Best Tent Camping near Newcomb, NM

Recent Tent Reviews near Newcomb, New Mexico

89 Reviews of 4 Newcomb Campgrounds

• 

  Jennifer G.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 13, 2023

  Homestead RV Park

  Good, especially in a pinch

  RV spot that has tent sites. They gave us an RV site because the tent sites were full. Maybe a little pricey but we were running out of daylight - the staff were really nice and the park is quiet even though it's near a main road. Bathrooms were nice!

• S

  Steve S.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 16, 2022

  Gallo Campground — Chaco Culture National Historical Park

  Hot, dry, sandy, no shade, decent facilities, historical setting

  Face it, you don't go to Chaco Canyon, or Chaco Culture National Historical Park, for the camping experience. You go for the history, archaeology, ruins, mystery, astronomy and appreciation for the peoples who built these great houses 1200 years ago. But the facilities for tent camping are adequate-to-better, with very good restroom facilities and drinking water. No showers - carefully read the descriptions. No T-Mobile coverage to speak of, although if you make the climb up to Pueblo Alto to overlook Pueblo Bonito, I did get a weak signal that was good enough to download emails, but that was it.

  Some of the campsites are closer to each other than others. The camp is arranged in a loop, generally I'd prefer to be toward the far end end of the loop for vehicle privacy. 

  CAUTION: Pay attention to the weather and especially rain in the preceding days. I drove up to Chaco from Grants (from the south) and got stuck in about what turned out to be about a foot of mud under a few inches of standing water in a wash 4.4 miles from the Chaco Visitor's Center. Don't risk it! I drove out to the north on the road that connects to NM 550. That's the much preferred road IMO, and apparently the one also usually recommended by the NPS staff.

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  May. 6, 2022

  Cottonwood Campground

  Nice & Right Outside of Canyon de Chelly

  This is a really nice peaceful campground at the entrance of the Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  Canyon de Chelly is beautiful and amazing and worth going out of your way for.  Be sure to pre arrange with an authorized tour guide, if you want to go down into the canyon. We didn't plan ahead and didn't get to go down, though driving all the way to the end of the canyon (we went along the south side) was beautiful on its own.  Just about each pull off has native vendors selling handmade art and goods.

  $14/night (cash only!) for a tent site, and $5 for day use. Camp fee includes use of dump station and water fill, but heads up that the water is turned off for the winter. Dump station open year round.

  There are flush toilets but no showers. 2 of the restrooms were closed for the winter as well. 

  Sites come with a picnic table and grill, no fire rings (fires not allowed here). There is no privacy or any kind of barrier between sites. It was not a big deal when we were here as there were only a few other campers, but I could see it feeling crowded during busy season. Some sites have a lot of shade and some are in full sun, so there’s something for everyone. 

  Heads up - this is Navajo Nation and there is no alcohol or marijuana use allowed, and there are loose dogs hanging out everywhere. 

  ATT had LTE, and Verizon and TMobile were roaming.

• 

  Amber W.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 20, 2024

  Brown Springs Campground

  Easiest Free Site we’ve been to

  We drove up Hwy 491 from I40 and were surprised there were no sites all the way up to Farmington or Shiprock. We chose this site but got there when it was already dark. Apple Maps to ok us directly to the site. It’s about 3 miles on a long dirt road. The road was dry when we visited so we had no problems. We drove into the tents sites on a Tuesday night and found several vacant.

  The site itself was layered with gravel. There’s a covered picnic table and large fire ring in each site. We are tent campers and appreciated not setting the tent in the mid or dirt. The other sites are close but not so close you are forced to make conversation. That’s a choice here!

  We didn’t hike while here but you could easily have some fun out there!

• C

  CapnWill

  Scout

  

  Aug. 17, 2023

  Brown Springs Campground

  Clean new BLM campground

  We got our permit at the nearby BLM office. The sand/gravel road to the Campground is decent, but almost got stuck in soft spots in our 21' motor home. Campsites are nice, with mostly level parking spots, and picnic site under hard roof shade--a good thing, as the New Mexico August sun was hot, and the Campground pretty much treeless.

