Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Tierra Amarilla? With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Tierra Amarilla campgrounds for you and your tent. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
4 developed campsites + dispersed camping at 8000' with superb river fishing access just west of NM Game & Fish Recreation Area
Guide
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.
Scout
Mostly RV sites, some tent sites. Some with no hookups, partial hookand full hookups. Awesome staff. Full bathroom & laundry facilities.
Traveler
Appears to be an old KOA campground. Somewhat rustic, but hosts helpful and friendly. Full hook-ups and tent camping available. We had a lovely spot by the pond very enjoyable stay.
ScoutWe had a tent site on the river with our puppy. The staff were very helpful and the facilities including the showers were well maintained.
Ranger
This is an artist paradise. So many beautiful land formations and gorgeous sunsets. The campground includes a bath house with laundry room and electric hookups if needed. $30 to tent camp (no electric). Lodging, yurts and cabins, are also available.
Guide
Only had 3 or 4 spots for camping. A spot was big enough for an RV while the others were mostly for tent camping. We found some waterfalls brushwhacking along the creek but be prepared to get your feet wet.
Ranger
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!
Guide
This was a wonderful spot! We tent camped with our family of 4 for 4 nights. Camp hosts were awesome too! We haven’t ever done a site with no shower so that’s the only reason it didn’t get a 5 star. But! The river made for great bathing :-D
Nearby to tons of hiking spots and great outdoors experiences.
Guide
Arrived at Last Resort and immediately fell in love with this campsite. Site was well maintained and level. You didn’t feel like you were on top of one another at the tent sites. Staff was friendly and occasionally checked up on you, to make sure your stay was pleasant. Will be returning for a longer visit for sure.
GuideThe Last Resort is a lovely RV Park and campground on the Blanco River off Highway 84 between Chama, New Mexico and Pagosa Springs, Colorado. There are full RV hook ups in the loop and partial hook up by the river. The Bunk House is a small cabin with a queen bed and electricity. Many great tent camping sites. There is a nice Bathhouse with a full kitchen, bathrooms with showers and a coin operated washer/dryer. They are open year round, free wifi and pets welcome. There is a small store with ice, sodas, snacks, fishing tackle, RV supplies, and toiletries.
This is our 3rd summer at the Last Resort. It's a very laid back place with 2 playgrounds and plenty of activities for kids - horse shoes, volleyball, tether ball, etc. They have a nice 4th of July celebration, potluck dinners and camp fires. There are often horses (and a goat) on the property and plenty of space to take a nice walk. This year, we saw a lot of Canada geese and there are also chickens and ducks. We really love watching the many hummingbirds and hanging out by the river. Lots of campers like to fish or float down the river on inner tubes.
Well maintained, beautiful and friendly hosts make for a wonderful place to stay.
Guide
Stunning spot, lots of tent sites, room for maybe 12 campers of modest length, mine is 26' spot #9 is prime for a camper with a driver side slide/kitchen table. unknown if it's seasonal but the biting flies, primarily deer flies are beyond bearable, I survived 4 days, most other campers left after one night. The camp host is very friendly, and knows the best fishing holes.
ScoutWe enjoy tenting in relatively primitive national forests and usually avoid private campgrounds. But our friends recommended Last Resort on the River, and we were pleasantly surprised. The tent sites are separated from the RV sites in a forested area along the river. We shared a campsite on the river that had lots of trees and plenty of room for two tents and a canopy. Several other tent sites are carved out of the brush along the river. This makes a very nice setting with lots of privacy. The sound of the river is soothing and there was very little sound from the road.
It was a short walk to the amenities of the campground. There is a picnic shelter where we sat out a rainstorm, a very nice bathhouse for showering and washing dishes, as well as a comfortable indoor sitting area and another outdoor area with chairs and a fire pit. Ice and firewood are available at the office. Rich delivered them to our site. There are also some ice cream treats there and a few snacks. There is a fishing pond and a volleyball court. The rabbit hutch would have entertained the kids, if we had any with us.
There is no cell service, but the wifi was excellent and reached our campsite on the river. My wife was able to participate in a Zoom meeting from the picnic shelter where there was a convenient electrical outlet for her computer.
Rich is continually upgrading the property. He was very responsive and always willing to help. We highly recommend this campground.
Guide
Great wooded campground at the foot of Wolf Creek Pass near Pagosa Springs. Stayed at site A10 which was spacious and shady. Would love to stay here again. Fantastic waterfall and creek access just a few miles down dirt road.
Notes: Loop 20-26 all shady and nice 12 close to road (and on incline) 14 and 15 are close to the river but a very steep cliff to get there. 19: probably an RV site; no place to put tent Sites 1,2,3,4 all right on the road, small, no privacy
GuideWe only stayed one night but would definitely come back. We had a nice large tent site right by the river. No trees on this site but the view and the river made up for that. Scenery was great and we had a number of great conversations with some of the other campers. Camp hosts were very friendly and the facilities were pretty nice. There were porta-potty’s half way to the wash house but they were clean and didn’t smell too bad and they saved us from having to walk another few minutes. We had some noisy neighbors but they quieted down once we asked. We paid $27 for the one night.
