Jacks Creek Horse Camp in the Carson National Forest accommodates equestrians with primitive camping surrounded by ponderosa pines at 8,900 feet elevation. The campground features vault toilets and trash collection, with several sites suitable for both tent camping and smaller horse trailers. Trails from the campground connect directly to the Pecos Wilderness trail system, allowing riders immediate access to extensive backcountry routes. Cows occasionally roam through the area, requiring campers to be vigilant with food storage. The campground operates seasonally, typically closing during winter months when snowfall makes access difficult.
Borrego Mesa Campground, located about 15 minutes from the highway, offers another option for horse campers with small horse pens at several sites, though visitors need to create their own gates. The Rio Mario Trail trailhead sits nearby, providing direct riding access into the surrounding forest. Sites accommodate tents and small trailers but are not suitable for large living-quarter horse trailers. The dirt roads leading to both campgrounds are generally passable for most vehicles, with 4x4 not required during dry conditions. Water is not available at either location, so equestrians must bring adequate supplies for themselves and their horses. Campgrounds fill quickly during summer weekends and holidays, with weekdays offering more solitude and site availability for riders planning extended stays.
"There is a trail head with 2 trails, one atv accessible and one hiking/horse that goes up to Indian Lake. Beautiful views and about 1200' elevation change."
"Tent camped at this location in the middle of September (a week before closing). Very beautiful place to watch the leaves change, trailheads close by and picnic tables at each site."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $30 - $175 / night
"Stay at Santa Barbara Campground in Northern New Mexico. Was a beautiful spot. Road to Campground was well taken care of Beautiful trails throughout area"
"The trails are absolutely wonderful and well worth taking a few hours to walk part of them. Hard core hikers will use the campground as a starting point for a lengthy hikes."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $30 - $80 / night
"About a 15min drive from the highway. Only 5 or 6 sites. Close to the Rio Mario Trail trailhead. Campsite is at elevation over 8,000ft so it can get chilly at night. Worked great for tent camping."
"Campground is a little off the beaten path, about 30m from the High Drive highway. Dirt roads were nothing to worry about, should be fine for any SUV or sedan."
"During rainy seasons, ruts form with deep mud on some spots driving up."
"It's a nice little place tucked away in the woods. The road to get there is a bit rough, hence the title. By no means, Not a road for a large trailer or 5th wheel. Wild life everywhere.."
"The sites on the outside of the loops are decently wooded, smaller and not well suited to RVs. The sites on the inside of the loops have longer, RV sized pull in and little trees."
"Great overnight spot to use as a "home base" with lots of trail access. Multiple units of corrals and plenty of parking and turnaround space for large trailers."
"Beautiful drive out, creeks on both sides. Nestled deep in the Pecos Wilderness. Camping overlooks the mountains. Beatty’s trail head is nearby. Made a fire and had electric to charge my phone"
from $100 / night
"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."
"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."
"Bring your own water, their "well is broken" as of Oct. 2026, so if you run out you're looking at a 20 mile drive round trip to buy a couple gallons at the local grocery store."
"Beautiful location in a place I wasn’t expecting it to be sooo green! Very relaxing and remote as there is zero service. It was perfect & exactly what we were looking for."
"There is a walking trail at the back of the campground to get to Surree Ponds."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $22 - $40 / night
"This is the first campground I’ve found in New Mexico where I felt like I was camping in Colorado, it was so green and beautiful!"
"The park is HUGE and just so beautiful. 10,000 acres of aspens and ponderosa pines only one hour away from the town of Taos."
from $30 / night
TravelerAll the campgrounds in the wild rivers area are very well maintained, the sites have sturdy pavilions, picnic tables and grills. Sites are nicely spaced and some have amazing canyon views. Vault-style toilets that are kept clean and stocked. Bring your own water, their "well is broken" as of Oct. 2026, so if you run out you're looking at a 20 mile drive round trip to buy a couple gallons at the local grocery store.
TravelerThe campground is situated in a beautiful setting and area right at Ghost Ranch. Campground has sites that are gravel and not very level, as others have noted, making it a bit of a challenge (site 16 in particular). Also note that some electric hookups are 20A only, not 30A. Full hookups at front of campground; tent only at rear. Showers were great and heated; laundry and bathrooms clean. Host and staff friendly. Lots of great hiking trails within walking distance of the campground. 2 small museums worth visiting. We paid $50 for electric hookup. Meal plan is now $50.
