Datil Well Recreation Area Campground, near Socorro, New Mexico, is a fantastic spot for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors without the fuss. This campground is known for its clean facilities, including solar-lit restrooms and spacious sites that offer a mix of privacy and beautiful scenery.

Visitors rave about the stunning night skies, perfect for stargazing, and the well-maintained trails that lead to breathtaking vistas. One camper noted, “Remarkable night skies when clear,” making it a great place to unwind after a day of exploring. The campground is also conveniently located near the Eagle Guest Ranch, where you can grab essentials or a bite to eat.

If you’re up for a little adventure, the nearby Very Large Array and Gila National Forest offer plenty of hiking opportunities. Just a short drive away, you can also find Pie Town, famous for its delicious baked goods. Whether you're stopping for a night or planning a weekend getaway, Datil Well is a solid choice for a peaceful retreat in nature.

Datil Well Recreation Area Campground includes one of 15 water wells along the old Magdalena Livestock Driveway. The old cattle trail was established in the 1800s and stretched 120 miles from Springerville, Arizona, to Magdalena, New Mexico. The area includes 3 miles of hiking trails in pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands, with scenic views of the San Augustin Plains. The trail and vistas also offer an occasional glimpse of wildlife in a setting of quiet and solitude. You can close your eyes and almost hear the cattle lowing as they settle in for the night.Please leave a clean camp and respect the facilities and natural surroundings. Pack it in. Pack it out.

Datil Well Recreation Area Campground

Datil is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Datil is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your New Mexico camping adventure.

Datil

The Best Camping Near Datil, New Mexico

Good for a short staybut not in jan.Plenty of wind and snow then.No phone signal for 30 miles.

No funding no campers not much to see.

Yes not cell service. Nice hosts. Good stop for the night.



Good & quite 

This is one of the best maintained campgrounds I have stayed at in recent years.  New tables and shelters.  Some sites have electricity and some even have telescope pads.  All have a great fire pit.  The hosts were very helpful and friendly.  The best part 
was the incredible night sky full of stars and the milky way.  I had a very peaceful and restful night.  I’ll be stopping here again.

Very well maintained and friendly hosts

Very well maintained, nice campground. The sites are pretty far from each other, and almost all have a ramada. A few sites have electricity, but by the time we arrived these sites were already taken. There are water spigots all around the campground, but not at the sites. The restroom (chemical toilet) is clean and during the night is well lit. Reservation is not available, first come first serve, but approx. half of the sites were still available when we arrived, around 7 pm. The fee is $5/night, but if you have Golden Age passport, America The Beautiful Senior pass or similar, it's only $2.50/night.

Quiet and spacious campground 

This is an awesome campground. Very spacious sites, lots of pull throughs with Ramadas, clean, yes, clean fire pits, scenery is beautiful, lots of trees for privacy but those that need solar can find sites as well, great trails with a gazebo, clean grounds (no glass), pristine bathrooms and trash facilities. The only down for me in a Class C is no dump site and as far as I can find, nothing within an hour';s drive at best. I guess I'll use the bathrooms in the park! 😏 I'll be here again for sure!

The best!

The sites were very nice and clean with some sites in the woods and others in the clearing. The sites in the clearing have concrete telescope pads. The pit toilets were like brand new with solar lighting. Big rigs would have trouble fitting into this campground.

  

Datil, Mew Mexico is a few minutes away and has a combined gas station, restaurant, and grocery store for your needs.

  

And, a few miles west on US 60 is Pie Town, New Mexico with two bakery's that sale fresh baked pies. But they sale out quickly.

Very Nice and Newly Renovated

Well maintained little BLM campsite right on **US-60**. Remarkable night skies when clear. **$5** a night gets you access to brand new, clean solar toilets, (they light up at night even with no power!) water during the warmer seasons (already off as of 11/25) and mostly decent phone signal if you care about that. 

  

The **Eagle Guest Ranch** nearby has a gas sation, basic necessities, alcohol, and a cafe that serves all your standard diner fare. Beautifully polite people staffing the place. A highlight in the mostly barren stretch between Magdalena and Springerville. 

  

The campground is attached to a fantastic 3.25 mile loop trail that takes you to three fantastic vistas and isn't hard at all. 

  

Worth as a stop for a day, or a destination for a weekend trip. **The Very Large Array** is a stone's toss away; as well as further hiking opportunities in the **Gila National Forest** by way of **NM-12,** and the **Cibola National Forest** by way of the aforementioned **US-60.**

Well kept gem in the Western New Mexico highlands

Stayed 2 nights. No reservations, so had to take chances. Several spots open on a Friday. Most spots roomy and decent spacing. Clean toilets and water and only $5 per night; $2.50 with a Senior NPS Pass. 3 spots have electric hookups but all taken. Quiet (other than one morning before sunrise). There is a host site. PieTown down the road with excellent pies--If you go, eat at Pie-O-Neer (best option---great reviews and did not disappoint). Sign said they're open year round. Good proximity to VLA (Very Large Array).

One very good ADA accessible site with concrete walk straight to bathroom from ADA site.

Trailhead at one end of campground, with some good routes/options, Easy to moderate. We did pick ripe pinyon pine nuts that had fallen on ground (Oct. is pickin' season). They were very good eatin'.

One camper started generator up well before sunrise…  :(

ALSO: Shout out to New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors (NMVFO) who did trail maintenance there a while back (per sign near trail) :)  yay!

Photos of Datil Well Recreation Area Campground

Real photos from real campers