If you want to stay in a mountain retreat but close to downtown Ruidoso, NM then this is a perfect place to be. Large abundant pine trees provide lots of shade. Bathrooms with shower are NEW, CLEAN, AND PRIVATE. Also provided is laundry room, small workout facility, sauna, gathering pavilion. We felt welcomed the minute we drove in. We have seen many new updates Including water,electric, and sewer hookups.
Enjoyed two nights at this KOA. Very friendly staff and great sites. Location appears to be in an urban setting but you don’t get that feeling once onsite.
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!
Would have given it 5 stars but the road going in to campsites are very rough and in of need some TLC! With that being said this is a beautiful place to park your RV and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Full hook ups for $33. During our stay we had regular visits from a group of about 11 male mule deer! Bring your hummingbird feeders you won’t be disappointed! We will be back!
My husband and I wanted a cool getaway during the heat of Texas summer, and although Cloudcroft was 9.5-10 hours from home, it was worth it. Being from Colorado I was seeking the cool evenings, crisp air, pine tree smells and sounds. Plus some REAL hiking at altitude. We stayed at the Saddle Campground, which is one of maybe 4-5 campgrounds in the area. They are paved for trailers/campers, but no hookups or water. Just pit bathrooms, which was fine by us. There was dispersed camping on 568, which is a turn off 244. We chose this campground for the view but also because the hosts at the Pines campground were bizarre about rules…like when we went for a hike on the little Fir trail in the area, they got upset with us for walking through a campground. The hikes in the area are legit - we went over to Bailey canyon and saw maybe 2 people. We did a loop from 568 north and back down through Bailey canyon. There’s also the OSHA trail that’s mostly easy with great views of the trestle and White Sands in the distance. I can’t wait to go back!
White sands national monument is absolutely stunning. The campground is on a loop you have to follow signs up and down dunes until you reach your assigned site. Super cheap, super private, super beautiful! Backcountry camping makes its sound more intimidating than it is. Pack light because you do have to walk all your stuff in, but it’s not far and it’s not a challenging hike. Amazing sunrise and sunset. You don’t have to wear shoes here! Very child friendly. I don’t have kids but it seems very conducive for kid camping. It is open and spacious and you wouldn’t disturb anyone.
Beautiful scenery with huge tall trees. Site was spacious with fire rings and picnic table. Lots of hiking trails. Dump station and potable water fill area, but not at site. Dry camping only. $5 showers. Didn’t take reservations, but do have overflow area that is a huge parking lot. It could take a lot of “overflow”. There was still snow on the ground in mid April. No AT&T coverage, but Sprint worked. There were some steep grades getting there with tight turns. Fine for our Class B, but a big rig would probably be sweating. Concrete and grass RV pad. We used site 21 and backed up to the woods. Very cool. Bear country too, but didn’t see any
Awesome little campground in the high desert just west of Carrizozo. I arrived around 830 pm on a Saturday night in the middle of August and had my pick of spots. Fellow campers were quiet. RV hook ups available and showers/toilets available for both RV and tent campers. You can hear infrequent cars on the nearby highway (US 380) but it didn’t bother me. There are little grill tops near picnic tables, but the wind kept me from getting a good fire started. There is a roof shelter over the picnic table as well. Amazing sunset and sunrise and incredible stargazing. Only complaint is the bugs. SO MANY BUGS. No mosquitos that I noticed but plenty of annoying lava gnats and bigger things. Bring your bug spray. $7 for tent sites, $18 for RVs. Lava field has some paved trails through it, but it would get awfully hot during the day with the black rock. Might not be great for kids. Cacti with big ole thorns and the campground bordering the lava field have a bit of drop off. This campground holds a place in my heart, I’ll be back again.
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
Staff was super helpful when we arrived missing parts for our RV. Loaned us what we needed until we were able to procure it. Super clean facilities and campground. Friendly socials. Will definitely return.
If you like to rough it then this is perfect.
Being the managers of this awesome RV Park we may be just a bit partial but let it be!
