Jacks Creek Horse Camp serves riders accessing the Pecos Wilderness area with trail access directly from the campground. Located at 8,900 feet elevation, the camp accommodates both tents and smaller RVs, with drinking water available on site. The primitive sites provide toilet facilities and trash collection, though the campground prohibits pets to minimize disturbance to horses. Trails connect directly to extensive wilderness riding routes, making this a strategic basecamp for backcountry equestrian exploration. The nearby Jacks Creek Group Area offers additional options for larger riding parties with water hookups and sanitary dump facilities. The campground experiences moderate traffic during peak riding season between April and November.
Riders find excellent trail connectivity throughout the Carson National Forest surrounding Peñasco, with multiple horse-accessible routes into the wilderness areas. The Santa Barbara Campground offers alternative horse camping with access to river trails and mountain paths, though some visitors report cattle occasionally sharing the camping areas. Horse trailer parking is available at most wilderness access points, with adequate space for turning and unloading. Water sources for horses can be found at established campgrounds, though availability varies seasonally. Many riders utilize the dispersed camping options along Forest Service Road 578 for more private horse camping experiences when traveling with small trailers. Trailheads typically provide hitching posts or suitable trees for temporary tethering while setting up camp or preparing for rides.
"There is a trail head with 2 trails, one atv accessible and one hiking/horse that goes up to Indian Lake. Beautiful views and about 1200' elevation change."
"Tent camped at this location in the middle of September (a week before closing). Very beautiful place to watch the leaves change, trailheads close by and picnic tables at each site."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $30 - $175 / night
"Stay at Santa Barbara Campground in Northern New Mexico. Was a beautiful spot. Road to Campground was well taken care of Beautiful trails throughout area"
"The trails are absolutely wonderful and well worth taking a few hours to walk part of them. Hard core hikers will use the campground as a starting point for a lengthy hikes."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $30 - $80 / night
"About a 15min drive from the highway. Only 5 or 6 sites. Close to the Rio Mario Trail trailhead. Campsite is at elevation over 8,000ft so it can get chilly at night. Worked great for tent camping."
"Campground is a little off the beaten path, about 30m from the High Drive highway. Dirt roads were nothing to worry about, should be fine for any SUV or sedan."
"During rainy seasons, ruts form with deep mud on some spots driving up."
"It's a nice little place tucked away in the woods. The road to get there is a bit rough, hence the title. By no means, Not a road for a large trailer or 5th wheel. Wild life everywhere.."
"The sites on the outside of the loops are decently wooded, smaller and not well suited to RVs. The sites on the inside of the loops have longer, RV sized pull in and little trees."
"Great overnight spot to use as a "home base" with lots of trail access. Multiple units of corrals and plenty of parking and turnaround space for large trailers."
"Beautiful drive out, creeks on both sides. Nestled deep in the Pecos Wilderness. Camping overlooks the mountains. Beatty’s trail head is nearby. Made a fire and had electric to charge my phone"
from $100 / night
"Many open areas to camp right off the highway. The views of the mountains across the valley are best after the fork in the road. Please pick up extra trash if you use"
"I didn’t see anyone else camping or driving by. The forest is a nice mix of sage, juniper, and pine trees. I saw two elk across a swath of sage."
"The location is isolated and you need to bring plenty of water. The advantage is being able to walk into the Gorge, which if you fly fish, is an amazing thing."
"Bring your own water, their "well is broken" as of Oct. 2026, so if you run out you're looking at a 20 mile drive round trip to buy a couple gallons at the local grocery store."
"The campground is situated in a beautiful setting and area right at Ghost Ranch."
"The whole ranch has been turned into a top notch facility with campgrounds and motel rooms, horses for rent, classes, and great hiking. The campground is large with several interconnecting loops."
"Beautiful location in a place I wasn’t expecting it to be sooo green! Very relaxing and remote as there is zero service. It was perfect & exactly what we were looking for."
"There is a walking trail at the back of the campground to get to Surree Ponds."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $22 - $40 / night
TravelerAll the campgrounds in the wild rivers area are very well maintained, the sites have sturdy pavilions, picnic tables and grills. Sites are nicely spaced and some have amazing canyon views. Vault-style toilets that are kept clean and stocked. Bring your own water, their "well is broken" as of Oct. 2026, so if you run out you're looking at a 20 mile drive round trip to buy a couple gallons at the local grocery store.