• 

  Jennifer M.

  Guide

  

  May. 31, 2023

  Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness | Dispersed Camping

  Backcountry adventure

  We had the goal of exploring New Mexico back country and Bisti, which we did! The Dyrt directions to the trailhead here are perfect. There were a few folks camping at the parking lot and there is a relatively clean pit toilet there though bring TP. We drove past the lot and got over a ditch no problem with our Tacoma. Past the second lot there is dispersed camping. We picked a great spot on the left. Nearby our spot 100 yards were very cool rock formations. We hiked in the badlands and found some neat formations and petrified wood though nothing like the beautiful photos published online. It was still worth it for the unique experience. We did a 6 mile out/back hike with 2 dogs. Flat but hot and windy at times. Some of the wind got intense at our camp spot. All in all this is a worthwhile experience if you like getting off the beaten path and exploring something different. We drove from here to Alien Throne. GPS was spotty but got us there and we had on/off service in Bisti.

• 

  Shari G.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 5, 2024

  Gallo Campground — Chaco Culture National Historical Park

  Absolutely worth the effort!

  This campground is not easy to get to, so get your head around that. The last 5 miles of the unpaved road getting to the park boundary will be a challenge, so take it slllooow. It is worth it, and you’ll have fewer crowds at this amazing place. 

  The campground is similar to many national parks, with nicely spaced out, no hook up campsites. The toilets are clean and well maintained, flush toilets, and sinks, but no showers.  Water is available throughout the campground, and there’s a big sink for dumping your dish water. 

  The campground is ideal for solar power, as is the New Mexico weather.  We also had no problem connecting with Starlink, but there was no LTE or phone service to speak of. 

  Hiking in the park is simply stunning. With the ruins of the Chaco Culture all around, you can pick your adventure or simply drive the park loop road, stopping to wander through the remains of this vibrant place that was once the heart of a vast cultural empire. 

  Cycling is also a great option -- bike/ hike your way around the park from the campground. The visitor’s center is good, and worth spending some time in.  The closest town with services is a long long way away, in any direction, so come prepared with your supplies, food, etc. 

  There is a convenience store/ gas station about 20 miles out, but the drive back along the rough road will take an hour in an RV.  

  This park is so worth a visit and the campground makes it easy to stay for as long as you can to soak up the solitude of this simply amazing place!

• T

  Teresa F.

  Guide

  

  May. 2, 2024

  Gallo Campground — Chaco Culture National Historical Park

  Great Hiking

  I didn’t realize some sites are for RVs and some are for tents. I sleep in the back of my pick up truck and was stuck in the middle of RVs running their generators. Still loved the area. Great hiking right off the campground. Nice restrooms. 

• 

  Sam L.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 17, 2023

  Gallo Campground — Chaco Culture National Historical Park

  Decent campsite, amazing location

  We stayed here for one night in the summer of 2017. The sites are fairly basic: a spot for your tent, a fire pit/grill, a picnic table, and a communal bathroom and water. 

  There's basically no natural shelter here, and it can get very hot and windy! If you're car camping (as opposed to RV-ing), this is definitely something to keep in mind. We didn't have any kind of awning or shade other than our tent, and having some shade would have made a huge difference! There are grill/fire pits at each site, but no wood was for sale when we visited. 

  The bathrooms were clean enough, and the site was well maintained. 

  Overall, the campsite is decent, not great, but ultimately you're here for the Chaco Culture park, which is amazing! Highly recommend going to one of the star parties when they have them and doing a ranger-led tour.

• C

  Celina M.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 11, 2018

  Gallo Campground — Chaco Culture National Historical Park

  Car camping tucked Away from the world

  The campsites here are incredible! They are peaceful and tucked under an amazing starry sky. The ruins are unlike any other; visitors walk through the rooms sculpted by the puebloans a whole millienium earlier.

