The best camping near Elephant Butte Lake State Park
Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Elephant Butte Lake State Park adventure.
100% (8 reviews)
100% (8 reviews)
Desert oasis meets lakeside paradise at New Mexico’s largest lake.
Popular ways to camp
Community favorites near Elephant Butte Lake State Park
Top-rated campgrounds reviewed by the Hipcamp community.
Book externally
Public campgrounds in the parkBook externally
Book externally
Stay at a public campground in Elephant Butte Lake State Park
Top-rated campgrounds near Elephant Butte Lake State Park
97%
(46)
Horner Hipcamp
15 sites · RVs, Tents20 acres · Radium Springs, NM
New to Hipcamp, but want to share my beautiful property with others. Located on the bank of the Rio Grande River with access to the river at all times. Property is rustic now, but improvements will continue to be made as time goes on. Come help me develop this beautiful location into the best Hipcamp in New Mexico.
Just 14 miles of the Chile Capital of the World, Hatch, NM, come during chile harvest to take home fresh green chile right out of the field.
21 miles from Las Cruces, where you will find plenty of events and entertainment, should you so desire. Spaceport, America, T or C, White Sands are all within a day's drive, and Fort Selden is just a few miles down the road, as is Blue Moon Bar and Grill.
My dad first came to this property as a farm hand for the elderly couple who owned it. This was in the 1930's. He met my mother, who lived 6 miles down the road, in 1939. She was just 14. Every Sunday he would ride those 6 miles to have supper with her and her family and in 1940, 2 weeks after her 16th birthday, they married. They traveled around before coming back here, buying a small portion of this farm from the elderly owners and farming the rest for them, but in 1953, the man died (his name was Ernest Ward) in the small concrete house I now use for storage, that my dad had built for he and his wife when he first came to work for them. My parents built a home for his widow in Hatch (14 miles) and bought the farm from her. My family has owned it since. I was gone for 31 years, but returned to the land and place I love and plan to stay here till I die!
Pets
Potable water
Campfires
from
$39
/ night
99%
(167)
Hot Springs Glamp Camp
10 sites · RVs, Tents1 acre · Elephant Butte, NM
Come for the Hot Springs, Stay for the Camping!
For travelers looking for a unique and easy getaway or break from the road, Hot Springs Glamp Camp offers the perfect
"Glamorous Camping"
experience!
Unlike chain hotels or Airbnb stays, Glamp Camp creates a place for both community and alone time;
for rejuvenation and healing in the onsite hot springs,
in a relaxing, friendly, tribe vibe.
Well-behaved children and dogs are welcome (Pets must be approved to stay in accommodations,
be on-leash, and cleaned up after at all times).
Fun Fact: This property is rumored to have been a nudist colony and/or spiritual commune in the 80's.
We look forward to hosting you!
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from
$57
/ night
96%
(13)
Pristine High Desert Wilderness
10 sites · RVs, Tents160 acres · San Antonito, NM
Here is a beautiful wide-open 160 acre site in the Socorro High Desert with wonderful scenic views of the Magdalena Mountains to your West and the Rio Grande Basin to your East. ⛰🚵♀️ A small circular road has been carved onsite with plenty of cleared out camping spaces along its length. Excellent terrain for ATVs and Jeep’s! 🌵🏍 Feel free to bring wood and start a fire. 🔥 Please don't harvest wood onsite as I am in the process of regenerating the land through permaculture and need all the organic material I can spare. Amazing Stargazing Opportunities! 🌌 Perfect for a Peaceful Trip in Nature. 🍄 Plenty of safe space to do whatever you want, just be mindful of the Land and your Neighbors. ⛺️ Bring shade!
Brief Directions for Those Without Internet:
Exit the I-25 at San Marcial onto Highway 178/Willow Springs Ranch Road. At the end off the off-ramp you're going to turn right at the stop sign and drive West towards the Magdalena Mountains. You'll pretty quickly cross over a cattle-guard and then be on a dirt road for the remainder of the drive, but it's very well maintained by the county, so don't worry! Keep going West towards the mountains for about five miles until you cross over another cattle-guard.
Shortly after this second cattle-guard you'll come across a four-way intersection where Sunset Vista bisects Willow Springs Ranch Rd. A lot of the signage gets blown over out here, so this may or may not be adequately marked.
Turn left at the intersection. Drive about 2600ft and you'll cross over one last cattle-guard and quickly notice three cairns on your left. These sort of notate the upper Northwestern corner of the property. The next 2600ft beyond those three stacks of rocks is the Western face of the property. If you pass a big-wash you went too far. There's two dirt driveways leading into the property, making it pretty navigable in virtually any vehicle as well as dozens of cleared out sites.
Pets
Campfires
from
$13
/ night
The best camping near Elephant Butte Lake State Park guide
Overview
About
Its name isn’t the only thing that’s memorable about New Mexico’s biggest lake and largest state park. On the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, this man-made oasis is the place to cool off from the summer sun. Bring your sailboat, kayak, or jet ski (or rent one) and take to the water; try your luck fishing for bass, catfish, and salmon; relax on the sandy lakeside beaches; or hike and bike along the lakeshore. Campers are spoiled for choice, with five developed campgrounds and several primitive camping areas on the beach.
Notable campgrounds
- Best for beachside camping: Three Sisters Campground has secluded primitive camping for tents or RVs right by the lakefront.
- Best for boat access: South Monticello Campground has lakeside tent and RV campsites with electric and water hookups, and a boat ramp nearby.
- Best for RVs: Quail Run Campground has pull-through sites suitable for RVs up to 40’ with electric hookups and access to a dump station.
Tips for snagging a campsite
- You can reserve sites at the park’s developed campgrounds and primitive campsites online via the New Mexico State Parks website.
- Online reservations can be made up to six months in advance.
- Campsites can book up as fast, especially for holiday weekends, so book at least three months in advance.
When to go
When the mercury soars in summer, New Mexicans make a beeline for the lakeshore, so don’t expect to have the lake to yourself. Holiday weekends can get crowded, especially on the 4th of July—the fireworks display over the lake is legendary!—and several popular events and festivals are held around the lakeside throughout summer. If you prefer to avoid the crowds, mild temperatures make it possible to camp through all four seasons, but some campgrounds close from late fall through spring.
Know before you go
- Elephant Butte Lake State Park sits five miles north of Truth or Consequences along I-25, about a 2-hour drive from both Albuquerque to the north and El Paso to the south.
- Day passes are required for all vehicles entering New Mexico State Parks, and campsite booking fees also apply. Visitors arriving on foot or by bike can enter for free.
- You can bring your own boat or watercraft to Elephant Butte Lake, and there are several marinas, boat ramps, and rental outlets dotted around the lake. Fishing licences are required to fish on the lake.
- Facilities at Elephant Butte Lake include restrooms, picnic areas, playgrounds, RV dump stations, and a Visitor Centre. Paid wifi is available in the park. The adjoining town of Elephant Butte has a general store, gas station, and restaurants.
- There are accessible restrooms, campsites, piers and trails at Elephant Butte Lake State Park.
Top cities near Elephant Butte Lake State Park
- Elephant Butte Lake State Park
Safety at Hipcamp
Hipcamp is created with ❤️ and hope for our future.