Best Campgrounds near Montezuma, NM

I didn’t see this but didn’t read all reviews. As you drive down the road the BLM land is clearly identified by the 14 day camping limit signs. You will come to a fence with a cattle guard and when you cross that you are now in National Forest, NO CAMPING on the National Forest side (ask me how I know ;)

Site have everything except sewer but they do have a dump station. We visited in April so everything was open and as mentioned be back by 5pm cuz the gates get closed. Good place to visit Las Vegas and the South Camp had plenty of room for our 39’ trailer

Drank a lot of beer caught a lot of fish

Had an awesome time with the boys

One of my favs

Camped for two days bathroom nice and trout fishing was very good. Staff was good.

Great location, lots to do nearby. This area was very accessible, in good condition, and tons of available spots, plenty of space between other campers. Felt pretty safe overall.

This was a nice place to stay for a couple nights. Check in was fast and friendly. They have a dog park. It is off the highway but nice and secluded. Pretty location and outside of Las Vegas, NM. It isn’t a five star because the sites are pretty close together

This is a great little state park with nice hikes, friendly staff and great fishing. Our kids loved the playground and we enjoyed how quiet and beautiful the area is.

Given the area described has piles of trash and little else to recommend it, it seems a shame to be close to gorgeous wilderness and stare at rubbish.

Head out just a bit further and turn onto the well maintained dirt Buckman road?  There are canyons to explore and access to the Rio grande at the road's end, offering water in an area with next to none otherwise. 

If these lowlands are too hot in the summer, drive up Artist Road to Big Tesuque or the ski-way at the end of the road, where shade, cold streams, and elevation keep nights pleasant even in July or August. 

You won't be any further from Santa Fe, although it can take awhile to drive from the river or ski-way to town if you park as far away as possible.  

All of the above sites have fire rings and vault toilets, and Big Tesuque and the ski-way have some sites with picnic tables as well.  Firewood can be scavenged, especially if one gets away from the immediate campsite area.

To begin, the lots are far enough away from fellow campers that you're seldom disturbed by noise or movement. During the day, there will be plenty of new faces passing through to get to the Black Canyon Loop, which has its access point at the back of the camping property. There are, I believe, three pit toilets (possibly four, but I only recall seeing 3, one at the entrance, one on the right hand side up the pavement, and one before the trail access point). The trail is phenomenal. The incline is quite steep, but the loop is a reasonable length and I've seen families with young children and elderly folks successfully complete the loop. In the spring and early summer a small (VERY small) stream cuts through the trail from the snowmelt. You're likely to encounter wildlife in the evening if there aren't many campers, as bears are everywhere here. While HIKING at this location in the off season (site is closed for winter, but you can still access the trail) my wife and I encountered large mountain lion tracks. Parking at the lots is limited, with most spaces only fitting one car comfortably, and the space for tents varies but isn't enormous. Overall, a very cozy, shaded, quiet campground right off the main road making driving up or down the mountain for more trails during your stay very feasible. I personally have no cell service here, and use Mint Mobile, as a heads up. There is a functioning payphone near the entrance.

I will start with the only downside of this site: it is very active with hikers, families, dogs, and photographers. You can expect dozens upwards of a hundred faces a day hiking up here which can be extremely annoying and the car traffic can drive you nuts. That said, for the ease of access, for the beautiful trails, and for the clean amenities I think it is worth it. In the winter right before the ski area opens is your best bet for quiet camping. But in the summer, spring, fall, and during ski season you will have a lot of friendly faces. Again, not bad, but I know some folks are very interested in getting "away" from people while camping. To those I recommend this site for hiking and not staying. Highly recommend for folks who are less physically abled; I developed a heart condition which limits my abilities most days and the ease of access to these sites and close parking is great for someone who wants to be in touch with nature while enduring limiting conditions.

Area is open. There’s some trash right as you come in, but there’s plenty of clean spots not too much further in. Decent spot, though also popular.

Stayed in #21. Sites 13 and 30 a!so good but avoid campsites downwind of toilets. No water while we were there. Very nice & helpful host. Several 1st come/1st serve sites but seems to fill up fast. Bathrooms cleanish & well used. Several convenient to back of campground. Trees. Good spot for screen tent.

This place sufficed due to the need to have somewhere for the night, if we had the chance we’d have gone somewhere else. Massive piles of trash everywhere, sites strewn with people’s leftover garbage from camping there.

Due to its close proximity to the landfill, it was extremely loud during the morning from around 7am onwards.

There was a partial closure banning camping in a section of the landfill, which was incredibly difficult to figure out where we could camp, as the map is not clear at all,

Coyotes at night were really cool.

Overall disappointing but glad we managed somewhere to sleep for the night

We loved it. Very spacious. Fire pits here and there.

We loved the location. The hiking trails were awesome. We booked a reservable with hydro for one night and decided to extend our stay with the first come first serve system. The self pay stations are at each of the teo campground loops. The 2nd and 3rd night didn’t have hydro however the size of the site and view more than made up for it.

To use the dump station, you have to go to the Rangers Station and ask them to unlock the gate. The access is a bit tight and we were not able to fill our fresh water tank due to the State Park having to bring their water up by truck. All in all, it was worth it.

Made the reservation online. $14/night for a leveled site with covered table, fire pit and a water spigot. Had a great night. Felt very safe and noise was minimal. Would definitely stay again when in the area.

Plenty of spots and easy to get to. The only catch is you will need to find a spot away from the multiple large piles of trash.

The surrounding area was pretty and sunset was great!