Looking for an adventure where you can explore Ribera and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent camping near Ribera, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your New Mexico camping adventure.
Big Tesuque is a walk in campground not conducive to trailer or RV campoing. There are 10 units, Picnic tables and grills, and Vaulted toilets in the parking lot. There is no potable water and no Campground Host. The entire area is very scenic, and NM 475 is also designated as the Santa Fe Scenic Byway. Because of the large stands of aspen, the area is very busy, especially in the fall aspen viewing season. There are additional recreation opportunities along NM 475, both above and below Big Tesuque Campground, including hiking and biking trails, picnic areas, and in the winter. both nordic and alpine skiing. Tesuque is pronounced "Tess-U-key"
The Aspen Basin Campground is located adjacent to the very large parking area at Santa Fe Ski Basin. There are 10 units, Picnic tables, and fire rings. There is a vaulted toilet at the far west end of the parking lot. This campground is less developed than most, and primarily serves those who use it for an overnight stay before embarking on a backpack into the Pecos. There is ample space for trailer/RV camping, but no dump station is available. There is no potable water and no Campground Host. The entire area is very scenic, and NM 475 is also designated as the Santa Fe Scenic Byway. Because of the scenic quality and the easy access from Santa Fe, the area is very busy, especially in the summer and in the fall aspen viewing season.
22 miles north of Pecos on NM 63. Uses: Camping, picnicking, and trailhead access. Facilities: Tent camping only, Vaulted toilet, Trash bins, Tables and grills, 3 three-sided shelters, 19 parking spaces, Drinking Water. Fishing in Cave Creek. Special Instructions: NO HORSE TRAILERS ALLOWED.
Cowles Campground sits at the base of the Winsor Canyon where it meets the Pecos Canyon and is in walking distance of Cowles Ponds, Winsor Creek, Pecos River, and Winsor Ridge Trailhead. Uses: tent camping, picnicking, fishing, & hiking. Facilities: 1 vault toilet, 9 camping units with tables, fire rings, & grills, 2 covered three-sided shelters with fire places, and trash bins. No potable water, untility hook-ups, dumpstations or showers. Special Instructions: Users are encouraged to recycle and pack out trash. Please visit the Leave No Trace website for more information about frontcountry and backcountry outdoor ethics at www.lnt.org.
Winsor Ridge Trailhead is access point for Winsor Ridge Trail #271 and trail to Panchuela Campground and Trailhead. Located 20 miles north of Pecos on NM 63. Uses: Hiking, Backpacking, Horseback Riding. Facilities: vaulted toilet, trash bins, trailhead kiosk, parking for passenger vehiles & trailers. Special Considerations: Users are encouraged to recycle and pack out trash. Please visit the Leave No Trace website for more information about frontcountry and backcountry outdoor ethics www.lnt.org.
Located at the top of Glorieta Baldy with great vistas. Uses: picknicking, hiking. Facilities: tables. NO WATER. Special Instructions: Forest Road 375 rough, low clearance vehicles and trailers not recommended. Users are encouraged to recycle and pack out trash. Please visit the Leave No Trace website for information about frontcountry and backcountry outdoor ethics at www.lnt.org.
Primitive dispersed camping, 16 miles north of Pecos on NM 63, then 1 mile on FR 646.__ Uses:__ Camping.__ Facilities:__ Pit toilet, tables, and few fire pits.__ No water is available.__ Special Instructions:__ Users are encouraged to recycle and pack out trash.__ There are no fees.
Panchuela campground is nestled at the edge of the Pecos Wilderness with Panchuela Creek running along the eastern side of the campground. At a little over 8,300 feet in the Santa Fe National Forest, visitors to the campground escape from the warmer temperatures of the city and enjoy the moderate temperatures of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. There are 6 units on the campground and are within walking distance of the parking lot. Panchuela campground usually opens in mid-May through mid-November. With the nearby wilderness, the sites make the perfect base camp for those looking to take day hikes into the wilderness.
