Best Equestrian Camping near Whites City, NM

This place is REMOTE! Like 1.5 hours away from any gas station remote. First and foremost make sure you fill up before you get off that highway. Whites City by Carlsbad is not to far. If youre coming that direction fill up before you go out there.

This campground does not have a lot of amenities. It has trash cans, a toilet, and some drinking fountains.. and the rest is nature. I really liked this place.

Dog Canyon is one of those places where the pictures just wont do it justice. Its big, youre little.

We spent 5 days @25$ a day

BATHROOOM SCORE: 3/5 # LEAKING TOILETS, LOW ON TOILET PAPER

STARLINK SCORE: 5/5

SOLAR SCORE:5/5

REMOTE WORKERS SCORE: 4/5

PS: the guys with the big trailers were not happy with the site... they are a little tight

When looking for a campground close to Carlsbad Caverns, the most recommended for proximity happens to be that of White's City RV and Campground also known as Carlsbad Campground. Only a short 7 miles from the visitors center and only a few hundred yards from the main entrance, the campsite offers over 200 camping zones for those coming to the area.

We arrived late afternoon to the site and noticed a large quantity of rv campers but very few tents on premise. In fact only a single tent camper was on site at the time of arrival. 

We searched for the check in and were a bit baffled as to where to stop as no clear registration was marked. Instead we stopped and asked someone on site in the RV area and they were very welcoming and informative.

For those camping, arrival check ins are at the local gift shop about a block away, the sleepy town closes by 6 p.m. however so if you arrive past this time you are forwarded to a local hotel for check in. 

After overcoming the confusion we were finally able to start unpacking. Due to it being early in season, we were able to pick our campsite and settle in without any issues.

Campsites are all equipped with a picnic table and fire ring area and a light shade cover. Water hook ups are on hand and the camp keeps a camping hose accessible to all for extinguishing camp fires at night.

We noticed upon our arrival and throughout the evening a plethora of native Bunnies grazing which made for a pleasant atmosphere of bringing nature to our camp.

The camping facilities were grassy and softer than many other sites we had visited along our journey. A nice shade tree made for a great block to the early morning rays. 

Our only areas which we noticed could be improved were in the bathrooms as we noted a lack of recent maintenance and lights needing to be changed to improve brightness in the mirror and sink area. Also the showers were a bit of a question mark for us as they closely resembled indoor beach showers and had no doors. 

During our stay we were the only ones using the facilities so we had plenty of privacy, however during busy season this shower could pose an issue for campers. We recommend the buddy system during busy season here so someone can either hold a towel for a make shift door or be a look out for additional guests coming in.

🐰🐰🐰⚪️⚪️

Overall this campground gets 3 of 5 Bunnies, in major part because of the bathroom facilities. However we do also have to consider the confusion with check in. We suggest doing a call reservation with payment to avoid having to check multiple facilities just to check in!

Let's start with the fact that there are few actually camping areas close to Carlsbad Caverns or Guadalupe National Park. Assuming travelers are coming to Carlsbad to see these great places, the location becomes a major player. Fine print: there is a small campground (absolutely no amenity campground) in Guadalupe National Park which is first-come, first-serve (aka: full), and there a campground in White's City--although having driven past it, I don't think I want to stay there.

Carlsbad RV Park is primarily an RV Park. In fact, while we were there, they were bulldozing their only tent sites and I'm not sure if they are upgrading them or replacing them with more RV sites. So the "tent" site status is tentative. As with most RV Parks, the RVs are crammed in, side by side, and really the place is like an RV parking lot with amenities and hook-ups--but they do appear to be mostly pull through and the staff will show the way to go to pull through without hiccups. These are not spacious by any means. We stayed in one of two cabins, which were very reasonably priced, esp. when comparing to Carlsbad KOA. They even came with a cable and a fridge.

The RV Park (like all of the RV Parks in Carlsbad) has overall become a residence for the oil field workers, so be prepared to try and sleep through the 4 a.m. traffic rush out of camp to oil field. However, the neighbors are pleasant and quiet to have, even if they must drive away before the roosters announce the coming of the sun.

The park has gated access and we felt very safe during our stay. There is a playground that was being bulldozed with the tent site; I am unsure if it is being upgraded or eliminated. There is a camp store, a pool, a game room, showers (which were ok), laundry, a dishwashing sink, picnic tables at the cabins, and universal fire pit. Please note that I am inherently biased against parking lot style RV parks--so 2 stars from me for an RV Park is quite a compliment.

Carlsbad RV Park and Carlsbad KOA direct comparison: we have stayed at both the Carlsbad KOA and the Carlsbad RV Park. The KOA is NOT actually in Carlsbad, and is over an hour away from Carlsbad Caverns and 30 minutes from town. On the other hand, the RV Park is at the southern end of town and only 30 minutes to the Caverns. While the KOA lots are more spacious, they offer no more and no fewer amenities than the RV Park…well the KOA sort-of offers meals but the RV Park is right in town, so delivery is an option. The basic, no frill KOA cabins cost double the RV Park charges. Additionally, the KOA staff was not as friendly or as helpful as the RV Park staff, imho.

While in Carlsbad check out Fiesta Drive-In for one of America's few remaining drive-in movie theaters.

