Best Tent Camping near Organ, NM

Car camped in a tent site for just a night after visiting WSNP. Non-flush toilets without sinks near tent sites and the full bathhouse is a bit of a walk away. Worth it, though, with spacious shower stalls and well-kept buildings. Sweet views of the valley and mountains and far off the highway.

Dont have high expections for this place. It was tough to camp in a tent. Staff underestimated the walk-in, which was hard - mostly because of uphill, but also because of unstable and uneven rocks. No showers, of course, because you are in desert’s territory. This place isn’t good for tent camping because it is camping on rock, and you cant stake your tent into rock. Heads up! We used rocks inside our tent, at the corners, to hold it down against the winds. This is a better place for RVs and the like.

Visited this park in both November & February multiple times. It’s a great place for primitive camping though official tent sites are available. No showers that I am aware of but vaulted toilets are located near tent pads. There are many trails to explore which extend all the way into New Mexico. However, at that point, you will be past park boundaries. One of my favorite areas in the Southwest.

It really is beautiful here. Southeast New Mexico has mountains believe it or not. The camp is nestled up against one. It’s Memorial Day weekend and not too crowded. Highly recommend for the price (basically free). If you are tent camping and low maintenance this place rocks. If you have a huge rig I’m not even sure I would want to make the drive up the road to the camp site. Spots are small, so you would need to find the best spot if you have an RV or Trailer.

Pros - gorgeous 360 views, quiet spot, clean pit toilets, water available throughout grounds

Cons - zero shade so it is HOT especially if you're tent camping, nothing to "do" at the campground but plenty activities in a reasonable drive

I've been on a nationwide roadtrip for a few months that now and I have tent camped alone in many sites from Florida to Arkansas to, now, New Mexico. I chose Aguirra because of its close proximity to White Sands National Park. It is a First Come First Serve site and you must pay in cash. I was lucky to find a site in the afternoon. There are many sites. Over 40. I lucked out with 43 because it is huge! It's a jilly Rocky site with no one around me and several stone fire pits, a BBQ grill, and animal proof garbage can. There are Porta John's in close proximity. I have not found any water yet. Not sure. No RV hookups. But what do you expect for 7 bucks a night. I was here over Easter weekend so it got noisy with Fiesta music and someone throwing up across from my site at midnight! Whole families come here, jam their music etc. It's Easter so whatever. There is a covered picnic table and lots of tree cover to deal with the intense NM sun. I love how this place is at the end of an ascending, remote, windy road though. It's large enough that no rangers come and bug you for trivialities.

We tent-camped at Oliver Lee State Park on 8/14/2021. Overall good experience. We took a 2 mile hike down and around the riparian trail where there was water in the canyon that disappeared in the creek bed beyond the canyon. We didn’t attempt the steep trail to the ridge. Although we visited in August, it wasn’t too hot because of recent rains.

I tent camped at Gap Tank again in January 2025. Awesome time again. It was actually cold then. The sky was dark at night and we couldn’t see any electric lights. Kind of cool so close yet so far from El Paso. No border problems. No javelinas this time, just a jackrabbit. Gap Tank was dry but nearby Mesquite Tank had water and even a little ice on the edges.

I know about this campground because I'm an American Alpine Club member, but non-members can also access the lodging and campsites. It's a 3 mile drive to the park, but a nice option, given that the park only has about 20 campsites. Tent sites are $5 for AAC members, $10 for non-members. Facilities are communal including bathroom, shower, and fire pit

Good, clean state park campground central to Alamogordo and White Sands.

Pros:

• Location/easy to get to
• A good mix of pull through and tent sites with plenty of room to drive in.
• Views on both sides are spectacular
• Reasonably spaced, not super private but that is pretty much any paid campground
• Clean bathrooms and pit toilets (showers still closed)
• Sites are relatively spacious and very well kept with tables and fire rings; some have partial shelter

Cons:

• Seems to get a little crowded, which is to be expected due to its proximity to White Sands

May is the time to go when no one else is there for tent camping! Pretty views and trails to explore. Even a cave up the hill a little ways to explore. I don’t have a problem with primitive camping when places like this offers gorgeous views and a peaceful place to sleep. 

I was on my way to Austin TX from California to visit my daughter and this was a destination I had on the map along my car camping route. Apparently I was late (said they close at 5 but apparently they close sooner) to get into the gate for first come but a gentle sole of an angle ranger Caesar let me in as I promised to pay in the morning when the gift shop was open to take payment at 8 am. Long story short, he made my day and I would love to go back and visit again given the opportunity. Loved this setup of a hidden gem from city lights and noise.

Reservation camp ground about 15-20 min from Alamogordo. Great views, although a little windy at night since you're right up against the mountains. Bathrooms were clean and the pull in spots are nicely spaced out, so it's nice and chill. They also have quiet hours from 10p-7a daily. Office was closed when I was there (Monday) so I can't speak to the staff, but the campground looked pretty well maintained.

There are two trails if you want to hike. One is flat and goes through the canyon for about a mile and a half. The other is basically straight up for 5 miles - I didn't try that one :) - but I imagine the views are great if you can swing it.