With the nearby Panchuela Trailhead, there is easy access to the Pecos Wilderness where visitors can hike the expansive trail system of the wilderness. Panchuela is also a few minutes drive from the Winsor Creek and Winsor Ridge Trailhead, all providing scenic views of the surrounding mountains. Fishing is popular with nearby Cowles Fishing Pond and the wild and scenic Pecos River. There are excellent fishing spots all along Panchuela Creek and the Pecos River, within minutes of the campground.__
With the nearby Panchuela Trailhead, there is easy access to the Pecos Wilderness where visitors can hike the expansive trail system of the wilderness. Panchuela is also a few minutes drive from the Winsor Creek and Winsor Ridge Trailhead, all providing scenic views of the surrounding mountains. Fishing is popular with nearby Cowles Fishing Pond and the wild and scenic Pecos River. There are excellent fishing spots all along Panchuela Creek and the Pecos River, within minutes of the campground.__
The campsites are surrounded by views of the mountains and the gorgeous shades of green from the mixed conifer and aspen. In the fall, the mountains gleam a glorious gold as the aspen leaves begin to change color. A variety of wildlife are seen in the surrounding forests including deer, elk, various species of songbirds and raptors, and the occasional black bear. Not far from the campground in an open meadow, campers can see the charming rustic cabins that forest service volunteers and employees stay in when working in the wilderness.
There are numerous State Park fishing areas along the Pecos River. Pecos National Historic Park is 50 minutes away and is the home of prehistoric archeological ruins, 19th century ranches and a battlefield from the American Civil War. There are other nearby campsites with similar scenery to Panchuela available on a first come first serve basis. They are Cowles campground, and Holy Ghost campground.
$5 / night
This reservoir on the plains of eastern New Mexico offers fishing, boating, camping, and hiking, as well as abundant bird watching opportunities. Equestrians are welcome at the Los Tanos Campground.
Park Elevation 4,751 ft
Yes, it can get packed but be prepared to go early enough to find a good spot. I prefer camp sites 7 through 10, even the very first site when you first come in since they are right near the river. If you really want to experience the haunt of the campground I prefer the campsites in the back 11 through 16.
I have not experienced the haunts until I camped at spot 15, this past Labor Day weekend on Friday night August 30, 2024. I went to bed and about 12 am I heard a voice say Hello to me. Then the last night my friend and I were by the fire we did not have any more neighbors as they left that Sunday, we had our trash bag hanging from my friends canopy there was no wind and that trash bag was swaying back and forth rapidly. Was definitely an experience.
The hikes are the best especially if you have time to go to the lake which you want to get an early start, just follow the trail in the back past the reservation spot to get to the trail and follow up get to the fork in the trail and hang a left to the lake. I love the camp site always clean restrooms and fun experience for the paranormal.
Plenty of spots and easy to get to. The only catch is you will need to find a spot away from the multiple large piles of trash.
The surrounding area was pretty and sunset was great!
Really like this KOA. At first thought it was out of the way but really like it. Just off I25. Nice Big Rig friendly. Some of the sites I went by thought was not level but then you look closer the pad itself was very level. Nice pool.
The location is close to stores and restaurants that are about 10 minutes away...that we needed after discovering a damaged tire. The front desk recommended a tire store that was just north of the park. Thank you...The park has been set up nicely. The sites are a bit tight from the adjoining sites. Site were level and all the hook ups worked without issue. The location made for an hour's drive to Los Alamos and Bandelier national monument. Both great visits if you haven't been there before.
Pros:
Cons
Chilly, even in July, just FYI, come prepared.
Picnic table, fire ring provided
The RV park is excellent, don't know why there are poor reviews. The location could not be better! The sites were very clean and easy to get into with a class A. The managers were very gracious and helpful for all our needs and gave great recommendations for Santa Fe. This is the third time we have stayed here and love it!
Fay was a great host, amazing spot for rural camping and cheap as heck too! Loved every part of my stay, thanks for running such a top notch operation!
We found this campground on our way to Colorado and spent one night. Would have loved to stay longer. Friendly host, well-maintained, vault toilets available. Hostess advised we could drive short distance to Fort Marcy Community Center for hot showers (available for a small fee), which we did.
A reasonably priced campground near Santa Fe NM. Campsites have picnic table, fire ring and paved parking. Several were large and can accommodate big Rvs. No electric, water, sewer or dumpstation. Pit toilets and dumpsters are available.
