Best Cabin Camping in New Mexico

From the vast Chihuahuan Desert to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico has a wealth of opportunities to get outside and explore. For outdoor adventurers, there’s skiing in Taos, whitewater rafting on the Rio Grande, and plenty of hiking, from the Southern Rockies to dusty desert canyons. That’s what makes camping in New Mexico such a varied and fulfilling experience.

Carlsbad Caverns provides ample opportunities to hike, explore, learn about desert wildlife, even appreciate a few thousand Mexican free-tail bats take flight. They swarm out of the cave every night at dust for an audience that often numbers in the hundreds. It’s a perfect excuse to stick around the park after dark and do some camping in New Mexico.

Of course, the only camping available within Carlsbad Caverns National Park is backcountry camping, so come prepared to Leave No Trace. Keep in mind that the desert landscape is often dry, so fire bans, even some backcountry cooking bans, are frequently in effect in the drier months. On the upside, backcountry camping permits are free and you can grab one at the visitor center when you arrive.

Visit White Sands National Monument for an unmatched, natural experience. Acres upon acres of white gypsum dunes stretch into the distance, offering hours of diversion, be it hiking across the dunes or sledding down them. If you forgot your sled, don’t worry, you can pick one up in the gift shop. Just be sure to enjoy these activities early in the morning or late in the evening during the summer months; it gets hot in the desert during midday!

As for camping in White Sands, it’s backcountry camping or nothing and sites require a short hike through the dunes. You’ll be camping on the gypsum, surrounded by shifting white hills, dark night skies up above, and no other campers in sight. It’s definitely a unique experience. Permits are $3.00 per person and can be picked up at the visitor center.

Wherever your adventures take you in the Land of Enchantment, get out there and let The Dyrt help you locate the best camping in New Mexico.

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Best Cabin Sites in New Mexico (100)

    1. Las Cruces KOA

    55 Reviews
    Mesilla, NM
    Website
    +1 (575) 526-6555

    "We stayed in the tent Cabin 2 and loved every minute of it. It was cold and it heated up quickly. Everything we needed for a nice stay and the bed was comfy."

    "Loved the camping cabin as a treat after a month of car camping. Hot showers, community kitchen, laundry, dog run. I also staying in one of the tent sites which was available despite the cold."

    2. USA RV Park

    56 Reviews
    Mentmore, NM
    Website
    +1 (505) 863-5021

    $25 - $35 / night

    "Needed an overnight stay along Interstate 40 in New Mexico. "

    "A few cute log cabins to rent also. All gravel and not a lot of trees, no view but a clean and safe overnight for sure!"

    3. Albuquerque KOA Journey

    46 Reviews
    Monticello, NM
    Website
    +1 (505) 296-2729

    "Well maintained campground with paved sites, family and pet friendly. A bit noisy because of I-40 very close."

    "This KOA is in a seemingly not ideal part of town, next to an interstate and that has A LOT more asphalt than trees... And my kids loved every second of it!"

    4. Top of New Mexico - Dispersed Site

    37 Reviews
    Placitas, NM
    Website
    +1 (505) 761-8700

    "Top of New Mexico" near Albuquerque is a fantastic camping spot if you love open spaces and beautiful desert views."

    "This campground offered amazing views of the Sandia mountains and the surrounding area."

    5. Santa Rosa Campground & RV Park

    44 Reviews
    Santa Rosa, NM
    Website
    +1 (888) 898-1999

    "We were evacuated from our camping spot in Northern New Mexico due to wildfires and set out for a new spot. Exhausted from driving, we pulled into this campground."

    "Dog park, showers , laundry, a store and barbecue delivered to your camper! Level spots, a few trees."

    6. Alamogordo / White Sands KOA

    37 Reviews
    Alamogordo, NM
    Website
    +1 (800) 562-3452

    "City camping close to restaurants and stores. Only about 10 minuets from White Sands State Park. Partly shaded gravel sites with water, electric, fire ring, picnic table."

