Top Tent Camping near Raton, NM

Are you planning a tent camping trip to Raton? We've got you covered. Find the best information on tent camping near Raton, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.

Best Tent Sites Near Raton, NM (2)


Recent Tent Reviews In Raton

197 Reviews of 2 Raton Campgrounds


  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Blackjack Tent Area — Cimarron Canyon State Park
    Jul. 19, 2024

    Blackjack Tent Area — Cimarron Canyon State Park

    Best spot ever! And right on the river for fishing

    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.

  • Phil P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Ponderosa Campground — Cimarron Canyon State Park
    Jul. 16, 2024

    Ponderosa Campground — Cimarron Canyon State Park

    Easy access, Level, No services

    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.

  • Dare To Everywhere  .
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Alice - Sugarite Canyon State Park
    May. 27, 2024

    Lake Alice - Sugarite Canyon State Park

    Nice campground with clean showers!

    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.

  • L
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake 13-Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge
    Apr. 21, 2024

    Lake 13-Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge

    Easy access from I-25, not much privacy

    Great 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.

  • c
    Camper-submitted photo from Raton Pass Camp & Cafe
    Oct. 22, 2023

    Raton Pass Camp & Cafe

    Great place to stop for the night

    This 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!

  • Susan L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Carpios Ridge Campground — Trinidad Lake State Park
    Oct. 1, 2023

    Carpios Ridge Campground — Trinidad Lake State Park

    Great Views! Nice hiking.

    Camped 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.

  • CThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Blue Lake Campground - Temporarily Closed
    Sep. 8, 2023

    Blue Lake Campground - Temporarily Closed

    Beautiful place to Rise with Nature

    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.

  • Callie C.
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Alice - Sugarite Canyon State Park
    Aug. 30, 2023

    Lake Alice - Sugarite Canyon State Park

    Worth the price, kind of remote

    Small 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.

  • Regina Lora G.
    Camper-submitted photo from Springer Lake
    Aug. 12, 2023

    Springer Lake

    pretty good

    Just 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.

  • D
    Camper-submitted photo from Capulin RV Park
    Jul. 14, 2023

    Capulin RV Park

    Nice park, small, but convenient to Capulin Volcano

    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.

  • T
    Camper-submitted photo from Tolby - Cimarron Canyon State Park
    Jul. 8, 2023

    Tolby - Cimarron Canyon State Park

    Very pretty, relaxing with the river

    Campground 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!!

  • laura S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Carpios Ridge Campground — Trinidad Lake State Park
    Jul. 8, 2023

    Carpios Ridge Campground — Trinidad Lake State Park

    Close sites, but convenient location

    First 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.

  • JUSTIN C.
    Camper-submitted photo from Cordova Pass
    Jul. 2, 2023

    Cordova Pass

    Beautiful views!

    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.

  • JC D.
    Camper-submitted photo from Monument Lake Resort
    Jun. 16, 2023

    Monument Lake Resort

    Week of Father's Day

    Used Primitive #9 site along the creek. So peaceful and beautiful, trees shielded high winds and the few quick drizzles. Fishing was well above expectations, catching 14 large trout over the 2 night stay between the two of us. Highly recommend. We experienced no mosquitoes and the stay could not have been better!! 1989 Jamboree C-class.

  • d
    Camper-submitted photo from Cimarron Campground
    Jun. 9, 2023

    Cimarron Campground

    Great remote time

    Took my boys camping and had a great time. We went June 2 and the water was not on yet. The facilities were very clean and the staff agent was present and available. We had no issues. It is a long way down a dirt road but well worth the drive to be remote. No cell service at the camp site but a short 5 min drive back to the first cattle guard allowed for service to multiple cell providers. A short beautiful hike to the ponds allowed for some fishing for the kids. All artificial lures and barbless hooks. It’s not glamping but is some great camping!

  • Christian D.
    Camper-submitted photo from Cimarron Inn and RV Park
    Apr. 8, 2023

    Cimarron Inn and RV Park

    Good one night stop

    We needed hook up for a night stop in April. We were alone in the campground which is on the side of the hikers in. We had everything we need for a reasonable price. Friendly owner.

  • K
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake 13-Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge
    Apr. 3, 2023

    Lake 13-Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge

    Easy to access off 25

    Nice views, level, has a pit toilet, trash and recycling. It was a nice spot to spend a night heading home. There are several picnic tables too. We pulled in around 5pm on a Friday and there were 3 other vans in the camping area with plenty of room.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Alice - Sugarite Canyon State Park
    Mar. 30, 2023

    Lake Alice - Sugarite Canyon State Park

    GEM!

