Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Lincoln National Forest

Under new administration now its call Slow Play RV Park. Friendly and helpful owners. They will make sure your stay is as smooth as possible. Clean & quiet site with a dog walk trail.

Highly recommended if you are visiting Lincoln National Forest.

We tent camped in mid September 2022 in the Lincoln National Forest south of Cloudcroft, NM off Forest Service Road 64. Over 9,400’ and it got cold at night. Saw one elk and heard more bugling. Plenty of wood to make a fire. Nice forest. We stayed at a spot on a meadow about 4-5 dispersed sites south of Sunspot Highway. Good times.

Well managed KOA and short driving distance from White Sands National Park and Lincoln National Forest. This KOA is in the city so there is some traffic noise and there is a train that passes through at night. They have sleds to borrow for White Sands which saves you the hassle and cost of getting a sled at the White Sands park. Wifi was unreliable, but cellular internet worked fine on our phones.

This is a quiet area tucked away in Lincoln National Forest. It's not too far from Cloudcroft, NM so it's easy to resupply on water, snack, etc. You can camp right next to a creek and the valley makes for some great views. This area is basically everything you can ask for when dispersed camping. It's quiet and other than the occasional hiker, nobody else is around. There's plenty of hiking and just good times to be had. A quintessential camping experience.

Super friendly owners. A beautiful and picturesque location in the Sacramento mountains. Easy in and out just a few miles from the village of Cloudcroft in the heart of the Lincoln National Forest. On property hiking trail, and an excellent common areas. Fruit trees abound, and picking fruit is allowed in season. They also have a cabin with multiple rental rooms. Full RV hookups and wifi at very reasonable rates. It is close to the road, but traffic is minimal at night. They are open year round!

I have seen mostly upper New Mexico and well when I found this area in comparison that or anything else near El Paso, I was more than a bit confused as to where I was. Yes, it is a forest, but still I wasn't ready for how forest-like and amazing it was.

Driving out you have no cell signal at all. The roads are winding and you see a lot of livestock, then out of no where deer, big deer and elk! It is like a different planet from everything else and the deeper into Cloudcroft you get the more and more it starts looking more like Colorado than anything you would assume would be New Mexico.

The campground is no different! Large shade trees standing tall above the site, the ground below looking like it was cut from a different cloth than anything from all the miles you travel in any direction from this location. The temperatures itself even is different, cooler by about 15 to 20 degrees.

The camp is small and while they have a posting for RVs I don't see how they could easily fit in the spaces I saw. There are minimal amenities such as drinking water and vault toilets but no dump stations or hook ups.

It was very quiet when we were there although there were other campers, the sounds of everything around seemed to muffle any noise they could be making.

TIPS:

• Don't plan on contacting anyone, staying here is a truly unplug and unwind experience.

• Explore some of the hiking in the area. Lincoln National Forest has nearly 50 trails so there is something for everyone from short day hikes to long treks for backcountry camping and hiking.

04/15/22 service road 568, Lincoln National Forest, NM

Friday night/Good Friday

I found this camp on a suggestion from a local waitress at Big Daddy’s. It was a short drive off the main road to get to the camp. The spot I found felt pretty secluded despite there being a lot of other campers in the area. There were several rock fire rings so I took my pick based on the direction of the wind.

It’s a dispersed area, so no bathrooms or showers, but well worth it for the scenery. There was a dry water run off that ran the entire length down the mountain and a tree lined bluff across from there. I bet it’s pretty cool to see the water run when the snow melts.

There was an occasional OHV that cruised by and people walking their dogs, but everything went calm before sunset. I would have liked to hit some of the trails in the area, but my Jeep was completely overloaded so I decided to come back another time.

This was a lovely campground near Cloudcroft, NM. It is located in the Lincoln National Forest. We really enjoyed our couple of days at this location. It is near several hiking trails and convenient located close to town in case you needed anything. This campground also has a special trail that was created for blind and deaf children, so it has signs with sensory additions. It was a really sweet spot. The sites themselves were spacious and very reasonably priced. If you want to be further away from people, pick one of the first sites you see, otherwise the sites are clustered in groups. We would definitely go there again.