    "The kids enjoyed the pool and game room, our camping cabin was clean and neat. They had the nicest KOA showerhouse I have seen in my travels."

    7. Carlsbad KOA

    39 Reviews
    Carlsbad, NM
    Website
    +1 (800) 562-9109

    "I often stay in camping cabins at KOA's while on road trips with my children."

    "There are Fire pits! Large playground for the kiddos and pet friendly!"

    8. Bluewater Lake State Park Campground

    35 Reviews
    Prewitt, NM
    Website
    +1 (505) 876-2391

    $15 - $90 / night

    "The camp sites are well laid out with picnic table. The bath room was primitive and I didn’t check out the showers. The lake and the area is enchanting!!"

    "This was the only lake we saw on our trip to the cattle ranch in New Mexico ;) The park is lovely and we truly enjoyed our time here. There is a nice beach as well as boating and fishing."

    9. Carlsbad RV Park & Campground

    35 Reviews
    Carlsbad, NM
    Website
    +1 (575) 885-6333

    "It is gated, has friendly staff, two cabins, tent spaces, a store, super clean and nice bathrooms/showers, laundry facility and pool."

    "Nice laundry facilities. Gift store with ice cream, yes. Very convenient to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Nice indoorheated pool and a family-friendly environment."

    10. Turquoise Trail Campground

    33 Reviews
    Cibola National Forest and Grasslands, NM
    Website
    +1 (505) 281-2005

    "CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Turquoise Trail Campground, Cedar Crest, NM

    Turquoise Trail Campground is a small privately owned campground located five miles north of I-40 off Route 14 (exit 175) just outside"

    "They had RV, cabins and tent camp sites. My friend and I are tent campers and there was more than enough space for the vehicle and both our tents."

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Cabin Reviews in New Mexico

871 Reviews of 100 New Mexico Campgrounds


  • Jennie R.
    Jun. 16, 2017

    Carlsbad KOA

    Family 'Glamping' in the Chihuahuan Desert

    If you haven't yet discovered the beauty of the chihuahuan desert, the Carlsbad KOA is a great place to hang your hat while you explore.

    I often stay in camping cabins at KOA's while on road trips with my children. We like having a bed to spread our sleeping bags out on sometimes, access to AC after a hot day of exploration and the kids like a chance to 'plug in' while we are unplugged....

    Carlsbad KOA is big, but it has adequate bathrooms and showers for the size, and they were in very good shape when we visited in June 2016. There is a pool, laundry, all the amenities you need if you are RVing, a game room and food on site. If you like camp cabins, the cabins had grills, picnic tables, the usual double + set of bunks (bring your own bedding), and AC.

    Campground was peaceful. The great tailed grackels were courting and whistling, quail wandered through and rabbits romped around our cabin.

    If you are in this area, visit the Living Desert State Park and Zoo and of course Carlsbad Caverns - stay and watch the bats fly out in the evening.

    The only drawback on this KOA was that the wifi signal was spotty at our cabin, and I had some work to do. If you are taking an ACTUAL vacation, it wouldn't be an issue!

  • Steve & Ashley  G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 16, 2019

    Agua Piedra Campground

    Great Northern New Mexico Camp

    We stayed at this site on the way back to Texas from our Colorado trip this summer. This is a great National Forest Campground south of Taos in the Carson Forest. The campground is just off the highway and situated in a beautiful mountain pine forest and next to a great trout stream. You have great shade during the hotter summer months. It’s far enough away from the highway that you don’t hear the traffic. It has a huge meadow and group camp site which look fantastic. The individual sites have some privacy between the sites and come equipped with fire pits and picnic tables. We made a reservation but the camp had a number of open sites in the peak summer season. The highlight here is the proximity of great hiking to nearby lakes and fishing in the trout stream. They had great facilities including clean pit toilets and some historic log cabins. They have a camp host and the sites accommodate tents and smaller vans and campers. I would give this another visit on our next trip to NM.

