Best Glamping near Pecos, NM

Beautiful location. Next to Pecos river. Cultural heritage and scenic area. Beautiful rocks/cliffs along river.

Hidden gem. Few campsites with electric. Water available. Dumpsite available. Tucked away in the mountains. On pecos river. Great area to hike.

Beautiful, quiet location near the Pecos river. We did not have any Verizon/AT&T data connection without our weboost. But with the cell booster on we both had 2-4MBPS.

A couple of good hiking trails, campsites right on the Pecos. I can imagine it gets a little busy, but it's an underrated park with nice, big sites, good fishing and hiking.

The drive to this park takes us back in time through the tiny town of Villanueva. Once through the gates I was amazed at the fast flowing Pecos River right next to the tree shaded sites. A gem. Good hiking trails too!

If Jacks Creek campsite is all booked, this is the next one you should try. Iron gate is ok too but it’s a lot longer drive than you think and might need all wheel drive since the road to Iron gate gets bit tricky road every now and then. Holy! This campsite offered me a lot more than I expected! Nice trail heads nearby (not only one) and each campsite was spaced out well enough so you still get a privacy. Of course the site by the creek gets filled first. Be aware of skunks! Do not leave food unattended and keep your dogs under control ;) Overall, a decent campsite but only 3 in nation but I would give 4 in New Mexico!

Villanueva SP is a few miles south of I25. Right on the Pecos River, the campground is nestled between two cliffs and has well spaced sites. Opt for a campsite with a shelter and you get adobe-like cover for the table or a tent !

So, the campground hosts and the ranger Lawrence were very friendly. Bathrooms were cleaned often, and the showers were hot. Very secluded sites along the Pecos River, and a cute store for firewood etc nearby. There are hiking trails, and the one along the ridge was fun to hike.

It's a bit challenging to get to this campground coming from the southeast because GPS instructed to turn down a dirt road. Just continue on through town of Villanueva and at the fork in the road turn right to the park. The drive in has a steep hill and the lanes felt narrow, but doable in my rig (25' class C). There were larger rigs than mine in the park when I was there. Also, if you need cell service, Verizon was nil at the campsite. I had to walk up to the bath house to get a signal.

The park is nestled between 2 sandstone canyon walls and along side the Pecos River. It's a gem! The site I had was right on the river. The kiddos from a few sites down were wading into the river from this site. Could put in a kayak from here too.

The park has pull thru and back in sites, some with electricity and water, others just water. Also a tent area, playground, pit toilets and a bath house. The awesome park attendant, Gilbert, said that they will be upgrading all sites to electric soon. Fairly level sites. There's a dump on site, but it was closed during my stay.

Big old cottonwood trees provide shade and lots of birds visit the area. Hummingbirds galore!

Make sure to do the vista trail hike. It's moderate to challenging and the views are a treat! Also the river trail is an easy walk along the Pecos. 

Last but not least, check out the little village of Villanueva at the top of the "hill". Charming! The general store in town sells a delicious spice blend that is made with New Mexican hatch peppers. Try their nacho pie and enjoy!

We drove out to the Pecos Wildness and decided to backpack a trail called Cave Creek, this is a mild trail about 2.8 miles in and 2.8 out. As per usual we get an idea and have to try it 🤦🏽‍♀️ 😂, we do not have any backpacking gear so we improvised and used some of our camping gear. This was a crazy decision, let me tell you camping gear even in a small amount is HEAVY. It’s safe to say that this easier trail kicked our butts. No only did we carry heavy gear in the rain but we also took the longer route 🤦🏽‍♀️ by accident. Once we got the river crossing we decided to set up our camp and chill, this was much needed! 😂 our night was interesting had a lightning storm come in and had to readjust a few times 😂.

The park itself is tucked away into a canyon between two towering cliffs. There are shady campsites along the Pecos river, which was a little high when we visited in June, but otherwise might be nice to float down on a tube. In fact, some adventurous neighbors were floating--but I was one mom and had 6 kids with me (between my own and some friends). There are also some campsites higher up with a commanding view, but less shade.

There is fishing in the river, hiking up to the mesas with commanding views, geocaching, a playground, showers, relaxation, and it is only a short drive to Las Vegas, NM. The adobe picnic shelters were wonderful. No phone signals in the park, but hiking up to the mesa will catch you a decent number of bars (as joyfully discovered by my teen). The campsites are really spacious, and water is easily accessible. The group shelter and camping area was gorgeous. There is a small visitor center with really friendly and helpful park staff.

While this campsite is not particularly visited by bears, etc., please be advised to keep your food OUT OF your tent. The squirrels and chipmunks are particularly good at finding food and did cut a hole through our neighbors tent to get to it! Likewise, unattended food at the campsite will be carried away by our four legged critters with super fluffy tails.

We decided to rent a van and take a 10 day trip and just keep hitting dead ends but that makes half the adventure doesnt it?? A cold front came thru and we wanted a campsite last minute with electric to run our space heater in the van, but this location was closed even though it came up on the list available. Just wanted to give y'all a heads up before you drive circles like we did! Cheers!