Best Equestrian Camping near Lindrith, NM

Rio Chama Campground near Lindrith offers dispersed camping sites along the river with reasonable accommodations for those traveling with horses. The free campground features sites with good tree coverage for shade and protection from the elements. While there are no dedicated horse corrals, the spacious camping areas allow ample room for portable corrals or highlines. Clean toilet facilities are maintained throughout the camping season from May to November. Many campers report finding secluded spots with easy river access, ideal for watering horses after trail rides.

Trail access points connect riders to the surrounding Carson National Forest area with diverse terrain for horseback riding. The campground is approximately 10 miles from the main highway via Forest Road 151, though the drive takes about 40 minutes due to rough and narrow sections. Horse owners should bring all necessary feed and water containers as no dedicated equine amenities exist on site. The Chama Canyon area provides multiple riding options with scenic canyon views and wooded sections. During holiday weekends the campground becomes crowded, making it advisable for equestrian campers to arrive mid-week for better site selection. The gentle sound of the river creates a peaceful backdrop for overnight camping with horses.

Detours Nearby

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Forest Road 533

Forest Road 533

54 min away

Oak Point Campground

Oak Point Campground

1 hr 25 min away

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Best Equestrian Sites Near Lindrith, New Mexico (4)

    1. Rio Chama Campground

    14 Reviews
    Gallina, NM
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (575) 638-5526

    "Rio Chama RV park in Chama, New Mexico, is at the intersection of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the upper Rio Chama. A nice place to stay May 1 thru mid October."

    "It's an easy dirt road drive down the river and you will pass many dispersed site and a couple of defined camping grounds."

    2. Oak Point Campground

    6 Reviews
    Youngsville, NM
    22 miles
    +1 (575) 758-8851

    "there’s a fire ban, so it makes it hard to stay warm at night, but the stars are amazing. it’s quiet. it’s lovely. there’s canyon walls for miles. it’s really amazing. some of these pics are from the nearby"

    "I've stayed here twice now since being in New Mexico. This site is right on the water, overlooks the canyon, and is close to a hike to the right side of the canyon through a dried up riverbed."

    3. Fenton Lake State Park Campground

    16 Reviews
    Jemez Springs, NM
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (575) 829-3630

    $15 - $90 / night

    "I’ve been coming to Fenton Lake for camping with family since I was little and we’ve always loved it. It’s beautiful and well taken care of."

    "We typically come up to Fenton Lake once a year and last year was fantastic however this year the park rangers aren’t that friendly (or that helpful)."

    4. Ghost Ranch

    6 Reviews
    Cañones, NM
    33 miles
    Website

    "The whole ranch has been turned into a top notch facility with campgrounds and motel rooms, horses for rent, classes, and great hiking. The campground is large with several interconnecting loops."

    "Recommend arriving not too late to see if you can get a good spot, we didn’t have shade so had to go find a nice shady bench away from our site for eating lunch / relaxing after our hike."

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Equestrian Camping Reviews near Lindrith, NM

41 Reviews of 4 Lindrith Campgrounds


  • marycatmathis  ..The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 29, 2020

    Oak Point Campground

    Lovely, Beachy, Scenic

    These coordinates are a rough estimate, but this entire forrest road is filled with amazing campsites you can simply pull off and camp in. currently there’s a fire ban, so it makes it hard to stay warm at night, but the stars are amazing. it’s quiet. it’s lovely. there’s canyon walls for miles. it’s really amazing. some of these pics are from the nearby canyon that’s a bit of a walk up the road, but most are from our campground. loved our first experience camping in New Mexico!

  • Beth B.
    Aug. 16, 2018

    Rio Chama Campground

    Great place to watch the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Train

    Rio Chama RV park in Chama, New Mexico, is at the intersection of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the upper Rio Chama. A nice place to stay May 1 thru mid October. The train passing by twice a day is an exciting event and it's a short walk to the train yard.