TravelerThe campground is situated in a beautiful setting and area right at Ghost Ranch. Campground has sites that are gravel and not very level, as others have noted, making it a bit of a challenge (site 16 in particular). Also note that some electric hookups are 20A only, not 30A. Full hookups at front of campground; tent only at rear. Showers were great and heated; laundry and bathrooms clean. Host and staff friendly. Lots of great hiking trails within walking distance of the campground. 2 small museums worth visiting. We paid $50 for electric hookup. Meal plan is now $50.
LegendSome good hikes, corral (horseback rides), museum, pack in pack out, & bring your own water (drought conditions; there is water available but don't rely on their water if for no other reason to support their conservation of it--don't recall any water hookups). Friendly staff. Did not avail ourselves of meal plan. Beautiful night skies. Still in mid to upper 90s in September (hot in afternoon). Beware that winds can gust suddenly & hard, including strong dust devils (a devil came through & tore up some tents & sunshades including mangling aluminum frames of some shades).
ScoutThe view is great. But nothing is level. Lots of trash. OHV's driving everywhere. This is a big OHV area. We were in a campervan. Never could get it level. Not real private. 2 Stars for the view only. We won't be back.
GuideReally enjoyed this campground. Most of the sites are FCFS and the host comes to you for payment.
The pit toilets were very clean, no flies or anything gross. The road is a bit rough but nothing to unusual for a campground up here.
The scenery is absolutely gorgeous with plenty of aspens amounts the pines.
I will definitely visit again.
LegendLet me start by saying I love that this place was once inhabited by the phenomenal artist Georgia O'Keeffe and there are some cool things to do on the ranch.... But....
This was one of the worst campgrounds I've ever stayed in. The sites are uneven, the campground layout makes no sense, the hook-ups are on the wrong side and some of the sites just piled up on each other.
I booked two nights hoping for a nice experience at the Ranch, but was sorely disappointed. I did enjoy walking the labrynith and seeing the library. I didn't have time for a workshop or guided tour.
The camp host was super nice. There were showers. The laundry left my clothes with a weird chemical smell. Would not recommend camping here, but definitely visit the ranch, especially if you are a Georgia O'Keeffe fan.
TravelerThis is what we wanted to find with dispersed camping! Beautiful view! A couple of neighbors but never heard them. Not the easiest piece of ground to get the trailer leveled but we made it work. Very pleased with our 3 nights there.
TravelerIt is now up to $40. $20 bucks for the night and then $20 for the day pass. It is well maintained. The spots are hit or miss. There's some spots close to each other and some dispersed.
ScoutBased on the reviews I thought this place would be a cool oasis up in the trees. Alas, it's not. There's a loop with 14 total sites. Unfortunately, at least half the sites in the inner ring are unusable because of road runoff making it tough to get to them, and we have a Toyota Tacoma. As a result, they do not get used and are, therefore, overgrown with New Mexico ground cover, which is not comparable to soft grass. That immediately bumps it down to about 10 sites. When we arrived, there was one site available that we could access. It was behind the main trailhead parking area and completely shaded. All in all, not bad, just not our ideal choice since it's right there close to any and all foot traffic. Luckily, as we walked the rest of the loop to see if there was anything else, a couple was just finishing packing up so we were able to snag their spot (#13), which we felt was the best one. Score!
Now, let's talk the road to get there. Absolutely do not try to take a camper of any size to this campground unless it's a legit overland type tear or squaredrop, ideally with an articulating hitch. People are not kidding when they say that's not a good idea. We had our Tacoma in 4L and I'm honestly not sure how some 2WD vehicles make it. There are many spots where the incline is pretty good, a number of deep crevices as a result of water runoff, many sections that are absolutely one lane only, and at least 6 spots where there was a small pond of standing water to drive through. Were any of the ponds show stoppers, no, but the water in one dip came up past the bottom of our doors. All in all, the road is no joke. Yes, I get this is a forest road, but the road snakes through multiple pieces of residential property (albeit they are probably summer homes but we saw people at almost every house when we drove past), and there's a hiking trailhead at the campground, so I expected it to be not THAT bad. In my book, it's not officially 'offroading' but it's worse than other forest service roads we've been on. Oh, and the couple residents we passed driving in their vehicles (you can tell by looking at them they are not campers or hikers) made it abundantly clear they weren't happy with us being on their road. All in all, nice campground with great trailheads but there are too many other beautiful places to hike and camp in NM for us to want to go back.
