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Equestrian Camping near Tierra Amarilla, NM

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    Hopewell Lake Campground near Tierra Amarilla accommodates horses at several sites equipped with livestock pens. Located at 9,500 feet elevation in the Tusas Mountains, this campground provides a scenic base for equestrians exploring Carson National Forest trails. Some campsites have horse enclosures directly at the site, though campers should confirm availability with the camp host upon arrival. The campground offers both developed sites with picnic tables and vault toilets, as well as extensive dispersed camping options in the surrounding forest areas. Sites are generously spaced, providing adequate room for horse trailers and equipment. The high-elevation setting ensures cool temperatures even during summer months, making it comfortable for both riders and horses.

    Trail access directly from the campground connects to miles of mountain pathways suitable for horseback riding through ponderosa pine forests and mountain meadows. The surrounding Carson National Forest offers extensive riding opportunities with varied terrain from gentle slopes to more challenging mountain trails. Water for horses is available at Hopewell Lake, though during certain periods campers may need to bring additional water supplies. The campground typically operates from June through October, with July and August being peak season for equestrians. Beyond the main campground, numerous dispersed camping areas along Forest Service roads accommodate larger horse groups needing more space. Sites with livestock pens fill quickly during summer weekends, so midweek visits offer better availability for horse campers seeking prime spots.

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    Best Equestrian Campgrounds near Tierra Amarilla (10)

    Filters    Tent onlyRVDispersedCabinGlampingPetsEquestrian

      1. Hopewell Lake Campground

      4.6(8)18mi from Tierra Amarilla32 sitesRVs, Tents

      "My wife and I have stayed at Hopewell Lake twice now. The first time we stayed here, we stumbled upon this little gem of a site while driving from Durango, CO to Taos, NM."

      "No luck fishing but several people around us were catching very nice sized trout. Vault toilets were well stocked and clean."

      from $24 - $125 / night

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      2. Rio Chama Campground

      4.8(14)25mi from Tierra AmarillaRVs, Tents

      "Rio Chama RV park in Chama, New Mexico, is at the intersection of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the upper Rio Chama. A nice place to stay May 1 thru mid October."

      "It's an easy dirt road drive down the river and you will pass many dispersed site and a couple of defined camping grounds."

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      3. Oak Point Campground

      4.8(6)25mi from Tierra AmarillaRVs, Tents

      "there’s a fire ban, so it makes it hard to stay warm at night, but the stars are amazing. it’s quiet. it’s lovely. there’s canyon walls for miles. it’s really amazing. some of these pics are from the nearby"

      "I've stayed here twice now since being in New Mexico. This site is right on the water, overlooks the canyon, and is close to a hike to the right side of the canyon through a dried up riverbed."

      4. Ghost Ranch

      4.0(7)28mi from Tierra AmarillaRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "The whole ranch has been turned into a top notch facility with campgrounds and motel rooms, horses for rent, classes, and great hiking. The campground is large with several interconnecting loops."

      "Recommend arriving not too late to see if you can get a good spot, we didn’t have shade so had to go find a nice shady bench away from our site for eating lunch / relaxing after our hike."

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      5. Ponderosa Campground

      4.4(5)32mi from Tierra AmarillaRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "The drive in is easy on Route 17 and does not require a vehicle with high ground clearance. They do allow campfires, they have clean bathrooms and a shower house."

      "Close to lots of fishing and hiking in the area. Beautiful place to watch the sunset and the stars at night. Nice and quiet at night."

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      6. Carson NF - Forest Service Road 578 - Dispersed Camping

      4.4(5)35mi from Tierra AmarillaTents

      "Many open areas to camp right off the highway. The views of the mountains across the valley are best after the fork in the road. Please pick up extra trash if you use"

      "I didn’t see anyone else camping or driving by. The forest is a nice mix of sage, juniper, and pine trees. I saw two elk across a swath of sage."

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      7. East Fork San Juan River, USFS Road 667 - Dispersed Camping

      4.8(10)50mi from Tierra AmarillaRVs, Tents

      "Pass by the entrance to East Fork Campground and continue on the forest service road.  This is where the road becomes fairly rough.  Dispersed sites begin about 2 miles further."

      "Not far off the highway but far enough. At a point it says 4x4 only and I only walked there. Lots of wildlife activity."

