Hiking

Ridge Park RV and Campground

20 RV Sites

Ridge Park RV and Campground in Silver City, New Mexico, provides a well-maintained and full-service RV and camping base in Grant County at the edge of the Gila Wilderness—the world's first congressionally designated wilderness area—where the Mogollon Mountains' rugged landscape of pine-covered ridges, prehistoric cliff dwellings, and hot springs tributaries creates one of the American Southwest's most dramatic and least-visited outdoor recreation environments. Positioned in one of New Mexico's most historically layered communities, the campground serves outdoor enthusiasts targeting the Gila National Forest's vast trail network alongside visitors drawn to Silver City's remarkable arts community and Southwestern heritage. The campground's infrastructure is oriented toward the serious outdoor recreation visitor who needs reliable utility connections and practical services rather than resort entertainment: full hookup RV sites with big-rig-friendly access, a fitness center, recreation center, laundry, showers, bathrooms, dump station, propane fills, community fire pit, dog park, boat storage, and RV storage provide the complete practical package for extended wilderness basecamp stays. The dog park reflects the campground's recognition that Gila Wilderness hiking with dogs is a primary reason for extended Grant County visits, and the boat and RV storage accommodates guests who leave equipment on-site between seasonal trips to this remote but rewarding corner of New Mexico. Silver City is one of the most culturally distinctive small cities in the American Southwest—a former silver mining boomtown that has transitioned into an arts community of genuine character, with the Silver City Museum in the original city hall, the Western New Mexico University Museum's remarkable collection of Mimbres pottery, the vibrant Bullard Street gallery and restaurant district, and the historic downtown that preserves enough Victorian commercial architecture from the 1870s and 1880s to give the city a streetscape authenticity that tourist-oriented Southwestern towns rarely maintain. Billy the Kid spent his childhood in Silver City before the outlaw career that made him New Mexico's most famous historical figure. The Gila Wilderness, approximately 45 miles north of Silver City via NM-15 and NM-35, encompasses 558,000 acres of the Mogollon Rim country where Aldo Leopold proposed wilderness designation in 1924 to protect what he recognized as the last significant roadless area in the Southwest. The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, at the end of the road in the Gila River canyon, preserves the remains of Mogollon people habitations from the thirteenth century—multi-room cliff dwellings in natural cave alcoves above the river that are accessible via a one-mile round-trip trail in one of the Southwest's most intimate and uncrowded national monument experiences. Ridge Park RV and Campground operates year-round in Silver City's high-desert mountain climate, where the 5,900-foot elevation moderates summer temperatures to levels significantly cooler than the lower Chihuahuan Desert communities to the south and east, creating a summer escape character that draws Arizonans and southern New Mexicans escaping triple-digit heat. The Gila Wilderness trail season runs from late April through October, with spring and fall offering the most comfortable hiking conditions, and winter's snowfall at higher elevations creates cross-country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities for guests willing to ascend the Mogollon Rim above the canyon country.

Hacienda RV Resort

72 RV Sites

Hacienda RV Resort in Las Cruces, New Mexico, offers 72 full-hookup RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 130 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout — the most generous length allowance in this tranche. End suite pull-throughs and large back-in and pull-through categories join a fitness center, hot tub, and clubhouse in the Mesilla Valley. Seventy-two sites span back-in, large back-in, pull-through, large pull-through, and end suite pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 130 feet, with site WiFi. The end suite category gives you a site with only one neighbor, and the 130-foot capacity handles any rig on the road with room to spare. A general store, boutique shop, laundry, restrooms, showers, and a pet washing station handle the practical side. A fitness center, hot tub and sauna, clubhouse, game room, ping pong, and dog park fill the property, with planned activities through the season and mountain views throughout. Wine tasting is nearby, along with a state park and national park. Pets are welcome. Las Cruces sits in the Mesilla Valley where the Rio Grande runs through the northern Chihuahuan Desert beneath the Organ Mountains. White Sands National Park, the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, and the historic El Camino Real corridor make this one of the Southwest's most layered travel regions, at pricing that reflects Las Cruces rather than a resort market. Winter snowbird season and spring touring drive demand. Reserve ahead.