  Gallo is a great car campground that still feels remote and tucked away from the world. Park is accessed from 17 miles of passable dirt road. Driver beware: wet conditions may make muddy roads temporarily impassible by cars not up to the task—call ahead if concerned. Flush toilets are available in campground, but there are no showers or other amenities. There is drinking water by the visitor center, which is only another short drive down the road. Bring all food and supplies because there are no supplies available within 40 minutes of the park and that is at a gas station.

  Note about the few secluded tent only sites (sites 41-49): these sites do not allow you to park directly beside the site. You must walk your gear a short+ distance to a defined tent pad (mind the sizes when you reserve). Also, the way the wind blows through the canyon, sites 46-49 have no wind break, and fires may become too dangerous to light up. We camped in one of these and loved our experience. They have more space, are more private, and quieter. But setting up camp was more of a workout too!

• 

  TheCampingNerd ..

  Guide

  

  Oct. 17, 2021

  Brown Springs Campground

  Super Well Made Free Campground In Beautiful Rec Area

  There are 10 back-in campsites, 1 is handicap accessible, and all of them are large enough for most sizes of RVs. 

  The 2.5 mile dirt road to the campground is a little wild since there are a lot of washes that have gone across the road but it was doable for our 2 wheel drive class c RV. 

  Each campsite has a shade structure, fire pit, picnic table, and a grill. 

  There are no trash services and the vault toilet didn't have any toilet paper but it's there to use for tent and van campers. 

  There's a lot of OHV trails in the area and even some pretty sweet mountain bike trails.

• 

  Geoff S.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 22, 2024

  Spider Rock Campground

  Not reaaly good...

  Juste pour vous partager ma mésaventure(Mieux vautêtre averti pouréviter les mêmes erreurs;)) 2 points importants: 1- L'indien Howard Smith(qui ne ressemble plusà la photo de son site depuis de nombreuses années) n'accepte les paiements que sur place en cash- Donc si vousêtes contacter avant, ce sont des pirates! Il est au courant, cela lui arrive régulièrement, mais il considère que c'est pas de sa faute, surtout qu'on est européens, et que les pirates sont tous desétrangers... 2- Hogan- C'est une aventure en soit unique. Mais si je ne pensais pas avoir payer d'avance, j'aurais fait demi-tour. Un lit de camps, une petite planche sur des parpaings avec un matelas qui dépasse... Rien de bon pour passer une bonne nuit en soit! J'ai regretté de ne pas dormir dans ma tente au final. Sachant qu'onétait 6 et qu'on l'avait dit, On peut dormirà l'aise sur ces matelas tachéà 3, pas plus... Les toilettes sont des toilettes de camping car. Le camping en lui même est idéalement situés et les camping car sont donc surement content du séjour.

• 

  Nicole J.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 27, 2022

  Lake Farmington

  Nice camping spot

  It's a decent place to campout. There is no showers but there is a place to use the restroom. Restroom facilities were very clean and stocked with toliet tissues. The surrounding area was fairly clean. There is a picnic table available at every site with shade. Right now due to fire restrictions, there is no fire or charcoal fire allowed, only camp stoves are accepted. There is a fire burning pit for whenever the fire restrictions are lifted. We got a site near the lake which was very nice and peaceful. You are allowed 2 vehicles per site, up to 8 people per site. There is spaces for small/ large tents and RV as well. (No hookups). At night the gates do locked by themselves so you are unable to leave or enter the Lake after 10pm, gates unlock at 6am. There is a beach like area west of the camping area that allows people to rent any water gear(paddle board, kayak, lake floats). You can fish with a permit. You can call ahead to reserve a spot or you can walk in there is FCFS spots available!

