Are you planning a trip to Dell City with your horse? We've got you covered. Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. Search nearby equestrian campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Dog Canyon is a 70-mile drive from the nearest town of Carlsbad, New Mexico and is 110 miles from the Pine Spring Visitor Center & Campground (a 2 hour drive time). Before booking a reservation: It is your responsibility to review all (Site Details, Allowable Equipment, Allowable Vehicle/Driveway and Need to Know) for the individual campsite. Failing to do so may result in being prohibited from occupying the site upon your arrival. Refunds are not provided by the park. Dog Canyon Campground lies in the secluded, forested canyon on the north side of Guadalupe Mountains National Park at an elevation of 6,300 feet. It is located at the end of NM Hwy. 137 (Queen Highway). This quiet location is great for relaxing, wildlife watching and hiking. The campground is open year-round and is busiest, March-May and September-November.
Trails from Dog Canyon offer good access, with relatively easy grades, to the high country of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The hike to Lost Peak is 6.4 miles round-trip, is considered strenuos and has 1500 elevation gain. The hike to Marcus Overlook is 4.5 miles round-trip, is considered moderate with an 800' elevation gain. The Indian Meadow Nature Trail near the campground is 0.6 miles and winds around a grassy area surrounded by a mix of broadleaved evergreens, deciduous trees, and pines.
The Dog Canyon Campground is in an area with wooded drainages, meadows, and grassy hillsides and sparsely vegetated outcrops. Large alligator junipers, oaks, maples, madrones, pi__on and ponderosa pine are in and near the campground. Shrubs include ceanothus, sumacs, mahonia, and mountain mahogany. Desert-adapted plants include a variety of prickly pear cactus, agave, and chollas. Western scrub jays, acorn woodpeckers, and a variety of hummingbirds frequent the area. Mule deer are commonly seen. Algerita ridge casts morning shade, and cool mountain air settles in the canyon bottom nightly. Daytime highs are similar to the Pine Springs area, but nighttime lows can be much cooler. Views of the night sky are pristine. During the Permian Period, shallow marine water that was behind the Capitan Reef, created a series of layers of limestone and sandstone. Faulting and subsequent erosion created the canyon. Nearby topographic features include Lost Peak, Blue Ridge, West Dog Canyon, and the Brokeoff and Cutoff Mountains.
This location has limited staffing. Please call (915) 828-3251 for general information.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park: In addition to a variety of cave tours, the national park also offers hiking trails and a scenic drive. Rattlesnake Springs and Slaughter Canyon, part of Carlsbad Caverns are nearer attractions for day use activities. Birding is excellent at Rattlesnake Springs. Lincoln National Forest: The Guadalupe District of the Lincoln National Forest is located just over the state line, north of the national park. Road access is through New Mexico, north of Whites City, via Dark Canyon Road to NM SR 137 through Queen (also the way to the national parks Dog Canyon). The forest provides for various camping, hiking, caving, hunting, and picnicking opportunities. Sitting Bull Falls is a nice waterfall and picnic area in the Lincoln National Forest. Five Point Vista is a glorious ridge road ride of the area, closer to Dog Canyon. Fort Davis National Historic Site and State Park: Fort Davis is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars' frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and on the Chihuahua Trail. This is located about 2.5 hours south of the park. A state park is located nearby with camping and a scenic drive. Also located in Fort Davis is McDonald Observatory with several programs available. White Sands National Park: Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dunefield, along with the plants and animals that live here. Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site: Hueco Tanks State Park is located on the east side of El Paso, about an hour and a half from the Guadalupes. At Hueco Tanks, you can hike, rock climb, bird watch, study nature and history, picnic and stargaze. Visitors can take guided and self-guided tours to view rock imagery.
Individual Site: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you modify your reservation or change your stay dates. Cancelling your reservation prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time two nights before your stay will incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.__Camping reservations cancelled the day before and day of arrival incur a $10 cancellation fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. If you need to cancel or modify your reservation, you must do so through Recreation.gov. Group Site: Customers who cancel a group overnight reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee & forfeit the first night's use fee.
$60 / night
The extra distance to the Tejas Wilderness Campground is worth the time for those who wish to stay in a more densely forested surrounding. The tall trees provide deep shade in the morning and late afternoon and protection from high winds aloft. Centrally located, the Tejas campground is 5.5 miles from Pine Springs trailhead or 6.2 miles from Dog Canyon.
Legend
Dog Canyon RV area: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 3.5
Price 2024: $ 10 winteragency pass
Security: No
Usage during visit: 50 to 100%, however there are more no shows than usually experienced elsewhere.