Guide
This is a larger RV Park. They provide full hookups, spaces for tent camping, and some small cottages. I have not used their restrooms, but the laundry is clean and reasonably priced. Many of the spaces are pretty close together, but we’ve had worse! They have nice picnic tables and fire pits. There is a creek that runs behind the park and the spaces along this creek cost more. We stayed in Space 20; which is supposed to have the creek behind it (so we paid more), but there’s a bunch of electrical boxes there so you can’t see it or access it and there’s also a huge manhole sticking up in our space! So don’t take Space 20 unless you are desperate! That is the reason for my 4 rating. The grass is sparse, but there are big grassy areas throughout the park. Some of the spaces have the shade of large trees. I would stay here again, but would avoid #20.
Scout
I did a fair amount of research online regarding walk-in tent camping at Heron Lake, during the week. See the great maps and detail at https://newmexicostateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/heron-lake/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NM&parkId=430012 . I called the visitor center to confirm that being a walk-in would not be a problem during the week. Once one arrives as a walk-in, look for the campsites with a green tag on them.
The Heron Lake camp sites shown at the above reserveamerica website all have a fair amount of trees for shade. What the reserveamerica site does not show is a few more Heron Lake campgrounds southwest along Highway 95 (beyond the dam). The southwesterly sites are way more exposed to the sun than the first four campgrounds. Otherwise, the southwesterly campgrounds have fine views of the lake.
I was at Island View campground, in a loop that was convoluted enough that I do not think a trailer (with its inevitable noisy generator) could get in. I guess that this is the point. As a result, all I heard from time to time were muffled voices and no generators. It's the first tent spring-summer-fall camping I have enjoyed in years that was generator-free. I had at least one empty campsite on either side of me as an additional buffer to noise.
I walked along the lakeshore. It did not seem that low. I saw large fish jumping in one cove. I hiked the Salmon Run Trail to the dam. The Salmon Run Trail is a beautiful hike, not all level but not too steep for this older person's knees and walking poles. On the lake side of the dam, walking along the highway to get a good look at the dam, I saw several schools of large fish.
The vault bathrooms and the flush-toilet bathrooms were fine. Not super clean and not super dirty. I did not try the shower but it looked like people were using it.
This time of year, bring some bug repellent or wear jeans and a light long sleeve shirt at night. New Mexico has had a lot of moisture this season, so I think the bug-giness is higher than usual. Still, I sat outside and read for an hour or so pretty comfortably.
The camp host was lovely.
GuideJoined the family down in Chama, NM for a fun 4-day, 3-night stay at this RV park. Good size RV park with all the amenities you need to camp with your RV, Tent or rent a cabin. Friendly staff and clean restrooms and showers. The owners have a spot right at the park and are very nice. Rio Chama river runs right next to the park so you can fish or wade through the creek. We have a roof top tent so we reserved a back in RV site. We were parked right next to the power sub-stations so at night we heard buzzing from the electrical boxes. The owner allowed us to move to the tent sites so that solved that issue. We didn't need any of the hookups so no biggie. They had no problem with us moving there. No bugs and the temperature was reasonable in the 80s and cooled down to 60-55 at night. Pack rain gear if you're camping in July/Aug because the monsoon flows up with some pretty good t-storms. Chama is a nice little town that draws train riders from all over to ride The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad into Colorado.
Ranger
I tent-camped off of Carson NF Forest Service Road 578 in mid April 2022. FS 578 is south of Tres Piedras about 5 miles on the west side of Hwy 285. There are several dirt road turn offs but FS 578 is clearly marked with a brown NFS sign (see photo) and has no gate but there is a cattle guard/grate. Here is a NFS road use map that shows dispersed camping along FS 578 and many other NFS roads: https://www.fs.fed.us/r3/gis/mvum/Carson/CarsonTresPiedrasCanjilonElRito.pdf (see also screenshot). My Tacoma had no problem on the dirt road, which has ruts and might be tough for an RV. There were few clearings suitable for dispersed camping but I found a nice spot with a small fire circle in a small clearing on the south side of the road just past a fork in the road. I carried two black boulders over to serve as a table and chair. 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. I could see the snow capped peaks of the Sangre de Cristo range on the eastern horizon when I walked farther up the road. It got cold at night, like 27 F. It was a nice waypoint on my trip between Gunnison CO and El Paso TX but it didn’t look like many people camped there. I had intended to drive to Taos the next day on Hwy 64, but didn’t.
Legend
General: 54-site campground in four loops; the Pedernal Loop has water and electric hookups, the Chama and Puerco Loops do not and there is a walk-in tent site loop. There is also overflow camping.
Site Quality: Sites appeared to be mostly level (at least in the Pedernal loop); most were paved but a few were gravel. Most were back in, but some were pull-through. There are two ADA-accessible sites in the Pedernal Loop. Many have reservoir views. Site 14 has a generous-sized paved driveway. Completing the site is a lantern hook, BBQ, and covered picnic table. Too bad it was so darn windy that we could not enjoy these amenities. There was also a garbage can at the end of each site but no recycling that I saw. If you do not need hookups, sites 34 and 39 (in the Puerco loop) provide excellent water views.
