Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Timberon? Finding a place to camp in New Mexico with your tent has never been easier. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Timberon's most popular destinations.
Due to rehabilitation of camping sites, backcountry camping is closed.
Lower Karr Canyon Campground has undeveloped campsites scattered above and below the Karr Canyon Picnic Area. Forest Road 63 is gravel and can be rough. Fire rings are available. Tent camping is allowed here and there are a number of lovely spots for you to choose from, all of which are accessible by walking in to the site from the parking area.
James Canyon Campground offer 5 sites along US82 just west of Mayhill, NM. The lower elevation of 6,800' means this small site is usable longer than most Sacramento Mountain area campgrounds when the snows begin. Picnic tables, grills, and one group ramada among scattered pine trees. 16' RV limit. James Canyon Campground - General Area
Guide
Car camped in a tent site for just a night after visiting WSNP. Non-flush toilets without sinks near tent sites and the full bathhouse is a bit of a walk away. Worth it, though, with spacious shower stalls and well-kept buildings. Sweet views of the valley and mountains and far off the highway.
Ranger
We tent camped at Silver Lake Campground on the Mescalero Reservation over Labor Day weekend 2020. It was packed. Kind of a free-for-all without clear tent sites, just like find your own fire ring. But we found a good spot. The campground cleared out on Labor Day and we had the place to ourselves, just grilling steaks and playing Scrabble on the picnic table. Labor Day was the last day of the open season.
TravelerAwesome tent site, Beautiful ponderosa pines , very clean bathrooms an showers !!!! Awesome Owners they live on camp site!!!
Traveler
Lovely campsites, good tent sites and a few pull thru and back in sites for small Rv’s. Saw several teardrops. No showers but clean pit toilets.
TravelerPros - gorgeous 360 views, quiet spot, clean pit toilets, water available throughout grounds
Cons - zero shade so it is HOT especially if you're tent camping, nothing to "do" at the campground but plenty activities in a reasonable drive
Guide
Like most KOAs this one is well maintained. Right in town so not scenic but close to shops and restaurants. They have gravel tent sites for $30 which is high for tents but typical for KOA.
LegendKOAs tend to be a go to chain for me. They usually offer similar amenities between locations and good prices. I should probably consider becoming a member. This KOA was great. They had spotlights at each tent pad that you could turn on and adjust where they point. This made my nighttime arrival set up experience so much smoother. I'm pretty skilled at night time set up at this point, but having light always makes things move faster when you're solo. Each tent site also had a water spicket and 1 or 3 tables. The tent sites are huge and can fit any tent I've ever seen. Close to white sands national park. They also offer sleds you can borrow for free and wax for a $1 deposit. I highly recommend going there and sledding. Be aware of the weather/season because the sand will be hot during the day in the summer months
Traveler
Beautiful area for tent camping. I hiked into the trees a bit so there weren’t super close neighbors. Plenty of downed trees for gathering firewood. There’s an old logging road that makes for an easy hike. It leads into a meadow with a very small pond which I’m sure would be good for wildlife viewing if you sat there long enough.
RangerWe tent-camped at Oliver Lee State Park on 8/14/2021. Overall good experience. We took a 2 mile hike down and around the riparian trail where there was water in the canyon that disappeared in the creek bed beyond the canyon. We didn’t attempt the steep trail to the ridge. Although we visited in August, it wasn’t too hot because of recent rains.
Scout
We have rented Slide Campground several times for group RV & tent camping. It features vault toilets if you Ed them, a tent area, a very large covered pavilion for those rainy days, large firepit area, cooking grills & a large parking lot for RVs & kids to play. Also has bear proof garbage and food storage. It easily held 3 RVs and 20 people. They provide 300 gallons of water in a tank. Behind the campground is a hiking trail. Loved it.
GuideGood, clean state park campground central to Alamogordo and White Sands.