Horse camping and equestrian trails near Peñasco, New Mexico offer direct access to high-elevation wilderness with primitive facilities at elevations up to 8,900 feet. Equestrian campers find access points throughout Carson National Forest and the Pecos Wilderness with seasonal availability from May through October at most locations. Winter closures affect the majority of horse-accessible sites as snowfall makes roads impassable.
Trail riding into Pecos Wilderness: Trailheads at Iron Gate Campground connect to extensive backcountry routes. "We camp here as often as possible! Often we use it as a base camp to start over night backpacking trips in the Pecos. It's tucked away, so there are usually few other campers," notes Dean K. about Iron Gate Campground.
Fishing while camping: Trout fishing opportunities exist at multiple locations. "There is a trail head with 2 trails, one atv accessible and one hiking/horse that goes up to Indian Lake. Beautiful views and about 1200' elevation change," reports Tammy V. about Agua Piedra Campground.
Mountain hiking: Equestrian trails connect to hiking routes for mixed-use recreation. "The hiking was AMAZING. Views AMAZING.... This campground has a huge backpacker parking lot and when we arrived on Friday it was overflowing out onto the main road," states Robin T. about Santa Barbara Campground.
Isolation and quiet: Many horse campers appreciate the remote nature of camping areas. "The campground has a PERFECT location, right on the border of the Pecos wilderness with fabulous hiking. There is also fantastic fishing there, which many guests took advantage of all weekend," says Robin T. about Santa Barbara Campground.
Stream access: Creek proximity provides water sources and natural features. "Great campground right off the road with lots of hikes nearby. Zero cell service. Water was not available. Very peaceful and quiet with lots of great views," notes Julie F. from Agua Piedra Campground.
Trail connectivity: Direct access to wilderness areas without trailering. "We explored Cave Creek Trail in one direction as well as rode up to Round Mountain in the other direction. Round Mountain offers superb views and a nice trail through the aspens," shares Gretchen N. about Jacks Creek Horse Camp.
Road conditions: Many access roads require high-clearance vehicles. "Site isn't easy to get to for low clearance vehicles. During rainy seasons, ruts form with deep mud on some spots driving up," cautions Cory M. about Iron Gate Campground.
Livestock encounters: Cattle may share camping areas in certain locations. "Everyone, this is a beautiful site with lots of trees. The camp ground is nestled up in the mountains several miles from town. The stream is nice and comforting and the camp host was very informative and helpful. HOWEVER, there are herds of cows that roam the campground," warns Phillip A. about Santa Barbara Campground.
Dispersed options: Forest service roads offer alternative horse camping. "Many open areas to camp right off the highway. The views of the mountains across the valley are best after the fork in the road. Please pick up extra trash if you use," suggests Ian O. about Carson NF - Forest Service Road 578.
Water availability: Bring additional water even at campgrounds with service. "Potable water available at camp host's location. It has sulfer but the smell cleared after half a day sitting in the sun. We brought our own to drink though," advises Tammy V. from Agua Piedra Campground.
River access points: Streams provide recreation but require caution. "Santa Barbara river runs right by and can really flow fast in the spring (watch your kids!). Water at spigots spaced throughout campground is cold and fresh-tasting," notes Barbara H. about Rio Costilla Park.
Site selection considerations: Choose camping spots strategically. "Some campsites were more separated and others were close together if you were with a group. River runs along the camp for fishing, and they were catching fish," reports Tammy V. about Agua Piedra Campground.
RV size limits: Most equestrian sites accommodate only smaller rigs. "The sites on the outside of the loops are decently wooded, smaller and not well suited to RVs. The sites on the inside of the loops have longer, RV sized pull in and little trees," explains Allison C. about Jacks Creek Group Area.
Limited hookups: Horse camps prioritize equestrian facilities over RV amenities. "This is a great National Forest Campground south of Taos in the Carson Forest. The campground is just off the highway and situated in a beautiful mountain pine forest and next to a great trout stream," says Steve & Ashley G. about Agua Piedra Campground.
Camp host assistance: Seek help from onsite staff for RV positioning. "Vault toilets are well maintained by the very active camp host, Mark. There is potable water from a well two miles down the mountain and trash, but packing out much that can't be burned is encouraged," mentions Allison C. about Jacks Creek Horse Camp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Peñasco, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Peñasco, NM is Agua Piedra Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 11 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 14 equestrian camping locations near Peñasco, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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