Bluff Springs is nestled in a pretty forested valley with a creek and falls in Lincoln National Forest about 10 miles south of Cloudcroft off Sunspot highway on Upper Peñasco Road. There’s a gravel parking lot with bathrooms but no campground. We tent camped Sat, Aug. 1, 2020, arriving about 2pm. There were many people camping and it was difficult to find a spot along the road with dispersed camping sites. We had to camp in thicker grass among cow dung because the mowed sites were taken. Still, life outside is better, right? It stormed much of the day and night but Sunday morning dawned clear and we took a short 1-mile hike from the Bluff Springs trailhead to the Willie White trailhead. There are longer hikes too. There were some camping trailers but no big RVs. Upper Peñasco Road is narrow in parts. A decent place.

04/14/22 James Canyon, Lincoln National Forest, NM

Thursday night/Friday morning.

I arrived a little after 5 am and found a couple campsites that had parking pads. One pad was already occupied by a single vehicle so I took the last open spot. A car full of young adults pulled up about five minutes later and they just set up their tent right in the overflow parking area. They were packing up when I woke up a few hours later and the car camper was long gone.

There was an additional tent site with an open cabin shelter next to the first two spots and five additional spots across a footbridge that goes over a creek bed. All of the spots have nice level areas for tents, and picnic tables and fire rings. None of the area had cell coverage, however an occasional text would get through. There are bear proof trash cans at the entrance, along with an outhouse at the far edge of the parking lot. With easy access right off the main road. It’s a “dispersed” camp so there’s no fee.

A scenic bluff behind the sites provides a great backdrop, with rolling hills across the street. While the view is great, the camp is right next to a fairly busy road so there was a lot of noise from traffic during the day. It was calm and quiet when I arrived, but that quickly changed once the sun came up. It also became very windy the day I camped so I ended up using the open cabin as a wind shelter, as I was the only camper left in the morning.

We tent camped at Eagle Lake aka Eagle Creek campground on the Mescalero Apache Reservation over Memorial Day weekend 2022. The surrounding Lincoln National Forest was closed because of extreme fire risk, so there were very few places to camp in the Sacramento Mountains and escape the heat of El Paso. We used camp stoves because of a fire ban. We camped among the pine trees in the first tent area. There were clean porta-johns in that area. The showers and permanent bathroom were located up in the RV park about a 3-mile round trip walk on the road from the first tent area, so it’s more practical to drive to the showers. The permanent bathrooms and showers were clean.

Very pretty scenery, surrounded by mountain ridges and peaks and pine forest. There were two small lakes and a small creek flowing through the campground.

The campground format is kind of laissez faire because there aren’t assigned sites and it’s first come, first serve. The first tent area seemed about half full and we found a good site. We didn’t scout the second tent area because the host said there weren’t as many trees there. The first tent site was developed on a forested slope albeit they built flat rectangular-like terraces into the slope where you can pitch a tent(s) and park your vehicle(s).

Eagle Creek, near Ruidoso, had a similar feel to the Mescalero Nation’s Silver Lake campground near Cloudcroft, but Eagle Creek had a more quiet vibe. The main drawback was the 10:00 am checkout time, but we were still able to cook up some breakfast burritos as we broke camp. Good times.

Update 6/22/2022: At some point after my review, the Dyrt deleted the actual campground, which is where the road forks and moved my review to the nearby and similarly named RV resort, which is totally different. I love the Dyrt and I’m a pro ranger but sometimes c’mon man.

As of May 2021, through end of Sep 2021, camping is BY RESERVATION ONLY, via reserveamerica.com. 

The amenities of each campsite, as well as "driveway" length, are listed on that website.

All campsites have a picnic table and a fire ring with grill.  

Only some have shade shelters.

Hydrant water is potable (except from blue hydrant at dump station).

Pets on leash (6' or less) at all times;  lots of garbage cans to dispose of pet waste.

