Lincoln National Forest is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Lincoln National Forest, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Lincoln National Forest and user-submitted reviews.
Set against the dramatic Sacramento Mountains, this park features a historic ranch house, quiet camping in the Chihuahuan Desert, and pools of water under the cottonwood trees of Dog Canyon. Springs flow year-round and ferns cling to the sides of mossy rocks. The water in Dog Canyon has attracted people to the area for millennia.
The park’s namesake, Oliver Milton Lee (1865-1941) was a colorful figure in New Mexico history. In 1893 he settled at the mouth of Dog Canyon and built an extensive house at his ranch headquarters. At its peak, his holdings reached about one million acres. Oliver Lee explored ways of bringing water to the dry Tularosa Basin and was instrumental in establishing the town of Alamogordo. Lee is also credited for using his influence to attract the railroad to the area.
Oliver Lee’s home at Dog Canyon Ranch has been completely rebuilt from ruins. It is authentically furnished providing visitors with a glimpse of Lee’s life at the ranch. The house is closed for renovations. Please monitor the park events page to find out when tours resume.
Want to Visit?
The campground, just southwest of the mouth of Dog Canyon, is dry and rocky with desert grasses, mesquite, ocotillo, creosote, yucca, and various species of cacti. The sites vary widely in elevation offering privacy and incredible views across the Tularosa Basin.
Travel Tips:
Peak season for the park is October through April Park Elevation 4,400 ft We are the closest campground to White Sands National Park (30 min. / 27 miles) The park makes an excellent base for day trips Ruidoso 1.25 hours / 66 miles Three Rivers Petroglyph Site 56 min. / 50 miles Cloudcroft 44 min. / 35 miles There are attractions in Alamogordo less than 30 minutes away Alameda Park Zoo New Mexico Museum of Space History Heart of the Desert Pistachios & Wine McGinn’s Pistachio Land The nearby Lincoln National Forest offers miles of trails ranging from very easy to very challenging
$10 - $14 / night
From the KOA website: Nestled in the Tularosa Basin, the Alamogordo / White Sands KOA is a perfect location to set up as your base camp while touring the beauty and attractions of Southern New Mexico! With RV sites, tent sites, and cabins we can accommodate most every type of traveling camper. Mild winters make Alamogordo a wonderful place to escape the cold and snow of northern climates so be sure to ask about winter rates. Escape the desert heat by cooling off in our inviting pool. A large rec room and long covered outside patio work great for group events. Enjoy hiking or disk-sledding down the vast gypsum dunes at White Sands National Monument, only a short 15 mile drive from the campground! Learn about New Mexicos role in the US space program through interactive exhibits at the New Mexico Museum of Space History. Explore ancient rock drawings at the Three Rivers Petroglyph site, just 30 miles north of the campground! Or, simply unwind while taking a leisurely stroll through the oldest zoo in the Southwest the Alameda Park Zoo established in 1898. Though were located in the southern New Mexico desert, the tall, cool pines of Cloudcroft (8600 feet) and Ruidoso (7000 feet) are within an hours drive of the campground and make great day trips to escape the heat. Your hosts will gladly share other hidden gems in Alamogordo during your stay. Well see you soon!
Partially developed picnic and dispersed camping area nestled next to the waterfalls called Bluff Springs. A short trail exists just beyond the bridge that will take you up and over the waterfalls as well as another trail (Willie White Spur T112) that follows and old railroad grade to the east.
We offer a get-away that is just what you've been looking for -- remote enough to be a welcome break from urban life, but close enough to enjoy any weekend.
With 15 acres in the beautiful Sacramento Mountains, our RV park is the ideal base of exploration for the many exciting natural treasures in south central New Mexico. Our rustic atmosphere appeals to all who want the "outdoor" experience with the comforts of a full RV hook-up.
We are open year-round.
Due to rehabilitation of camping sites, backcountry camping is closed.
Set against the dramatic Sacramento Mountains, this park features a historic ranch house, quiet camping in the Chihuahuan Desert, and pools of water under the cottonwood trees of Dog Canyon. Springs flow year-round and ferns cling to the sides of mossy rocks. The water in Dog Canyon has attracted people to the area for millennia.
The park’s namesake, Oliver Milton Lee (1865-1941) was a colorful figure in New Mexico history. In 1893 he settled at the mouth of Dog Canyon and built an extensive house at his ranch headquarters. At its peak, his holdings reached about one million acres. Oliver Lee explored ways of bringing water to the dry Tularosa Basin and was instrumental in establishing the town of Alamogordo. Lee is also credited for using his influence to attract the railroad to the area.