  • Crystal C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 15, 2018

    Rancheros de Santa Fe

    Short drive to quaint campground from Santa Fe

    We were very excited on our first night to settle into our campsite after a long day of adventuring. Just a short drive to the outskirts of Santa Fe in mountain country we found our campground, Rancheros de Santa Fe.

    Upon entry the staff was very friendly and welcoming and we felt like this would be a great place to call home away from home.

    The campsites were laid out well with room between campers and because it was the end of a weekend, they were not entirely at capacity which made for a pleasant sense of space in the great outdoors.

    Our campsite was positioned in the "high road" tent site area which is a primitive campsite without additional amenities. Each campsite has a fire ring and also a picnic table for campers to utilize and a pad site for tents slightly raises from ground level.

    It made for a beautiful night sleep under the chilly New Mexico skies.

    By morning we ventured up to the public showers and restrooms which were clean and had amazon water pressure and hot water to set the morning in motion perfectly.

    The facility also offers a pool and theater room during summer months so while we didn't get to take advantage we were excited to know upon return we would have these features available.

    🐰🐰🐰🐰⚪️

    Overall we give this campground a 4 of 5 Bunniea! The only things we noticed which kept it from a 5 were the lack of wifi reach in the back sections of the campground, wouldn't have been a big deal but cell service in the off grid location was also patchy so the wifi would have been handy. And the pad site was not designed for a tent quite our size. Our tent is a 12x8 and had a little side hang on on the 12 foot end.

  • Roxy V.
    Jun. 6, 2020

    Albuquerque KOA Journey

    Nice Campground

    We stayed here only overnight as part of our cross-country trip. Overall, nice for a quick stay but would not for an extended visit.

    Pros: Everyone there was friendly and accomodating. They have personel maintaining the gate 24/7. Restrooms & showers were clean. They offer RV sites, cabin rentals (which we were told they were all booked but saw no one there- possibly closed due to pandemic though), and tent sites. We tent camp. The site had a fire ring, picnic table, a shaded area, and is covered in pea gravel. The shaded area is not waterproof or "fully" covered. But seems it would help with the heat to provide some shaded comfort. It rained the night we were there, and I was unable to get all of our tent spikes into the ground for our rainfall (think there may have been concrete a few inches below). If you are staying for an extended time, I recommend bringing a tarp that you can tie to the shaded area to help with heat / rain. Each tent site is separated by a privacy wall (see pic). The best part was the sunrise! Absolutely stunning as you are literally at the base of the mountains. You just have to ignore the giant Geico billboard on highway in your view.

    Cons: EVERY review will tell you about the noise from highway, and it is no joke!! We were so tired we did not care. But it is BAD! If you are looking for peace and quiet - THIS IS NOT THE PLACE! You can see the highway wall in my pics. It appeared to be in what seemed as "not the best part of town". It is fully gated 24/7 which I appreciate, but makes you wonder where you are staying. However, we did not have any issues, and the few people we saw were all very polite. We arrived later in the evening and ran out to get a quick bite, but everything closes at 9p so be mindful.

    Pandemic note: We stayed here 6/1/20-6/2/20. Everyone was wearing masks, VERY mindful of social distancing, and you could not even go in to the office - they come out to you.

    I would recommend this only as a quick stop-over / last option campground.

  • Susan F.
    Dec. 23, 2021

    Las Cruces KOA

    Fantastic scenic spot

    Fantastic views, friendly staff. Clean digs. Some improvements maybe for the camp kitchen. We stayed in the tent Cabin 2 and loved every minute of it. It was cold and it heated up quickly. Everything we needed for a nice stay and the bed was comfy.

  • d
    Jun. 27, 2022

    Carlsbad RV Park & Campground

    In town RV spot

    This RV spot is right in town on the Main Street. It is gated, has friendly staff, two cabins, tent spaces, a store, super clean and nice bathrooms/showers, laundry facility and pool.

    This is not typical wooded or beautiful camping, it’s a place to park your RV or tent and that is just about right. If you are making a quick stop over or heading to Carlsbad Caverns then what more do you need?