LegendSome good hikes, corral (horseback rides), museum, pack in pack out, & bring your own water (drought conditions; there is water available but don't rely on their water if for no other reason to support their conservation of it--don't recall any water hookups). Friendly staff. Did not avail ourselves of meal plan. Beautiful night skies. Still in mid to upper 90s in September (hot in afternoon). Beware that winds can gust suddenly & hard, including strong dust devils (a devil came through & tore up some tents & sunshades including mangling aluminum frames of some shades).
ScoutThe view is great. But nothing is level. Lots of trash. OHV's driving everywhere. This is a big OHV area. We were in a campervan. Never could get it level. Not real private. 2 Stars for the view only. We won't be back.
GuideReally enjoyed this campground. Most of the sites are FCFS and the host comes to you for payment.
The pit toilets were very clean, no flies or anything gross. The road is a bit rough but nothing to unusual for a campground up here.
The scenery is absolutely gorgeous with plenty of aspens amounts the pines.
I will definitely visit again.
LegendLet me start by saying I love that this place was once inhabited by the phenomenal artist Georgia O'Keeffe and there are some cool things to do on the ranch.... But....
This was one of the worst campgrounds I've ever stayed in. The sites are uneven, the campground layout makes no sense, the hook-ups are on the wrong side and some of the sites just piled up on each other.
I booked two nights hoping for a nice experience at the Ranch, but was sorely disappointed. I did enjoy walking the labrynith and seeing the library. I didn't have time for a workshop or guided tour.
The camp host was super nice. There were showers. The laundry left my clothes with a weird chemical smell. Would not recommend camping here, but definitely visit the ranch, especially if you are a Georgia O'Keeffe fan.
TravelerThis is what we wanted to find with dispersed camping! Beautiful view! A couple of neighbors but never heard them. Not the easiest piece of ground to get the trailer leveled but we made it work. Very pleased with our 3 nights there.
TravelerIt is now up to $40. $20 bucks for the night and then $20 for the day pass. It is well maintained. The spots are hit or miss. There's some spots close to each other and some dispersed.
ScoutBased on the reviews I thought this place would be a cool oasis up in the trees. Alas, it's not. There's a loop with 14 total sites. Unfortunately, at least half the sites in the inner ring are unusable because of road runoff making it tough to get to them, and we have a Toyota Tacoma. As a result, they do not get used and are, therefore, overgrown with New Mexico ground cover, which is not comparable to soft grass. That immediately bumps it down to about 10 sites. When we arrived, there was one site available that we could access. It was behind the main trailhead parking area and completely shaded. All in all, not bad, just not our ideal choice since it's right there close to any and all foot traffic. Luckily, as we walked the rest of the loop to see if there was anything else, a couple was just finishing packing up so we were able to snag their spot (#13), which we felt was the best one. Score!
Now, let's talk the road to get there. Absolutely do not try to take a camper of any size to this campground unless it's a legit overland type tear or squaredrop, ideally with an articulating hitch. People are not kidding when they say that's not a good idea. We had our Tacoma in 4L and I'm honestly not sure how some 2WD vehicles make it. There are many spots where the incline is pretty good, a number of deep crevices as a result of water runoff, many sections that are absolutely one lane only, and at least 6 spots where there was a small pond of standing water to drive through. Were any of the ponds show stoppers, no, but the water in one dip came up past the bottom of our doors. All in all, the road is no joke. Yes, I get this is a forest road, but the road snakes through multiple pieces of residential property (albeit they are probably summer homes but we saw people at almost every house when we drove past), and there's a hiking trailhead at the campground, so I expected it to be not THAT bad. In my book, it's not officially 'offroading' but it's worse than other forest service roads we've been on. Oh, and the couple residents we passed driving in their vehicles (you can tell by looking at them they are not campers or hikers) made it abundantly clear they weren't happy with us being on their road. All in all, nice campground with great trailheads but there are too many other beautiful places to hike and camp in NM for us to want to go back.
