Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Mills, NM

I give this campground 2 stars - one because it is a lovely spot and two, because it is well-maintained considering its remoteness. The other 2-3 stars it may well have deserved were blacked out by the sheer numbers of outright rude and inconsiderate campers.

The drive into the canyon is, indeed, bumpy but doable in a high-clearance car or SUV. There is no cell service. The campground is near the river but does not have river access - it is possible to get to it but the stickers make it extremely uncomfortable, especially if your bring your pooches. There are some places to walk and see both the ruins of the Mills orchard homestead, as well as access the river, but walking was made very unpleasant by the numbers of trucks, ATVs, and motorcycles zooming by - very loud and lots of dirt in the eyes and mouth.

Not sure if it's the "COVID camping" phenomena but the campground was full to near-full the 3 days, 2 nights we camped there. During that time there were multiple very large groups (10-16 people) of people pulling in and out. One group from Texas brought along very loud 50cc motorcycles and large ATV/Side by sides for their kids, who would make rounds around the campground loop, sending plumes of fine dirt into all of the campgrounds around the loop, not to mention the noise. Another large group of trucks from Texas pulled into the campsite next to ours and literally drove 6 vehicles into the actual camping spot and proceeded to then set up tents all the way into my spot -- loud music, loud talking, loud wood chopping, 4:30 am trucks in and out (I suppose they were driving to the bathroom, which was about a 2 minute walk away). I was forced to sleep in my car, instead of my tent thanks to the noise and the fact that I was not comfortable sleeping with a bunch of strangers who didn't seem to care that I had already set up there. As I packed up the next day and was checking my campground for trash I noticed theirs was strewn with it - I considered cleaning it until I noticed it was mostly used toilet paper.

Camping in New Mexico is amazing and one of the reasons I live here. I don't understand why people need to come to the middle of nowhere to be obnoxious, ruin the experience for everyone else, and trash the place in the process.

Until the COVID camping phenomena ends, expect the worst.

We spent two nights and it only cost us $16. We were parked right on the lake, and being right after a holiday the lake was pretty much empty. They have several different campsites, with a website that makes it easy to reserve a spot. However, we called to ask, and ranger let us know we could come for first come first serve. They have signs that make finding your way around easy, also having stations that you can pay(cash only) for your campsite. The rangers were sweet and helpful as well as having a host, who was there all night in case of an emergencies. The restrooms/showers were clean and it looked to be recently remodeled. Also they had ramps going into the water for boats and a dock for fishing. Something else we learned about New Mexico, not being from here, April-May is a rainy and windy season. So be sure to check the weather before heading out

We were looking forward to boondocking at Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge today, in early May - and we will try again in Oct when we come back this way. But north eastern and north central New Mexico have had days of heavy rain and flooding alerts. Today was dry until shortly after we arrived to check out the camping area. We deemed the ground too damp, figuring we would get stuck sinking into the soft earth if we drove onto the grass. Another rainstorm was coming in fast. The 2-3 miles of dirt washboard road was not a problem when dry, but would be a problem after rain. We were lucky to leave just as the rain started. We encourage folks to camp here. It's not a bad place! But don't bring a heavy big rig if it's been raining. We went on to a Harvest Host location (Calfax Bar and Diner, about 12 miles west, very nice people), but the ground was too soft there too. We ended up in the Raton, NM KOA. It's not free, but it's a fine place.

Mills Canyon was an absolutely beautiful campground. I had the place to myself, but that’s because it was too hot for most sane people to stay longer than a few hours. There was one car that drove through to use the bathrooms, but I had the entire campground to myself. It was incredibly hot, so my advice for anybody who is coming to this area during the summer months is to bring way more water than what you think you need, and some type of canopy for shade. I only stayed one night as it never cooled down and the biting insects were terrible. All that said, I will return in the cooler months. No cell service. The road down into the canyon was fine with a few legit ruts but easy to navigate.