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Best Equestrian Camping near Magdalena, NM

18 Reviews

Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel in Bernardo offers full-service RV sites with horse accommodation approximately 45 miles from Magdalena. The property features space for equine guests with an on-site corral area and exercise space for horses. Mature cottonwood trees provide shade throughout the property, which has both short-term and long-term occupancy options. The campground supports both tent and RV camping with amenities including electrical hookups, water, sewer connections, showers, laundry facilities, and a designated pet area. The site layout consists of gravel roads and parking spots with planted areas containing native trees and shrubs. Highway noise is noticeable from nearby Interstate 25, but campers report this does not significantly detract from the experience.

Water Canyon Campground, located in the Cibola National Forest near Socorro, serves as another horse-friendly option with sites accessible via a narrow, rocky dirt road that may accommodate smaller trailers but is not advisable for large rigs. Vault toilets, trash service, picnic tables and fire rings are available at this free campground (though plans indicate a potential $10 fee implementation in the future). The campground connects to several hiking trails suitable for horseback riding, with occasional equestrians allowing children to interact with their horses. For more remote camping, Bear Trap Campground in Cibola National Forest offers primitive sites accessible by drive-in, hike-in, or walk-in methods. The road requires significant clearance, with visitors noting that while some AWD SUVs can make the journey, RVs are not recommended unless they are cab-over style vehicles that can handle scratches and rough terrain.

Map showing campgrounds near Magdalena, New MexicoExplore the Map

Best Equestrian Sites Near Magdalena, New Mexico (3)

    1. Water Canyon Campground

    13 Reviews
    Magdalena, NM
    8 miles
    Website

    "You don't often find free developed camping at the end of a paved road in New Mexico, but Water Canyon is one of those exceptions. "

    "Every year, we drive from Texas to Apache National Forest. Cibola is halfway. Every year, we make sure to stay the night at Water Canyon. First: the views. Secondly, the amenities."

    2. Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel

    4 Reviews
    La Joya, NM
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (505) 861-0693

    "Kiva RV Park is just a 5 minute drive from the NWR, so we stayed there on a Friday night, so we could get up bright and early for our hiking the next day."

    3. Cibola National Forest Bear Trap Campground

    1 Review
    Winston, NM
    36 miles
    Website
    +1 (505) 854-2381

    "Birding is good as there is a stream nearby. Good place for summer camping to escape the heat, but watch for precipitation that may make the road impassable for some time. It's a long way up there."

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Equestrian Camping Reviews near Magdalena, NM

18 Reviews of 3 Magdalena Campgrounds

  • Patrick B.
    Oct. 16, 2022

    Water Canyon Campground

    Can't beat the price (for now)

    You don't often find free developed camping at the end of a paved road in New Mexico, but Water Canyon is one of those exceptions.  It seems to be one of those spots that people don't take the time to get off the highway to explore -- on a weekday in July there was only one other campsite occupied.

    There are about a dozen campsites, vault toilets, trash cans, a group campsite at the bottom of the hill and easy access to some great hiking trails, all about ten minutes outside of Socorro and an hour from Albuquerque.

    While the campground is free for now, I did see some notices posted about the Forest Service taking public comment on levying a $10 per night fee per site.

  • J
    Aug. 19, 2020

    Water Canyon Campground

    A solid stop

    Every year, we drive from Texas to Apache National Forest. Cibola is halfway. Every year, we make sure to stay the night at Water Canyon. First: the views. Secondly, the amenities. A level spot, with a fire ring, table and maintained vault toilets for $0. The most spacious spots are the first two, after that a six man tent is the largest tent you’ll fit on a level spot. We have never really explored further than our camp site, as our children are small and out number us. But for 12-36 hours, it is a beautiful stay that includes campfires, lizards and the occasional equestrian that lets our kids treat their horses. Treasured memories, unplugged and free.

  • Reuben
    Nov. 3, 2020

    Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel

    Humble but still pretty nice

    We live in Albuquerque, but wanted to spend a day hiking the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. Kiva RV Park is just a 5 minute drive from the NWR, so we stayed there on a Friday night, so we could get up bright and early for our hiking the next day.

    The folks running the place were very friendly. Led us to our spot and made sure everything was okay for us. It's a fairly humble place...gravel roads and parking spots. No concrete to be seen. Each slot has a fairly wide planted area, but this is not patches of green lawn. They have mature native trees and shrubs that are well maintained. Plenty of big cottonwood trees provided shade. The place is clearly run on a low budget, but is well maintained and there is pride in the work here. When we visited, it appeared to be nearly full, and it felt like perhaps 50/50 mix between long-term residents and overnight(or nearly overnight) visitors. There is a large corral area for horses. We walked over to it but there were no horses there. There's a little dog park, a bathhouse and laundry. We didn't use any of those amenities, so I can't comment. I believe the laundry is listed as free.(This is not the case with the wifi, which was complex and had a fee.) I just used my hotspot from my Verizon service and because we had 4 bars, that worked just fine for streaming some Netflix that night.

