Raton is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Raton campgrounds just for you. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Raton, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
This recreation area is part of Trinidad Lake
Wildlife watchers and seasonal recreationists are invited to use the primitive camping area (located adjacent to Lake 13) year-round for up to 5 days. The camping area continues to be available during the annual fishing season from March 1 to October 31. Vault toilets can be found at the entrance road to the lake. Be sure to come fully prepared as no facilities are provided. Parking or staging unattended vehicles is prohibited.
The nature enthusiast will appreciate the abundance of wildlife, birds, butterflies, and wildflowers among the lakes, creeks, forests, and meadows. Nearly all outdoor recreation activities are possible: Fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, and camping.
$10 - $30 / night
$30 / night
Blue Lake Campground is located in the beautiful San Isabel National Forest at an elevation of 10,500 ft. Views of the nearby Culebra Range Mountains with aspen and spruce forests offer campers a genuine Colorado experience.
A well-marked trail system between Bear Lake and Blue Lake is open to foot and horse traffic. Across the road from the campground FSR 436, a rough jeep road, provides access to Trinchera Peak where Big Horn Sheep are often seen.
A tributary of the Cuchara River runs through the campground. Blue Lake is 1/2 mile from the campground, and Bear Lake is one mile away. Both of these small lakes are stocked several times during the summer providing for good fishing.
The nearby mountain town of Cuchara offers shopping and visitor information. The town of La Veta offers a grocery store, gas stations, and shops. The Spanish Peaks Wilderness, 14 miles from the campground, is a popular hiking destination.
Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.
$24 / night
Wildlife watchers and seasonal recreationists are invited to use the primitive camping area (located adjacent to Lake 13) year-round for up to 5 days. The camping area continues to be available during the annual fishing season from March 1 to October 31. Vault toilets can be found at the entrance road to the lake. Be sure to come fully prepared as no facilities are provided. Parking or staging unattended vehicles is prohibited.
The nature enthusiast will appreciate the abundance of wildlife, birds, butterflies, and wildflowers among the lakes, creeks, forests, and meadows. Nearly all outdoor recreation activities are possible: Fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, and camping.
$10 - $30 / night
Traveler
We stayed overnight after hiking the Tolby Creek Loop nearby the campground. Pleasant shady place with occasional highway noise. No cell service.
Scout
Beautiful river and lots of wildlife. Drive past the wildlife area sign that says no camping. That sign is only for the entranced area. On down the road you will see the entrance and pay station for the campgrounds. Gorgeous! Nice trail to hike as well.
Scout
By far the best RV park in town. Clean drinkable water. Clean shower and bathroom available to these who choose to not use their own. Lots of shade. Wildlife walk through the park often. Police patrol the area often. Owner lives on site and is very helpful when needed.
Traveler
We stayed at camp site #27, which was the biggest and spacesious site, 10/10 the weather was wonderful and if you camp during the week you can pick any spot you want! Caught plenty of trout and overall had a great time. Site #30 was probably the other best one as it was in the back and last camp site and right next to the water. Only downside to that one is father back to walk with camp gear.
Traveler
Easy road in from I25. Basically a big level parking lot with sites on the outer loop that easily accommodate big rigs. One side has a view of the mountains. The other side has a view of the forest and creek. No power. No water hookups but there is a central spigot that can be used to refill. No black dump anywhere in the park. Good Verizon and T-Mobile signal. Cool weather even in July. Despite the negatives I loved the area. NOTE - most park trails are closed until the end of July due to calving season.
TravelerEasy easy in and easy out. Great spot to ride motorcycles out do not select sites near toilet.
Guide
We stayed here 1 night on our trip back to Texas from Colorado.
Plenty of room for several rvs/vans and tent campers. Picnic tables and trash bins available. No shade, no potable water, no electric, no sewer. True boondocking site. There are pit toilets at the entrance to the camping zone. Roads are gravel and well maintained.
Great site for a touch-n-go overnight stay while traveling.
Ranger
Stayed: May 22, 2024 Cost: $18 Site: Lake Alice Loop - 01 Cell Service: None (AT&T and T-Mobile) Equipment: Tent
We stayed in the Lake Alice loop in Site 1. We tented, but it looks like they have it split between tents and RVs, and this was technically an RV site. It had water and electric, so that’s why we chose this site. Sites were nice and clean, with a fire ring and table. Close to neighbors.
Vault toilet in the loop and running water and showers located 1/2 mile from the Lake Alice loop. Showers were very nice for a campground. They were actual showers, not just concrete or dirty tile, and had plenty of room and hooks for clothing. Two showers per side for Men’s and Women’s.
