City of Rocks State Park Campground

I spent two weeks here at three different sites, and while I was ready to get back to civilization (the park is fairly remote), I genuinely had a relaxing time.

The bathrooms/comfort station are clean and fairly new—the only downsides are they’re only open from 7am-5pm to conserve water and it’s a bit of a trek by foot if you’re at one of the far campsites. I also had strong enough reception with T-Mobile to work remotely, and good service through Verizon as well.

Site 25 (Crab): a truly iconic site within a park where nearly every site is a gem. Downside: very little privacy and no shade from the afternoon sun. Upside: Site is level, great sunset views and a quick walk to the pit toilets.

Site 24 (Hercules): Connects to site 25 via a the rock formations, but more private as it’s not directly on the main loop. Again, close to the pit bathroom. There’s a fun and semi private climb up into the rocks to the left of the picnic table that will give you a stellar sunset view. Site is level and protected from the worst of the south/SW winds. I also saw the most wildlife from this site (marmot, roadrunner, jack rabbit, and more). Downside: the site curves rather drastically and is best suited for vans, tent camping, or very small RVs; little shade as the tree that used to offer shade was removed.

Site 30 (Triangulum): hands down, the best site in the park IMO. Lots of shade and privacy as it’s set far back from the main road; it almost feels like you have the park to yourself. Pit toilets are conveniently at the end of the drive. Downside: people climbing through the rocks occasionally end up near your site, but no one ever wandered too far; the windmill does makes some noise but it’s really not too bad; this site has FULL shade, which is ideal unless you run on solar panels. For a few hours a day I had to back my van into the sun, which put it at a fairly severe angle as the drive slopes once you back out of the sweet spot by the picnic table; very little protection from the wind, but there is some.

City of Rocks, NMSP: NON- ELECTRIC Sites: Sites Nestled into Uniqueness. One of the best campgrounds , in regards to campsite layout, we have stayed in during 4 1/2 years of full timing - (Electric sites are not so. They do have views, but are crowded together.) (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 5 for the non-electric sites. The are nestled into semi private/private locations. I did not see a non-electric site that I would not enjoy. Even the worst of these sites would be among the best at many campgrounds. Sites in the back loop where we stayed were among the best. Price 2024 : $10 for non-electric sites Security: I think the gates are locked at night. Not sure.
Usage during visit: Electric sites were full . Primitive sites had some availability. Site Privacy: Good to great Site Spacing: Many sites are very well spaced.
Site surface: Gravel Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Quiet Outside Road Noise: Too isolated for this to be an issue.
Through Traffic in campground: None Electric Hookup: Availability Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: No Potable Water Available: Yes Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Pit toilets are throughout the campground. Showers: No Pull Throughs: Yes, there are some.
Cell Service (AT&T): 0 - 2 bars depending on location Setting: Primitive sites are set among the rocks. Electric hook up sites are close together, but have a view of the rocks and desert. They are not as nicely laid out.

This is an amazing place with beautiful rock formations that you can spend hours exploring. Overall I really enjoyed staying here and seeing the sights. However, I ran into two issues (one major) while camping at site #28:

1. There is a large wasp nest in the base of the tree at this site. Depending on the time of day, there can be a LOT of wasps flying around throughout the entire area of site#28, making the entire site unusable. Notably, this nest is in the only shaded area of the site, so you have no usable shade. Once you bring food outside, even more come out and they get aggressive. I got stung twice while trying to eat outside. I contacted the park about this by e-mailing the park manager (Gabriel Medrano) twice. He never responded to the e-mails. I also called the park office during business hours, but they did not answer. I left a voicemail, but they never called back. Clearly this park's management does not care about its guests. I later talked to one of the rangers. They said they are not allowed to disturb the wasp nest by spraying it or doing anything else due to directives from management. In other words, the park manager would rather preserve a dangerous pest instead of ensuring visitor safety and park usability.

2. There is a windmill near site #28 that makes a very loud and annoying metal grinding noise when it turns slowly. It is shockingly loud and at first I thought that there was some sort of metal fabrication factory or construction site nearby. This happens any time of day or night, depending on the wind, and can be clearly heard from most sites on the west side of the campground. It would be loud enough to wake someone in a tent, but probably not an RV. Again, I e-mailed the park manager (Gabriel Medrano) about this, and didn't even get the courtesy of a reply.

We are full-timers in a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow. We were here for a few days in early April in site 14-Gemini(dry camping). The campground does get rather busy, but most of the sites are well spaced, so it doesn’t feel too crowded. Many of the sites were surprisingly level, although some present significant challenges to getting level. There are several trails in and around the park. Most are rather easy, but Table Mountain trail can be rather strenuous in a few places, but the view of the campground and surrounding are is awesome. Terri made friends with several of the resident Ravens while we were there. 

AT&T coverage was close to nonexistent, with only 1 Bar of LTE service and speeds of only 0.6 MB/s without a booster. We had an unobstructed view of the sky and so we were able to receive all 3 SW Dish satellites and Starlink had up to 19 MB/s. We didn’t try to load any OTA channels. 

There is a winery with tastings, La Esperanza, just 20 miles away, whose wines are really pretty good. There is also a private hot springs, Faywood, that is just a couple of miles away, on the way to the park from US 180.

General: This state park is aptly named; as you approach it, it looks like a pile of rocks was dumped in a field! There is a mix of electric and non-electric sites; however, the electric sites are lined up like a typical RV park with no privacy. The non-electric ones are the gems in this state park. 

Site Quality: Again, the non-electric sites are nestled among the rocks and spaced so far apart that for many of them, you don’t even see your neighbors. Each one is unique due to the rocks, and most are very generous in size. A fire ring, concrete benches, and a metal picnic table complete each of these sites. 

Bathhouse: Vault toilets are spread throughout the campground and are clean. There is a comfort station near the visitor center with flush toilets and showers. 

Activities: There are several short hiking trails throughout the park. We had enough cell (Verizon) to be able to see where they were. The visitor center is open 9-4 and unfortunately, we arrived at 4:30 pm and departed at 8 am the next morning. 

I love the uniqueness of this campground and the privacy between the non-electric sites.

Last week I visited Faywood, New Mexico which is located about halfway in between Silver City and Deming, and I came across a unique terrain with structures of Boulder rocks that are “formed of volcanic ash and sculpted by wind and water into rows of monolithic blocks”, according to stateparks.com; I had never seen anything like it.

This unique and tucked-away gem has all the perfect essentials for a State Park including a Visitor Center, hot showers and clean restrooms, dry camping, picnicking and a Botanical Garden .

I absolutely enjoy being in a place that is preserved in its authenticity and City of Rocks State Park is all of that and a bag of organic chips. It is not just another “area of attraction”, but it is a place for healing, stillness, discipline and community. The miles of hiking and biking trails through rolling grasslands gives you an opportunity to reconnect with yourself, walking into the fields to sit in stillness and listen to the migration of the numerous bird species disciplines your senses, and for those of you who enjoy making new connections you will quickly find yourself in conversations with humans alike or vastly different in ways that allow you see yourself, and others, in the form of how God sees us all — in love and in truth.