Santa Barbara Campground, near Vadito, New Mexico, is a scenic spot tucked away in the Carson National Forest, perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in nature. With its proximity to beautiful hiking trails and the soothing sounds of the nearby Santa Barbara River, it’s a great place to unwind and enjoy the outdoors.

The campground offers basic amenities like drinking water and pit toilets, making it a comfortable choice for tent and RV campers alike. Many visitors have praised the peaceful atmosphere, especially during weekdays when the crowds thin out. One camper noted, “All sites are close enough to the river to hear it from a tent,” which adds to the serene experience.

While the campground can get busy on weekends, it’s surrounded by stunning natural beauty, including towering trees and picturesque trails. Reviewers have highlighted the fantastic hiking opportunities, with trails leading to breathtaking views and the chance to spot local wildlife. Just be mindful of the occasional cow wandering through the area, as some campers have mentioned their presence.

If you’re looking for a family-friendly spot to set up camp, Santa Barbara Campground has plenty of space for gatherings and exploration. Whether you’re fishing, hiking, or just soaking in the scenery, this campground offers a refreshing escape into the heart of New Mexico’s wilderness.

## Overview

 Santa Barbara Campground is situated nicely on the edge of the Pecos Wilderness area and next to Rio Santa Barbara, a beautiful and healthy trout stream.
## Recreation

 This is a great drop off point for hikers and horseback riders seeking close access to the Pecos Wilderness and Jicarita Peak.
## Natural Features

 Santa Barbara is located in a mixed forest of spruce, fir and aspen trees, which provide some shade throughout the day. At an altitude of 8,900 feet, temperatures can cool off during the summer nights. 
## Contact Info

 For facility specific information, please call (928) 537-8888. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Trail access to Jicarita Peak, with close access to North Truchas Peak, Sipapu Ski Resort, the town of Vadito, and the town of Penasco are all nearby. All are within 8-15 miles from the campground. Most services are available in Taos, NM, 25 miles north of the campground or Espanola, NM, 45 miles southwest.

Santa Barbara Campground

Llano, NM is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your New Mexico camping adventure.

Llano

The Best Camping Near Llano, New Mexico

Quiet weekdays. Busy weekends. Vault toilets pretty decent. Site quality varies but most look pretty level. Most have some shade. Sites are gravel and well spaced. Santa Barbara river runs right by and can really flow fast in the spring (watch your kids!).  Water at spigots spaced throughout campground is cold and fresh-tasting. Only real con is no electric. 

Quiet Weekday Getaway

Such a nice well maintained campground.  Stayed here in a single tent site which was large enough for 6 adults and three kids to hang out comfortably.  Went exploring in the river next to the campground and then took a short hike up the river to some amazing river canyon views. Recommend reserving a site during their busy season as the campground filled up quickly. 

Great family spot

This campground has a PERFECT location, right on the border of the Pecos wilderness with fabulous hiking.  There is also fantastic fishing there, which many guests took advantage of all weekend.  However, this campground only has 15 single sites, but most were occupied by double the amount allowable..  There were huge parties at many of the campsites all weekend, with cards zooming around all day.  IT was NOISY and CROWDED.  

If the camp host (who didn't seem to care) controlled this, we would have given this campground 5 stars.  

  

The hiking was AMAZING.  Views AMAZING....  

This campground has a huge backpacker parking lot and when we arrived on Friday it was overflowing out onto the main road.  The reason is that this campground is the entry point to the NORTHERN end of Pecos wilderness with access to amazing backpacking, high mountain peaks, and literally dozens of groups of backpackers daily going up the trail or coming back out from their adventures.

Great location but small noisy campground

This is a great campground if you like to take some hikes through some beautiful national forest with a picturesque river. The Santa Barbara Campground is relatively small and most of the sites can't accommodate large rv's. A small travel trailer or tent works well in most sites. None of the sites have hook ups so you will be boon docking. There are vault toilets and water available. Sign on the water spigot said not to connect a hose though so filling your rv or trailer is not what they were intended for. I guess it was good that I filled before I left home. There are lots of trees for shade and beauty. The trails are absolutely wonderful and well worth taking a few hours to walk part of them. Hard core hikers will use the campground as a starting point for a lengthy hikes. There were a few cows that got into the camping area. There can also be horses on the trails so be vigilant.The temperatures were quite moderate as the campsite is at 8900 feet. You can hear the Santa Barbara River as it is very close.

Beautiful Hiking

This campground is always overcrowded, and the camping sites are too close to each other but it’s located between trees and is really close to trail heads. There is a river nearby but not to close to the camping sites that you can overlook the river. 
Sadly, bathroom facilities are not clean 

Overcrowded but nice getaway

Stay at Santa Barbara Campground in Northern New Mexico.  Was a beautiful spot. Road to Campground was well taken care of 
Beautiful trails throughout area 

Beautiful weekend

Visited late September, about a quarter of the sites were occupied. All sites are close enough to the river to hear it from a tent. The site has drinking water and pit toilets, but no cell service. Overall, stay was very peaceful and relaxing.

Quiet and beautiful

Everyone, this is a beautiful site with Lots of trees. The camp ground is nestled up in the mountains several miles from town. The stream is nice and comforting and the camp host was very informative and helpful.\*\*\*\* HOWEVER, there are herds of cows that roam the campground. They defecate EVERYWHERE!!! The cows keep you up all matters of the night. You can’t take 4 steps without stepping in poop-It’s EVERYWHERE!!!( Flies included) This site would be so perfect but you can’t eat or cook around the pit because it is surrounded by cow poop. We cut our camping trip short because it was just too much.

Photos of Santa Barbara Campground

Real photos from real campers