Site Privacy: No
Site Spacing: Close
Pad surface: Gravel
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: Quiet
Outside Road Noise: This campground is the end of the road.
Through Traffic in campground: Hiker parking area across from the RV sites
Electric Hookup: No
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: No
Potable Water Available: Yes. I didn’t notice the hand pump to the left of the trailhead the first couple days here.
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: Flush toilets are a short walk, located in the tent camping area. There is also a heated bathroom at the visitor center which is a short distance further.
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: All 4 sites are back in
Cell Service (AT&T): No bars. There is WiFi at the visitor center. We were able to periodically pick up WiFi at our campsite, RV- D.
Setting: Surrounded by ridges.
Recent Weather: Very windy and cold nights.
Solar: Excellent.
Insects: None
Host: Not filled.
Rig Size: i cannot imagine that these sites will accommodate rigs over 25’.
Sites: RV-A, and RV-D are on the ends. These are the best sites. RV-A door faces horse trailer parking area. No horse there trailers during our stay. RV- D is the best site if you can park your RV nose first. This makes sitting area more private . In RV- D and RV-A sites the occupant can spread out more.
Scout
Once you have your permit, you can embark on your backpacking adventure to Pine Top. The 4.2-mile hike from Pine Springs to the campground will take you through diverse landscapes, including forests, meadows, uno online, and possibly even some stunning vistas. As you make your way to Pine Top, keep an eye out for wildlife and take in the natural beauty surrounding you.
GuideThis place is REMOTE! Like 1.5 hours away from any gas station remote. First and foremost make sure you fill up before you get off that highway. Whites City by Carlsbad is not to far. If youre coming that direction fill up before you go out there.
This campground does not have a lot of amenities. It has trash cans, a toilet, and some drinking fountains.. and the rest is nature. I really liked this place.
Dog Canyon is one of those places where the pictures just wont do it justice. Its big, youre little.
We spent 5 days @25$ a day
BATHROOOM SCORE: 3/5 # LEAKING TOILETS, LOW ON TOILET PAPER
STARLINK SCORE: 5/5
SOLAR SCORE:5/5
REMOTE WORKERS SCORE: 4/5
PS: the guys with the big trailers were not happy with the site... they are a little tight
TravelerWe first pulled up to the main campground and ranger station. The bathrooms were very dirty and not well kept. The campground for rv’s was just a parking lot. I held out hope for this campground and after a 2hr drive it was another parking lot for rv’s. Right next to each other. Luckily after the first night everyone else left and we were there all by ourselves until that night. Tent camping looked nicer.
ScoutI guess not really sure what type of giveaways for Instagram campaign for followers to run but I think SVQ online will serve as a better alternative to that one comes with more power promotional reach.
LegendGeneral: small campground (four “RV” sites and nine tent sites (plus one group tent site). Access is remote (only one 60-mile paved option and one 30-mile dirt road alternative) so you need to make sure you have filled up with gas in Carlsbad as there are no services within many miles of the campground. No cell reception at all (not unexpected). Be aware that the park is on mountain time but close enough to the central time zone border that your smartphone/watch may not display the correct time!
Site Quality: The “RV” sites are just a gravel parking lot. Each site has a picnic table and while the sites are spaced a decent amount of distance apart, there is no physical separation between the sites. No hookups. The tent sites are walk-in.
Bathhouse: We were expecting a pit toilet in such a remote location but there is one men’s and one women’s bathroom with a flush toilet and sink. They were very clean. Soap dispensers but no paper towels. Although there was no hot water, the restrooms were heated, which was a nice bonus.
Activities: There is a .6-mile nature trail and several more challenging hiking trails. There was a horse corral behind the RV sites, but we did not see any horses while there. About 25 miles away is Sitting Bull Falls, a spring-fed waterfall that is a nice side trip.
We camped here because we were not able to get reservations in the other more popular campground in Guadalupe Mountains NP. Access between the two sides of the park is long (about 60 miles) so while this was a nice, comfortable campground, it is not easy to get to.
GuideThis campsite is very remote, but it is gorgeous. It’s quite small, with only 4 RV spots and several tent spots. There is no cell phone service, but there is free Wi-Fi available. There are bathrooms, but no showers. It’s about 1.5 hours from the closest gas station so make sure to fill up before heading in. Dogs are allowed at the campsite, but not on any of the trails. I definitely recommend this site if you are going to be hiking around the national parks (Guadalupe Mountain and Carlsbad Caverns). It was also very windy when we were there in December, so bring warm clothes!