    Pull through sites have great shade and full hookups with 30 or 50 amp electrical service. Spacious tent sites with full service restrooms nearby. Pet friendly with dog park and free wifi. A great place for fishing, train watching and relaxing.

  • marycatmathis  ..The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 17, 2020

    Oak Point Campground

    yet another amazing site at Oak Point

    I've stayed here twice now since being in New Mexico. This site is right on the water, overlooks the canyon, and is close to a hike to the right side of the canyon through a dried up riverbed. I *love* staying here. It's so peaceful, quiet, enough trees to keep you shaded from the harsh sun here. The road is runner friendly, so you can go on a jog if you like. Its definitely a campsite for people looking to strictly hang out. 

    views and sunsets are EPIC. Stay here instead of the packed Rio Chama campground if you're a casual camper who doesn't need amenities. And pick up your toilet paper so this place stays nice!

  • Katriza L.
    Oct. 20, 2020

    Fenton Lake State Park Campground

    One of our favorite places to go camping!

    I’ve been coming to Fenton Lake for camping with family since I was little and we’ve always loved it. It’s beautiful and well taken care of. Park rangers are always making their rounds and always friendly and helpful. Plenty of tent sites; only a few have some good privacy. Not many electrical hookups though. Trash bins and vault toilets are usually close by. Love the trail that runs along the side of the camp and the stream that runs adjacent to the campsites. Fishing is fun but get there early because spots fill up quickly. Only downfall I’ve seen is that theres only one water spigot and it’s right at the lake.

  • Katriza L.
    Jul. 20, 2021

    Fenton Lake State Park Campground

    Mostly a fun experience!

    We typically come up to Fenton Lake once a year and last year was fantastic however this year the park rangers aren’t that friendly (or that helpful). For instance, my father-in-law came up for a day but the power went out all over and didn’t have access to an ATM to pay the $5 day pass. They wouldn’t allow him to come up to our site to tell us (no cell service to call us) so he parked outside and had to hike in. He’s 73.

    Also during our stay, a couple of ladies across our campsite got locked out and my husband and other male friend helped break into it as the park ranger watched claiming he couldn’t help for liability reasons so he just watched us like a hawk, completely unhelpful.

    We were stopped several times when driving around and park rangers stop and walk up to your car to check we’re all paid up. I can understand this but it was rather excessive being stopped 2-3 times and then park rangers stopping at the camp to check the vehicles 4-5 times a day when we stayed for 3 nights feels like overkill. Expect to run into a park ranger often and see their trucks driving pass your site like clockwork.

    Aside from that, our stay was very nice. We stayed at campsite 8 which was very nice for a big family. There’s no one behind you or to either side of you. The site easily accommodated our 32ft RV and the camp site could host 3+ tents. It’s close to the playground which was finally open! It rained heavily one night and flooded the back road behind the playground but they had the tractor out fixing this quickly.

    If you’re coming for fishing, get there and grab a spot before 7am for your best chance of catching something. My husband caught two the day we left. It’s very packed and usually stays that way until about 5-6pm. One of the park rangers did mention that we had a better chance fishing the stream beside the campsites and did find a family that caught several fish that way so that’s much more private and easier, especially for little kids or if you don’t like crowds.

  • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 1, 2018

    Ghost Ranch

    Beautiful setting where Georgia O'Keefe Painted

    While many say that Georgia O’Keefe owned Ghost Ranch, that’s not true. She actually only owned 7.5 acres of the large ranch. The whole ranch has been turned into a top notch facility with campgrounds and motel rooms, horses for rent, classes, and great hiking. The campground is large with several interconnecting loops. There aren’t many trees, but the sites are not on top of each other so there is a semblance of privacy. Showers and laundry are available in the campground. It's pretty nice that this campground is pretty much open year round, and even better with tents and RV's kept separate. There are some great hiking trails heading out of the campground as well as from other parts of the ranch. Stop in the visitors center to get a map of trails and some advice about what to hike and when (don’t plan on any mid-day hikes as it is just too hot).