Equestrian camping near Vadito, New Mexico offers access to extensive wilderness trail systems through the Carson National Forest. The region sits at elevations ranging from 8,000-9,000 feet, with summer temperatures typically reaching the 70s during day and dropping to the 50s at night. During peak summer weekends, many campgrounds fill quickly with both day hikers and backpackers using the areas as entry points to the Pecos Wilderness.
Fishing access: The Agua Piedra Campground offers stream fishing directly from camp. "There is a trail head with 2 trails, one atv accessible and one hiking/horse that goes up to Indian Lake. Beautiful views and about 1200' elevation change... River runs along the camp for fishing, and they were catching fish."
High mountain hikes: Multiple trailheads from camps lead to scenic lakes. "The hiking was AMAZING. Views AMAZING.... This campground is the entry point to the NORTHERN end of Pecos wilderness with access to amazing backpacking, high mountain peaks, and literally dozens of groups of backpackers daily going up the trail."
Stargazing: Clear mountain skies provide exceptional night viewing opportunities. "At night, when everyone is settling, with a clear sky, you get an amazing view of the stars. The only downside is that you can kind of hear the road traffic in the morning. Not too bad but it's noticeable."
Streamside camping: Many sites feature proximity to running water. "We stayed at this site on the way back to Texas from our Colorado trip this summer. This is a great National Forest Campground south of Taos in the Carson Forest. The campground is just off the highway and situated in a beautiful mountain pine forest and next to a great trout stream."
Trail accessibility: Santa Barbara Campground allows immediate wilderness access. "The trails are absolutely wonderful and well worth taking a few hours to walk part of them. Hard core hikers will use the campground as a starting point for a lengthy hikes. There were a few cows that got into the camping area. There can also be horses on the trails so be vigilant."
Quiet weekday options: Midweek visits offer more solitude. "Quiet weekdays. Busy weekends. Vault toilets pretty decent. Site quality varies but most look pretty level. Most have some shade. Sites are gravel and well spaced. Santa Barbara river runs right by and can really flow fast in the spring (watch your kids!)."
Water requirements: Rio Costilla Park and many campgrounds lack potable water. "Water onsite is listed as potable but smells and tastes so strongly of sulphur that it cannot be tolerated for drinking or cooking. Make sure to haul in water."
Road conditions: Some campgrounds require careful driving. "The road to get there is a bit rough, hence the title. By no means, Not a road for a large trailer or 5th wheel. Wild life everywhere."
Cattle presence: Free-range cattle frequent many camping areas. "Everyone, this is a beautiful site with Lots of trees. The camp ground is nestled up in the mountains several miles from town. The stream is nice and comforting and the camp host was very informative and helpful. HOWEVER, there are herds of cows that roam the campground. They defecate EVERYWHERE!!!"
Fishing with children: Cimarron Campground offers dedicated youth fishing opportunities. "There's a nice easy/moderate half mile hike down to the Shuree Ponds which were stocked with trout... The smaller was reserved for kids's fishing. Both are classied as 'Green Chile' waters so only flies or artificial lures with a single, barbless hook are allowed. 2 fish limit."
Stream safety: Monitor children near fast-moving water. "Santa Barbara river runs right by and can really flow fast in the spring (watch your kids!)."
Trail difficulty: Consider age-appropriate hiking options. "There is a trail head with 2 trails, one atv accessible and one hiking/horse that goes up to Indian Lake. Beautiful views and about 1200' elevation change."
Smaller trailers recommended: Iron Gate Campground accommodates modest camping vehicles only. "Site isn't easy to get to for low clearance vehicles. During rainy seasons, ruts form with deep mud on some spots driving up. Once at site, there are about 14 spaces, reasonably spaced apart in some areas... Tent camping and popups/small campers are fine. No room for RV's and larger travel trailers."
Site selection strategy: Choose outer loop sites when possible. "We arrived early on a Tuesday and snagged a tree heavy site on the upper loop. The sites on the outside of the loops are decently wooded, smaller and not well suited to RVs. The sites on the inside of the loops have longer, RV sized pull in and little trees."
Water fill locations: Bring containers for water transport. "Sign on the water spigot said not to connect a hose though so filling your rv or trailer is not what they were intended for. I guess it was good that I filled before I left home."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Vadito, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Vadito, NM is Agua Piedra Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 11 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Vadito, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 14 equestrian camping locations near Vadito, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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