After recent rains, the park is strikingly green for being in the desert.  The Nature Trail is a bit challenging, not having been reconstructed after the 2019 flood, but still offers a short easy hike to where there is flowing water prior to requiring you to clamber over boulders either up or down the canyon.  The Dog Canyon Trail is steep -- bring lots of water!  The Visitor Center is open each morning except Monday, and staffed by knowledgeable volunteers.  Call the park phone # and listen to the recording to find if there are any changes.

At this time (through Sept 15) MASKS ARE REQUIRED in the VC and comfort station.

Volunteer camphosts keep the comfort station spotless.  They also sell firewood for the Friends of Dog Canyon (cash only), and if the VC is not open can sell you an annual pass (also cash only).  They will loan you a free sled/saucer for White Sands.

Glass containers are prohibited (outside your RV).

ATVs/OHVs are prohibited.

Large sites, Good wifi with booster (Verizon and AT&T). Pets allowed. Fun things to do nearby. Quiet and peaceful. Wonderful view of the night sky

Beautiful drive on Highway 82 west towards Cloudcroft. Stop at the roadside petting zoo! 

Apache appeared to be the only campground of the three open in late September. Super nice hosts and well maintained - there were even trash cans and hand sanitizer in the restroom which was a nice touch. 

The sites were relatively far apart and backed up into a nice wooded area. 

Hardly anyone else there on a weeknight in September. 

Strange animal noises at night!

Lots are leveled, very quiet, pet friendly, safe spots from flash floods, beautiful views from the tops of the near by peaks, hiking trails close by. The forest was burnt near the park about 4 to six years ago. $10.00 a night but there is other off the road camping free. Camp host was friendly and watched the camp closely. As weekend came on more people started showing up with loud music and lots of camp fires all day. Smoke was getting thick as winds calm down. The air was smokey already because of the California fires. First few days were nice and peaceful, but on the weekend it got busy.

Campground Review:

James Canyon Campground is the perfect stop for anyone passing through and needing a place to stay.

Located just a couple miles outside of Mayhill, NM inside the Lincoln National Forest, this primitive camping spot is directly off of US 82 and has a 5 spots total. Two of which have parking at the site and three that are across a small footbridge from a small parking lot. Now I say “primitive” but this small campsite has a whole lot to offer! There are vault toilette (no sinks-so bring your hand sanitizer), there is a fire pit with metal rack at every site along with picnic tables. Best of all, there is NO FEE to stay here!

Now I had read that there were only two sites that had parking directly next to the site and since we have had some bad luck with break-ins to our car with walk-in sites, I wanted to make sure we got one. When we arrived however the two sites with parking were already taken. Much to my surprise, the three walk-in sites were directly across from the parking area, so we were able to actually see our car from our site which was a big relief.

Although this site is right next to the highway, it feels very secluded. There are lots of pine trees which is great for hammock campers like us and there are mountains to either side of you which help a lot with keeping the wind out. There is some noise from the road as cars pass, but at night the traffic was very light and didn’t bother us at all. There were no trails accessible from the campsite that I could see and I did walk around a bit to look, so this is more of a stop and go sort of place, which was exactly what we needed after a long day of driving.

This is a first-come first-serve campground. Since it is small, spots fill up fast. We camped on a Saturday night and there was only one site left open by eight o’clock pm.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products from time to time. At James Canyon Campground I tested two meals from Mountain House Meals: the Chicken Fried Rice and the Noodles & Chicken.

First let me say, I have always been pretty opposed to freeze-dried meals. I always felt they had no flavor and were not worth eating unless you are backpacking and need to cut down on weight…

Now let me say…I love Mountain House!!! They are completely different from the meals I have tried in the past. They are FULL of flavor, not crunchy (if you follow directions), and so easy after a long day.

On the back of the bag of each meal there are simple instructions. Most bags say to fill with either 2 or 1.5 cups of boiling water, stir, then close pouch and let sit for about 10 minutes. SUPER SIMPLE! Now I made both the Chicken Fried Rice and Noodle & Chicken at the same time for both my husband and I to try. I used a Nalgene to measure the water since I don’t have measuring cups on the fly.

