Looking for an adventure where you can explore Lincoln and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Lincoln, including sites, reviews, and tips. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Lincoln's most popular destinations.
Several shelters, tables and fire rings are located here as well as a vault toilet. All sites are dry and on a first come/first served basis. The access road off of US 380 is graveled. There are no fees for camping in this area.
Monjeau Lookout is a famous landmark on the Smokey Bear Ranger District built originally in 1936 and then reconstructed in 1940 as part of a Civilian Conservation Corps project. This site is a wonderful and adventurous place to visit. Roads leading up to the site are dirt and can be steep in places. Visit during the summer months as the road leading to it closes during the winter with the advent of snow. Monjeau Lookout is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).Click Here for a recent article from the "Lookout Network" detailing the entire history of this place.
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.
Located on the outskirts of Ruidoso, Cedar Creek provides a wonderful space for groups visiting for the day or staying overnight. With a picnic shelter and three group campsites, the recreation area is ideal for an outing in Lincoln National Forest. A popular pastime is is hiking and mountain biking along the scenic multi-use trails adjacent to the Sam Tobias Memorial Group Campground. There are opporunities to see a number of different wildlife, including Mule deer and Elk in the area.
James Canyon Campground offer 5 sites along US82 just west of Mayhill, NM. The lower elevation of 6,800' means this small site is usable longer than most Sacramento Mountain area campgrounds when the snows begin. Picnic tables, grills, and one group ramada among scattered pine trees. 16' RV limit. James Canyon Campground - General Area
Lower Karr Canyon Campground has undeveloped campsites scattered above and below the Karr Canyon Picnic Area. Forest Road 63 is gravel and can be rough. Fire rings are available. Tent camping is allowed here and there are a number of lovely spots for you to choose from, all of which are accessible by walking in to the site from the parking area.
ScoutThis 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
ScoutFirst time ever I’m going to Ruidoso me and my wife didn’t really have a plan one night after sleeping in the Walmart parking lot we were driving down and saw midtown and asked if they do one night rentals at a time teepee site wasn’t fully done, but they allowed us to stay in there for a great price and helped us out when we had no idea what we were doing. I want to thank Midtown campground & RV park for the amazing time we had there
LegendThree Rivers Petroglyph BLM , NM Campground: Great location between White Sands and Valley of the Fires. It is about 3 miles from the highway off a gravel road that is in good condition. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 3 because most sites are in a large open gravel area . Our site: 4
Price 2024: $ w interagency pass
Security: No
Usage during visit: Full each night mostly with one or two night stays.
Site Privacy: 1 and 2 are set off by themselves a bit. The rest have no privacy.
Site Spacing: fine
Site surface: gravel
Reservations: First come first serve v
Campground Noise: Quiet
Outside Road Noise: No
Through Traffic in campground: Folks come in to hike.
Electric Hookup: Sites 1 & 2
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: No
Potable Water Available: Yes. Filter the water.
Generators: Yes
Bathroom: Very well kept flush toilets.
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: Most are
Cell Service (AT&T): 1 to 2 bars.
Setting: Open desert shrubbery between the splendid looking White Mountains and
Recent Weather: Winy time of year.
Solar: Absolutely.
Insects: None.
Host: On site.
Rig Size: Some sites can fit a large 5th wheel.
Sites: Most of the few sites are spread out in a graveled area. There is not much distinction between sites. Sites 1 and 2 set off from the rest and are the best sites.
Legend
Valley of Fire CG, NM: The RV area sits on a ridge. Great views. Tenting area sits by itself. No views there, but looks nice. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 5 for a campground offering space and extraordinary views.
Price 2024: $ 35 w interagency pass
Security: no
Usage during visit: RV area was full every day.
Site Privacy: no
Site Spacing: nice
Pad surface: blacktop
Reservations: Some sites require reservations. Some sites are first come first serve.
Campground Noise: Nice and quiet
Outside Road Noise: light trafficed highway might create some noise for the first few sites.
Through Traffic in campground: Some day visitors.
Electric Hookup: some sites
Sewer Hookup: no
Dump Station: yes
Potable Water Available: at most sites
Bathroom: one main bathroom. Also, two smaller bathrooms towards each end of the campground.
