Campsites in New Mexico

Cosmic Campground, Gila National Forest

This campground is far from any cities in New Mexico and perfect for stargazing. The number of tent sites and RV sites corresponds with the number of concrete pads for astronomers to set up their equipment. In 2016, this campground was named the first Dark Sky Sanctuary in the U.S. Forest Service system.

Bandelier National Monument

The great thing about New Mexico is its terrain consists of lush forests and expansive deserts. There is also a lot of history in New Mexico. This park has ancient human sites with carvings on rocks dating back 11,000 years and forests with tall trees. Follow one of the trails and enjoy the petroglyphs carved into the rock cliffs.

El Vado Lake State Park

In this massive park, there are 80 developed camping spots and spots for D.I.Y. camping. There are two accessible lakes in the park: El Vado and Heron. El Vado is located in New Mexico’s northern mountains and offers boating, fishing, hiking, winter cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Bottomless Lakes State Park

Located 14 miles southeast of Roswell, this park has eight lakes to explore. They offer non-motorized boating, camping, fishing, swimming and hiking. The lakes are sinkholes, hence the “bottomless” part in the name of the park. The sinkholes are up to 90 feet deep and visitors can scuba dive in these areas.