Tolby Campground — Cimarron Canyon State Park

We traveling through Northern New Mexico on our way back to Austin.  The campsite was a bit of a disappointment after so many get camps in Colorado.   Cimarron Canyon is still recovering from a major wildfire with large sections of the pine forest destroyed.  As you travel up the canyon the damage is less so in the State Park.  The highlight here is the trout stream that runs through the camp.  We stayed at Tolby Campground.  The park headquarters and park rangers are based here.  So it’s resource for those looking to information or assistance.   The campsite has a nice day use area with lots of parking excellent restrooms with for ADA.  The camp host was very personable and welcomed each of the guests as they came in throughout the day.  You had a mix of families and retirees at the camp enjoying the summer retreat.  They firewood for sale as well.  Our big grip was the lack of privacy and the size of the sites and campground itself.  The sites are right next too each other and many of the huge 5th wheel RVs were running generators all day and night while others were lighting fires in the rain and smoking out the campground.  It’s only $10 per night to camp here.  So it may be an option for those looking to do some fishing and perhaps visiting in the week when the site isn’t completely full.  The road is also very close and trucks can be heard all day long.  I  can’t recommend this place based on our experience, the condition of the sites,and the location. 

Disappointed 

I grew up going to this campsite almost every summer, so this review may be a little biased.  The campsites are great, specially for tent camping.  There are some big spots for RVs but those get pulled quickly.  The campsites are a little close together, but I have never had any problems.  The facilities are nice enough as well.

This campsite sits on the edge of a road next to two little ponds that are great for trout fishing.  The river runs next to the ponds and you can find a few fish there too.  I like to walk up and down the river to find some good spots that are a little quieter.  The ponds fill up with quite a few people now.  

You will need to bring everything you need. There are not any stores really close by, you will have to go to Cimarron ot Eagle Nest to stock on supplies if you are missing anything and they can be 30 minutes away.  There are also no big box stores in these towns so things close down early. 


Amazing!

We camped next to the retention ponds. There was plenty of peace and quiet. We were the only campers in the campground due to it being November. There was plenty of fire wood to gather. I don’t trout fish but there was tons of fish in the stream. Great hiking best of all it was relaxing. The ranger would come through every morning and make sure we were ok. They were some great people and very informative.

Very well maintained campground.  

Cimarron Canyon State Park has numerous campgrounds along the way through the park. They all look fairly well maintained all either had vault toilets or restrooms (none had showers that I know of). We stayed at the Maverick campground which had a pond and the river was close by. Lots of good fishing spots!

Pretty nice campground!

Great fishing opportunities, and wonderful hiking all around. Close by to two towns where you can pick up provisions. Campgrounds are great for tent camping, with many right by the river. Even though some sites are close to the road, the traffic is light so we didn’t notice. 

One of my favorite spots

Awesome 4 tent campsites tucked away at end of parking lot.  A short jaunt from vehicle to campsites so does require carrying your gear.  Pretty neat.  Highly recommend. 

Ponderosa Campground

Cimarron Canton State Park is a wonderful place to stay, right on the Cimarron River. Bring your fishing gear and license for some relaxing fishing. Some of the sites are immediately adjacent to the river. My favorite campground is Tolby, the Westernmost. It has a Ranger/Information Station in the east end of the campground. It has flush toilets and sinks, but no shower.   This is my favorite, because I love to hike and backpack. Just south across Highway 64 from the campground entrance is the Tolby Trailhead. The Tolby Trail takes you all the way back to Tolby Meadow on an excellent trail. A good spot for overnight tent camping. Tolby campground is also just minutes from Eagle Nest, NM and within easy range of Angel Fire, Red River, and a little less than an hour from Taos.  

There are two other campgrounds for RVs, Maverick and Ponderosa, as well as one more for tent camping. Maverick sits right next to a pair of gravel pit lakes for added Fishing opportunities. Ponderosa is across the street from that, but is more like a parking lot with painted camping slots around its perimeter. 

In the town of Cimarron I recommend dining at the Historic St. James hotel (very haunted) or lunch at the Creemee. Stop in at the headquarters of Philmont Scout Ranch for the National Scounting Museum and a Tour of the Villa Philimonte (Waite Phillips’ mansion). Also recommended is the Tooth of Time Traders at Philmont. It’s a camping/hiking store that is like an REI. 

If you’re coming via Raton, the Colfax Tavern between Raton and Cimarron at Cold Beer New Mexico is a great place to stop for food and drinks. 

Beautiful Cimarron Canyon

Recently stayed at the Tolby site at cimarron state park and we had a great time. Mike, our camp host was awesome and had some great information about the area. Clear creek hiking trail is a short drive away and was a beautiful and totally doable 3 mile trail for our 3 young girls. The fishing in the area was very popular and it seemed like everyone was catching fish. We will definitely come back!

Great campsite!

Campground is very scenic and the river is directly behind us so you can hear that babbling brook sound - I love that! Our site is a bit small for our camper (25 ft) but we made it work. No hookups and no water but we have solar. It’s been 80s in the day and 50s at night which is amazing. I have one bar with T-mobile cell phone so I can text and get a little internet - enough to stay connected with the world. Great campsite!!
