Located above 9,000 feet, Iron Gate Campground is an excellent spot to access the Pecos Wilderness for day hiking and horseback riding. Uses: camping, hiking, horseback riding. Facilities: 14 units, vaulted toilets, trash bin, tables, fire pit/grill, 4 horse corrals. NO WATER. Special Instructions: Maximum recommended length for vehicle and horse trailer is 30 feet. Forest Road 223 very rough and not recemmeded for low clearance vehicles. Users are encouraged to recycle and pack out trash. Please visit the Leave No Trace website for more information about frontcountry and backcountry outdoor ethics at www.lnt.org. NO ATVs ALLOWED IN CAMPGROUND
Road isn’t terrible going up, saw many 2WD vehicles. Good amount of spots but many have no shade/not level. Decent amount of traffic too. For being way out there there’s a lot of day hikers. Overall a fun weekend spot though.
Enjoyed the hiking trails. Definitely difficult in a car. We made it barely. A nice remote campground. Saw quite a few backpackers Looking forward to camping there again this year now that we have a truck
We spent one night in Iron Gate before embarking on a three-day backpacking/camping adventure. Campground was well maintained, had plenty of clean restrooms and parking. Agree with the other reviewer… a low-profile vehicle will have a tough time making it up the hill to the campground, especially in rainy/snowy weather.
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.The trees are beautiful and wild flowers grow around. Great hiking trails are near by taking you up to some great scenic outlooks over the mountain sides. The toilets are scary, not my first choice but good to have I guess. I don't recall the fee being too much per night, I want to say $4/day. Tent camping and popups/small campers are fine. No room for RV's and larger travel trailers.