Best Tent Camping near Tucumcari, NM

As we drove around the first more populated side of the lake the tent sites were not what we were looking for, good sites close to the water but the view was blocked by the trees. As we looked around we noticed there was South side so we decided to check it out. Wow!! The tent campsites were more secluded and the view of lake was gorgeous. They have electric hook ups, developed w/o electric. There are several little loops to check out with a vault bathroom close by.

While I usually am pretty sad when I find a site which does not welcome tents, this spot was actually quite nice to check out and I feel had I been able to enjoy it a bit more I could have rated it higher. So why a 3?

I always keep my eye out as a travel blogger for sites which might interest my fellow traveler or followers and I have a lot of questions about equestrian camps because people like to travel for rides and such. I also am constantly asked about RV sites which are large enough for big rigs to easily navigate around instead of being crushed.

This place fits both of those needs really well!

Visually, it isn't much I must say on the outside, mostly because there isn't a ton of vegetation, but it is kind of in the desert so that can't really be held against them. It is the perfect destination for a good trail ride, which is actually what this place is designed to do.

So what does set it apart for someone like myself though who isn't interested in trail rides? The clubhouse!! It is visually probably one of the best clubhouses I have found. Bright bold colors, a pool table, fun paintings and a staff which is so friendly.

Then did I mention it is part of a Wildlife Refuge area? Yep, so if you are like me and LOVE to see nature at its finest this place checks off a lot of boxes. If only it could check off the tent site box it probably would have been the perfect blend of nature an nearby Route 66 to me.

TIPS:

• Check out their working camper program it is pretty cool, the camp host was telling me just a little about it and it was very appealing.

• Sure if you are there for the trails, Route 66 might seem an after thought but there are some really amazing preserved spots just in town that you will love if you like a bit of history.

We stayed here primarily because it was on our route to Northern New Mexico and Colorado. It was exactly as we expected and we enjoyed an overnight here in June. Fortunately we had electric power for AC and were comfortable. Enjoyed some short hikes right from our campsite. Very isolated location between Tucumcari and Las Vegas, New Mexico, but that was our intended route. Marginal highway, but almost no traffic.

This is a great place to hang out on the weekend in Eastern New Mexico. The water is great and it's pretty clean lake. When the wind kicks up it can get pretty rough but overall nice. The grounds are well taken care of as well. I would recommend staying on the South side of the lake if you like it quiet, you can also find more "trees". Try to keep your elevation low because the wind always blows in New Mexico.

Good overnight stop! It was a quiet rv park with clean bathrooms and hot showers. The staff was super friendly at check in and if you like the little touches they offer free coffee and tea! I always think that's nice.

Flat spot, cell reception, right by a gas station and a neat place to explore route 66. Highly recommend La Cita, for New Mexico Mexican food. Very good, friendly staff and also the coffee house is ran by the nicest husband and wife couple with incredible baked goods!!

Traveling the old familiar Route 66 time and time again I have found so many stops to enjoy. I try to make it a point to check out new places each time I pass to get a full perspective of what this strip of highway has to offer. Not always will you be able to stay in a classic roadside stop, but when you can get within throwing distance of one you have to jump on the opportunity.

The grass here is semi green the spaces are large enough to not be on top of your neighbor and the staff is friendly. I like that they have a grassy tent area with the signature KOA feel in the picnic structures and while you are in a semi desolate looking space, you feel that the area has a sense of community with a lot of retro trailers and rvs passing though on the same mission as you.

This seems to be an older KOA so some of the amenities, while nice are not as up to date as other campgrounds. I noticed this mostly in the playground, and while I am perfectly happy with the see-saws and older swing sets which remind me of my own childhood, I am sure to newer parents used to all things plastic and padded this is a nightmare waiting to happen.

The pool is not large but perfectly sized for a small group and is gated to protect it from being used by just anyone at the camp during any non-specific type of hour. It is, like at many KOA camps, seasonal so if you are wanting to take a dip, might call in advance to make sure you aren't there when it isn't open. The one thing that was a little strange to me was the height of the fence, a little tall and made me think they ave had issues with fence jumping previously, then again maybe it is just an extra precaution for insurance.

Nights here are pretty quiet and if you can get past the appearance of chainlink surrounding the property you have an amazing New Mexico sunset only a short distance from the old Neons of Route 66.

