Budget Camping in New Mexico

If you are looking for some cheap camping spots or are RVing on a budget, New Mexico is the place to be.  There are a ton of free BLM and dispersed camping spots throughout the state and the State Parks are very reasonable at $14 a night for w/e.  If you are spending a significant amount of time in New Mexico, look into the annual park pass which is around $200 and cuts the nightly cost of state parks to $4 for w/e.
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On average in the past 6 months, we have spent $23.51 a night on accommodation, which we think is pretty good.  We spent 3 weeks traveling through New Mexico, so doing the math, that would typically cost around 500 bucks ($493.71 to be exact). But we managed to significantly cut that by more than half!!!! 21 nights cost us a total of $199.19, about $9.48 a night. AND we could have done it cheaper but we had to bail on 2 BLM sites that we had planned.  Having a 30 foot class A is not the most convenient for boondocking, most of the roads are rough and rutted and sometimes the sites are too small or we just can’t get Wanda level so we have to bail.

​So here is the rundown on where we camped:

1. Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad: $14 per night w/e
After a day at Carlsbad Caverns National Park we camped here for a couple of nights. No one mans the front entrance, you just drive through, find an open spot and pay at the self pay station.  You can also reserve sites ahead of time for an extra fee.  This park is kind of in the middle of the desert with not much around, but it was pretty and peaceful with a nice Lake Loop trail to take the dogs.  It has the typical state park amenities: bathrooms, showers and a dump station.   

2. Holloman Lake, Holloman Air Force Base: Free
This was our home base for our visit to White Sands National Monument, which was only about 10 minutes away.  It was a beautiful spot to watch the sunset and while we were there we only saw a couple of other campers.  For your safety, the lake water is contaminated and not safe to drink or swim in.  We knew this going in and just kept ourselves and the dogs away from it and had no problem.  We did hear recently that public access to the area may be prohibited in the future due to the contamination, so check before heading in.  

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 3. Leasburg Dam State Park, Las Cruces: $14 a night w/e 
This is a nice well maintained state park not too far from the main attractions in Las Cruces.  We ended up here by default after a BLM spot didn’t work out.  There are a couple of different loops to choose from with different levels of amenities.  Our loop had w/e hookup and pit toilets, but there were showers by the park office on the other side of the park.  Each site has a picnic table under a covered patio and there are several trails to walk here.  One odd thing we did notice on our walk to the Dam was that there was no water in it! That was pretty strange.  

4. Elephant Butte State Park, Truth or Consequences: $8 per night primitive camping
This state park is very big with several developed campgrounds, but you can also dry camp on the beach or anywhere else in the park where you can find a spot.  We decided to dry camp because we wanted to stay on the beach….that did not go so well as Wanda got stuck in some deep soft sand and we needed to get towed out.  But after all the drama, we ended up finding an awesome secluded spot which worked our better for us anyway.   

5. Cracker Barrel, Albuquerque: Free
​Good old Cracker Barrel.  We really appreciate that Cracker Barrels allow RVers to stay overnight. It is always good in a pinch and we usually find that they are quieter and less crowded than Walmart parking lots.

6. Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post, Albuquerque: Passport America Rate $18 per night full hookup
​Free camping spots in Albuquerque are hard to come by.  There is nothing really convenient or nearby, so after the first night we found this RV park through Passport America.  Before we set out on this trip we joined several membership programs for discounts on camp sites.  Passport America was the cheapest at $44 a year and it is by far the one that has been most helpful to us.  We use it quite frequently and it saves us a lot of money as you typically get 50% off a nightly rate at participating campgrounds.  We highly recommend it if you don't already have it!  

Passport America

​Enchanted trails is a nice medium sized campground on historic Route 66 and a convenient place to stay while exploring Albuquerque. ​

7. Caja Del Rio, Sante Fe National Forest: Free
​This was a great BLM spot we found in Sante Fe National Forest.  Just be sure to take the long way to get there, the GPS wanted us to take a shortcut down a steep rutted dirt road and across the Sante Fe River.  No way Wanda could have handled that, so we had to drive the long way on Highway 599 and double back.   

​This was probably the most popular BLM spot we have stayed in and there were a bunch of other RVers, campers, and vans but there is plenty of space and everyone kept to themselves.  The Railyard and Canyon Road, popular tourist spots in Sante Fe, was about a half hour away.   And while there are pit toilets located here, I wouldn’t plan on using them.

8. Coronado Campground, Bernalillo: $25 per night w/e 3 nights
​This is a small campground is located right off Highway 550.  We ended up here for a few days while we waited for some packages to catch up with us.  There is not much to do around here but there are plenty of stores if you need to restock or have any projects you need to work on.  Our biggest complaint here was that their WiFi signal was terrible and we didn't have great reception on our phones or with our Verizon MiFi.

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9. Walmart, Farmington: Free 1 night
​We intended on visiting the Bisti Badlands/De-Na-Zin Wilderness area and almost made it, but the last leg of the trip is 20 miles on a terrible bumpy dirt road.  We decided to turn around and not risk breaking something.   Without a real plan of where to go we stopped at the Walmart in Farmington.  They have a huge lot just past their auto center in the back and away from the highway where RVs can park. It was definitely the quietest Walmart we have slept in.

We enjoyed our time in New Mexico and were happy to take advantage of the free campsites to not only save some money but to camp the way we like, out in the wilderness on our own.

Do you prefer boondocking or full hookups at an RV park? Let us know in the comments below. 

By: Ashley Quiambao

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