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      8. The Chicken Ranch

      5.0(2)38mi from Tierra AmarillaRVs, Tents, Glamping

      "Red Lake hike was awesome and easy."

      from $20 - $65 / night

      9. Big Arsenic Springs Campground

      4.3(3)49mi from Tierra AmarillaRVs, Tents, Glamping

      "The location is isolated and you need to bring plenty of water. The advantage is being able to walk into the Gorge, which if you fly fish, is an amazing thing."

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      10. Hide-A-Way at Pagosa Pines RV Park

      Be the first to review49mi from Tierra AmarillaRVs
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    Equestrian Camping Reviews near Tierra Amarilla, NM

    60 Reviews of 10 Tierra Amarilla Campgrounds

    • marycatmathis ..The Dyrt PRO User
      May. 29, 2020

      Oak Point Campground

      Lovely, Beachy, Scenic

      These coordinates are a rough estimate, but this entire forrest road is filled with amazing campsites you can simply pull off and camp in. currently there’s a fire ban, so it makes it hard to stay warm at night, but the stars are amazing. it’s quiet. it’s lovely. there’s canyon walls for miles. it’s really amazing. some of these pics are from the nearby canyon that’s a bit of a walk up the road, but most are from our campground. loved our first experience camping in New Mexico!

    • Beth B.
      Aug. 16, 2018

      Rio Chama Campground

      Great place to watch the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Train

      Rio Chama RV park in Chama, New Mexico, is at the intersection of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the upper Rio Chama. A nice place to stay May 1 thru mid October. The train passing by twice a day is an exciting event and it's a short walk to the train yard.

      Pull through sites have great shade and full hookups with 30 or 50 amp electrical service. Spacious tent sites with full service restrooms nearby. Pet friendly with dog park and free wifi. A great place for fishing, train watching and relaxing.

    • Tyler G.
      Jun. 22, 2016

      Hopewell Lake Campground

      Wonderful Campground in the scenic Tusas Mountains

      My wife and I have stayed at Hopewell Lake twice now. The first time we stayed here, we stumbled upon this little gem of a site while driving from Durango, CO to Taos, NM. It was enchanting enough that we made sure to make it back for an opportunity to take in the scenery and relax during a long weekend. The only issue we ran into was an abundance of mosquitos, but this should be expected during the late Spring/early Summer in northern New Mexico and can be easily addressed with a citronella candle and a bit of bug spray. Our most recent stay was on one of those rare nights where you can pull off the rain fly and not worry about a midnight downpour, which left us with a wonderful view of the stars, and the sites are private enough that, as long as you don't set up next to the table, it's comfortable with an open tent and away from prying eyes.

      The campground is nice, very well maintained, and the site host is friendly and helpful. The grounds are a

    • Michael M.
      Aug. 30, 2017

      Ponderosa Campground

      The River runs through it

      The website listed for this campground is correct Ponderosa campground Antonito, CO.

      Phone 719.376.5857

      This is a very relaxing place to stay and it seems like most of the people there have been there many times before. The drive in is easy on Route 17 and does not require a vehicle with high ground clearance. They do allow campfires, they have clean bathrooms and a shower house. I stayed in a backpacking tent after driving all day arriving on a Friday at about 4:00 PM. The campground is set-up for small campers and has some cabins for rent too. The bathrooms with showers are clean and comfortable. The sites have fire rings with grates and picnic tables. The owner manager is great, providing quality fishing advice, conversation and even a free cup of coffee in the morning. Hiking on the CDT is near the campground and fishing is right in the campground. The steam train is right up the pass and I happened to be there the night before opening day catching a photo when I drove over the pass to Chama New Mexico. The Cumbres and Toltec Train traveling between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico. This is a very nice drive and Chama is a cool place to visit, it is a trail town on the CDT.

      I will visit this campground again for sure.

    • marycatmathis ..The Dyrt PRO User
      Jun. 17, 2020

      Oak Point Campground

      yet another amazing site at Oak Point

      I've stayed here twice now since being in New Mexico. This site is right on the water, overlooks the canyon, and is close to a hike to the right side of the canyon through a dried up riverbed. I *love* staying here. It's so peaceful, quiet, enough trees to keep you shaded from the harsh sun here. The road is runner friendly, so you can go on a jog if you like. Its definitely a campsite for people looking to strictly hang out. 

      views and sunsets are EPIC. Stay here instead of the packed Rio Chama campground if you're a casual camper who doesn't need amenities. And pick up your toilet paper so this place stays nice!