from $39/night

Gleatherland Ranch

18 RV Sites

Gleatherland Ranch occupies 18 scenic acres in El Paso, Texas—a campground and glamping property three miles from Hueco Tanks State Park, the volcanic rock formation complex that is simultaneously one of Texas's most ecologically diverse geological landmarks, the most significant rock art site in the Chihuahuan Desert, and one of the premier bouldering destinations in North America. The ranch's position just outside the Hueco Tanks boundary makes it the closest camping option to the park for the climbing, hiking, and rock art touring guests who fill the park's limited daily entry slots. Fifty campsites divide between 30 primitive sites and 20 RV sites with electric service and gray water and potable water hookups, with yurts and vacation rental accommodation providing glamping options for guests who prefer enclosed shelter in the high desert environment. Coin-operated showers with on-demand hot water, flush toilets, WiFi, a communal fire pit, dump station, and a barn structure handle the practical facility needs across the property. The 18-acre site scale provides meaningful space between sites relative to the dense urban RV park model, and the Chihuahuan Desert landscape surrounding the property delivers the visual character of the Trans-Pecos Texas mountain-and-desert terrain that makes the El Paso area visually distinctive from the flat Permian Basin to the east. Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site encompasses 860 acres of volcanic sill intrusions and hollows — the "hueco" that gives the park its name from the Spanish word for hollow or cavity — that have collected rainwater for thousands of years and supported human habitation from the Jornada Mogollon culture through Apache encampments to the Butterfield Overland Mail Route station that operated here in the 1850s. The park's rock art includes over 200 painted masks — many in excellent preservation condition in sheltered cave and overhang locations — that constitute one of the most important Native American pictograph collections in the American Southwest. The Hueco Tanks bouldering circuit has developed since the 1980s into a world-recognized technical climbing destination where the volcanic rock's unusual texture and hold configuration have generated a concentration of high-difficulty boulder problems. Franklin Mountains State Park, within El Paso city limits, is the largest urban wilderness state park in the United States — 26,000 acres of Chihuahuan Desert mountain terrain rising from 3,700 feet at the base to 7,192 feet at the North Franklin Peak summit, with hiking trails ranging from the Franklin Mountains State Park trail system into the Interior Peaks and the Wyler Aerial Tramway providing a gondola ascent to the Franklin crest for panoramic views across the El Paso metro, Juárez, and the Rio Grande valley. The El Paso Zoo and the El Paso Museum of Art in the downtown civic core round out the cultural infrastructure accessible from the ranch. Gleatherland Ranch operates year-round in the Chihuahuan Desert climate where El Paso's 300 days of annual sunshine and low humidity make outdoor camping comfortable across most of the calendar year. The shoulder seasons of spring and fall from March through May and September through November provide the most temperate camping conditions — daytime highs in the 70s and 80s with cool nights — and the winter months from December through February are mild enough for comfortable camping with nighttime temperatures typically above freezing. The Hueco Tanks reservation system operates a limited daily entry capacity that makes advance planning essential for climbing and rock art touring visits.

