Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Santa Fe, NM

Super clean Polite staff Firewood available Brand new playground 20 min from Santa Fe Showers / bathrooms 30/50 amp Fenced dog parks/fire pit areas fenced for pets Lots of space between units

This place is super convenient to Santa Fe. Easy to find and plenty of spots. We opted not to camp in the “lot” where a lot of people set up. We drove back the road a bit further for some privacy. The area is very dusty. Given the proximity to town there were some campsites that had a degree of homelessness to them. However, we camped two nights with absolutely no issues. If I needed a place to camp near Santa Fe, I’d camp here again.

20 minutes from Santa Fe, super convenient, spread out enough, some good stars at night. Check our other reviews about the left turn.

Our stay was just 3 nights but it was in the right place at the right time. Many trees and not too far from Santa Fe and Taos and Chimayo.

We were hit by a blizzard driving through the I-25 pass from Santa Fe to Denver and had to take refuge in the KOA Las Vegas, NM for 2 nights. They quickly got us a space and allowed us to wait out the snow. Clean restrooms and showers, a shop in the grounds that serves breakfast. Hikes nearby. Very welcoming and friendly hosts.

Loved this campground. Only 20 minutes from Santa Fe (and Trader Joes) but feels much more remote. They're not kidding when they warn about no cell service (there is a payphone if you need it, though!), but Starlink worked like a dream during the days when we needed to logon for work.

We stayed in one of the smaller campsites (site 8) but loved it. The site backed up to a creek that our dogs loved playing in and was relaxing to listen to. There are quite a few people that come up just to hike the Black Canyon trail and you'll see them walk by, but otherwise this was a quiet campground.

When we stayed, the water spigots on the campground were out of service, but we'd been warned about that and came prepared. But other than that, the campground is very well maintained and cared for. I took short videos of the campsites that were vacant the morning we left and am posting those. Would recommend site 12, if it's available. It is large, backs up to the creek, and is close to the vault toilets (which are as good as vault toilets can be!). Will definitely be back!

Given the area described has piles of trash and little else to recommend it, it seems a shame to be close to gorgeous wilderness and stare at rubbish.

Head out just a bit further and turn onto the well maintained dirt Buckman road?  There are canyons to explore and access to the Rio grande at the road's end, offering water in an area with next to none otherwise. 

If these lowlands are too hot in the summer, drive up Artist Road to Big Tesuque or the ski-way at the end of the road, where shade, cold streams, and elevation keep nights pleasant even in July or August. 

You won't be any further from Santa Fe, although it can take awhile to drive from the river or ski-way to town if you park as far away as possible.  

All of the above sites have fire rings and vault toilets, and Big Tesuque and the ski-way have some sites with picnic tables as well.  Firewood can be scavenged, especially if one gets away from the immediate campsite area.

A gorgeous and vast dispersed campground just a short drive from Santa Fe. There was enough space and trees/shrubs to offer privacy, and as a solo traveler I felt completely safe sleeping in my crossover. I parked just off the main dirt road between a couple of junipers and still felt like I had the privacy I preferred. You can drive further to get a more secluded space. The only downside: it was very windy and the entire interior of my vehicle was covered in reddish dust. But this place was so beautiful and spaced out that being covered in dust seemed like a small price to pay for a great experience.

The Campground: The main dirt road wasn't in great condition, so the short journey after you turn off of Country Road 62 was very bumpy, but it didn't appear that anyone was having issues navigating it (that might change if there's heavy rainfall). There's a vault toilet and picnic pavilion near the front; this area is also a trailhead. The whole place feels very open and has a nice view of the mountains. 

The area: Very close to Santa Fe. 

Booking: No booking or fee. This is dispersed camping and there are no official "sites" here. When looking for a place to set up, make sure you chose a place that's well-traveled. Seemed like there were enough areas to camp that I don't imagine this place ever gets too full.

Cell Service: I have Verizon, and my service was good.

We REALLY enjoyed our stay at Santa Fe Skies RV Park! We had no idea what to expect, and while the roads and overall terrain of the park were "rustic," the nice cement pads and patio furniture at each site made it feel really nice. We got to check in ahead of time online, and got assigned our site without having to stop at the office first. We parked our 42' fifth wheel no problem. We were right across from the old tractors and cars, and walking trails which was a nice surprise! The dog park was excellent. If we're ever in Santa Fe again, we'll be back!

Great boondocking spot @15 mins from downtown Santa Fe.

Zero amenities but clean, huge open areas, and safe.

Your are behind a huge solid waste transfer station but you’d never know besides the huge hill. No smell or garbage anywhere.

Pros-

-HUGE open area -WIFI is great (pull in and go to the left down by the cattle coral) -Clean areas -Safe -Bathrooms (Didn’t Use) -Tons of hiking -15mins tops to downtown Santa Fe -Free

Cons-

-Windy -Dusty -No water -No Dump Station

We got water at the dog park up the road with our water bladder bag. Try to go during dusk as it is way less busy with fewer spectators watching and wondering what you’re doing, we had zero issues! 😊

It’s a great Free spot for a night or two weeks also surrounded by BLM land so you can’t really go wrong.

This area is well big enough for any size rig, just stay to the right on the gravel road pass the cattle guard where the road is gravel and smoother for sure!

