Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy Lincoln National Forest. If you're an equestrian lover who prefers nature-based adventure, yet still wants comfort, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. These scenic and easy-to-reach Lincoln National Forest campsites are perfect for equestrian campers.
Due to rehabilitation of camping sites, backcountry camping is closed.
Upper Karr Canyon Campground is located off of NM6563 (the Sunspot Scenic By-way) and has a 200 person capacity There are 2 fire rings, toilet, and garbage depositories are provided. RVs limited 16'.
We are located in the beautiful Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico, just 2 miles from historic Mayhill, New Mexico.
We offer 16 full hookup RV sites, 20 horse stalls, and, of course, our beautiful covered riding arena. We also have an outdoor round pen for our guests. Free WiFi is also available.
We can also accommodate groups for events. There are also other lodging options with the Mayhill Cafe & Motel.
$40 / night
This rustic style campground has 12 sites set at the base of southern New Mexico's tallest mountain. A portion of the site is designed for Group Camping. Three Rivers is a great place to go to get away from the crowds and is located at a much lower elevation than our other campgrounds (around 5000'). From here you can access the Three Rivers trailhead (T44) into the White Mountain Wilderness is located. Access to the site and the roads throughout the site are all well maintained dirt roads. Don't miss the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site on the way in or out. ACTIVITIES Camping Hiking Horseback Riding Picnicking: Smokey Bear Ranger District picnic area.
The Skyline Campground is located just south of the famous Monjeau Lookout tower along Forest Road 117 at a little over 9,000' elevation. Access to it is via a well kept but steep gravel road but with inclement weather, this road can become rough and difficult to use. There are 17 sites here for tents only. Breathtaking mountain views abound and access to the White Mountain Wilderness can be found at the site via the Crest (T25) Trailhead. No trash service at this site. Please pack out what you pack in.
The Upper Bonito Dispersed Recreation Area is located at the end of Forest Road 107 in Bonito Canyon. It is a popular dispersed camping site with access to the adjacent White Mountain Wilderness Area and its trails.
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!
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.
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.
GuideThree Rivers Campground finally reopened "for good" at the start of 2024 after some stops and starts due to fires around the area.
This place is unique as it is one of the few places you can camp on the Western edge of Sierra Blanca / the White Mountain Wilderness. Tons of hiking opportunities with 3 separate trails originating at the campground.
Well maintained dirt roads lead up to the campground. There's a single spot where water flows over the road but it was only an inch or so deep and padded with concrete.
$6 per vehicle per night. Hosts present and active. Very nice couple watching over the sites.
Please tread lightly, leave no trace, and be gentle with the wilderness. This place has gone through a lot of fire related hardships.
Guide
First off, this was a luxury free campsite! Paved road, and picnic tables right next to the parking area! It was packed on Easter Sunday; an RV with many loud children was parked across the way, presumably for the long weekend, but, once they left, peace and quiet. The trail (or many meadows that were connected, more like) was very nice and serene, I saw not another person. There is no cell signal to be had here at all (Verizon), I had to go to the overlook point closer to the Village to even get a single bar, but you can get pretty good signal with a transistor radio, and many nearby stations, NOAA weather comes in very clear. Speaking of that, while watching the sunset there, I was attempted to be followed by what seemed like another onlooker once it got dark. I let them know very quickly I knew what they were up to, and they went on their way. I still would stay again, but, if that makes you nervous, I'd avoid.
Ranger
It was late November and cold so I stayed where I had electric service. But I rode my bike all over the place and there's dispersed camping everywhere. Good cell phone service. I plan on staying for a full week and working from here. Lots of things to see and do close Ruidoso is interesting Lincoln is interesting. Probably not the place to stay in high summer but otherwise really great location.
GuideSeveral permanent trailers here, but we got a good site (#14 which was marked as 21). Outdoor fire pit and gas grill available. 30 or 50 amp ($10 more for 50). FHU. Friendly staff. Did not use the facilities but grounds were very clean.
TravelerIt’s a nice area to spend with another person and even with kids, restrooms are clean, there’s some privacy if you find s good spot, could be busy during the weekend, but it’s worth visiting
Guide
We stayed here in January and the stay was wonderful. We were greeted by friendly and helpful hosts. Nice office and with couches and a book/dvd lending library. There is a pool in the summer and an area for breakfast. Our stay in January was wonderful. You can also refill your propane on site. We would come back here any time !
Traveler
Not to many trees that are tall so u get cover but not complete seclusion but enof to where it’s enjoyable and u see the sky at nights so path ways are very down sloap if ur in a car know how to drive cougars so bring either 40 cal gun or a 45 cal gun fpr power not a 9 mm i dont get why people get those its like getting a 22 but a little more powerful so please be smart get something with some kick to it i can actually see the vally of trees witch is nice if u are a photo guy or girl umm pretty simple to get to alot of open areas just keep quit respect the rules and ull be fine just enjoy
ScoutWe have stayed here many time, the owners are great and the rv park is great.