Oliver Lee’s home at Dog Canyon Ranch has been completely rebuilt from ruins. It is authentically furnished providing visitors with a glimpse of Lee’s life at the ranch. The house is closed for renovations. Please monitor the park events page to find out when tours resume.
Want to Visit?
The campground, just southwest of the mouth of Dog Canyon, is dry and rocky with desert grasses, mesquite, ocotillo, creosote, yucca, and various species of cacti. The sites vary widely in elevation offering privacy and incredible views across the Tularosa Basin.
Travel Tips:
Peak season for the park is October through April Park Elevation 4,400 ft We are the closest campground to White Sands National Park (30 min. / 27 miles) The park makes an excellent base for day trips Ruidoso 1.25 hours / 66 miles Three Rivers Petroglyph Site 56 min. / 50 miles Cloudcroft 44 min. / 35 miles There are attractions in Alamogordo less than 30 minutes away Alameda Park Zoo New Mexico Museum of Space History Heart of the Desert Pistachios & Wine McGinn’s Pistachio Land The nearby Lincoln National Forest offers miles of trails ranging from very easy to very challenging
$10 - $14 / night
From the KOA website: Nestled in the Tularosa Basin, the Alamogordo / White Sands KOA is a perfect location to set up as your base camp while touring the beauty and attractions of Southern New Mexico! With RV sites, tent sites, and cabins we can accommodate most every type of traveling camper. Mild winters make Alamogordo a wonderful place to escape the cold and snow of northern climates so be sure to ask about winter rates. Escape the desert heat by cooling off in our inviting pool. A large rec room and long covered outside patio work great for group events. Enjoy hiking or disk-sledding down the vast gypsum dunes at White Sands National Monument, only a short 15 mile drive from the campground! Learn about New Mexicos role in the US space program through interactive exhibits at the New Mexico Museum of Space History. Explore ancient rock drawings at the Three Rivers Petroglyph site, just 30 miles north of the campground! Or, simply unwind while taking a leisurely stroll through the oldest zoo in the Southwest the Alameda Park Zoo established in 1898. Though were located in the southern New Mexico desert, the tall, cool pines of Cloudcroft (8600 feet) and Ruidoso (7000 feet) are within an hours drive of the campground and make great day trips to escape the heat. Your hosts will gladly share other hidden gems in Alamogordo during your stay. Well see you soon!
Partially developed picnic and dispersed camping area nestled next to the waterfalls called Bluff Springs. A short trail exists just beyond the bridge that will take you up and over the waterfalls as well as another trail (Willie White Spur T112) that follows and old railroad grade to the east.
We offer a get-away that is just what you've been looking for -- remote enough to be a welcome break from urban life, but close enough to enjoy any weekend.
With 15 acres in the beautiful Sacramento Mountains, our RV park is the ideal base of exploration for the many exciting natural treasures in south central New Mexico. Our rustic atmosphere appeals to all who want the "outdoor" experience with the comforts of a full RV hook-up.
We are open year-round.
Scout
This is a very run down park, do not stop here! We stopped to dump and was told by the manager to go dump anywhere and then as soon as we dumped, it started back filling out. Then a lady came up to us and told us they were having sewer problems. Crazy that the manager would tell us yes when he knew it wouldn’t work for us.
Scout
The road is a bit lumpy getting in, so bigger rigs will have to take their time. But once you’re in, there’s good spacing so you’re not on top of everyone. Lake is very peaceful in the morning and evening, but wouldn’t swim in it.
Ranger
Has one handicap accessible & next to bathroom). There is a group site that has three picnic tables under a shelter and two grills. 2 RV sites have covered picnic tables and grills and water and electric hookups. Five tent sites. One of the tent locations is at the handicap accessible site. CLEAN restrooms with flush toilets and drinking water are available. Pets are allowed in the campground(on leash), but are not allowed on the trails. Petroglyph trails are rocky, but not difficult (keep your eyes peeled, there are petroglyphs everywhere). Hosts were very nice. Campground has well-functioning electronic/pay check-in. Great BLM campground. Other places in area include Malpais lava flows. Sierra Blanca hovers to the east. Sunset was early in Nov. so if hiking trails in late afternoon take a flashlight. Nearby Carrizozo reportedly has a photo gallery or three that we were told were well worth checking out but we did not get chance to do so.