No cell service for either of our carriers, and I don’t think for any, until about a mile beyond the shower house, prior to the entrance of the park.
Guide
Traveling from Denver to Southern New Mexico, this is a nice stopping point. Very easy to get to off I-25.
Pit toilets are very clean. Unfortunately the camper next to me had his generator running the whole time until 10 pm. Even when they left their camper for the day. Very annoying. Other than that it was a quiet campground. The campground is less than half full (Tuesday night).
Note: The park office closed at 4. The sites are reservation only and there is no cell service. The sign at the gate states that you need to drive down the road to get cell service and make a reservation. Also the gate closes at dusk, so make sure you get there before then on your first night. After that you can get the combination to get in after dusk.
The campground staff were very friendly and helpful.
TravelerCamping prohibited
TravelerGreat location about half way between Albuquerque and Colorado Springs. I snuck in late one night and napped 2 hours near the pit toilets and left before daylight, so as not to disturb the campers with my brief stay. Pit toilets a plus of course. Can be frosty.
Legend
We booked a view site at this campground after reading about the incredible views but unfortunately, when we arrived, it was completely socked in, and we could not see a thing! Views the next morning were much better but although we had a view of the mountains, we also had a view of Highway 25 (and could hear highway noise). It was considered spring slow and there were only two other campers there besides us (and I believe one of them was the workamper), so it was quiet. In high season, however, there is no separation/privacy between sites. All sites are gravel, and each site has a picnic table.
The office was closed (as was the café) but we received a text message the morning of our arrival confirming our stay (it was pre-paid) and giving us directions to the campground, the bathhouse code, and the WiFi code. The bath/shower house was very clean and there was laundry available for a very reasonable price of $1 for the washer and $ 1 for the dryer. The showers looked very clean as well but did not use them as it was below freezing during our stay (late April).
Sorry to be the one to harsh the mellow of all the five-star reviews but for us, even though our stay was quiet and uneventful (and the amenities were clean), the proximity to the highway and closeness of the sites are generally not our preferred type of camping.
GuideThis place sits upon a mountain and overlooks such a beautiful view! The staff are wonderful and make you feel welcome. The only thing that would’ve made the stay better, is if the spots were further apart. It was very busy so everyone was parked right up against one another. It’s a small place so it makes sense why it had to be that way, but still a great spot to spend a night or two!
Guide
Clean bathrooms, coin operated showers, spots a little closer than I'd like but not close to full when we visited. Good easy hike/strolls in the area with views of the lake.
Traveler
Clean campground. Tight spaces. Should have privacy fence from the place next door. Also have cabins to rent. Nice play area for children and a kitchen and a campfire area in the middle of campground. Some of the sites were close and a tight squeeze to back into. Deer walking thru the campground at dusk was a neat site.
LegendCamped in a small RV in site 13 which had a fairly level gravel pad. There was a tent site, but it looked to have been washed away. This site had great views of the mountain and lake. Enjoyed the short hike on Levsa - a one mile loop with up high views of Lake Trinidad. The Carpios trail was steep and rocky. Didn't have time for the 3 other trails. Showers and Laundry nice. Saw some deer and a wild hare. Somewhat nearby is Capulin Volcano National Monument. Highly recommended.
Guide
We called the day we were going through and the owner had a nice shady spot for us. Very friendly and hospitable. Would stay there again for sure.
Guide
Multiple camping sites, RV, friendly, no hook ups, but easy to access. Fresh water from the reservoir. Excessive trails for hiking the mountain sheep love to hang around this reservoir.
GuideSmall campground near CO border. Perks would be lake at top of mountain, 5-7 min drive from CG and showers, at entrance to park. Downfall is you need to drive to everything unless you want to walk along trails on the other side of road. Trails in park were nice - t-mobile service did not work at all, zero bars. Bear boxes provided, deer walked through campground often. I did see bear tracks while hiking but host said they’ve never been a human issue.
GuideNice state park tucked into a valley. We were in the last part of Soda Pocket loop. Great views of area but it does catch the wind! Vault toilets were super clean and not smelly. Very dark at night so great for star viewing.
ScoutJust northwest of the town of Springer, the lake is also stocked regularly with rainbows, and bullheads are also taken.
Play elastic man game while enjoy its beauty.
Ranger
Capulin RV Park is a pretty nice private RV park across the highway from the Capulin Volcano National Monument entrance road. We stayed one night. Some of the sites are shady. The park streets and sites are crushed limestone. The park was clean and quiet. The sites are very close together; fortunately, it was not full and we had room. Restrooms and showers were clean (did not use shower). Amenities include: common fire ring with seating and view of volcano, swing with view of volcano.