Showers: yes. Clean. Push button timer type. Hot water
Pull Throughs: yes
Cell Service (AT&T): four bars
Setting: on a ridge overlooking the black lava flow on one side and desert on the other
Recent Weather: windy
Solar: definitely
Insects: none
Host: yes
Rig Size: large rigs, no problem
Sites: 1-14: views both ways. Extraordinary sunset views. 15- 18: the views are nice, but one direction. away from the valley of fires view. 18 & 19 are more secluded.
Legend
James Canyon, NM: This is right off the highway, so easy access. There are only two sides when you can accommodate an RV.. A couple folks parked in the parking lot overnight. Ad jacent highway noise is very noticeable, however, traffic is pretty light and very late at night time. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: For a stop over: 4.
Price 2024: Free
Security: no
Usage during visit: two RV sites filled up. Ted sites for him to. Room in the parking lot. Small Riggs only
Site Privacy: no
Site Spacing: good
Pad surface: RV sites
Reservations: no
Campground Noise: no, no
Outside Road Noise: noticeable
Through Traffic in campground: no, except for stopping to use the bathrooms
Electric Hookup: no
Sewer Hookup: no, no
Dump Station: no
Potable Water Available: No
Generators: allowed
Bathroom: very clean pit toilets
Showers: no
Pull Throughs: both RV sites are back in. A little bit of extra work is required to back the trailer down to go to one of the two site.
Cell Service (AT&T): no
Setting: just off the highway
Recent Weather: cool nights
Solar: some
Insects: none
Host: no
Rig Size: much over 22’ would be difficult
GuideWe stayed 2 nights. Bathrooms were clean and the hikes were very fun. To see and imagine the people who created the petroglyphs was incredible. We also drove to the mountain camp area and took a short hike up the 3 river. It was fun!
GuideWe were able to catch a first come first serve site. It had awesome views of the mountains and a nice shade shelter. The pit toilets were clean and showers are always a plus. The hike through the lava rocks was informative and easy. Love this place!
GuideFirst come first serve. 2 sites w elec/water no sewer hook up. Great cel service. Perfect spot!
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.
GuideRV area is old and not really kept up, a lot of trucks park here and stay at the motel. Close to the railroad tracks south bound train just track noise , the north bound start blowing their horn I think a mile south of town and don’t quit until they are a mile north of town. The lady that manages the park is very friendly and helpful. Can’t say enough good about her.
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.
Guide
The camping is great and the views are amazing. However, the trail up to the camping spots is steep, washed out, and tight. Can be navigated with a stock 4x4 pick up. Also, there is a gun range at the bottom, so you'll hear gun shots til sundown. Also, a little highway noise is present in the distance.
Legend
Very small campground with beautiful spots. Trash bins and awnings.
TravelerLovely level sites, as I am in a van. Spacious sites, firebox available, tables at the sites, deer, wild horses come to visit. Firewood available per bundle.
Guide
Very remote and quiet. We didn’t go too far in but plenty of sites available and didn’t see a single other soul. Easily accessible and had vaulted toilets available. Saw plenty of wildlife including elk, wild turkey, and mule deer.
LegendIt is a small but very nice campground. No electricity water or sewer but trash toilets and privacy. Would be hot in high summer and cold right now end of November but if you have a generator and can be off the grid what a cute place to be.
ScoutAmazing campground! So close to everything, super clean PRIVATE bathrooms and the management is amazing and super attentive!
Legend
It really is just a big parking lot. Pit toilet water and electric. There's an extra fee to use the dump station 20 bucks a night for full service. Thing is it's perfect if you're here in the winter and you don't want any shade and you want to hike all the trails without any traffic it's terrific for that. Pretty sure I can work from my level parking spot for the week and there's enough exploring to be done that I shouldn't run out of things to do. Barely barely barely have cell phone service but I seem to be connected and with very little traffic on it it seems to be okay.
Tent camping near Lincoln, New Mexico offers a unique blend of stunning landscapes and outdoor adventures, perfect for nature enthusiasts looking to escape the hustle and bustle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Lincoln, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Lincoln, NM is Fort Stanton Cave Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Lincoln, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Lincoln, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