    We really like the place. Lots of neighbors, but everyone was very friendly, and no late partying. A few kids. But really, it was all very pastoral and nice. We'd stay here again. 

    Not all was perfect. Aside from the less-than-friendly wifi: 1) The sewer hookup is just an open pipe. No threads. A little stinky when you take the cover off.  2) It is almost literally right next to the interstate. There's no denying those traffic noise is real. We slept with no issues, but if traffic noise doesn't act like white noise for you...you might want to look somewhere else. We're lucky; but I know this is a deal-breaker for some.

    They do offer a Good Sam discount of 10%, so with tax, we paid $34. Well worth it. Very nice stay.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 4, 2023

    Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel

    Horse Motel

    Park is very nice. Spots are accessible and park is clean. Stables for horses with exercise area. A little bit noisy from interstate but not to bad.

  • Melinda J.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 4, 2025

    Water Canyon Campground

    Water canyon

    There are campsites available but not for big rigs. We have a 40 foot toy hauler and the dirt roads and narrowness would not allow for us. If you have something maybe 18’ or less and 4wd you could probably make it fine. We stayed right at the entrance near the picnic area. Spoke with fire inspector from the forest service and he said it was fine. The location was decent. Pretty quiet except for early morning vehicles driving up the road to the observatory and lab? We didn’t make the drive up as we have a dually and the road is pretty narrow.

  • S
    Sep. 8, 2019

    Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel

    Nice for overnight

    Nice place for an overnight stay. Owner is nice, laundry, showers & restrooms. Close to highway, which you hear, but nice stop for just an overnight. Takes Good Sam & Passport.

  • Nathan M.
    Apr. 12, 2020

    Water Canyon Campground

    Better sites up the road

    Campground itself was closed due to the Covid-19 stuff going on. Decided to drive into the mountains more instead of turning right into the campground, and didn’t regret it. Took us out to copper trail 10 and there were 4-5 sites with fire rings already there. Beautiful area in the valley, and old copper mines all around.

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 20, 2020

    Water Canyon Campground

    Free for 2 More Years!

    We loved this place. Attempted at first to camp at The Box down the road but it was really crowded so we came here and what a great choice! 

    This is a FREE campground but plans are in the works to started charging in 2 years at $10/night. There are gravel tent and parking pads, picnic tables, fire rings, pit toilets and garbage.

    When you first pull in there is a narrow opening to a rocky dirt road straight ahead and to the left is a day use picnic area. The sign at the beginning of the dirt road said trailers not advisable but one came down before we started up so we went for it. We have a 26 foot class C. Dirt road driving experience necessary. The road is quite narrow, rocky and has a couple washouts and tight turns but not impossible to navigate....use your best judgement! 

    There were only a couple of other campers and the views are very nice. Some sites are close together however. There are pit toilets and garbage at the beginning of the campground and at the end loop. 

    Great hiking area too! Further down the road where it says "no turn around" is a group site but the gate is locked and you'll need to contact National Forest Service if you want to use this area. 

    There is no drinking water or cell reception from AT&T or Verizon. Pets allowed on a leash. Also there are free roaming cattle we saw on the main road in but none in the campground though there was poop evidence that they've been around. 

    Along the dirt road hiking trails near the campground people have made other camping areas with rock fire pits. The roads to these areas are narrow and 4WD necessary.

  • Jacob S.
    Jun. 6, 2021

    Water Canyon Campground

    Nice & Scenic

    Campsites are well-developed and maintained. The facilities were clean and stocked with tp. Was only half-full on weekend. Many beautiful trails and forest roads nearby.

Guide to Magdalena

New Mexico offers a unique experience for horse camping enthusiasts, with several campgrounds providing excellent amenities and access to beautiful trails.

Campers appreciate these amenities for horses

  • At Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel, you'll find stables and an exercise area for horses, making it a convenient stop for equestrian travelers.

Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like trails

Equestrian campgrounds include essential facilities

  • Water Canyon Campground features basic amenities like vault toilets and trash disposal, ensuring a comfortable stay for horse campers.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Magdalena, NM is Water Canyon Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 13 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 3 equestrian camping locations near Magdalena, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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