from $15/night

Silver Springs RV Park and Trout Pond

38 RV Sites, 7 Tent Sites

Silver Springs RV Park and Trout Pond occupies one of the most elevated and atmospherically dramatic camping positions in New Mexico — perched at nearly 9,000 feet in the Lincoln National Forest, approximately five miles from the mountain village of Cloudcroft and just 34 miles from the resort community of Ruidoso. At this altitude, ponderosa pines tower overhead, the air is genuinely cool even in midsummer, and the Silver Springs RV Park and trout pond experience feels refreshingly removed from the desert heat of the lowlands below. Full-hookup sites with WiFi, water, sewer, and electric serve RV campers, while tent sites share the forested grounds for guests who prefer sleeping under mountain stars. The one-acre trout pond, stocked weekly with rainbow trout throughout the summer, is the resort's most distinctive amenity — all catches are kept (no catch-and-release), with the park staff cleaning and bagging fish for guests. A clubhouse, community fire pit, horseshoe pits, and mountain views from every site complete the on-site experience. Pets are welcome, and the wildlife corridor location ensures elk, mule deer, wild turkey, and hummingbirds are regular visitors throughout the season — with the occasional black bear making a memorable appearance on the property's edge. The Lincoln National Forest surrounding the park offers hiking, mountain biking, and trail riding through high-country terrain that defines the Sacramento Mountains character — limestone ridgelines, mixed conifer forest, and canyon overlooks that differ dramatically from the desert country just an hour downhill. The historic town of Lincoln, about an hour west, was the site of the Lincoln County War and Billy the Kid's famous jailbreak — a fascinating chapter of American frontier history preserved at the Lincoln State Monument. Smokey Bear Historical Park & Museum in Capitan commemorates the beloved fire prevention symbol, featuring exhibits and the actual burial site of the original Smokey Bear. Ruidoso, 34 miles away, offers casino gaming at Inn of the Mountain Gods, horse racing at Ruidoso Downs, and ski slopes at Ski Apache for winter guests. Silver Springs RV Park and Trout Pond is a summer destination at heart, with the season running from late spring through early fall when the pines are green and the trout pond is fully operational. The altitude keeps temperatures comfortable even at the height of summer, making it a popular escape from the Chihuahuan Desert heat for guests from Alamogordo, El Paso, and the Rio Grande valley. Reserve early for summer weekends, when cool mountain air, stocked trout fishing, and Lincoln National Forest access make this one of the most coveted RV spots in southern New Mexico.

Bonito Hollow RV Park & Campground

42 RV Sites, 2 Cabins

Bonito Hollow RV Park & Campground in Alto, New Mexico, offers 41 RV sites and two cabins on 12 acres in the Lincoln National Forest at 6,900 feet, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 58 feet. Six site categories span 30-amp and 30/50-amp back-ins and pull-throughs in both full-hookup and water-and-electric configurations. Forty-one sites run in 30-amp and 30/50-amp back-ins, water-and-electric back-ins, 30/50-amp pull-throughs, and 50-amp water-and-electric pull-throughs, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 58 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Two cabins serve guests without a rig. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and a library handle the practical side, with WiFi throughout. The forest setting is the draw. Walking trails run the 12 acres along the creek, with fishing, hiking, birding, volleyball, and horseshoes from camp. A community fire pit, pavilion, and dog park fill the grounds. The elevation delivers cool mountain summers that the New Mexico lowland desert cannot match — the main reason guests make the climb. Pets are welcome. Alto sits above the Ruidoso valley in the Sierra Blanca range, surrounded by Smokey Bear and Billy the Kid country. The Ruidoso resort community, the Mescalero Apache Reservation, and Sierra Blanca Peak's ski and summer recreation are all close. Directions from Roswell: Highway 70 to Highway 380, to Capitan, then south on Highway 48 to the Highway 37 junction, then 1.25 miles on Highway 37 — the second RV park on the left. From El Paso: Highway 70 to Highway 48, through Ruidoso to Highway 37. Summer draws desert escapees. Reserve ahead.