    2022 headed home from CO to Dallas and didn't want to stay in Amarillo again so we threw the dice and were able to snag an AMAZING spot (no hookups) for one night. Tha-t was all we needed to make this our go-to place to stop at beginning and end of each trip.  Lots of options for camping (we pull a TAB 400) - camp host was so cool and friendly. Absolutely beautiful views and clean facilities (we only used the toilets)  We were surprised and pleased with Sugarite!

  • Ken M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mccrystal Campground
    Mar. 19, 2023

    Mccrystal Campground

    Remote camping with plenty of wildlife to see

    A remote location and popular with horse campers and hunters.  The campground has sites with horse corrals installed. The campground was quiet and mostly clean. There are pit toilets on site and well maintained. Level spots with good separation. Nice hiking accross some flat lands and a smal creek runs near by. Early one morning we saw a herd of elk down in a valley near a turn out off the road.  Bears frequent the area trying to raid the garbage bins during the night. Makes tent camping a bit unnerving. If you want to explore the area, this is good place to camp.  It takes an hour to get to the campsite on a graveled road off the highway out of Cimerron.  25mph was best speed to go to handle the washboard road to the campsite.

  • Lisa C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Carpios Ridge Campground — Trinidad Lake State Park
    Mar. 2, 2023

    Carpios Ridge Campground — Trinidad Lake State Park

    Beautiful and Peaceful

    This is a beautiful peaceful place. I heard no road noise during my stay. All camping sites are nicely maintained. There are a few hiking trails that lead from the campground but stay away from 0.5 mile ridge trail that is very washed out and treacherous.

  • Rhianna W.
    Camper-submitted photo from Capulin RV Park
    Feb. 3, 2023

    Capulin RV Park

    Nice Stop for Volcano

    The couple running the park are very nice. Bathrooms are clean. The water is off for the winter season but they do have water to fill your tanks if you wish. It was $50 for our site for the night.



Guide to Raton

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.

What to do:

What campers like:

  • Clean Facilities: Campers appreciate the cleanliness of the restrooms and showers. A review for Lake Alice Campground — Sugarite Canyon State Park highlighted, "The showers were very nice for a campground. They were actual showers, not just concrete or dirty tile."
  • Scenic Views: Many campers rave about the views. One camper at Raton Pass Camp & Cafe said, "The views are the best part about this campground!"
  • Friendly Staff: The hospitality at local campgrounds is often mentioned. A visitor at Capulin RV Park remarked, "The couple running the park are very nice."

What you should know:

  • Close Proximity of Sites: Some campgrounds have sites that are quite close together. A camper at Tower 64 Motel & RV Park noted, "The sites are stacked right on top of each other."
  • Limited Amenities: Not all campgrounds have full amenities. One reviewer at Lake 13-Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge mentioned, "No shade, no potable water, no electric, no sewer. True boondocking site."
  • Seasonal Closures: Some facilities may close during the off-season. A camper at South Shore Campground — Trinidad Lake State Park warned, "Heads up, the main restrooms/showers and laundry close from Nov to Mar."

Tips for camping with families:

  • Choose Family-Friendly Campgrounds: Look for campgrounds that offer amenities for kids. A parent at Soda Pocket Campground — Sugarite Canyon State Park mentioned, "The campground staff were great, and the ranger came by one night and showed a group of kids a mountain lion pelt."
  • Plan for Activities: Make sure to have activities planned. One family enjoyed hiking and fishing at Lake Alice Campground — Sugarite Canyon State Park, saying, "We could easily spend two full days here hiking alone."
  • Pack Snacks and Drinks: Keep everyone happy with snacks. A camper at Raton KOA suggested, "The close proximity to grocery stores was an added bonus!"

Tips from RVers:

  • Check Site Sizes: Make sure your RV fits the site. A reviewer at Capulin RV Park noted, "The sites are very close together; fortunately, it was not full and we had room."
  • Be Prepared for Dusty Roads: Some campgrounds have unpaved access roads. A visitor at Raton Pass Camp & Cafe mentioned, "The road was a typical dirt road, and not in bad shape at all."
  • Use Local Resources: Take advantage of local services. One camper at Summerlan RV Park said, "They are the only RV repair place in Raton, so they are a good choice."

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

  • Which is the most popular tent campsite near Raton, NM?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Raton, NM is Camgrounds at Jamail Ranch with a 5-star rating from 1 review.