Stayed in pull-thru campsite #25 which had evening shade and level. It was a crushed limestone site. There was barely enough parking for my 34 ft TT. Neighbors are VERY close. Utilities: 20/30/50A electric in middle of site. Water in middle of site, good pressure. Sewer in middle of site with 4-in screw-on fitting.
AT&T had two bars of LTE service. AT&T Speedtest: 36.6 Mbps down, 7.5 Mbps up. Free WiFi is available, but did not use it.
The town of Capulin, NM is very small. The closest restaurant is The Sierra Grande Restaurant in Des Moines, NM, which is open year round for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other restaurants and fast food are available in Raton and Clayton.
Would stay here again.
GuideCampground is very scenic and the river is directly behind us so you can hear that babbling brook sound - I love that! Our site is a bit small for our camper (25 ft) but we made it work. No hookups and no water but we have solar. It’s been 80s in the day and 50s at night which is amazing. I have one bar with T-mobile cell phone so I can text and get a little internet - enough to stay connected with the world. Great campsite!!
GuideFirst off - we tent camped in this RV heavy campground. sites were a little too close for comfort. Coin-operated showers were nice but got dirty and gross quickly. Not far from town, and lake has lots of fun opportunities.
GuideThis State Park is beautiful, with hiking/fishing/historic walks galore. We arrived late on Friday, June 23 after a 10 hour drive from Arkansas. We were in Site #23 in the Soda Pocket Campground. Every site had a covered picnic table and was relatively level.
Sites 20-23 have spectacular views of the canyon, but you trade that for some serious wind and neighbors as there is no natural shade. Sites 1, 3, 14 and 16 have shade and a little more distance. Bathrooms were in great shape, and there is a free shower near the park entrance which had good water pressure and was very clean.
The visitor center is small but with a lot of good exhibits, and adjacent to the hiking trails of the abandoned coal camp and mine. The coal camp trails have lots of informative stands explaining what everything was, how the people lived, etc. The two lakes (Lake Alice is more like a pond) have nice walking paths. There is another lake just across the Colorado border and you can drive to the parking area just a mile or so away.
There are numerous nature hikes, and I did the short (.5) miles Vista Grande Nature Trail which has a beautiful bench for a sunrise view. Uphill some but not too strenuous and with lots of information.
A really beautiful hike is the Little Horse Mesa Trail which takes you to the top of the mesa you can see to the north of Soda Pocket Campground. It meanders a bit but at some point the trail builder said "I've given you all the switchbacks I can, you'll just have to go straight up" and the last 50 yards are pretty much straight uphill. When you get to the top though it's like another world. It's a pasture like setting with trees, and beautiful views from a trail that follows the cliffs. You'll have to make your own way over to the Lake Maloya overlook but it's well worth it. Highly recommend this.
The camp hosts and visitor center people were great, and the ranger came by one night and showed a group of kids a mountain lion pelt and a bear pelt. There was a report of bears on the road up to Soda Pocket Campground but we did not see any. The road was a typical dirt road, and not in bad shape at all.
I'm not a fisherman, but could easily spend two full days here hiking alone, much less fishing or kayaking Lake Maloya.
Guide
We came on a holiday weekend so the main camp area was full. We carried our stuff down the trail a bit and made a temporary site. It was the best ever because we woke up with views and everyone else woke up to busy hikers getting ready at the crack of dawn. Ha! It would still be beautiful over there, don't get me wrong, just trying to keep myself jazzed about making a bunch of trips back to the car.
ScoutThey don't honor booked and PAID sites here. They just bumped me into the maintenance lot behind the convenience store with a nice view of a filthy dumpster. Cuz dude with no res "beat me too it?" WTF.
Way overpriced with no views, packed in right between the motel buildings.
They don't care if you can't even open your slides, charging $65/night
Camping near Raton, New Mexico, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and unique experiences. Whether you're in an RV or pitching a tent, there are plenty of options to enjoy the great outdoors.
Camping near Raton, New Mexico, offers a variety of experiences, from scenic views to family-friendly activities. Whether you're in an RV or tent, there's something for everyone to enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Raton, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, Raton, NM offers a wide range of camping options, with 40 campgrounds and RV parks near Raton, NM and 2 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Raton, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Raton, NM is Lake Alice Campground — Sugarite Canyon State Park with a 4.4-star rating from 17 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Raton, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 2 free dispersed camping spots near Raton, NM.
What parks are near Raton, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 9 parks near Raton, NM that allow camping, notably Carson National Forest and Great Sand Dunes National Park And Preserve.