The only complaint about this campground (which can't be fixed) is the flies. So. Many. Flies. They're everywhere and they are impossible to deter no matter how many times you swat them. It's insane. Maybe it was the time of year (late June) but it made tent camping pretty tough at times. If you're in an RV/camper I imagine it wouldn't be quite as bad for you.

We tent camped at Aguirre Spring campground over Father’s Day weekend in June 2022. I don’t know. Maybe it was too hot or I was too tired, or a combination of both with a causal connection. I love the outdoors but I can’t really think of anything good or bad to write about this campground.

It seemed like a nice place and the vault toilet bathroom was clean and extremely stocked with TP. There is a great trail called pine tree loop from which you can actually see real pine trees on the mountainside above the barren desert basin. We fell victim to the one-way road that other campers bemoaned too. The camp host’s phone is 575-644-9143 (as announced on the BLM’s voicemail greeting) and he was helpful when I called ahead and told me the campground was open (as of 6/22/2022, the Dyrt has an alert that the campground is closed for the season), that there was plenty of space, and that there was a fire ban.

We pitched our tent without the rain fly. Right when we layed down for the night, it started raining, so we scrambled to overlay the rain fly and then the rain stops. In the middle of a desert drought, if such a thing is a thing. The tent pad barely accommodated our 6-person tent and it seemed like all the sites suffered the same fate. We scouted the whole campground, mainly searching for shade and settled on a decent site with a giant boulder on the western side for some evening shade. The campground was maybe 1/3 full. Overall it was good to get outdoors for father’s day despite the fatigue.

After about 308 miles on the road today we were tired. The desolate stretches of highway between Tucson and Las Cruces had paid their toll and we were very happy to at last see the Las Cruces KOA Campground sign.  

We had called in advance and were insured that tent camping was not yet full and we could come and make ourselves at home. Unknowing if we would make it before the office closed between 6:00 and 6:30 we were delighted to see the friendly face of Anne when we arrived. 

She assisted us with not only a great campsite but also providing a map with items potentially of interest and some knowledge about our next days activity. 

Our campsite was near the bathrooms and on a grassy area with plenty of shade. We were provided with a grill station and picnic table as well as water at the site and parking just in front along the slight fence line. 

The campground facilities provided a half basketball court and play area as well as a gazebo for looking at the views during sunset. Those views were amazing overlooking the city and into the mountains as the night fell from the distance.

We found an outdoor grill area upon arrival which offered a little more relief from winds than our campsite itself so were able to use our camp stove there and also have a nice area to sit and eat peacefully.

There was a pool and it looked very inviting, however it was not open until mid month, a sad negative to us upon arrival. 

I did take notice for those rv camping they also provided full hook ups and cable. To all campers wifi was available as well.

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Overall this campground gets 5 of 5 Bunnies. The security of code locked facilities as well as comfortable facilities made for a pleasant experience in Las Cruces as a pass through city on our venture.

You can't beat New Mexico State Parks. Water and electric hook-ups for $18. Great views and a concrete picnic shelter to boot.

Like many New Mexico State Parks, Leasburg Dam offers beautiful views and nice facilities. We have the facilities here to be among the best. We love the adobe shelters!

On way from Texas to Vegas this was a nice stop along the way. We took extra day to visit white sands and experience some New Mexico Mexican food at Andele Restaurant.

Weather was perfect in October.

Very nice day.

We stopped at this KOA for one night while passing through New Mexico.   We had a great view of the valley below and our site had everything we needed--full hookups. We were pretty close to others but that's not unusual for a KOA. Nothing wrong with this place but not a luxurious campground.

Very beautiful hidden away RV and Raised Primitive State Park full of marked and unmarked foliage and a nice museum reflecting on the surrounding area of New Mexico. Everything above standards with wonderful staff. Was there with a friend and had an outstanding experience.

If you do one thing in New Mexico--and it would be a shame if you only did one thing, but I digress--full moon camping at White Sands National Monument might be it. As the sun sets on the Sacramento Mountains, the valley is lit orange and red as the dunes fade from white through amazing hues of tan. The full moon then lights the sand bright white and the Organ Mountains to the west loom as black teeth in the west. Sunrise repeats the process.

Camping at White Sands takes a small amount of planning, but is well worth it. You must claim a spot the of your arrival and pay a small fee. This is done at the visitor's center which has a great museum. My advise is to get there early to get a spot then head up to Cloudcroft to the east for a cooler hike in the pines then return an hour or two before sunset.

Once at the trailhead, the camp sites are 1/4 to 1/2 mile of hiking away. This is sand hiking, so plan on a slower pace. The trail is a lollipop marked by posts every couple hundred yards with camp sites in the valleys between camp sites. No campfires are allowed, and you must camp by the post with your campsite number. You must bring all of your water (plan on at least one gallon per person per day) and pack out all of your waste. The trailhead has dumpsters and pit toilets.

Bring a camera and tripod for amazing moon shots and a decent bag because it can get cold at night.