The sites themselves for tents come in 3 basic types, standard grassy sites with no improvements, pull thru sites with water and electric and group sites known as the tent village. The prices vary depending on type of site and location and for tent village I will recommend booking well in advance online because I tried on three different sets of dates and it always said NOT AVAILABLE. Average cost of camp however is between $28 and $35 before tax.

TIPS:

• Opt for a site further from the road because traffic can be a bit loud along the road side of this campground.
• Checkout is at 11 a.m. make sure you are aware of this because otherwise you are subject to an additional days charge at any KOA camp.

We spent two nights and it only cost us $16. We were parked right on the lake, and being right after a holiday the lake was pretty much empty. They have several different campsites, with a website that makes it easy to reserve a spot. However, we called to ask, and ranger let us know we could come for first come first serve. They have signs that make finding your way around easy, also having stations that you can pay(cash only) for your campsite. The rangers were sweet and helpful as well as having a host, who was there all night in case of an emergencies. The restrooms/showers were clean and it looked to be recently remodeled. Also they had ramps going into the water for boats and a dock for fishing. Something else we learned about New Mexico, not being from here, April-May is a rainy and windy season. So be sure to check the weather before heading out

This is a full service RV park located right off historic Route 66 just outside of Tucumcari's main commercial area. Lots of well-maintained full-service slots. Smooth gravel drive and slots for easy in and out, even with a bigger rig. Plenty of amenities, including a really nice FREE high speed internet connection. We learned our lesson staying at a KOA in Kansas that not all WiFi is created equal. The network here is ample for streaming videos or video conferencing. Could bog down with a lot of users but the park was only 1/3 full when we stayed. Nice sunset views from our slot. Super friendly staff took us straight to our slot and even offered to get us hooked up to all of the utilities.

We stayed for an overnight on the way to Arizona. Check in was very easy and well organized. There is a store and they will also bring breakfast to your site which is a great added feature. If you get a site at the very back of the park, like we did, you have an unobstructed view, of Tucumcari Mountain which was very nice to watch the sunset. Clean bathrooms, quiet aside from the interstate noise. Con - was a little pricey for the area and I’ve seen people complain it’s a little harder to get to then some of the other parks, but it was really a simple turnaround. It is on the east side of town so you reached the park before you reach anything in town but you can get DoorDash there if you want dinner delivered. Would stay again.

This campground (CG) was easy to find and enter. Check in was a simple process. However, the person checking us in was rude, lectured on rules versus simply telling us, and charged us $2 for being 50 minutes early. Our bad on being early as we didn’t realize the time change to Mountain time was so soon traveling West and even mentioned this to the man checking us in. We were then escorted to FHU pull through site 42. We were again sternly warned that their water pressure is around 90 psi and had to use our pressure regulator directly on their faucet. They also have them in the office if you don't have one, probably charge a fee/deposit, but not sure since we didn't need to use theirs. Our neighbors in 41 arrived soon after us and were checked in and escorted by another person. They were also charged $2 and that person was also rude so, at least they’re consistent. If you look at the rules on their website, the number one rule is, there is a fee for arriving early. Utilities were placed in the center of pad so that was nice. Sites are very close together. WiFi was spotty but we got quite a few OTA channels. We got 4 bars on Verizon. There are horse stables, showers, and laundry here but not much else concerning amenities, which was fine as we were just here overnight. There’s a small fenced dog area and we were told dogs must be on a 6’ leash but their rules brochure states 10’? There are no decent areas to walk your dog. Essentially, the CG is a large gravel parking lot with long termers and plenty of transient sites. We were here on a Wednesday to Thursday and as the afternoon and evening progressed, they packed in the overnighters. We toured Tucumcari and saw a few neat murals but this little Route 66 town has seen better days. Based on how we and other campers were treated plus other options in the area, we will not stay here again.

I stayed at the North Campground in the park and it was great. The bath house was recently renovated and very clean. The only downside to the park was that the tent pads we rock and gravel making it very difficult to stake a tent. Each site had a covered picnic table and a charcoal grill. There was easy access to drinking water and there was an access road to the lake close by.

Small dog run. Playground could use an update. Good water pressure. Level sites. Spread out decently. Gravel/dirt roads through site. Plenty of picnic tables. Constant strong hog/cattle farm smell untold winds turned.

The sites are nice for this kind of place. A little bit pricey but I wanted electricity to run my AC in my Tiger Moth. The staff is very friendly and gave me a cookie at check in. The bathroom is OK but two of the three men’s toilets were out of order. One sink was not working either. Good place to stop for an overnight.