldest (30 amps) water nearby, the the newest section. Dry camping with a view. We are in the Buffalo section. 50 / 30 amps along with water. Very nice shade structure with table.
Sites range from very good to ok. Washrooms are clean.
Nights are quite along with stars. Can be winding but this makes it cool in the daytime.
Lots of places to walk, from 1 to 5 miles.
I would rate this 5 stars, but the CampGround host should be out cleaning up the weeds on the sites. But I have never seen them.
Small primitive campground! Beautiful scenery. Adorable little creek right there. Vault bathrooms were clean, but we were there early in the season. Big trees all around. Still some snow on the ground.
its actually called Coronado, not Corondado. So don’t type that into your gps My boyfriend and I took a 13 state journey this summer over the course of 3 weeks and this was one of my favorite campsites we stayed at. 👍🏻🏕 If you stay there I highly recommend camping in site r7 or the sites that have the little huts. The view of the Sandia mountains was absolutely incredible. There’s also a tram that will take you up the Sandia mountains that’s the longest tram in North America, 2nd longest in the world. It was beautiful. You can hike up the trails to a cabin built in the 1930s that is simply worth the hike up in the thin mountain air. 10/10 would highly recommend this site!
Getting here is like driving through a secret little road, and once you get there, it’s amazing! It’s really serene and peaceful, and the hosts are great!!! Will be there again!!!
This was are 1st time trying out our 5th wheel. We live in Albuquerque and wanted to try something close to home. This was a nice park located next to a lake that can be fished with a license. RV park is part of Isleta Casino and free shuttle service is offered from your Rv to the Casino. We would definitely stay again, only draw back is it's close to the railroad station and the train blows its horn. Paid about $35 nightly for full hookups.
Great place in a beautiful wooded hillside southwest of Santa Fe about 15 mins or so. They have a pool, a small dog park and a great little hiking trail with good views of the surrounding mountains. Nice facilities, a small store and a laundry mat make it a great place to explore Santa Fe and the surrounding area.
This place is run down and outdated but I enjoyed my stay. The park is up a little dirt road that takes you into the mountain. There is a small visitor center and pool that wasn't in working use when I was there. Coun laundry. Free hot showers. You will see lots of wildlife here, coyotes, mountain lions, etc. If you have little dogs with you, be careful and keep them close. During my stay a coyote got my neighbors small pug. Lots of full timers here also that didn't seem to keep their spaces very clean. Overall this place isnt the best, but it's a unique location for an RV park and super cheap.
We stayed here for our annual Cub Scout camp out. We tent camped around a group site. It’s next to the Coronado Monument and the Rio Grande with an awesome view of the Sandia mountains.
…to spend a day with the family. Fenton lake is a popular local spot for picnicking and fishing. The scenery here is absolutely stunning, you’d almost think you’re in a postcard. Plenty of sites with tables and grills. This definitely isn’t a campsite as they close at sundown so no camping. The fishing is okay here. Better if you have a small boat or kayak and can get further from the shore.
New Mexico is a land of wonders and beauty in every turn. From its famous green or red chili and the smell of roasted chiles in the streets to the beautiful sandia mountains that shimmer at sunset to the many parks and recreation areas to explore. New Mexico truly is like no other state and must be on your to bucket list!
Level gravel full hookup service. Rally room very large and outdoor space nice. WiFi not so great and ATT service poor. No cable tv service. Rest rooms very clean.
This is the park in Santa Fe for big rigs. Friendly and family owned. They create a sense of community for travelers with local performers and dance lessons. Beautiful patio outside of the community building.
This park has sculptures and antique ranch equipment throughout. There’s also a trail around the whole park for waking. Beautiful views from the north and west side of the park.
Restrooms and showers are extremely clean. I wish we could assign 4.5 stars. We would have given this park 5 stars if there were more trees/shade. That’s par for the course however in the high desert.
If you like privacy, this is not the campground for you. Nor if you like to have a beer in the open. Don't get me wrong, it's an acceptable campground, but a little exposed and tightly controlled (we called them the beer police). We had booked three nights, but stayed only two. It was fine if you were going to go boating, but for hiking or chilling at your campsite, it left a little to be desired.
We had to disguise our adult beverages, so as not to arouse suspicion from the beer police. I'm too old for that. The lack of any privacy was sort of off putting too.
