$15 - $20 / night

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Established Camping

Tetilla Peak

5 Reviews

Warning 1 Alert is In Effect

There is 1 alert for this campground. Camp safely!

Our facility is experiencing a temporary water outage. Please bring all the water youll need for your visit, including drinking water.

Tetilla Peak, near Pena Blanca, New Mexico, offers a unique camping experience for those seeking solitude and stunning views. This campground is known for its remote location, making it a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle, although it does come with its quirks.

The area features basic amenities like drinking water and electric hookups, but keep in mind that there are no showers or picnic tables. Visitors have noted the clean bathrooms, which is a plus, especially after a long day of exploring. As one camper mentioned, “The area is really pretty,” and many appreciate the peaceful atmosphere that comes with fewer crowds.

Accessing Tetilla Peak involves a bit of a trek, with a long road that some have described as “riddled with large and deep potholes.” If you’re driving in, be prepared for a bumpy ride. However, the views of the surrounding landscape, including the nearby lake, make the journey worthwhile.

For those looking to stretch their legs, the Tent Rocks National Monument is just a short drive away, offering fantastic hiking opportunities. While some campers have pointed out that the campground could use a little TLC, the charm of Tetilla Peak lies in its rustic feel and the chance to connect with nature away from the more commercialized spots.

Description

US Army Corps of Engineers

Cochiti Lake

Overview

Tetilla Peak Recreation Area is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico, within the boundaries of the Pueblo de Cochiti Indian Reservation. The lake offers two public recreation areas: Cochiti on the west side of the lake and Tetilla Peak on the east side. Both sides offer spectacular scenic views of the water and surrounding mountains. The Cochiti Dam is one of the ten largest earth-fill dams in the United States, and also one of the largest in the world. The lake derives its name from the Indian Pueblo on the Cochiti Reservation.

Recreation

Our quiet no-wake lake is an ideal for all paddle and wind craft. The lake is also a popular fishing spot for species such as bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, sunfish, and pike. Santa Cruz Day Use area is open daily and provides visitors with acces to the lake as well as several shade structures, bathrooms, and a fishing dock.

Facilities

The campground consists of two loops. Cholla Loop includes 36 individual campsites, each with an electric hookup, table and grill. All electric campsites have shelters, and water spigots are located throughout the campground. This loop also provides a dump station and large restroom and shower building . A partially paved road winds through Coyote Loop, which has 10 sites, each with a table and grill. There are no electric hookups, and water spigots are scattered throughout the loop. The restroom and shower building is centrally located for easy access. The Tetilla boat ramp area offers a parking area and courtesy dock.

Natural Features

Cochiti Lake sits at 5,343ft in elevation and is nestled in the foothills of the Jemez Mountains. Our high desert environment is dominated by juniper, pi__on trees, and mixed grasslands. There are many opportunities for wildlife viewing. Four osprey nesting platforms have been erected around the lake to provide nesting sites, as well as viewing opportunities. On the east side of the lake, deer, coyote, river otters, rabbits, beavers, and bear are often sighted.

Nearby Attractions

Cochiti Lake is 23 miles from Tent Rocks National Monument, which has fascinating geological formations.

Suggest an Edit

Location

Tetilla Peak is located in New Mexico

Directions

From Albuquerque, New Mexico, take I-25 north to exit 264. Travel west on State Road 16 to the Tetilla Peak Recreation Area/La Bajada Village turnoff and follow the paved road into the recreation area.

Address

82 DAM CREST RD
Pena blanca, NM 87041

Coordinates

35.6472222 N
106.3044444 W

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Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group

Features

For Campers

Trash
Phone Service
Reservable
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Pets

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
50 Amp Hookups
Big Rig Friendly

Contact

General Info

Reservations

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Drive Time

41 min from Santa Fe
58 min from Albuquerque
3 hrs 14 min from Farmington
4 hrs 23 min from Pueblo

Gail

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 16, 2023

CLOSED FOR 2023!!!

Those of us who frequent this campground appreciate it’s remote location. Fewer people use that side of the lake. Is it the bastard child of the area, absolutely. It’s funky and worn. The road there is long and treacherous. That’s why it gets very little use and that’s exactly why I love it. I’m sad I won’t be camping there this season. The Cochiti side is frequented by Behemoth sized RV’s and very few trees. While by appearance it’s is “nicer” it does not offer the same ambience as Tetilla. I’m glad they are making the improvements. It seems to me they could have been doing these updates in the offseason. Construction still goes on in winter here. No real excuse for waiting until high season but whatever.

Site9

Month of VisitJune

John S.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 7, 2019

Nice park

The park is great with beautiful views. The problem is the 12 miles of access road riddled with large& deep pot holes. They don't care about maintaining it either. If you value your vehicle or rv avoid this park at the low rates, can you afford to bend an axle?

Austin C.

Legend

Reviewed May. 28, 2019

Old but peaceful

As other reviews note, this campground looks like it was built in the 50s and not touched since. That said, the area is really pretty and this campsite was totally empty even just a couple days before memorial day weekend. Had clean bathrooms and showers and all of the sites were nice. Some sites had great views of the lake.

It may not be as nice as the camp on the other side, but offered a bit more solitude.

(8) View All

Crystal C.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 12, 2018

Needs Some Work

There are two campground I found in the area, this one and one almost directly across from it. I checked out each on my way to the tent rocks and ended up settling on the other.

WHY? This one is like the red headed stepchild that everyone knows is there but doesn't want to deal with it seems. I think what happened is the other was constructed after this one and because of that this one was neglected instead of maintained.

Was it all bad? No. But was it as nice as the other, NOPE!

I honestly think that if there was a little maintenance to this one I would have enjoyed it a bit more. I liked the views from this side a bit more and they seemed a bit more vegetative overall. But that was also the problem, it looked like no one had maintained the sites and they were a little wooly.

When I visited over a year ago some of the picnic tables were vandalized and looked broken. Several of the plug in posts had been bent and damaged and looked a bit dangerous. I have seen photos of other campers which have camped since my visit and it looks as though they have been working on this area to make improvements and I really hope they have because I would love to see it again in better form.

The water access in my opinion was better from this side and had more points of interest overall including the feeder stream which was flowing pretty well when I was there.

TIPS:

If you have ATT you will not have signal here so if possible bring a booster. The entire region is spotty for this service.
Check out the Tent Rocks, only a short distance away for some amazing hiking and views. An amazing way to see this portion of New Mexico.

Month of VisitApril

(4) View All

LeCena M.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2018

old

old campground. across the lake is Cochiti campground so much nicer and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to camp at Tetilla Peak?

Camping at Tetilla Peak can cost between $15.00 and $20.00 depending on the site.

Does Tetilla Peak have RV hookups?

According to TheDyrt.com, Tetilla Peak has 50 amp electric hookups and water hookups.

What is the max vehicle length at Tetilla Peak?

Tetilla Peak allows vehicles up to 50 feet.

Does Tetilla Peak have wifi?

No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Tetilla Peak does not have wifi.

Is there cell phone reception at Tetilla Peak?

According to campers on TheDyrt.com, there is some coverage for AT&T, excellent coverage for T-Mobile, and some coverage for Verizon.

How hard is it to get a campsite at Tetilla Peak?

Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Tetilla Peak. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Tetilla Peak, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Tetilla Peak?

There are 45 campsites at Tetilla Peak and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

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