TravelerBeautiful area for tent camping. I hiked into the trees a bit so there weren’t super close neighbors. Plenty of downed trees for gathering firewood. There’s an old logging road that makes for an easy hike. It leads into a meadow with a very small pond which I’m sure would be good for wildlife viewing if you sat there long enough.
TravelerA lot of dispersed camping areas don't have toilets, but this one does.
Lots of first come first served campsites along the little creek. Not much privacy when it's busier (warmer months).
Good base camp for some of the best hiking around Ruidoso (Big Bonito Trail, Argentina Trail, etc.)
Be prepared for lots of dust with the dirt road uphill from sites.
In the summer there are horse riding camps set up to provide trail rides.
Can get snowed in in the Winter months.
Scout
I will give this one extra star because of the absolute beauty of the campground there are many many campsites with burn pits the only drawback is there are no water or electricity hookups or sewer hookups there is however a men and women's bathroom at the top of the campgrounds and the bottom of the campgrounds.
TravelerBeautiful park in the mountains. Great views. Exceptionally clean.
GuideEasy to find and not a rough drive. I saw several dirt pull offs surrounded by trees before parking. This was a very private remote area in the forest. It was a nice change of pace from the desert that surrounds the Forrest! Although I did not see anything, there were signs of wildlife everywhere. I got 1-2 bars of cell service here. Would spend multiple nights in this spot!
TravelerThis is a parking lot with bathrooms, picnic tables, and fire rings that you cannot drive up to. This is more suited for tent campers and hikers. You cannot drive any where else besides the parking lot and would not be ideal for RVs or camper vans as the picnic tables/fire rings are not very close to the parking lot. We ended up not staying the night as it wasn’t realistic for our van and there was constant traffic of cars people stopping just to use the restrooms.
GuideWent to this area to camp and pan for gold. Creek near by that didn't have much water in it. But over all pretty (Dry) Area.
GuideQuick stop to sleep on our way home. We pulled in at dark, sometime early morning I think, so didn't spend much time here but the spots were easy to find, clean and ours at least had a fire ring. There were other campers nearby but you had a feeling of seclusion depending the spot you chose. The cows (baca) seemed to free range if their dung was any indication. I would give 5 stars but a little to far from mountains for my liking. 😁
RangerAs said in the above title I stay here often. This is dispersed camping. No water no trash cans so pack it in pack it out. This said I always have an enjoyable stay. I nearly always see lots of wildlife. The campsite s are large and widely spaced. The town of Capitan is only about 15 to 20 miles away there is a grocery a Dollar store, gas station, laundromat and a US Post office. I will definitely stay again in the future.
ScoutSlow driving in due to the gravel road. Roads into the campground are rough but accessible. Beautiful mature trees and wildflowers. Fire rings, thanks to previous campers. Cattle graze through sporadically. There's flies, so bring big spray. Gorgeous mountains in the background.
RangerMy family and dog tent-camped at Three Rivers campground on Labor Day weekend 2014. There were shaded spots. The water in the river was running and fresh. There were a couple nice bathing holes. We tried to hike up to the peak but we ascended halfway and turned back. In Aug. 2018, I climbed the trail to the peak but camped 2/3 up the mountain; so it took me 2 days to ascend and descend, which was harder. Pretty place with many conifer trees.
ScoutU
TravelerIt's about a 6 miles drive in on a forest road. Nice gravel road and well maintained.
Dozens of spots to park your rig with tree cover along the main loop. Lots of small roads off of the main loop with more camp spots. Some of those roads were not accessible by our van, as they are a little rough.
The night we stayed it was just us and one small class C camper. Very peaceful, clean, and beautiful spot. Clean vault toilets available. No water so bring enough for your stay.
RangerBaca dispersed camping is a great camping area that has a lot to offer. Very remote, lots of wildlife, elk, coyotes, roadrunners. This place was once a CCC camp in the 1930s,. There is no water on the premises so you must bring your own. No trash faculties, so pack it in, pack it out. Only 15 miles from Capitan to the west and 20 miles to Reuidoso in the north. This is a free campground.
TravelerWe took our new little camper and two daughters to Baca Campground for a quick overnight. We live in Roswell and it is only a short drive to this campground. We got there around 5 or so on a Saturday night and it was not busy at all. Bathrooms were open and that is a big sell for us as our camper does not have a bathroom. The Capitan wilderness is just perfect as a back drop and the weather was great overall. Definitely going here another 15 times over the next few months.
Traveler
All in all a decent one night or two campground, very close to the road, and very slanted
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Lincoln National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Lincoln National Forest is Backcountry Primitive Sites — White Sands National Park with a 4.7-star rating from 23 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Lincoln National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 13 equestrian camping locations near Lincoln National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