Ranger
Local to everything in Alamogordo. Propane available, laundry, cabins, hot as hell showers, water pressure is really high at around 155 psi. So definitely bring a regulator. Two KOA cats that are friendly so FYI
TravelerEveryone was super nice! Place was well kept and clean. Note: there is lots of railroad train coming by throughout the evening WiFi could be better. White Sands National Park is very close.
Ranger
Beautiful location for sunsets. Sites are spread out, private, and a bargain at $10 ($14 for electric/water). Clean bathrooms. One very strenuous hike from the campground. We only went up 1/4 mile. The footing was challenging (along with the elevation gain). Good overnight. Quiet at night.
Guide
The pictures I saw didn’t do this park justice. That’s a switch. Yeah, the RV spots are gravel. But it’s southern New Mexico. There is an actual spring here. The trees around it have a couple of Great Horned owls who have come out nightly. But it’s the New Mexico sunsets and stars that make this such a nice place. Good price for full hook ups, and John our host is a really nice guy
Ranger
We spent three nights here. It was far enough off the main road, a couple miles, so there was no traffic noise. The owner, Crystal, super attentive to communications. The camp hosts Bob and Mardyth were so sweet. We had truck trouble and had to take it to a mechanic, and Bob came and picked us up and brought us back to the park. The park has full hook ups, a nice shower and laundry and book exchange, and a central area for relaxing and barbecuing. Some nice hiking in the area. A good spot to have as a homebase to visit White Sands National Park and Alamogordo, where the Space museum was.
Guide
Not bad we had our son and 2 big doggos and a RTT we just wanted to rest for the night but it ended up being awesome for a little pull off. Very clean and nice only about 4-5 spots with car parking, others are across the bike bridge.
Guide
We had a great night drove through the entire area and off roads to find a nice quiet area we had our son and two big doggos and had plenty of space for them to roam. Lots of trails nearby and the lake of course!
Guide
Campsites are to close, Camp host DO NOT keep the quite hours. Parties destroy the quite. Parties going until 2AM.
Actually not really sure what the camp host does, they started a leaf blower during morning quit hours ( I could stay home for that).
Saddle and Apache are nice with campsites further apart....but stay away from silver.
On a good note, if you are in Cloudcroft go to Mad Jacks BBQ.....the Beef Ribs are AWESOME, it is REAL TEXAS bbq.
TravelerCar camped in a tent site for just a night after visiting WSNP. Non-flush toilets without sinks near tent sites and the full bathhouse is a bit of a walk away. Worth it, though, with spacious shower stalls and well-kept buildings. Sweet views of the valley and mountains and far off the highway.
Scout
I stayed here for a night and it's really windy. It's a wide place and great for offroad vehicles. slope game
LegendThis whole valley is just… something! A disappearing and reappearing lake, ancient human and mastodon footprint fossils, the birthplace of nuclear reactions and aerospace exploration -- all this AND hills of white gypsum sand upon which you can sled year round? Not bad for the middle of New Mexico, between two mountain ranges.
However, camping nearby leaves something to be desired, even in the RV parks – which is never our thing. However, during a couple of visits we’ve spent the night at some BLM areas just a few miles to the east of the main entrance to the National Park. We’ve spent nights on either side of the highway, but the better boondocking area is on the north side of the highway here at Holloman Lake (not for swimming, read other reviews for details). You’re right on the border of the air force base, so expect a lot of activity nearby. In December, there were maybe 6-8 other RV's nearby, but lots of space to spread out. Road in was good (a little rough in spots) but overall pretty easy, even for our 67 year old camper. The sunsets are always spectacular, even better if it's a bit windy as the fine grains of gypsum sand are in the air, creating gorgeous color.
There’s nothing in the way of services at this place, just a good, quiet place to park for a few nights. But, the wide open range has everything you need for solar power and Starlink.
Outdoor activities outside of the park can be found up in the mountain ranges to the east of Alamogordo, or to the west in the mountains closer to Las Cruces.
Alamogordo is just 15- 20 minutes away where you can get anything you might need, food, groceries, gas, laundry etc. Oh, and go to the New Mexico History of Space Museum...super fun for kiddos of all ages!
Guide
This was a beautiful location, near the town of Cloudcroft. We enjoyed the cooler weather up in the mountains. It was peaceful and quite. There were not very many spaces available. We should have have just stayed in the first location we found though. We went to the end of the road to find out that there was no way to turn our 29 ft trailer. We had to go in reverse about 1/4 mile to find a place to turn around.