    We stayed in the cabin because we didn’t want to get all our camping stuff out for a quick overnight before we head to our destination (SW CO). It was only $15 more than tent camping so it made sense. It was also raining hard when we got here so we were double grateful. The cabins have a double bed and a bunk bed. It has a TV that we never turned on, a fridge, microwave and AC. The mattresses are like the ones you find at camp, wrapped in plastic but we just put our bedding and memory foam on top of it and it was just fine. I’d recommend it because it was just what we needed on our way and at a good price. Also the shower/ bathrooms are probably the nicest I’ve ever seen at a campground.

  • Timothy C.
    May. 27, 2023

    Cloud Climbing Railroad Cabin and RV Park

    Perfect little gem

    Super friendly owners. A beautiful and picturesque location in the Sacramento mountains. Easy in and out just a few miles from the village of Cloudcroft in the heart of the Lincoln National Forest. On property hiking trail, and an excellent common areas. Fruit trees abound, and picking fruit is allowed in season. They also have a cabin with multiple rental rooms. Full RV hookups and wifi at very reasonable rates. It is close to the road, but traffic is minimal at night. They are open year round!

  • S
    May. 27, 2019

    The Camp @ Cloudcroft RV Park

    They think of everything!

    We love Royce and the Camp @ Cloudcroft. We started out coming here NYE. We stayed in the teardrop camper — so cold outside but the teardrop was warm and cozy. Since then we’ve been back several times! They have new beautifully renovated shower houses. They have a Yurt with all you could ever think of as well as a pop up trailer (amazing king size bed). When you rent these, you basically can come with clothes and food. They think of everything else from utensils, grills, stoves, linens, seasonings ... even a deck of cards! There’s WiFi throughout the campground. They also have RV spaces and tent areas. Super super nice staff (Sissy and her pup Mickey). Can’t recommend this place enough and we can’t wait to get back to our home away from home!!

  • M
    Jun. 27, 2021

    Little Creel

    Larger RV Park

    This is a larger RV Park. They provide full hookups, spaces for tent camping, and some small cottages. I have not used their restrooms, but the laundry is clean and reasonably priced. Many of the spaces are pretty close together, but we’ve had worse! They have nice picnic tables and fire pits. There is a creek that runs behind the park and the spaces along this creek cost more. We stayed in Space 20; which is supposed to have the creek behind it (so we paid more), but there’s a bunch of electrical boxes there so you can’t see it or access it and there’s also a huge manhole sticking up in our space! So don’t take Space 20 unless you are desperate! That is the reason for my 4 rating. The grass is sparse, but there are big grassy areas throughout the park. Some of the spaces have the shade of large trees. I would stay here again, but would avoid #20.


Guide to New Mexico

Cabin camping in New Mexico offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and cozy accommodations, perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in nature without sacrificing comfort.

Cabin campers like these nearby activities

  • Enjoy the stunning views and hiking trails at the well-reviewed Riana - Abiquiu Lake, where you can explore the beautiful landscapes surrounding the lake.
  • Experience the charm of the Santa Fe KOA, which features a game room and a playground, making it ideal for families.
  • Visit the historic sites and vibrant culture of Santa Fe while staying at the cozy Rancheros de Santa Fe, located just a short drive from the city.

Some prices for cabin camping range from $40 to $75

  • At the Las Cruces KOA, cabin rates start around $40, offering a budget-friendly option for travelers.
  • The Carlsbad KOA provides cabins for approximately $75, perfect for those wanting to explore the nearby Carlsbad Caverns.
  • For a unique experience, consider the Turquoise Trail Campground, where cabin prices are competitive and the setting is serene.

Cabins are available at USA RV Park

  • The USA RV Park offers cabin accommodations along with a range of amenities, including a camp store and clean facilities.
  • Experience the family-friendly atmosphere at the Albuquerque KOA Journey, which features cabins and easy access to local attractions.
  • The Grants KOA Journey provides cozy cabins and a welcoming environment, making it a great stop for travelers exploring the area.