Bath/Shower House: Basic with two shower stalls, two toilets, and one sink. Very clean. There are also very clean vault toilets located throughout the campground. Did not use the shower so cannot comment on how well it works.
Activities: The Abiquiu Lake Vista Trail is a 4-mile hike and bike stacked-looped trail (so you can add or duplicate interconnected loops). Boating access is one mile away. Fishing is also popular. There is also a volleyball net and a very nice modern playground. We were there at the end of April, so it was very quiet (which is the way we like it). Shout out to great camp hosts – we were greeted upon arrival and they made sure we didn’t have any questions or concerns. For $16, this is affordable but with the senior pass, $8 is a bonafide bargain!
GuideMy wife and I spent 3 days here in late May. Because we planned out trip a little late, we actually stayed the first night in Spot 16 (no hookups) and then the last 2 at Spot 14 (electric and water). Spot 16 was in the "Chama Loop" and I have to say, this loop is really not for our rig (a 30' Class A). We had a pull in spot, and fit okay, but the spots here are all on the smaller side and we mostly saw tents and some truck campers and a couple of Class Bs. We could NOT get level on our site without some serious efforts and more blocks than I really like. We never got level enough to feel comfortable putting out our slides. When we moved the next day to Spot 14 (in the Pedernal Loop, where the only electric/water sites are), it was much better. Leveling was easy as can be. The hookups were very conveniently located and we had no complaints here. Very spacious lot. Picnic tables under cover, a grill and a fire pit.
Spaces between spots are fairly generous. Not huge, but far better than most commercial sites. We felt very much "alone" here.
Some great things: the camp hosts Al and Cindy were INCREDIBLY helpful and friendly. Best hosts we've ever had! The playground is excellent (we don't have little kids, but we actually enjoyed the swings and such ourselves one evening!). The views of the lake are very good (you can't get down to the lake from here, but the extra height made for great views), and the walking trail from the visitor center to the boat launch goes right through the park, so you can join it easily if you wish. Dump station has two dump spots, which was nice. There are lots of picnic areas, and the tent sites looked very nice too.
Not the greatest: other than the aforementioned levelness issues, I was amused to see how steep the road down to the little "front gate" is. Not ideal for RVs! You come down off a Mesa to the much lower campground on a fairly steep grade, and 2/3 of the way down, you have to stop to check in. Just seemed weird. The dump station has NO hose hookup for the non-potable water (just a weird contraption that sprays water everywhere), so no easy way to flush the black tank, which I don't love.
Connectivity: no wi-fi. And the cell signal is spotty. We were able to use my iphone to create a Verizon hot spot, and actually, after a struggle, could watch some Netflix. But then surfing sometimes went from slow but okay to non-existent. My one word review would be: inconsistent. And now, we don't spent our time surfing the internet, but for doing research, checking email, etc., it was not ideal. Workable, but not the best.
We'd stay here again in a second. We've already talked about what we'll do next time we stay here.
GuideWe stopped at this campground on our way from Denver to New Mexico and lucked out with the proximity to Pagosa Springs which we had plans to check out for the day. We stayed one night and snagged an unreserved spot #25 near the river. You have to climb down to get to the river but it’s do-able. My husband wasn’t able to fish because the water speed was very fast and strong. Camp host Dennis was friendly. Bathrooms were clean. Overall it was a pleasant stay in our rooftop tent with lots of shade trees and also a view of the stars at night.
RangerThe 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.
GuideNew Mexico is just beautiful and this park really brings that to life. Its a great place for fishing, camping, hiking and breath taking river veiws. Love every picture I took here.
Guide
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
GuideOnce again, the folks at Last Resort provided a great time. Stayed 2 nights, and were able to get us in earlier than the normal Check in time. Also, I have got to say their showers are so nice and powerful after having camped over 4 days in New Mexico and Colorado. Love the fact they have ice readily available when you need it. Definitely a must visit or stay along your travels.
Guide
Great summer camping spot in southern Colorado. My friends and I have camped here many times. It has good fishing when the river is lower in mid summer. Try to get the river side camp sites; if you end up in the marshy still water spots the bugs can get bad. A fun day trip is to cross over into New Mexico and visit Chama. There's an Ace Hardware for any camping needs or repairs and some good spots for a burger and cold beer.
GuideThe campgrounds is nicely laid out and decent. There isn't much for shade or privacy. The camp hosts are very friendly and helpful. There are nice trails that you can hike or mountain bike. Some are near cliff edges and not for the beginners. The lake is nice for New Mexico and sees a lot of use. Didn't get a chance to fish or get to the waters edge this trip. The area is near where Georgia O'Keefe lived and did some of her work.
Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, offers a variety of tent camping options surrounded by stunning natural beauty and outdoor adventures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Tierra Amarilla, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Tierra Amarilla, NM is Canjilon Creek Campground with a 4-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Tierra Amarilla, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 28 tent camping locations near Tierra Amarilla, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