• 

  Kelsey M.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 24, 2018

  Gallo Campground — Chaco Culture National Historical Park

  Pretty Nice, No Water

  The Gallo Campground is the only campground in Chaco Canyon National Park so reserving ahead of time or getting there earlier in the day depending on the season are very important. The park is very remote so it's a long drive on a potentially very rough road to get in but once you're there the route is well worth the visit.

  I visited on a Wednesday night in mid October. The campground had filled up by about 2pm Wednesday and but was full by about 11am on Thursday.

  There is currently no potable water at the campground but water is available at the Visitors Center a short drive down the road. There are however flushing toilets and running water in the bathrooms. The campsites each have a picnic table and fire pit. I thought the set up of the tent only area was interesting. There is a parking lot area with sites surrounding it on three sides. The set up allows for privacy between the sites which are nestled in among the rocks and plants.

  I wish I had spent more time in Chaco Canyon exploring the sites, hiking, and going on tours. The daily tours and ranger talks provide more insight into the canyon's history than you can get with the self guided booklets.

• 

  Kelsey M.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 24, 2018

  Gallo Campground — Chaco Culture National Historical Park

  Lovely

  Gallo Campground is the only campground in Chaco Canyon National Park so reserving ahead of time or getting there earlier in the day depending on the season are very important. The park is very remote so it's a long drive on a potentially very rough road to get in but once you're there the route is well worth the visit.

  I visited on a Wednesday night in mid October. The campground had filled up by about 2pm Wednesday and but was full by about 11am on Thursday.

  There is currently no potable water at the campground but water is available at the Visitors Center a short drive down the road. There are however flushing toilets and running water in the bathrooms. The campsites each have a picnic table and fire pit. I thought the set up of the tent only area was interesting. There is a parking lot area with sites surrounding it on three sides. The set up allows for privacy between the sites which are nestled in among the rocks and plants as well as ruins!

  I wish I had spent more time in Chaco Canyon exploring the sites, hiking, and going on tours. The daily tours and ranger talks provide more insight into the canyon's history than you can get with the self guided booklets.

• D

  Dani Y.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 7, 2018

  Wheatfields Lake Campground

  Calm and Charming

  Had a blast staying here. Went fishing took my 12 footer aluminum boat caught a good amount of fish.

• Q

  Quentin S.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 21, 2019

  Wheatfields Lake Campground

  High traffic low privacy

  Indian Route 12 runs north to south and bisects the wheatfields lake and the main campground areas. Overnight camping and fires are discouraged along the lake but people get away with it. There is sporadic night traffic on the roadway throughout the night and it is sometimes loud. The campsites are hit and miss. Some have old dilapidated picnic tables and along with sandstone fire rings or barriers. The roads to the campsite are not graded and over time roads have been created through campsites with no regard.

  There are 3 compost type toilet facilities at various parts of the lake. No running water. There are some trash receptacles but most leave their trash in piles next to the receptacles because the chutes to the receptacles are about 12x12 and wont accommodate a large trash bag. There are numerous stray dogs in the area that take advantage of the trash piles.

  Fishing: I have only seen small rainbow trout. Stockers from the Navajo Hatchery in Toadlena NM. There is no motorized access to the east side of the lake as it was blocked off years back by metal tube barriers.

  Too many rude fishers and kids running around unchecked. Fiddling with your fishing area and fishing gear.

• 

  Ray & Terri F.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 19, 2023

  Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness | Dispersed Camping

  Two large open areas just before you get to the trailhead

  We are full-timers in a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow. We were here for a few days in mid April. The gravel road is rougher than it appears to the eye. We camped in the large area on the West side of the road a short distance from the trailhead. It was very windy the day we arrived, with wind speeds of 28 mph and gusts of 45 mph. 

  AT&T coverage showed 1-2 Bars of LTE service, but I was unable to get a connection without a booster. We had an unobstructed view of the sky and so we were able to receive all 3 SW Dish satellites and Starlink had up to 12 MB/s. We didn’t try to load any OTA channels.

