Mills Canyon Campground

A friend told us about this place, being from California we decided to give it a try. Complete disaster, the road down was so rough we lost our muffler on a new truck, campsite was primitive but ok. What our, now former, friend declined to tell us is that this is a re-location area for bears that wander into the towns of Taos, Red River, Angel Fire etc. First night so many bears came into our camp I thought we were in a bath house in San Francisco, tore up our “ bear proof” cooler and shit everywhere from eating the jalapeños we had among other things in the cooler. Next morning hike went great till we returned to a destroyed truck from another bear, so destroyed we could’nt start it and had to hike out of the canyon for phone service. Six hours later and an $900 towing bill we finally arrived in Cimmaron, NM. Tow truck driver says he hauls about three cars a year out of the Canyon due to bears and meth heads trying to hot wire vehicles and screwing up the ignition. STAY CLEAR OF THIS PLACE.

I give this campground 2 stars - one because it is a lovely spot and two, because it is well-maintained considering its remoteness. The other 2-3 stars it may well have deserved were blacked out by the sheer numbers of outright rude and inconsiderate campers.

The drive into the canyon is, indeed, bumpy but doable in a high-clearance car or SUV. There is no cell service. The campground is near the river but does not have river access - it is possible to get to it but the stickers make it extremely uncomfortable, especially if your bring your pooches. There are some places to walk and see both the ruins of the Mills orchard homestead, as well as access the river, but walking was made very unpleasant by the numbers of trucks, ATVs, and motorcycles zooming by - very loud and lots of dirt in the eyes and mouth.

Not sure if it's the "COVID camping" phenomena but the campground was full to near-full the 3 days, 2 nights we camped there. During that time there were multiple very large groups (10-16 people) of people pulling in and out. One group from Texas brought along very loud 50cc motorcycles and large ATV/Side by sides for their kids, who would make rounds around the campground loop, sending plumes of fine dirt into all of the campgrounds around the loop, not to mention the noise. Another large group of trucks from Texas pulled into the campsite next to ours and literally drove 6 vehicles into the actual camping spot and proceeded to then set up tents all the way into my spot -- loud music, loud talking, loud wood chopping, 4:30 am trucks in and out (I suppose they were driving to the bathroom, which was about a 2 minute walk away). I was forced to sleep in my car, instead of my tent thanks to the noise and the fact that I was not comfortable sleeping with a bunch of strangers who didn't seem to care that I had already set up there. As I packed up the next day and was checking my campground for trash I noticed theirs was strewn with it - I considered cleaning it until I noticed it was mostly used toilet paper.

Camping in New Mexico is amazing and one of the reasons I live here. I don't understand why people need to come to the middle of nowhere to be obnoxious, ruin the experience for everyone else, and trash the place in the process.

Until the COVID camping phenomena ends, expect the worst.

There is no view of the canyon from this campground, so be prepared to hike or drive down if you want to have great views. The real downer for us was the plethora of vicious mosquitos. We were eaten alive even though we sprayed with bug spray often. Our tent was swarmed with them such that we heard them buzzing our tent all night. We tried multiple sites and couldn’t find a bug free spot. They seemed to be sheltering under trees and in the grass and there was only one spot of water where they may have been breeding. It had rained recently, which may have been the problem, so consider trying this campsite at a dry time of year. We probably won’t bother trying to come back.

The good: Free Nice cement picnic tables Clean vault toilets Quality covered horse stalls which we used for shelter Dark sky area of the State so some of our party got a great view of Neowise

Notes: No water or cell service Not every site has picnic tables and fire pits No gas in the general area so fuel up before you get there.

This is a great location. Getting there you are driving through the middle of NM ranch land and slowly the topography starts to change as you get closer, and it is very cool!

The road down the canyon is about 2 miles and any stock SUV, Subaru or the same can make it when it's dry. But, if it's wet be careful, the mud is super slippery….just take your time! You could probably even do it in a sedan as long as you aren't too low to the ground.

If you read other reviews or see videos on YouTube you may hear that trailers are not allowed on the road down. As of April 2018 the warning at the top say not recommended. I was in a Ford Expedition with an 8' popup trailer (probably 11' with the tongue) and it was no problem. I wouldn't take a 5th wheel or a huge camper down there, but smaller trailers are ok. The sharpest turns are near the top.

The campground is very nice, the 12 spots are spread out, two nice pit latrines, tables, fire pits, and charcoal grill stands. THERE IS NO WATER except for the river, and no trash service, so pack it out!.

The valley is gorgeous and you can see the ruins from the old homestead….be sure to stop and read the info signs on the way down, it's a very neat story

I went at the end of April, the days were great and the nights were cool, I can see how it would get very hot in the summer. There is some shade but be sure to bring an easy up or something.

The first river crossing is a concrete bottom, the second is river bottom but not too deep, the third one is much more rough and very wide, use common sense. Lots of opportunity for hiking and biking.

Hunting is allowed so don't be surprised if you hear shots during hunting season. We saw several turkeys and deer. The signs say bears and cougars are in the area as well.

I think there are fish in the rive but we didn't get any. There is a lot of 'grass' in the water to be prepared to get snagged.

Take a good map with you and explore some off the roads in the grasslands area that take you to the rim of the canyon, it's a great view.

I drove from Denver, about 6 hours, and it was worth the drive. Highly recommended.

There is also a campsite on the rim if you don't want to venture down, and they have some horse paddocks you can use.