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Guide
We tent camped here on a Friday night, it was kind of crowded for dispersed camping but a really beautiful place and still easy to find a spot despite arriving at like 8:30pm. We camped right on the creek, kids loved playing in it and seeing the waterfall. We saw deer, tons of elk, a hummingbird came right up to us and chirped and tried to land on us, and we woke up the first morning to a herd of cows mooing and walking past our tents with their calves. Would definitely stay here again. No cell signal (Verizon). Road to get there is not paved and in some places can only fit one vehicle so we did see some minor issues with that with people traveling the road.
RangerBluff Springs is nestled in a pretty forested valley with a creek and falls in Lincoln National Forest about 10 miles south of Cloudcroft off Sunspot highway on Upper Peñasco Road. There’s a gravel parking lot with bathrooms but no campground. We tent camped Sat, Aug. 1, 2020, arriving about 2pm. There were many people camping and it was difficult to find a spot along the road with dispersed camping sites. We had to camp in thicker grass among cow dung because the mowed sites were taken. Still, life outside is better, right? It stormed much of the day and night but Sunday morning dawned clear and we took a short 1-mile hike from the Bluff Springs trailhead to the Willie White trailhead. There are longer hikes too. There were some camping trailers but no big RVs. Upper Peñasco Road is narrow in parts. A decent place.
ScoutReservation camp ground about 15-20 min from Alamogordo. Great views, although a little windy at night since you're right up against the mountains. Bathrooms were clean and the pull in spots are nicely spaced out, so it's nice and chill. They also have quiet hours from 10p-7a daily. Office was closed when I was there (Monday) so I can't speak to the staff, but the campground looked pretty well maintained.
There are two trails if you want to hike. One is flat and goes through the canyon for about a mile and a half. The other is basically straight up for 5 miles - I didn't try that one :) - but I imagine the views are great if you can swing it.
The only complaint about this campground (which can't be fixed) is the flies. So. Many. Flies. They're everywhere and they are impossible to deter no matter how many times you swat them. It's insane. Maybe it was the time of year (late June) but it made tent camping pretty tough at times. If you're in an RV/camper I imagine it wouldn't be quite as bad for you.
RangerI messed up thinking I had booked this campground - I hadn’t. It was five minutes to seven pm and the staff called me back and got me a site for less than $50 for the night. It was a nice, level pull through site with water/sewer/cable/electric. I was pretty relieved that we would have somewhere to camp - no one else picked up their phones.
We didn’t arrive until nearly nine and the same staff person was still working - helping someone back into their site. She was very kind and welcoming.
The next morning I checked out the campground. The area was pretty industrial, but less than two minutes to the science museum and zoo. Individual spaces were generous (especially the tent sites - they would fit any tent size) and I liked the little patio we had. The playground was newish, the pool looked like it would be nice when filled, the laundry room looked great (but cash only - I prefer the card ones) and there was a lovely store and rec room. There were also showers and a small dog run.
This KOA had everything you could need - including excellent customer service.
20-25 minutes to White Sands National Monument.
Guide
04/14/22 James Canyon, Lincoln National Forest, NM
Thursday night/Friday morning.
I arrived a little after 5 am and found a couple campsites that had parking pads. One pad was already occupied by a single vehicle so I took the last open spot. A car full of young adults pulled up about five minutes later and they just set up their tent right in the overflow parking area. They were packing up when I woke up a few hours later and the car camper was long gone.
There was an additional tent site with an open cabin shelter next to the first two spots and five additional spots across a footbridge that goes over a creek bed. All of the spots have nice level areas for tents, and picnic tables and fire rings. None of the area had cell coverage, however an occasional text would get through. There are bear proof trash cans at the entrance, along with an outhouse at the far edge of the parking lot. With easy access right off the main road. It’s a “dispersed” camp so there’s no fee.
A scenic bluff behind the sites provides a great backdrop, with rolling hills across the street. While the view is great, the camp is right next to a fairly busy road so there was a lot of noise from traffic during the day. It was calm and quiet when I arrived, but that quickly changed once the sun came up. It also became very windy the day I camped so I ended up using the open cabin as a wind shelter, as I was the only camper left in the morning.