• 

  Julie K.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 12, 2025

  Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness | Dispersed Camping

  Bisti Campground

  Very nice! Clean bathrooms and picnic tables. Flat parking lot.

• 

  Travis B.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 10, 2021

  Buffalo Pass Campground

  Trash Everywhere

  Pulled in about 8 pm, you park on the edge of the road around a sharp corner. Walk through a fence and there is the campground. I saw trash everywhere including the parking area. The place looked like it had a huge party recently. Needless to say I kept driving.

• T

  Tara W.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 26, 2021

  Homestead RV Park

  Good overnight spot

  Full hook ups, pull through spots. Didn’t use the facilities, but they looked modern and clean. Basically a gravel parking lot. My only complaint is no grass, but they do have a fenced in area for dogs to play off leash and actually keep waste bags in stock. Overall a good place to overnight. Thank you!

• T

  Tayler E.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 24, 2020

  Homestead RV Park

  Great stop

  Great laundry with big washers and driers and lots of space to fold clothes. The bathrooms are big and very clean. Owner was so great and so kind. Will stay again when passing through. Only downside is there are no trees or grass but it was perfect for what we needed!

• C

  Captmatt

  Guide

  

  Oct. 3, 2022

  Homestead RV Park

  Like many in the desert, a parking lot

  Nice enough, everything worked. Basically a gravel parking lot. Site is level. Easy to maneuver, laundry looked very nice. As so often the case wi-fi was worthless background radiation…

• 

  J W.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 27, 2022

  Homestead RV Park

  Small Dirt lots not level

  All dirt no trees no grass tight spaces off of hiway barking dogs,  no one picks up dog poop.  They do have a laundry and restrooms that Nobody cleans  just the slight surface clean never sanitized I had to was shower drains and floor  the don't mop it was so disgusting hair I removed from drain prior to showing was there about a week  before camp host picked it up. I has to was the shower floor with the shower head and it was nasty what went down the drain. I was there 8 months for work never got better owner doesn't care he just wants your money .

• 

  Hayley K.

  Legend

  

  Mar. 1, 2020

  Dunes OHV Area

  Easy access but close to town

  For a lot of people, close to town might be a good thing. For us it meant that we could hear the main road all night but we were in a scenic spot. It says there is a toilet but we didn’t find it.

  We are here for camping because we wanted to go to town for a real meal (sorry mountain house!) and didn’t want to drive back to Bisti but there were no campsites found online near Shiprock.

  We pulled into the first site and it was full of garbage. Like a dumpster exploded.

  We drove father down and found a spot in the wash. We know it’s not ideal in most camping scenarios to be in a wash. But there was 0 chance of precipitation.

  Our site ended up great as long as you don’t mind sunset sounds of people heading back towards their camps for the night. The size of the area makes it seem more secluded that it is. The site was large and there are many places to pull off and camp at night out here.

• 

  Roger W.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 14, 2024

  Dunes OHV Area

  Not A Good Feel

  Dunes OHV Area NM south Farmington: We did not have a good feel regarding safety so did not stay. Could be just us. Looks to be a great OHV area. Nobody was there the day we visited. Dispersed.
  (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

  (71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

  Overall Rating: 1 Price 2024: $ Free Security: No Usage during visit: Empty. Site Privacy: No Site Spacing: Dispersed Pad surface: Dirt Reservations: First come first serve Campground Noise: Surely noisy if OHVs are playing Outside Road Noise: no Through Traffic in campground: Could be No amenities Cell Service (AT&T): No bars Setting: open desert OHV Recent Weather: 70s Solar: Yes Insects: None during our visit Sites: Dispersed though a couple broken down covered picnic areas, one w grill.

• 

  Scott J.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 11, 2021

  Sundowner Mobile Home & RV Park

  Class c RV

  A quiet place and beautiful place to stay. Very clean, electric and water included up to $88.00 each.