  • N
    Jun. 14, 2025

    Fenton Lake State Park Campground

    Beautiful, well-maintained campground!

    We stayed here just after Memorial Day weekend in late May, and again in mid-June. Such a great campsite! Although at 8,000 feet of elevation, prepare for cold nights and intermittent rain, hail, and high winds, even during the "summer" season. We experienced day time temps of 70s - 80s and nighttime drops to the low 40s on both trips. There was a burn notice in effect in May, which was lifted for our June trip - probably because the significant afternoon hail storms on the first two days of our trip nicely saturated everything!  ;) Day time weather was usually clear until noon, and then intermittent afternoon storms would set in, usually clearing by 6 pm. Basically, typical New Mexican mountain weather! 

    The sites are very well maintained, and the Camp Host was incredibly friendly and made regular rounds. FYI - there is NO cell signal at any of the tent sites, although we were able to get a signal (Verizon) within 50 feet of the ranger station if you need to check your phone.

    A note about the various campsites. There are four main loops past the RV/electric hookup section. Loop 1 (sites 1 - 9), loop 2 (sites 10- 14), loop 3 (sites 16 -18), and loop 4 (sites 19 -30). Each of the four main areas have their pros/cons and would be ideal depending on personal preference. 

    Loop 1 - this is where we stayed in both May and June. It's the easiest walk to the lake, but also has the oldest vault toilet. This toilet locked itself a couple times after people left, and we had to ask the camp host to open it back up. Ultimately, he taped the lock in the unlocked position which worked fine. Several of the toilets have been upgraded throughout the site, but this one is still on the list.  

    Loop 2 - there's a playground next to site 14 and this is a GREAT loop for folks with kids. If you're not a kid person, you'd probably prefer a different loop.  

    Loop 3 - this is a beautiful loop with a brand-new vault toilet. With only sites 16, 17, and 18 sharing this loop, it seemed a little quieter.  

    Loop 4 - the final loop. Furthest away from the lake, you'll get less traffic from folks going up and down the road to their site. 

    Honestly, all of the sites are beautiful and your favorite site will depend a lot on personal preference. The river runs along the south side of the campsite road and we saw folks fishing - and catching fish! - at those campsites that backed  up to the river.  

    This is a beautiful campground and we will definitely be back!

  • Megan V.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 1, 2021

    Rio Chama Campground

    Great for a river trip

    We visited memorial day weekend 2021 with a group of 6. This spot is beautiful with a good amount of tree coverage. It's an easy dirt road drive down the river and you will pass many dispersed site and a couple of defined camping grounds. The sites are all close to the river and at most a quick drive away from a place to put your kayak or tube in the water. Not a ton of large group sites.

  • Cory M.
    Sep. 28, 2017

    Fenton Lake State Park Campground

    Nice lake, nice camping

    Camping is by reservation only, it was quiet and when I went but I've been during holiday weekends and it is crazy. Great location for fishing, boating, picnics, and relaxing (when not many people are there). There is a smaller parking lot just south of the lake for those who don't want to walk around. Camping in surrounding areas off forest roads isn't bad but every time I have there is someone having parties and playing music till dawn.


Guide to Lindrith

Horse camping in New Mexico offers a unique opportunity to explore the stunning landscapes while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With a variety of campgrounds catering to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride the trails.

Equestrian campgrounds include essential amenities

  • The well-reviewed Rio Chama Campground allows pets and offers a natural setting, making it a great choice for horse camping.

Campers appreciate these amenities for horses

  • At Oak Point Campground, you'll find ample space for your horses along with access to beautiful riverside spots.

Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like trails

  • The scenic Ghost Ranch features trails that are perfect for horseback riding, along with various accommodations to suit your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Lindrith, NM?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Lindrith, NM is Rio Chama Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 14 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Lindrith, NM?

TheDyrt.com has all 4 equestrian camping locations near Lindrith, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.