Here are 5 places where you should camp in New Mexico
Mark Smith/Journal Bandelier National Monument remains closed, but the Juniper Campground is open. Camping is 12 per night. Campfires are not allowed due to high fire danger. There are evening programs at the nearby amphitheater from Friday through Sunday and a mens and womens restroom with plumbing. jdyer@abqjournal.com Mon Aug 22 16:59:31 -0600 2011 1314053966 FILENAME: 114364.JPG
For a unique camping experience steeped in history, consider Bandelier National Monument. The Juniper Family Campground offers serene, forested campsites and easy access to the park's ancient ruins and hiking trails. Explore ancient pueblo dwellings and cliffside petroglyphs during the day, and enjoy stargazing at night.
Carson National Forest is a treasure trove of camping opportunities, with numerous campgrounds to choose from. From the developed sites of Red River Campground (offering RV and campsites) to the more primitive Columbine Canyon Campground, you can select the camping experience that suits you best. This forest offers a fantastic backdrop for hiking, fishing, and wildlife-watching.
As the name suggests, City of Rocks is a unique geological formation that looks like a cityscape made of massive boulders. The park's campground offers well-maintained sites with modern amenities. It's an excellent destination for rock climbing and stargazing, thanks to its International Dark Sky Park designation.
Camping in the world's largest gypsum sand dune field is an experience like no other. White Sands National Park offers backcountry primitive camping, so be prepared for a rustic experience as there are no facilities. It's a great place for those who want solitude and unique desert landscapes.
For those who are new to Jemez Springs, this village feels like an undiscovered gem. The mountains provide numerous camping opportunities, from established campgrounds to backcountry sites. The area is known for its hot springs, where you can soak after a day of hiking, and before a night under the stars.
30+ pictures of great places to camp in New Mexico: NM camping isn't just high desert
Mark Smith/Journal Bandelier National Monument remains closed, but the Juniper Campground is open. Camping is 12 per night. Campfires are not allowed due to high fire danger. There are evening programs at the nearby amphitheater from Friday through Sunday and a mens and womens restroom with plumbing.jdyer@abqjournal.comMon Aug 22 16:59:31 -0600 2011 1314053966 FILENAME: 114364.JPGMARK SMITH
JEFF JONES/JOURNAL - BANDELIER1 - OUT/JP3 Deer in Bandelier National Monument.JEFF JONES
BATS 1: Bats fly at dusk at Bandelier National Monument.JANE BERNARD
COURTESY OF VISIT LOS ALAMOS The Ancestral Pueblo dwellings of Bandelier National Monument offers a glimpse into the ancient past.agomez@abqjournal.comWed Jun 24 12:26:53 -0600 2020 1593023212 FILENAME: 1766924.jpg life01_jd_28jun_3parks
Bandelier National Monument Cave ladder photo courtesy of Leanne Arvila.ntipton@abqjournal.comTue Aug 20 11:51:35 -0600 2019 1566323495 FILENAME: 1536137.jpgHO
Frijoles Canyon at Bandelier National Monument photo by Karl Moffatt.ntipton@abqjournal.comTue Aug 20 11:51:35 -0600 2019 1566323495 FILENAME: 1536138.jpgKARL MOFFATT
A view of Long House from Long Trail out of Frijoles Canyon in Bandelier National Monument. Courtesy of the National Park Service.rkimball@abqjournal.comThu Sep 10 09:00:12 -0600 2015 1441897207 FILENAME: 198736.jpgHO
BANDELIER/EDDIE MOORE/JOURNAL/JNORTH/FOR ABQ/ 1-24-06 Several mule deer can be seen around the paths and picnic tables in the Bandelier National Monument.Eddie Moore
BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT BANDELIER/EDDIE MOORE/JOURNAL/JNORTH/BSECTION/ 1-24-06 Visitors walk along the "Long House" cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument.Eddie Moore
em_ecotour2/JNORTH/daily/Eddie Moore/journal/1-3-09--David Rice and Louise Bennett, from North Carolina, desend a ladder from a cave at Bandelier National Monument, Saturday , January 3, 2009.(Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)Eddie Moore
An area in Bandelier National Monument had been thinned three to five years before being burned by the Las Conchas fire, causing minimal damage to the forest, photographed on Tuesday July 26, 2011.Dean Hanson
jt100113e/a sec/ jim thompson/ Park Ranger Scott Ryan puts up a sign at the entrance to Bandelier National Monument. Tuesday, Oct.01,2013.(Jim Thompson/AlbuquerqueJournal.comJIM THOMPSON
Visitors walk the main loop trail through Bandelier National Monument as members of the Rocky Mountin Youth Corp. and the National Parks Service work to restore some of the walls of Tyuonyi Pueblo ruins in the parkEddie Moore
MAINELLA-EDDIE MOORE/JOURNAL/4-21-04 Vito Spinale, left, chief of park facility management at Bandelier National Monument, tells Fran Mainella, the director of the National Park Service, about the need for a new roof on one of the parks restrooms. Mainella is touring the state's parks this week and was in Bandelier on Wednesday.Eddie Moore