ScoutVery beautiful hidden away RV and Raised Primitive State Park full of marked and unmarked foliage and a nice museum reflecting on the surrounding area of New Mexico. Everything above standards with wonderful staff. Was there with a friend and had an outstanding experience.
Ranger
I camped here for two nights 20 August 2021. A very beautiful campground within about 6 miles out of Cloudcroft New Mexico. This is dispersed camping. Amenities include water, vault type toilets, picknic tables, fire rings, and a camp host. The camping fee is $25.00 per night. 12.50 per night with golden access card. Wildlife is abundant here wild mustangs are seen regularly elk and mule deer are abundant also. I will definitely camp here again in the future.
LegendI have seen mostly upper New Mexico and well when I found this area in comparison that or anything else near El Paso, I was more than a bit confused as to where I was. Yes, it is a forest, but still I wasn't ready for how forest-like and amazing it was.
Driving out you have no cell signal at all. The roads are winding and you see a lot of livestock, then out of no where deer, big deer and elk! It is like a different planet from everything else and the deeper into Cloudcroft you get the more and more it starts looking more like Colorado than anything you would assume would be New Mexico.
The campground is no different! Large shade trees standing tall above the site, the ground below looking like it was cut from a different cloth than anything from all the miles you travel in any direction from this location. The temperatures itself even is different, cooler by about 15 to 20 degrees.
The camp is small and while they have a posting for RVs I don't see how they could easily fit in the spaces I saw. There are minimal amenities such as drinking water and vault toilets but no dump stations or hook ups.
It was very quiet when we were there although there were other campers, the sounds of everything around seemed to muffle any noise they could be making.
TIPS:
Don't plan on contacting anyone, staying here is a truly unplug and unwind experience.
Explore some of the hiking in the area. Lincoln National Forest has nearly 50 trails so there is something for everyone from short day hikes to long treks for backcountry camping and hiking.
LegendIn direct contrast to the White Sands backcountry camping which offers absolutely zero thrills and access to luxuries, the White Sand KOA is a great place to stay for those wanting some of the comforts of home. Located about 10 minutes from White Sands this campground is in a great location for a run to the store, a meal at one of the great local restaurants or a trip to some of the other area attractions.
While visiting here I noticed there were plenty of options for RV campers, something lacking at the White Sands itself. But RV camping is not all created equal, and this one by far surpasses other area options. Sites were latge enough even for the largest of rigs but also offered smaller sites for someone traveling a bit lighter like myself.
Tent row seemed to be a very popular options and while the sites here were a bit closer together there was still plenty of room to move around.
The hosts were extremely friendly and welcoming. The restrooms were private and very well throught creating a feeling of being at home while on the road. There was even a small store located on property with goodies and merchandise to commemorate your trip to the area.
This place really has the family in mind with a pool, playground and game room which will leave a smile on the faces of even the smallest guests.
Tips:
Guide
If you do one thing in New Mexico--and it would be a shame if you only did one thing, but I digress--full moon camping at White Sands National Monument might be it. As the sun sets on the Sacramento Mountains, the valley is lit orange and red as the dunes fade from white through amazing hues of tan. The full moon then lights the sand bright white and the Organ Mountains to the west loom as black teeth in the west. Sunrise repeats the process.
Camping at White Sands takes a small amount of planning, but is well worth it. You must claim a spot the of your arrival and pay a small fee. This is done at the visitor's center which has a great museum. My advise is to get there early to get a spot then head up to Cloudcroft to the east for a cooler hike in the pines then return an hour or two before sunset.
Once at the trailhead, the camp sites are 1/4 to 1/2 mile of hiking away. This is sand hiking, so plan on a slower pace. The trail is a lollipop marked by posts every couple hundred yards with camp sites in the valleys between camp sites. No campfires are allowed, and you must camp by the post with your campsite number. You must bring all of your water (plan on at least one gallon per person per day) and pack out all of your waste. The trailhead has dumpsters and pit toilets.