The Noodle & Chicken was by far our favorite. It reminded me a lot of Campbell’s Chicken and Noodle Soup. It was SO good! The chicken was very tender and there was a very good helping of it. I will definitely be purchasing it again. It was a big winner with my husband as well!

The Chicken Fried Rice was also good, but not our favorite. The rice was tender along with the chicken. I really liked how they incorporated the egg that you find in fried rice but I will say that it was missing that soy flavor that usually comes with in your usual Asian cuisine. I also am not a huge fan of mushrooms and it had quite a bit in there. I should have read the ingredients first. Altogether though, still a very satisfying meal.

Best thing about Mountain House…absolutely NO clean up!!! No scrubbing pots in freezing cold water, no plastic wrappers flying away in the wind, No mess!

Now freeze-dried meals can get a bit expensive, at least with Mountain House you are getting the bang for your buck. Once prepared, the pouches are filled with a wonderful, tasty meal filled with lots of protein and calories to keep you going on your adventure.

I can’t wait to try more!

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.

Must see recreational site with 2 trails, 11 picnic areas with shelters and grills, and really clean restrooms located south of Carrizozo, NM, and north of Tularosa, NM. Quick day trip after White Sands National Monument, Alamogordo, NM.

Open daily from 8 am to 5 pm. Fee area. Only $5 for day use but cash or check only. National Park Passes such as America the Beautiful, Golden Age, Active Military are free day use and half off dry camping/RV hookup. No camping yet.

Three Rivers Trading Post located 4 miles from site can make change. Park Hosts on site are very friendly and helpful but cannot make change.

Free Trail maps are available at Display Board next to fee drop box. The trail map explains petroglyphs at 11 stations. Covered rest area with scenic views of Sacramento and Godfey Mountains located after station 11.

Dogs and other pets must be leashed in campground (no camping in the 11 sites and 2 RV sites since March 2020 due to Covid). No dogs on trails allowed.

Main petroglyph trail is moderate, not easy, as steep in some parts. Be careful to stay on trail due to sharp thorns from mesquite and the possibility of rattlesnakes. Bring lots of water as this is Chihuahuan Desert. Hiking boots recommended.

Village trailhead begins in the campground and continues across the road from the entrance sign. This easy flat 1/4 mile loop showcases 3 reconstructed Jornada Mogollon pit homes.

Camping not open. When open, the 2 RV sites have electricity and water. No dump station. Closest dump station is BLM Valley of Fires, Carrizozo, NM. When open, 11 dry campsites with upright grills and garbage cans. Five of the 11dry sites have clean elevated tent boxes. Water spigot located by Village trailhead. Don' wash dishes in the bathrooms. 14 day limit for both RV and dry camping. First come, first serve.

When open, RV hook up is $18 a day, and dry camping is $7 a day.

This is a great day trip. Most people take an hour on the main trail and then picnic.

This campground has it all. Beautiful surroundings, not far from downtown shopping in Ruidoso, most helpful hosts on site. My husband was not in the best of health when we went. The hosts helped him set up, with them doing the majority of the work, in the rain. The campground is pet friendly, has an enclosed run where you can take them off the leash for a bit, also has several locations with poop bags available. This seems to be a super secure location as hosts are on duty 24/7. No one comes into the campground without stopping at the office and checking in, anyone failing to do this, will be followed in and information gathered or asked to leave. Sites, once vacated are gone over with a fine tooth comb to make sure Nothing is left behind, the fire pits are cleaned, and everything is in order for the next camper. There are horseshoe pits and sand volleyball available for entertainment. Showers and laundry facilities are available and kept super clean. Rio Bonito flows along the side of the campground

Very beautiful hidden away RV and Raised Primitive State Park full of marked and unmarked foliage and a nice museum reflecting on the surrounding area of New Mexico. Everything above standards with wonderful staff. Was there with a friend and had an outstanding experience.