Best Campgrounds near Quemado, NM

On my 16 syate 6 month trip .for my Outdoors Unsupervised channel. (This video comes out July 17th, 2025. Amazed how beautiful the big Pondersa Pines are. There are picnic tables, tree trunks cut in half for tables, fire rings & some sites had gazebos. Sites are spaced out. Nights & mornings perfect for a fire. I hiked a trail nearby as well. 11 miles into the town of Reserve there is a butcher, geocery store, cafes and automated ice/water machine

Stayed 2 nights. No reservations, so had to take chances. Several spots open on a Friday. Most spots roomy and decent spacing. Clean toilets and water and only $5 per night; $2.50 with a Senior NPS Pass. 3 spots have electric hookups but all taken. Quiet (other than one morning before sunrise). There is a host site. PieTown down the road with excellent pies--If you go, eat at Pie-O-Neer (best option---great reviews and did not disappoint). Sign said they're open year round. Good proximity to VLA (Very Large Array).

One very good ADA accessible site with concrete walk straight to bathroom from ADA site.

Trailhead at one end of campground, with some good routes/options, Easy to moderate. We did pick ripe pinyon pine nuts that had fallen on ground (Oct. is pickin' season). They were very good eatin'.

One camper started generator up well before sunrise…  :(

ALSO: Shout out to New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors (NMVFO) who did trail maintenance there a while back (per sign near trail) :)  yay!

Right along the highway on a big climb from both sides. Maybe when the b/w photo was taken it was cool with 10% of the traffic now? The road is crazy busy these days. I would not recommend this location.

Always great fishing here. There is NO camping here. I repeat, NO CAMPING. But plenty of dispersed to be found up the road further all the way to Terry Flat. There are trails up the road and some OHV and a Jeep trail. There is housing when coming off the highway. Be respectful and don’t drive 45 down the road. Take your time and take it in.

Quiet place not far off a Forest Service Rd.

El Casi CG in Rec Area: Past the lake with large campsites. This is the only campground open in the rec area during our April visit.
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 4 for large sites. However, our site was trashy . Toilets are only moderately clean. Warnings are posted that no OHV allowed . A large group has camped at one end of the campground using Senegal sites. . Looks like it works out well. Price 2023: Free Security: None Usage during visit: 1/4 full Site Privacy: No Site Spacing: Large sites, well spaced. Pad surface: dirt SITE CLEANLINESS: most sites I noticed were trashy. We needed to pick up trash at our site upon arrival. Reservations: First come first serve Campground Noise: Quiet Outside Road Noise: Gravel access road along side of the campground. Some sites near this access road may get a little dusty, I suppose, during dryer times of the year Through Traffic in campground: no Electric Hookup: no Sewer Hookup: no Dump Station: At Pynon campground, which is not open until May. Charge for dog thing is going up for five dollars to $15 in. Potable Water Available: not at the campground. Generators: yes Bathroom: pit toilets. Not as clean as they should be. Supplied. Showers: no Pull Throughs: yes Cell Service (AT&T): no Setting: under scattered trees. Recent Weather: very cool nights Solar: yes Insects: no Host: no Rig Size: any size Sites: sites are not numbered

We pulled in after hours and a ranger kindly helped us find our spot. She recommended a cool hiking trail to check out the next morning. Bathrooms and showers are super clean and well maintained. There is only one designated bathhouse building so if you park far, you’ll be walking a ways. Did I mention the views are gorgeous? The views alone are worth staying here.

Well maintained little BLM campsite right on US-60. Remarkable night skies when clear. $5 a night gets you access to brand new, clean solar toilets, (they light up at night even with no power!) water during the warmer seasons (already off as of 11/25) and mostly decent phone signal if you care about that. 

The Eagle Guest Ranch nearby has a gas sation, basic necessities, alcohol, and a cafe that serves all your standard diner fare. Beautifully polite people staffing the place. A highlight in the mostly barren stretch between Magdalena and Springerville. 

The campground is attached to a fantastic 3.25 mile loop trail that takes you to three fantastic vistas and isn't hard at all. 

Worth as a stop for a day, or a destination for a weekend trip. The Very Large Array is a stone's toss away; as well as further hiking opportunities in the Gila National Forest by way of NM-12, and the Cibola National Forest by way of the aforementioned US-60.

The park was practically empty. The views are always amazing, and the weather was perfect. The wind picked up in the evenings to about 10 mph, but then was calm around 9pm. In the morning the lake was very calm, and taking the kayak out was so peaceful. I spoke with the ranger and ahead said next summer a vendor will have boat and jet ski rentals. Good and bad, but maybe that will help keep camping rates low. Highly recommend a trip here when you have a long weekend.

The sites were very nice and clean with some sites in the woods and others in the clearing. The sites in the clearing have concrete telescope pads. The pit toilets were like brand new with solar lighting. Big rigs would have trouble fitting into this campground.

Datil, Mew Mexico is a few minutes away and has a combined gas station, restaurant, and grocery store for your needs.

And, a few miles west on US 60 is Pie Town, New Mexico with two bakery's that sale fresh baked pies. But they sale out quickly.