We have been here for over a year now and have met such awesome folks. The owner is always improving things around. Even though we are in the dessert we still have trees and grass. The park is convenient to 2 towns, many stores, including 2 Walmarts, many attractions, including White Sands National Park and The Space Museum! Ruidoso is only a few miles away with casinos and Horserace tracks.
Summertime heat can get you down, but 16 miles up to Cloudcroft will cool you off, and there are several excellent places to eat when visiting up that way also Ruidoso is some cooler.
Just returned from a 5 day stay. We got escorted to our spot and they helped guide us in. The staff are very helpful and if you need something, they will be more than happy to accommodate you. The grounds are very clean and well maintained. There is a small creek that runs along the grounds and nice spots to sit and chill out. There are horseshoe pits, fenced in area for dogs to do their business, playground for kids (needs a little more upgrade including a slide, climbing things, etc.). The interaction with your neighbors was more than enjoyable. They were helpful and were a joy to chat with. I could not say enough about our stay there.
$22 a night. Vaulted toilets, but bathrooms were super clean. Campsite hosts were great. The grounds were well taken care of. Close to town and plenty of trails nearby. Sites are fairly close together but we felt we had enough privacy.
The staff is super friendly and helpful. Close to all the things you want to do but far enough from the village to make you feel like you are out in the woods.
They ve really improved this place. They ve got a floating play island and 🛶. Good times for the whole family
This is a great place drove up for a day. Nice open area to camp. Clean area and freash air it was great.
Great area to hiking. Lot s of different flora around. Phone was home on this trip. But it was a relaxing time while there
This place was awesome monjeau peak is about 1/2 from this camp ground. Beautiful view. Trail head right buy camp.
Excellent campground. Clean, great WiFi, friendly staff. Close to shopping. We initially booked for a week…2 days in we extended our stay to 1 month. Already reserved for 1 month in December. A MUST if you are in Ruidoso, NM.
This is a little pull-off area in a very populated National Forest. It can get pretty crowded so hiking in is important. The car-camping and RV camping is right on the road.
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!
Tried to camp at this one. With all of the directions I saw on the website and everything we didn’t find this exact campground. Although, when the coordinates led (or where google maps took us) was pretty. It was just one little area with a fire pit that seemed to be all on its own. Some cars went by on the road beside us that went further into the forest but we felt we were at the perfect spot. Little traffic and the stars were absolutely beautiful!
Came here on a spontaneous stop on a road trip through NM. Showed up at 2pm on Tuesday and they still had 4 Backcountry camping permits available, $1.50 per person with annual pass.
We were car camping and not prepared for backpacking but the hike in was < 1 mile so it was easy enough to just hike in with bags. Wasn't too hot in late May but was extremely windy.
One of the prettiest sunsets we've ever seen.
We love Royce and the Camp @ Cloudcroft. We started out coming here NYE. We stayed in the teardrop camper — so cold outside but the teardrop was warm and cozy. Since then we’ve been back several times! They have new beautifully renovated shower houses. They have a Yurt with all you could ever think of as well as a pop up trailer (amazing king size bed). When you rent these, you basically can come with clothes and food. They think of everything else from utensils, grills, stoves, linens, seasonings … even a deck of cards! There’s WiFi throughout the campground. They also have RV spaces and tent areas. Super super nice staff (Sissy and her pup Mickey). Can’t recommend this place enough and we can’t wait to get back to our home away from home!!
We (family of 6) spent 4 nights here.
It's not too far from town and cheap ($6 a night per vehicle) It's was always windy, it broke our tent one night, the host seemed to ride by every 20 to 30 mins which made us a little uneasy and like we couldn't relax, the sites are REALLY weird and almost all of them you can't drive up to, you definitely can't have a camper here, there is no water, the vault toilets are pretty smelly and the fire pits are all very full.
The only thing we really enjoyed about our stay was seeing the wild horses 1-2x per day, we even woke to see them in our site one morning!