The website says reservations not necessary. When I walked in to get a site, the very kind clerk asked if I had a reservation. Luckily they had sites available but they only set aside 10 for nightly stays. Those 10 sites are close together and have pretty rough picnic tables but they do have full hookups. The monthly sites look nicer. The point of staying there is to visit Carlsbad Caverns so as long as you don't plan to stay at your site long, it does the job. You can access the Old Guano Road Trail from the campground. There is a small grocery and laundry mat on site.