    • Texas Roving Ranger
      Jun. 20, 2024

      East Fork San Juan River, USFS Road 667 - Dispersed Camping

      Boondocking near Pagosa Springs, Colorado

      Great boondocking sites about 45minues from Pagosa Springs. These sites are completely primitive. No restroom facilities, electricity, potable water or trash service.  No cell service.  Its worth it, so plan accordingly. 

      Follow US160E about 10 miles, turn right onto USFS 667.  Pass by the entrance to East Fork Campground and continue on the forest service road.  This is where the road becomes fairly rough.  Dispersed sites begin about 2 miles further. Most sites are clustered together in pockets near the river.  

      We arrived early in the day and found a great site near a vertical rock face.  Campsite was at 8000'.    We stayed a week and only saw other campers on the weekend.  The weather was perfect with day time temps in the 70s and overnight temps in the 50s.  Ideal hiking and fishing conditions.  

      The forest road gets busy with Jeeps and UTvs during the day on weekends.  Our site was far enough away from the road that we weren't bothered. 

      Access to several trails, beautiful valley views and waterfalls nearby .

    • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
      Oct. 1, 2018

      Ghost Ranch

      Beautiful setting where Georgia O'Keefe Painted

      While many say that Georgia O’Keefe owned Ghost Ranch, that’s not true. She actually only owned 7.5 acres of the large ranch. The whole ranch has been turned into a top notch facility with campgrounds and motel rooms, horses for rent, classes, and great hiking. The campground is large with several interconnecting loops. There aren’t many trees, but the sites are not on top of each other so there is a semblance of privacy. Showers and laundry are available in the campground. It's pretty nice that this campground is pretty much open year round, and even better with tents and RV's kept separate. There are some great hiking trails heading out of the campground as well as from other parts of the ranch. Stop in the visitors center to get a map of trails and some advice about what to hike and when (don’t plan on any mid-day hikes as it is just too hot).

    • Megan V.The Dyrt PRO User
      Jun. 1, 2021

      Rio Chama Campground

      Great for a river trip

      We visited memorial day weekend 2021 with a group of 6. This spot is beautiful with a good amount of tree coverage. It's an easy dirt road drive down the river and you will pass many dispersed site and a couple of defined camping grounds. The sites are all close to the river and at most a quick drive away from a place to put your kayak or tube in the water. Not a ton of large group sites.

    • johny R.The Dyrt PRO User
      Apr. 17, 2026

      East Fork San Juan River, USFS Road 667 - Dispersed Camping

      Logging operation

      Close to the main highway. 1 bar Verizon signal. Full rv hook ups, pit toilets, and picnic tables. The drive in there is a large meadow that had several elk. A large logging operation is happening around the rv park, so it probably gets loud with machinery during the day. This is a seasonal rv park.

    Guide to Tierra Amarilla

    Hopewell Lake Campground near Tierra Amarilla accommodates horses with livestock pens at select campsites. The large, spread-out sites provide ample room for horse trailers while maintaining privacy between campers. Some campsites have direct access to trails suitable for horseback riding through the Tusas Mountains. At 9,500 feet elevation, the campground offers a cool summer retreat for equestrians and their animals. Vault toilets are maintained throughout the season, which typically runs from June through October. Campers note that even when the main campground reaches capacity, equestrians can find suitable dispersed camping options by continuing down the forest road, where additional space for horses and equipment is available.

    Trail riders access numerous routes directly from Hopewell Lake Campground, with options suitable for day rides through the Carson National Forest. The surrounding forest service roads connect to a network of trails that vary in difficulty and terrain. Water for horses is available at Hopewell Lake, though during peak summer months some campers report bringing additional water for their animals is advisable. The elevation provides comfortable temperatures for horses during summer, but early morning rides are recommended to avoid afternoon thunderstorms typical in northern New Mexico's monsoon season. Sites accommodate various camping setups from tents to RVs, with enough clearance for horse trailers at designated spots. The campground's location provides access to miles of riding opportunities through meadows and forests with minimal restrictions.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Tierra Amarilla, NM?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Tierra Amarilla, NM is Hopewell Lake Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 8 reviews.

    What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Tierra Amarilla, NM?

    TheDyrt.com has all 10 equestrian camping locations near Tierra Amarilla, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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