The campground is at 8400' elevation. Summer temps were very comfortable during the day and cool overnight. Perfect camping weather. The sites were mostly sold out while we were there.
Camp hosts were seen busy tending to the sites and pit toilets. The campground was very well maintained.
Some sites sit high above, and view Santa Cruz Lake, others don't have the lake view. No water or electricity, one little vault toilet. Some sites have more privacy than others. Over all a nice little campground about a 15 or 20 minute drive to the lake, where no wake boating and fishing happen. No swimming due to potentially dangerous currents.
I think there is some cell service due to the camp's high and unobstructed location.
Loved camping here! Arrived late Sunday night, whole park was pretty busy. Found a spot right by the river with lots of shade, downside was it was super close to the road. Wasn't too bad since park closes relatively early. Got a crazy thunderstorm after sunset, but decided to hunker down for the night, instead of dashing. We stayed warm and dry, thankfully. Campground ranger came around to check if we were okay, and to give a verbal warning about leaving if we need to. For me personally, I wouldn't come on the weekends due to how populated it was, but perfect and quiet during the weekdays.
We stayed here in June for two nights. The days were warm, but the nights were lovely. We were in spot 53 which was a long pull through, but very narrow and close to the neighboring spots. We were lucky that they were not reserved so we had a little more room. We were glad we were in the trees due to the daytime temps. If you need a large spot, 1 through 7 have a nice view of the valley, but no trees. Resident and neighboring dogs and cats roam throughout and may come visit your campsite. The county road to the campground is nice and quiet and makes for a good place to go for long walks.
This is a very spacious private campground southwest of Santa Fe with access to public land. Located 20 minutes from downtown Santa Fe. There are probably 50 sites with restrooms and showers. I saw a few tent but this is really geared toward RVs. They have discounts if you stay 4 to 6 days it is 10% off and 7 to 14 days it is 15% off. There is really nothing to it but it is so spacious and quiet, great vibe and the staff is super nice and helpful. They offer overnight stabling for horses too.
Rocky Point was one of two campgrounds we saw in Santa Rosa Park. All sites had picnic tables, some sites had electricity and water, and some sides just had water. The bathrooms in Rocky point had flush toilets and showers. The bathrooms were very clean. The camp host was very friendly. This was a very nice campground and not too far from Highway 40.
This small state park, located just 6 miles outside of downtown Santa Fe, might provide the least expensive lodging options for visiting this wonderful city. Like many of NM state parks, the camping fee is $10 for a non-electric site, and $25 for electric sites (reservable).
The vault toilets were clean and well-stocked, and water was available at the central office/ visitor center area, even in winter. One of the most charming aspects of our campsite was a small picnic shelter with built-in fireplace. During the fall, winter, and spring, most of the camping loops are closed, but they keep one open year round as well as a few scattered along the main road through the state park.
The campground has a lot of evergreen trees, so solar power needs to be on an extension cord. Our site down the road from the main campground had a bit more open sky, so we had pretty good solar power between 11 am and 4 pm in November. We also had no problem connecting with Starlink and had some spotty cell phone service.
A few of the sites in the year-round loop, and dozens in the summer loops have lean-to structures (3 sided cabins) with enough space to set your tent up inside.
Access to the Santa Fe Ski slope is just up the hill about 8 more miles, and of course all that Santa Fe offers is just down the hill, museums, restaurants, music, galleries, and so much great culture (the original Meow Wolf is worth a look). The park has great trails and borders the national forest with tons of other hiking options.
I can’t remember when I’ve seen a better view for less than$10 per night. New Mexico, in general, has some of the least expensive camping in the contiguous 48 states. The road in is a little rough in spots, but a pretty short drive along dirt from the pavement.
Backing up the rig to the overview of the lake is something else. Just waiting for the sun to set over the Nacimiento Mountain range is worth the price of admission…what a show! With just a few trees the campground is great for solar power, while still providing shade for cooling off. We also had no problem connecting with Starlink to get some work done and had some LTE in the campground.