Dog Canyon RV area: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 3.5 Price 2024: $ 10 winteragency pass Security: No Usage during visit: 50 to 100%, however there are more no shows than usually experienced elsewhere. Site Privacy: No Site Spacing: Close Pad surface: Gravel Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Quiet Outside Road Noise: This campground is the end of the road. Through Traffic in campground: Hiker parking area across from the RV sites Electric Hookup: No Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: No Potable Water Available: Yes. I didn’t notice the hand pump to the left of the trailhead the first couple days here. Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Flush toilets are a short walk, located in the tent camping area. There is also a heated bathroom at the visitor center which is a short distance further.
Showers: No Pull Throughs: All 4 sites are back in Cell Service (AT&T): No bars. There is WiFi at the visitor center. We were able to periodically pick up WiFi at our campsite, RV- D. Setting: Surrounded by ridges. Recent Weather: Very windy and cold nights.
Solar: Excellent.
Insects: None Host: Not filled.
Rig Size: i cannot imagine that these sites will accommodate rigs over 25’. Sites: RV-A, and RV-D are on the ends. These are the best sites. RV-A door faces horse trailer parking area. No horse there trailers during our stay. RV- D is the best site if you can park your RV nose first. This makes sitting area more private . In RV- D and RV-A sites the occupant can spread out more.

General: small campground (four “RV” sites and nine tent sites (plus one group tent site). Access is remote (only one 60-mile paved option and one 30-mile dirt road alternative) so you need to make sure you have filled up with gas in Carlsbad as there are no services within many miles of the campground. No cell reception at all (not unexpected). Be aware that the park is on mountain time but close enough to the central time zone border that your smartphone/watch may not display the correct time!

Site Quality: The “RV” sites are just a gravel parking lot. Each site has a picnic table and while the sites are spaced a decent amount of distance apart, there is no physical separation between the sites. No hookups. The tent sites are walk-in. 

Bathhouse: We were expecting a pit toilet in such a remote location but there is one men’s and one women’s bathroom with a flush toilet and sink. They were very clean. Soap dispensers but no paper towels. Although there was no hot water, the restrooms were heated, which was a nice bonus. 

Activities: There is a .6-mile nature trail and several more challenging hiking trails. There was a horse corral behind the RV sites, but we did not see any horses while there. About 25 miles away is Sitting Bull Falls, a spring-fed waterfall that is a nice side trip. 

We camped here because we were not able to get reservations in the other more popular campground in Guadalupe Mountains NP. Access between the two sides of the park is long (about 60 miles) so while this was a nice, comfortable campground, it is not easy to get to.

We’ve stayed here twice now in the past year, and both times the service and the sites were great. There aren’t a whole lot of other options close to the Caverns - there’s a fairly new KOA and a state park campground, but they are very far to the north, almost another 45 min drive, so if you’re planning a visit to the caverns this place is a great bet. Appreciated the carded gate access after hours for added security.

The service here is next to none! The space is great, convenient to restaurants and a brewery, and the water pressure was fantastic!

Wanted to like this place because the staff was super accomodating and nice and they have some grass sites, but I am not sure how this place gets such good ratings. 

This place is way overpriced for the amenities which need serious updating.

- You get bamboozled by the clean check-in, store& laundry which are inviting and then you see the rest of the place.

- Their"sparkling clean" showers/restrooms were so gross and trough style so you would be showering in someone else's grime even with flip flops.

- The cable was spotty and kept going in and out from clear to pixelated most of the time.

- Couldn't play horseshoes because they were missing 2 horseshoes.

- Couldn't play cornhole because they were missing a beanbag.

- The laundry room was super clean, but it was$7($3.50 each) to do a load.

- The pool was very outdated& super loud if any kids were in it(it echoes because it is indoors and you can't hold a conversation).

- The pool is cold even though they say it is heated. It is okay to put your feet and legs in for a quick cool off, but you can't swim in it long. They set it at 80 degrees and there is no sun to counteract the cold because it is indoors. The proper temperature for elderly and children is from 84 to 94 degrees. 80 Degrees is for competition swimmers to keep them chilled and stimulated. I wonder if the managers have ever swam in the pool to see how cold it really is. 

The pool was the only reason we booked this park so we wasted 3 nights here and paid almost$55 a night for a parking spot. The staff, grass sites, the trees gives this the extra star otherwise it would be a one star based on the pool& amenities. 

Overall, we would not recommend this place if you want to use the facilities. If you are just passing through and need a spot for a night I would not recommend it either because it is so overpriced(there is BLM land all around the caverns for an overnighter).

Ok so this is an older rv park. It’s a little rough around the edges but they are remodeling the bathrooms, and the laundry room is great. The employees are as nice as can be!

This worked out great for a visit to Carlsbad Caverns which were phenomenal .

Well run RV park. Everything is maintained well. There is a little traffic noise, but not bothersome. They have laundry, clean bathrooms, books and videos to borrow. When we asked for restaurant recommendations, they had a whole list ready!

This was a really large campground - there was hundreds of campers. It actually looked like an old KOA. We choose it for proximity to Carlsbad Caverns.

Level, gravel lots with picnic tables. There was a decent amount of trees. I only saw one dog area but I think there is more. The dumpsters were located all over in enclosures.

The laundry room was pretty spacious and had some recreational options, but the bathroom, which was fairly new looking, seemed small for the size of the campground. I didn’t see any playground - we did peek into the pool building and it looked kind of sketch.

I appreciated the ease of the late check-in and how we could use showers and laundry at any time by using a key card. I didn’t love the registration system (form email), but in the end, it worked just fine.

I don’t get the sense that there are destination campgrounds in Carlsbad so I think this is a pretty good option.