Enjoy! 😊

Ok so for a person staying in a tent, this place ins't ideal year round. They receive snow and are a known New Mexico ski area. So if you are planning a visit during the "off prime season" you might want to check into one of the other options for stay in the park.

The park has 50 camping sites designed for tent or RV campers and a few scattered sites for larger RVs as well. While only a handful of locations actually have access to electricity for those wanting of a nice stay without all the extras this place is quite nice. Water stations are scattered throughout camp along with vault toilets.

Something which does set this park apart from others in the area is the Yurt accommodations for those wanting to try something new or wanting to get outdoors but not so much that they are renting an RV and dealing with maintenance or sleeping in a tent which might be a bit overwhelming.

When I visited, it was not yet prime season so many of the amenities were limited. The regular season runs from May 1 to October 31, at this time the Lodge and private picnic shelters are available for rental and from what I have seen the accommodation there is quite spectacular. The lodge plays host to a lot of beautiful weddings and retreats.

While in partial winter shut down mode however, the access to trails is still available and I found that the trails were pretty spectacular to see as you would find native vegetation poking through snow patches, beautiful fluffy snowflakes to play in and plenty of options for enjoying your version of winter activities.

I was a bit concerned about road conditions in the ongoing snow, but even the roads were taken care of with a certain level of detail which made this park enjoyable as a 4 season park.

My only real concern would be some of the campsites did have pretty close proximity to the roadway. I could see this becoming a bit concerning for road noise as even though on my visit it was a weekday and also during a slower time for tourism, it remained quite busy on the road near the camp.

Tip:

• Book in advance online, especially if you want one of the only 7 campsites with electricity.

• Try to snag a spot away from the main road to make your stay a bit more quiet.

• Bring layers year round, despite being less than 10 miles from Santa Fe where weather is often very warm, the elevation is much different and considerably cooler.

• Try the waterfall trail it is a short hike of less than 3/4 mile round trip with great pay off at the end

Stopped by this KOA to see what it offered for possible future stays. It's a compact campground that provides pull through sites as well as back-in and tent sites. They offer everything from 50 amp electric to cable TV. Sites are clean and neat. There's a dog park for your pets. Bathrooms are clean with hot showers. They have cabins available as well.

Great location for exploring Sandra Fe, Bandelier, and other national monuments.

Before I visited here in December I had not heard of Bandelier NM; it's a wonderful place for exploring outside Santa Fe and Juniper Campground provides rustic sites without hookups (dump station and water available, though the dump station is closed in winter). Because it was December, we could drive into the park; in peak season there are shuttle buses that take you to the visitors center. There are no reservations except for the group sites. You'll need to pay with a credit card at the campground or pay cash at the visitor's center. You'll also need to pay an entrance fee for Bandelier NM unless you have or purchase a National Parks Pass. With a senior or an Access pass, you'll get a 50% discount on the already low fees.

Sites are sunny and open with scrub trees providing an element of privacy between sites. Parking pads have been recently paved. Bearboxes are provided. Bathrooms provide flush toilets, sinks, and hand dryers, but no showers. Although pets are allowed, if you plan to do any hiking, you'll want to leave them home. High elevation, so it's cold in winter and may have snow.

I would stock up on supplies on my way out of Santa Fe (about an hour away) or Albuquerque; or in Los Alamos from the North. There are a number of other national monuments in the area and Santa Fe is a nice small city to explore.

I typically rate campgrounds as they fit into 1 of 5 categories. This campground will be rated as a Basecamp — grounds that offer a comfortable home base that you’re happy to return to after a day of exploring the surrounding area. Ratings for this category are based on: Value to cost: 4 Overall grounds: 4 Utility of sites (hookups, layout, accessibility): 4 Local Attraction Proximity: 5 Reservation Process/Ease of Getting a Site: 5 Amenities: 5 Customer Service: 5 Cleanliness: 4

The staff at this place are 5-star, lovely & friendly people. We stayed 5 nights are these grounds to explore the surrounding areas — Santa Fe (15 min from Historic Plaza), Albuquerque (50 minutes via 25 or a lovely trip down the nearby Turquoise Trail) and Bandera National Monument (1 hour). Each spot has a nice concrete patio. Though sites are somewhat close, you’re not right on top of your neighbors.

In COVID times, there were some restrictions like the market & office being closed. However, there was staff there for any issues. We used the laundry and restrooms, both kept immaculate. I received a package at the resort, a seamless process.

Our biggest gripes were the water pressure (not terrible but definitely not great) and the amount of ants around. We brought it up to the office on day 2 and they said they were awaiting a pet-friendly spray delivery. By day 5, the ants were still attempting to lift & move our trailer. It made it difficult to enjoy the outdoors, though the views are really beautiful. Sunsets are epic and there is a walking trail around the grounds.

Good price, good value, great staff... an excellent spot to stay in the Santa Fe area!

3 people, tiny camper, tent, dog. It has a table, grill and fire pit. 2 Vault toilets nearby. Spaced far enough to enjoy the space. Occasional road noise that died as the night came from mountain traffic. Lots of access to the MTN and trails. 25-30 min to the bottom @ Santa Fe. Stayed Sept 30 and Oct 1