We did enjoy a beautiful sunset and some flat walks around the campground, but not quite the hiking that we were looking for.
It's a long drive off the interstate for just a night, so I'd skip it if that's what you are looking for.
We stayed here for a week and a half in the middle of June 2019. We are a 30 ft travel trailer with a Ram 2500. I’d say between all three loops, there were probably 8-10 sites where we would fit. Some of those spots were taken when we arrived on a Sunday afternoon, but we were able to snag spot#9 on the Abert’s Squirrel loop. It was one of the few pull through sites. Not the easiest site to navigate or level, but we made it work and had plenty of room to park the truck in front. The campground was a little tight for us so I’d think anything much bigger(40’ is probably pushing it) than us will have some trouble getting around. Some of sites were questionable as far as level as well. No hook-ups at any of the spots but there is a dump station near the entrance with potable water. There are also potable water spigots throughout the campground. Conveniently, there was a spigot right by us. Very easy to fill jugs. There are shower houses and toilets, but never went to see how nice they were. The campground was about half full most of the time we were there. Very quiet and everyone respected quiet hours. You pay for sites at a self-pay station with credit card only. We tried to book for 11 nights and it wouldn’t take it, so apparently the self-pay is only good for a charge less than$100. If you want to extend your stay, you can either wait until noon(some things said 11:00 so not sure which is correct) and pay at the kiosk(it must be completed after check-out) or you can write a note that you are extending and pay later. Sites are$12/night unless you have a national park senior or access pass then they are$6/night. It is$25 to enter the park(7-day pass), but we have the annual park pass. There is a camp host on Abert’s Squirrel loop, but we didn’t interact with them so can’t say how friendly they were. Our spot#9 was perfect for solar, no obstructions at all. Most of the other sites we saw at least had some potential for shade. The Coyote Loop seemed to have the most potential for shade; although, the other loops had shady spots as well. Even if you stay at the campground, Bandelier is only accessible by shuttle from 9am-3pm. However, there is a hiking trail that will take you from the campground to the ruins. We did that then hiked the trails down there. You can also hike back up to the campground, but we opted to take the shuttle instead. The last shuttle leaves the visitor center at 5pm. There are other things to do in the area as well. The towns, White Rock and Los Alamos, are nearby and both have services should you need them. The road up to the campground(Hwy 4) is bumpy! First paved road we have ever been on that was washboard. Nothing major, just annoying. The portion of the road to Los Alamos and Jemez Springs was nice. We figure the road damage is due to the shuttles. Weather is a bit unpredictable; rain clouds move in fast, but they move out fast too. We had several TV channels so were able to stay up to date with the weather. AT&T signal was not good with only 1 bar LTE without the booster and not much better with it. It was enough to WIFI call and do some light searching, but uploading photos was too slow. Verizon was good with about 2-3 4G LTE without the booster, and 4 bars with it. I was able to work remotely with the Verizon hotspot. Overall, it was a great place to stay and we would stay again.
Enjoyed the site! They had RV, cabins and tent camp sites. My friend and I are tent campers and there was more than enough space for the vehicle and both our tents. They have showers (limited to 5 mins but better than nothing!), they have a dishwashing stations and two bathhouses. The lady at the front desk was helpful and extremely nice. There is a store really close by also! They have charcoal grills at the tent sites and one communal fire pit. We paid about $20. Would absolutely go back again! The sad part is the museum is closed due to lack of funding 😭
Been there a couple times. Enjoyed the fishing, accessibility to the casino, golf course and lakes! Lots to do in a small area! I will go back!
Nice enough campground for the night. Located very close to beautiful hiking trails and amazing hot springs!!
Nice quiet place within the monument. Shuttle bus takes you to visitor center Where ruins are and access to trails. There is a lovely 2 mile trail from campground that you can also walk to center. Ruins are interesting. Lots of wildflowers.
Love coming here with the family. Some campgrounds are reservation only but there are still plenty that are first come first serve. But this is a holiday weekend hotspot so you need to come early or avoid a holiday weekend all together, but still worth a drive out here.
As other reviews note, this campground looks like it was built in the 50s and not touched since. That said, the area is really pretty and this campsite was totally empty even just a couple days before memorial day weekend. Had clean bathrooms and showers and all of the sites were nice. Some sites had great views of the lake.
It may not be as nice as the camp on the other side, but offered a bit more solitude.