Villanueva State Park Campground

This is a great little state park with nice hikes, friendly staff and great fishing. Our kids loved the playground and we enjoyed how quiet and beautiful the area is.

Loved camping here! Arrived late Sunday night, whole park was pretty busy. Found a spot right by the river with lots of shade, downside was it was super close to the road. Wasn't too bad since park closes relatively early. Got a crazy thunderstorm after sunset, but decided to hunker down for the night, instead of dashing. We stayed warm and dry, thankfully. Campground ranger came around to check if we were okay, and to give a verbal warning about leaving if we need to. For me personally, I wouldn't come on the weekends due to how populated it was, but perfect and quiet during the weekdays.

The drive to this park takes us back in time through the tiny town of Villanueva. Once through the gates I was amazed at the fast flowing Pecos River right next to the tree shaded sites. A gem. Good hiking trails too!

Nice state park. Can get windy in the spring. No cell service but Starlink connection is fine.

First time stay while on a multi-state trip. Nice to have some trees and greenery in the desert. The covered picnic table was great with the hot sun, even in Spring. No cell coverage. Gates close at 7pm or 9pm depending on the season, so make sure to make it in before closing time.

Perfect little camping spot, super cheap with showers & toilets. Some locals told us that when the river is lower you can tube on it. Gorgeous area, the shelters were adorable. The park rangers hang out during the day and are super helpful. The only thing missing was a dumpster, there are plenty of smaller trash cans but if you need to throw out anything larger you’ll have to pack it out. There are water pumps scattered around but we’re not sure if it’s good to drink. Nothing said not to so we figured it was okay. Maybe bring a water filter if that’s something that worries you. Also, if you need any supplies get them early before you even get within an hour of the area. There is a very small convenience store close by but it doesn’t stock much, and the closest actual stores are in Las Vegas. Come prepared!

It’s about the most affordable camp we have stayed. We didn’t get to explore the area much because of a winter storm, but everything we saw was neatly kept. I’d stay here again anytime - the only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is the site we were in was right against a parking lot and some of the other sites don’t have tons of privacy or shade.

Do look at the other reviews that say don’t trust your GPS - if you end up on a dirt road, you aren’t in the right place.

Beautiful location. Next to Pecos river. Cultural heritage and scenic area. Beautiful rocks/cliffs along river.

The beauty here really gives you an oasis feel. Also there are after hours spikes that keep the 3am drunkards out...that is worth its weight in gold...most of us have had that experience where people are being rowdy at an indecent hour...that won't happen here. There are quiet hours. I felt so safe and all the people were so good that I slept with my rain fly off and gazed at the stars.

Beautiful, quiet location near the Pecos river. We did not have any Verizon/AT&T data connection without our weboost. But with the cell booster on we both had 2-4MBPS.

Hidden gem. Few campsites with electric. Water available. Dumpsite available. Tucked away in the mountains. On pecos river. Great area to hike.

Villanueva SP is a few miles south of I25. Right on the Pecos River, the campground is nestled between two cliffs and has well spaced sites. Opt for a campsite with a shelter and you get adobe-like cover for the table or a tent !

I stayed for two days at these campgrounds. There are spots you can reserve online and then if you go up there hill there are free first come, first serve spots with shelters. It was relatively quiet, and there is a cutoff time for generators for the RVs. The creek and the hiking paths are pretty nice, and my dog enjoyed taking some cool dunks. There is no cell service, but there is WiFi at the welcome center.

Spacious site with a very nice shelter. Creek and canyon were my backyard! Very cool trails, friendly staff. The nearby town of the same name has limited service offerings, but this park was a wonderfully pleasant experience on a meandering road trip from TN to UT.

Quick get away! Stream fishing, camp fires, and hiking trails!

They lock the site up after closing time...only a spike strip exit is open for campers. Wish we would have known before the long, narrow and curvy road 12 miles up the mountain. Fun drive but not when you just need a last minute place to crash for the night.

So, the campground hosts and the ranger Lawrence were very friendly. Bathrooms were cleaned often, and the showers were hot. Very secluded sites along the Pecos River, and a cute store for firewood etc nearby. There are hiking trails, and the one along the ridge was fun to hike.

Camped out in the open. Bright full moon. Beautiful trail along creek. Awesome stone shelters

Me and my family were looking simply for a night to rest after a long drive. About 25 minutes off of 1-40, we drove through the quaint, pretty town to get to our campsite which is all easy to find and access. We were stunned in the morning by the scenic overlook we camped on and the air smelled and felt great. There is a pleasant hike that leads to a sort of fortification that was historically garrisoned by some Texan insurgents at some point during the Mexican American war. Check it out!

We were road tripping cross country and realized we wouldn’t make it to the campsite we originally planned for. We found this campground and it was fantastic. A little off the beaten path but was worth it. Each campsite had a picnic area some even had shelters over them! The lower campground was right next to the river (very high when we were there). The upper campground was open (where we stayed) the upper campground had pit toilets but they were well maintained. A short walk down the hill to the lower campground there were shower and restroom facilities. We stayed one night before hitting the road again only $10 for the non-hook up sites.

We went 2017 summer and it was one of the best campgrounds we have been to. We had lots of fun in the creek and hiking the trails.

There are a few prime reservable sites by the river, otherwise it is first come, first served. Most sites can accommodate either tent or rv camping, and some both. The playground and hiking trails are fun for kids. The general store in town is fair, but be selective on buying firewood. Sometimes it is fairly green. It is a campground I go to annually, the night skies are wonderful.

Great get-away location. Near a stream, which can get a pretty fast current on run-off months, so careful with little ones and dogs. There are playgrounds for kids, many different sites, some pretty close together, some not so much. We camped as a group for cubscouts, and it wasn't bad but too spread out. The area is beautiful with nice hiking near by. The folks in the town are very friendly, I bought firewood from them for a great price, definitely got more than my money's worth.

A couple of good hiking trails, campsites right on the Pecos. I can imagine it gets a little busy, but it's an underrated park with nice, big sites, good fishing and hiking.