TravelerThis was our first time visiting and it was absolutely amazing!!!! I will absolutely plan another trip back. The park Ranger (I can’t remember her name but I want to say it was Bev) was awesome. She was so kind and helpful and kept the park looking crisp and clean. We went the last week of February and stayed on a Sunday night. We were the only people in the park, including RVs and day-use. That creeped us out a bit since it’s so secluded and you don’t have cell service whatsoever, but the Ranger made us feel comfortable and like we had a friend there. I don’t know what it would be like during the busy season when it’s crowded because the campsites felt like they were on top of each other (like if you went camping with a group of people and you wanted to be close) but we didn’t have to worry about it since we were the only ones. My only complaint (and I didn’t dock a star on my review because it could’ve been that my fiancé and I just poorly planned and we also didn’t ask for help or clarification) was that the trails were not well marked. We hiked but we had no idea how far we went or what trail we were on, we just walked. That was frustrating because I wanted to keep going but I didn’t want to get lost, but the hiking was still gorgeous and enjoyable so I would still do it again.
The mountains are stunning but what keeps replaying over in my mind is the stargazing. I’m an amateur stargazer and I brought my telescope to check it out but unfortunately it was so cold and windy I couldn’t set it up long enough to use it. However, the stars were so bright and so vivid I couldn’t take my eyes off of the sky. And the moon came out over the mountains (which was almost a full moon) and it was like someone turned on a spot light on the campground. It was breathtaking.
We didn’t really get a pleasurable experience outside of that because it got so cold overnight (earlier that day the ranger warned us that it was supposed to be one of the coldest nights) and we weren’t really as prepared as we could’ve been so we ended up sleeping in the car with the heat on and leaving at first light but we are dying to go back again when it’s warmer. It also snowed incredibly heavily leaving the next day on our way out so the roads got pretty dangerous. Overall, still completely worth it!!!
If you go, at least take some binoculars for stargazing. You will absolutely not regret it!
GuideYou must carry your own water in. These are primitive desert backpacking sites. Since it is the first camp at the end of a fairly tough hike,it is often full. You must get a permit from the rangers to camp here. Fairly rocky, if you are lucky you will see elk. Beautiful night sky’s. The winds can be very brutal. (50 mph plus)
LegendDog Canyon is located on the north end of Guadalupe Mountains National Park aka the highest point in Texas. Though secluded, Dog Canyon fills up fast so arrive early or plan in advance to claim your spot.
Due to the elevation, this campground is cooler and has more shelter than the Pine Springs campground. Dog Canyon has excellent trail access with options of one-day or shorter day hikes.
Ranger recommendations:
ScoutBeautifully located in a tranquil setting. Camprgrounds are clean. Very quiet
TravelerVisiting Guadalupe national park was very surprising, after finding out that no reservations are required to camp I was a little worried that the location was going to packed but going in the middle of February it was just right. The tent camping side has a total of 19 tent sites which have benches as well as a prepared area for your tent which was nice the site had a bathroom nearby and trash cans very close to every site. The rv side had multiple spots for rvs (didn't count the spaces) but outside of the parking lot were flush toilets and a dish washing station, the trail heads were right by the parking lot so very convenient.
The trail the main trail guadalupe peak was breath taking (literally) the climb up takes about a 2 and half hours but the view up top is amazing! My only complaint of this place is that the amount of trails is lacking (only about 5) and after a day or two your pretty much done but if your in the are the hike up top is unbeatable.
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GuideI really enjoyed this camp site and being in the park and so close to the mountains and trails. The views and sunset and sunrise were beautiful. The trails were easy access, especially the trail to the peak. Water, bathrooms, and sinks for washing dishes were also really close to the site. Lots of parking as well.
GuideWe arrived in the evening, and the place was full-up. Someone had taken a group site and had no use for the extra tent pad and shared it with us. Really pretty area, and a National Park that deserves more attention.
TravelerHave visited several times over the years. Pretty cool even in the hottest of summers, yet warm during the winter months. Great spot to base camp for hikes into the Guadalupe Mountains! Flush toilets but no showers. Tent pads and fresh water nearby. Love to watch the hummingbirds at the headquarters porch fighting over the feeders. No cell phones to bother you here, just peace and quiet. A bit off the beaten path, but well worth the trip.
RangerThough it is located in the desert in the middle of December it was still pretty warm. There were a total of 9 sites but only two were occupied. The sites were fairly huge. The only down side was that there were no campfires allowed. We did bring our stoves and managed to stay warm in the 40s at night. I stayed there for 2 nights. There was a fountain for water and restrooms. We got the chance to hike the mejas trail which took up half the day. Absolutely one of the better camp spots
GuideGreat sites! Highly recommended!!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Dell City, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Dell City, TX is Dog Canyon Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park with a 4.2-star rating from 14 reviews.