TravelerStayed here while visiting White Sands National Park for 2 nights. Its a well kept fairly small campground. Everything worked as advertised. Highly recommend this place. Some nice hikes from the park with amazing views.
ScoutWanted to spend one nite in rivian with rooftop tent. Were told we are not allowed to plug-in our electric vehicle.
Scout
There is NO River, small stream in a ditch. LIE# 2. Internet indicates SHOWERS. However if your camper has a shower ACCESS TO SHOWERS. DENIED!!! Also No fires allowed ! Highway noise drowns out any Peaceful sounds. In truth: NO Amenities… play in the ditch or stay in your camper.
Guide
Many great spots available and easily accessible by low clearance vehicles (we have a camper class B van). Very close (less than a mile?) to the state park, and about 30 minutes from white sands NM. Very quiet. Cell signal. Dog friendly.
Guide
We have a 30 foot motor home and were so glad to find a dispersed spot in the mountains we could fit!
Rim Trails and Alamo Peak Trails in walking distance. There were other campers nearby but it was quiet and beautiful.
No cell service except for a few bars down the road toward Alamo Peak.
Elk, hummingbirds, all tucked away in aspen grove. This is a special spot.
GuideWrong time of year too come to Baca , snow covered. Able too park , spent one nite. Saw one other camper maybe two hundred yards away. Very quite. I’ll be back when the weather warms up for sure.
GuideA really great place to hang out for a few days and just enjoy life. Beautiful cliffs to the east towering over the sites, and the wide expanse of the valley to the east. Wonderful view of the starry night sky as well. Facilities were acceptable, nothing to complain about. Good cell service for both Verizon and T-mobile. Close for a day trip into the mountains or White Sands. Perfectly open to the sky for great solar.
GuideSuper convenient (maybe 4 minutes) to White Sands National Park, the "lake" is reclaimed waste water from the nearby Air Force base and the whole area can kinda intermittently smell like stale farts. Fairly decent amount of flat space for RV's, but turning around might be tricky based on congestion.
ScoutFound the location on Google. During my time there the lake had a bit of a funk but not too bad. Some reviews said there wasn’t anything while they were there but alas I was not so lucky
No amenities, just an empty lot, but decent enough for a night while exploring white sands. Gravel access road is pretty good and my low clearance sedan had no trouble with it
ScoutDO NOT go in the water. There is currently an ongoing lawsuit against the USAF due to the amount of PFAS in the water from firefighting foam. That being said, it’s a great little spot if you’re planning on hitting White Sands NP. Was fairly packed during my visit last month but I still found a spot. Very quiet and peaceful!
Traveler
This was a really nice spot we stumbled upon. It's about 13 miles off the 54 on BLM land. The road was smooth (though gravel most of the way). It was also super quiet since it was so far away from the road. The actual camp was in the trees and great views of the surrounding mountains. Each spot has a table, fire pit, and gazebo. There are also a few trailheads at the back of camp. The only downside was that it cost $15.
Guide
This was a decision while we were in Alamogordo trying to find an RV place in Ruidoso. What sold us to be there was the 5 star review. We knew the spaces were tight and it was in a commercial area but we were curious what it was about.
We were very happy with the two nights we spent here. I think the ease of picking a spot that worked for our situation, the clean park and bathrooms and friendly staff and neighbors made it surprisingly one of the best RV experiences we’ve had.
The high was 75 and the low was 45. It rained the first morning for about an hour. The main road is noisy, but we knew what we were getting into so it didn’t bother us.
The best part about this place was how close it was to stores, food, and gas. It’s really opened my eyes to how we can RV parks as a pass through in our journey to take advantage of electric and water and experience the local food and shops.
Ruidoso alone is a quintessential mountain town and it’s a must see visit in Lincoln National Forrest.
Camping near Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, offers a mix of stunning landscapes and outdoor adventures. Whether you're looking for a quiet spot to unwind or a base for exploring nearby attractions, there’s something for everyone.
Camping near Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, offers a unique blend of adventure and relaxation. With the right preparation, you can enjoy all that this beautiful area has to offer!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Lincoln National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, Lincoln National Forest offers a wide range of camping options, with 121 campgrounds and RV parks near Lincoln National Forest and 24 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Lincoln National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Lincoln National Forest is Oliver Lee Memorial State Park — Oliver Lee State Park with a 4.8-star rating from 60 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Lincoln National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 24 free dispersed camping spots near Lincoln National Forest.
What parks are near Lincoln National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 4 parks near Lincoln National Forest that allow camping, notably Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands.