Bring a camera and tripod for amazing moon shots and a decent bag because it can get cold at night.
RangerCampground Review:
Oliver Lee is an amazing place to stay in southern New Mexico. This park is located about 20 minutes south of Alamogordo and a half hour drive to White Sands National Monument. We spent two nights here and were blown away with the desert views that surround the site. They have both developed sites with access to electricity and water as well as some undeveloped sites. We went in the middle of June during a heat wave that was hitting the southwest United States, but was really able to enjoy the park and surrounding hiking during the morning and afternoons.
I was actually pretty surprised at the amount of other campers that were there, and available amenities. When I was beginning to look at camping here I thought it would be a pretty primitive site, but was blow away at the available bathrooms, showers, and hook ups. While we were here they were replacing much of the water hook ups in the park, which meant the water was shut off during most of the day, but really increased the availability of the water.
If we are ever back in southern NM we will definitely be sure to swing by and stay for a night.
Click here to see the video review!
Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I occasionally get products to test, and on this trip i was able to test the Klymit Insulated Static V Luxe sleeping pad.
I was excited to be able to test out this pad primarily for its claim of being comfortable for side sleepers.
With other pads that I've tried in the past I always run into the problem of whenever I try to sleep on my side I get spots what are always in contact with the ground and will eventually begin to hurt.
Not with this pad. Except for the times when I was changing my sleeping position, I never felt the ground.
I am truly in love with this pad! So far I've only been able to use pad in warm climates, so I can't attest to its insulative properties, but I can't wait to take it out this winter!
Click here to see an extended video review!
Camping with the GO: DAY 1
During our road trip around the US, I was able to try out the GO camper from SylvanSport. This was the first night we stayed in the GO and were blown away. Our first impression of this camper is SPACIOUS!! There is so much room in this camper, it's almost unfair. Definitely, loved our first night!
Scout
When I went I was one of two tent campers. The site were right beside a beautiful stream. It was quite and very relaxed there. Will definitely go back again.
GuideStayed here last month and loved it so much we had to come back! Camp hosts Bob and Donna are helpful and welcoming - they have lots of sleds to borrow if you want to take a trip to the dunes for some fun. No sewer at the site but dump station is easy to access. Good shower facilities. Site #41 is our absolute favorite - huge, 2 level site with lots of room for our son to play. Nice cement table, fire pit and gravel tent pad as well. Nestled next to the mountains but full sun during the day which is great for us since we have solar panels and no electric at the site. Some walk in sites available if you don’t have a reservation - first come, first served. Always see a combination of campers, rvs, tents and vans. Peaceful with gorgeous views.
Scout
Beautiful area near town. Site is quiet (minus the host's generator) and there is a nice, short trail surrounding the site. Clean toilets, fire wood available for sale by host, and plenty of flat, soft areas for tents. Really enjoyed our stay!
GuideThis a small campground with only 6 sites. The pit toilets were clean. The site stayed at had a fire ring/grill, picnic table and a tent pad. One of the sites had an Adirondack shelter. This site is close to US 82 which means road noise but I ignored it after 20 minutes.
GuideBig sites, had a tiny camper and tent. Plenty of room. Table and fire pit. Beautiful views! Showers, trails and a visitor center. Less than 30 min from white sands and Alamogordo. PRO-TIP go to Nenas ice cream and snack shop on Alamogordo and order mango creama with a scoop of ice cream. SUPER FRESH ingredients. Also Amigos Bakery has amazing baked goods and burritos.
Nestled in the scenic landscapes of New Mexico, Timberon offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to nature lovers seeking tranquility and adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Timberon, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Timberon, NM is Backcountry Primitive Sites — White Sands National Park with a 4.7-star rating from 23 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Timberon, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 tent camping locations near Timberon, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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