Each campsite has a picnic table with shade structure, and a fire ring. The vault toilet was clean and well supplied, but there is no fresh drinking water. Come prepared, because the nearest town (Espanola) with food and water is about 20 minutes or so away.
The area is good for hiking, biking, paddling and getting your fishing grove on, but there’s no easy access to take boats down to the water from the campsite. There is an excellent trail leading down for everyone to enjoy. But the boat launch is on the north end of the lake, in the aptly North Lake Campground. We stayed here for a couple of days in late fall and temperatures were just lovely!
Zero stars. I'm not overly picky about amenities, but this place was in shambles. First, there were 2 young women in the front office smacking gum with their feet on the counter. One handed me a map showing my spot, then told me that the restrooms (I only saw one for the entire facility and it shared the space with the washer/dryer) were closed from 6 to 8am and then from 3 to 5pm for cleaning--prime time for this senior's 70-year-old bladder. The spot I was assigned had a 30-degree drop and 6-foot reach to the utilities...not doable for my 18-foot camper van, so I went back to the office and asked if I could move to another space. They said no. I said that I would have to go somewhere else because I paid for, and required power, water, and bathroom facilities and they said ok, but that they had a no-refund policy since I was cancelling on the day of arrival. I said that I paid for 2 days and asked that one be refunded. They didn't even blink and again declined so I backtracked 22 miles to the Albuquerque (east) KOA, which was lovely.
We had been boondocking for a few nights and "needed" hookups and showers for a night of relative luxury. This place is a little outside town but not too bad. We checked in late and our electric didn't work, but the park was half empty - I just grabbed another site and everything was fine - good showers and bathrooms.
I've seen other reviewers say the place is a bit dated and while I'll echo that, my kids really enjoyed the "OG" type playground - much steeper/faster/FUNNER slide than the new stuff they're used to.
Little $ relative to what you get, but a lot of that is just location/Santa Fe IMO.
So the info on Dyrt and the parks website in inaccurate. There are 35+ first come first serve tent spots (none of which have water as of May 2024) and 10 ish RV spots on a separate loop, only 2 of which are first come first serve and electric only - all the rest are reservation only...
The tent spots aren't accessible with anything bigger than a regular car/SUV - class B with an experienced driver and short wheel base might be able to fit, no way a class C would. No way a trailer (even a teardrop) would fit in the parking spots for tent spots if you strike out on the RV spots.
The drive up is GORGEOUS and almost worth it regardless of camping, and super convenient to downtown Santa Fe, but if you're in a RV have your water straight and HAVE A RESERVATION! We ended up just parking in a trailhead parking lot (that said no camping) and rolled the dice (successfully).
It's a pretty nice and mostly flat area of land with dirt roads. Most vehicles can access the roads we went on. Pretty quiet and while we did have neighbors we were by no means packed in there like sardines.
I haven't camped yet.This is my 1st day here.And I just got the app so I'll have to come back and give her a few after i've finished my trip
There are several loops in this park, in Ludington Black Canyon, the Main Park Loop, a couple Yurt loops, and the small loop we stayed on with RV electric hookups. Its on the left side as you go up, just above the main loop. While there is electric and a vault toilet, be advised there is no water source on this loop. Sites are basic, but nice, with fire rings and concrete picnic tables. We camped with our 21' teardrop and had no problems. We walked through the yurt site just above us, amd they are stunning, with patios and what appears to be heating. Worth a look. No cell service or wifi in the campground.
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!
Pleasantly surprised by this place. We pulled our van in at 9 pm and paid $10 at pay station. We had a great 3 mile morning walk. The entire site is litter-free. Bathrooms are incredibly clean
Easy off/on I25. Campsites are spread out with trees separating sites. The only bad is water pressure; very low. We slowly filled tank and used our pump.
Nice state park. Can get windy in the spring. No cell service but Starlink connection is fine.
First time stay while on a multi-state trip. Nice to have some trees and greenery in the desert. The covered picnic table was great with the hot sun, even in Spring. No cell coverage. Gates close at 7pm or 9pm depending on the season, so make sure to make it in before closing time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Ribera, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Ribera, NM is Big Tesuque Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Ribera, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Ribera, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