from $44/night

Camp Rio

31 RV Sites, 3 Cabins, 12 Tent Sites, 2 Onsite RV/Trailers, 1 Vintage RV Rental

In the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico at 6,700 feet—in Otero County where the Lincoln National Forest's ponderosa pine and Apache plume canyon landscape creates the wildlife corridors, racing streams, and cool mountain-air environment that makes the Sacramento high country one of New Mexico's most rewarding and least discovered outdoor destinations—Camp Rio at 2180 Rio Penasco Road in Mayhill offers full hookup RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service, tent camping, vintage-vehicle glamping (a Shasta trailer, school buses, a Chris Craft boat, a gypsy wagon), three cabins, laundry, baths, showers, WiFi, and a rentable pavilion on a clean family property surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest where the small valleys, mountain glens, birds, and wildlife of the Rio Peñasco watershed create the setting that the day trips to Ruidoso, White Sands, and Billy the Kid country reward from a genuinely remarkable mountain base camp. The elevation delivers cool nights. The forest delivers everything else. Full hookup sites with 30 and 50-amp electric, water, and sewer serve the RV guest, while the tent sites, the three named cabins, and the one-of-a-kind vintage glamping fleet—the Shasta trailer, the converted school buses, the Chris Craft boat on land, the gypsy wagon—provide the range of alternative accommodations that a creative campground in the middle of Lincoln National Forest's canyon country assembles over years of inventive development. Clean baths and showers, laundry, upgraded free WiFi, and the rentable pavilion for group gatherings complete the practical infrastructure. The property's position surrounded by the national forest means the wildlife viewing, the bird watching in the mountain glens, and the sound of the Rio Peñasco in the canyon bottom are immediate rather than a short drive away. Mayhill sits in the Sacramento Mountains on NM-82 between Artesia and Cloudcroft, in the forested highlands where the Mescalero Apache's traditional mountain territory and the Lincoln National Forest's 1.1 million acres create the protected landscape that preserves the elk, black bear, mule deer, and the raptor diversity that the Sacramento high country sustains. The National Solar Observatory at Sunspot, 20 miles south on the Sacramento Peak, provides the one-of-a-kind tour of the sun-watching facility whose 60-foot vacuum tower telescope has observed solar activity since 1952 in the clear-sky position the Sacramento Mountains provide. Ruidoso, 25 miles east via US-70, anchors the regional tourism infrastructure with Ruidoso Downs Racing's quarter horse meets, the Ski Apache resort on Sierra Blanca Peak (elevation 11,500 feet), the Hubbard Museum of the American West, and the Lincoln Historic District 40 miles east on US-380—the restored adobe structures of the town where the Lincoln County War and Billy the Kid's escape from the courthouse in 1881 created the most documented episode of frontier New Mexico history. White Sands National Park, 90 miles south, protects the world's largest gypsum dune field in the Tularosa Basin's extraordinary white landscape. Camp Rio operates year-round in the Sacramento Mountains' high-elevation climate, where the summer temperatures averaging 20 degrees cooler than the lowland Chihuahuan Desert below create the relief that makes the 6,700-foot Mayhill position genuinely comfortable from June through September when the lowland campgrounds of southern New Mexico are enduring their most intense heat. The fall elk rut in September and October, the winter snow that occasionally closes NM-82, and the spring wildflower bloom in the mountain meadows define the seasonal rhythms that the campground's surrounding national forest delivers in rotation. Reserve your site, cabin, or vintage glamping unit at Camp Rio and let the Sacramento Mountains' forest, wildlife, and canyon streams prove that the high road to Ruidoso is worth every mile.

from $44/night

Western Way RV Resort

81 RV Sites

Western Way RV Resort in Tucson, Arizona, offers 81 full-hookup back-in RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 45 feet, adjacent to Tucson Mountain Park. Deluxe and standard categories join a private golf course, outdoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, and craft room at the edge of the Sonoran Desert. Eighty-one back-in sites run in standard and deluxe categories carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 45 feet, with concrete patios and WiFi. Laundry, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. The amenity set is extensive. A private 18-hole championship golf course sits on the property, with an outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna, fitness center, clubhouse, library, craft room, sports courts, pickleball, and billiards besides. Walking trails run the desert grounds, and a playground and dog park serve families and pets. Pets are welcome. The commercial support is the resort's real distinction. A shopping village at the entrance holds five restaurants, a bank, a post office, a service station, a grocery store, a doughnut shop, beauty and barber shops, and additional retail — which makes the property functionally self-contained in a way no other Tucson RV resort matches. Guests can settle in for a season without a daily drive into town. The resort sits where the Tucson Mountains separate the city from the western unit of Saguaro National Park. Winter is decisively the season in southern Arizona — book well ahead for January through March.

from $44 $39/night