Wilderness1/JP2/Go A double rainbow arcs over the mountains of the Dome Wilderness near Bandelier National Monument after a summer thunderstorm.Raymond Watt
valle vidal 2 10-11-00 scott dunn JP2sports The 100,000-acre Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest offers wonderful views to hunters and hikers willing to do a little climbing.SCOTT DUNN
RAINBOW 3-The 25th annual communion with nature and meditation for peace Rainbow Family gathering in the Carson National Forest will continue through July 7. Food is provided in the Rainbow kitchens, but providing shelter is up to each individual. Many of the participants brough tents, but a few brought tee-pees.JAIME DISPENZA JOURNAL
Oliver Lee 1/6-23-95/AlexandriaKing/JP1/stateThe fifth wheel trailer is parked in one of the spacious and landscaped hook up sites at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park at the base of Dog Canyon, near Alamagordo. CampingALEXANDRIA KING JOURNAL
WILDRIV-EDDIE MOORE/JOURNAL/3-21-03 Monique Sepulveda, center, and Nick Miera, in tent, both from Albuquerque, camp in one of the new camping shelters at the Wild Rivers Recreation Area near Questa. The BLM has remodeled the primative site campgrounds and roads.Eddie Moore
Martin Frentzel/For the Journal Georgia O'keeffe's familiar landscape is the backdrop for camping at Abiquiu Lakes Riana Campground.htaylor@abqjournal.comMon Apr 08 13:49:28 -0600 2019 1554752965 FILENAME: 1435871.jpgMARTIN FRENTZEL
em050520e/jnorth/From left, Gerald Chacon, his nephew Matt Reitzel and brother Claudio Chacon left their horses drink after gathering up cattle in a large pasture on the Carson National Forest north of Ojo Caliente Tuesday, May 5, 2020. They are moving the cattle to higher ground where there is more moisture. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) mo_jd_18may_cattle2Eddie Moore
Courtesy of National Park Service Spending more time camping is a healthy vacation alternative that will be popular in New Mexico.agomez@abqjournal.comFri Jun 12 13:13:57 -0600 2020 1591989232 FILENAME: 1758320.jpg Trav_j21June_Tent
em081314e/a1/One of 12 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep released into the Santa Fe National Forest, looks for her group Wednesday August 13, 2014. The sheep were captured earlier in the day near Wheeler Peak in the Carson National Forest. These bring the total to 44 sheep that New Mexico Game and Fish have relocated here this week. The sheep's new habitat is now the area burn by the Las Conchas Fire in 2011. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)Eddie Moore
A dispersed camping site near Las Cruces within the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, Sierra Vista provides the opportunity for privacy and space. (Courtesy of The Dyrt)etrujillo@abqjournal.comWed Jun 22 14:11:41 -0600 2022 1655928697 FILENAME: 1944147.jpg travel_jd_26jun_pic3
Coyote Creek State Park, nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains along a meandering stream, is one of New Mexico’s smallest but most beautiful recreational areas, some 18 miles north of Mora, off highway 434. The campground offers both RV and tent camping as well as fishing, hiking and activities for kids.Journal photo
VIDAL-EDDIE MOORE/JOURNAL/JNORTH/SUNDAY/ 10-12-04 The east side of the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson national Forest is being conciderd for gas drilling.Eddie Moore
Stunning geology and improbable rock formations dot City of Rocks State Park in southwestern New Mexico.RAYMOND WATT
Martin Frentzel/For the Journal City of Rocks State Park reflects nicely on this refurbished 1979 Airstream owned by Elbert Sturgis of Talkeetna, Alaska.htaylor@abqjournal.comMon Apr 08 13:51:31 -0600 2019 1554753089 FILENAME: 1435873.jpgMARTIN FRENTZEL
RockStars-2 10-20-05 Sorber JP1trends Matt Wilson of Hurley and his wife Shawneene get the telescope at the City of Rocks State Park's observatory ready for some night viewing of the heavens. Wilson is a volunteer presenter for the park. The roof of the observatory slides back on tracks.GREG SORBER
RockStars-4 10-20-05 Sorber JP1trends Ken Abalos, the manager of the City of Rocks State Park's, walks through the monolithic blocks sculpted by wind and and water. The rocks are the eroded volcanic ash that was deposited 30 million years ago. The rocks formations at the park are so unique that they are only known to exist in six other places in the world.GREG SORBER
RockStars-7 10-20-05 Sorber JP1trends From a distance the City of Rocks State Park juts out of the plain . The rocks are the eroded volcanic ash that was deposited 30 million years ago. The rocks formations at the park are so unique that they are only known to exist in six other places in the world.GREG SORBER
With sleds in hand, Mark Heltman, 9, and his father Greg Heltman, both of Albuquerque, climb a dune at the White Sands National Monument in a 2007 file photo.Greg Sorber
A lone hiker strikes out across the dunes of White Sands National Monument, with the San Andres Mountains in the background.Richard Pipes
Moonlight walks are a popular way to visit White Sands National Park.Courtesy of the National Park Service
