New Mexico Family RV Camping Itinerary
New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment, the state of green chili and piñon. It’s the home to two National Parks: White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns, several National Monuments, and a robust list of State Parks.
Whether RV or tent camping this New Mexico itinerary is intended to be a resource for a fun family adventure.
Northern New Mexico
Las Vegas, Taos and Santa Fe are all notable destinations in Northern New Mexico. Story Lake and Villanueva State Parks both accommodate RV camping. It’s worth stopping for fresh tortillas at Charlie’s Spic and Span an iconic bakery and restaurant in downtown Las Vegas (opened in 1960!). Don’t miss Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, intriguing and fun for toddlers and seniors alike. Purchase tickets in advance and allow for at least a couple hours.
If your family is New Mexico bound from Texas, Oklahoma or Colorado then Clayton Lake State Park is a beautiful spot to camp. Also, there are dinosaur tracks! My kids still talk about the fossil trackway of dinosaur footprints.
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument is my family’s favorite stop in Northern New Mexico. Don’t miss this slot canyon hike and incredible views. Be sure to stamp your National Parks Passport Book at the visitors center. Alternatively Bandelier National Monument is also in Northern New Mexico and accommodates camping (Juniper Campground).
Albuquerque
Albuquerque is a city with great amenities (Visit Albuquerque offers great suggestions for family fun), but it’s not really a camping destination. Staying overnight in the metro area is often inevitable when traveling through New Mexico. Coronado Campground in Bernalillo (Rio Rancho) is our pick for RV camping. Convenient and directly behind Bosque Brewing (though Ex Novo Brewing is our favorite craft beer destination in the area). If you’re traveling with little kids sites 22 and 23 are conveniently adjacent their playground.
If you venture just east of the city on Highway 40 you can visit the Musical Highway. Driving at just the right speed on a discreet rumble strip your tires can play an out-of-tune rendition of America the Beautiful.
Western New Mexico
Westbound on I-40 from Albuquerque you drive adjacent along the historic U.S. Route 66. Budville is a good opportunity to get off the interstate for an opportunity to snap some roadside photos of old signs and historic landmarks. Venture south on highway 53 for the scenic route through the land of fire and ice; visit El Malpais National Monument or Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano. In the area camp at Joe Skeen Campground, El Morro National Monument (9 sites, no hook-ups, 27′ max length) or if you make it further south check out Piñon Campground near Quemado Lake.
Basin & Range Region: SW New Mexico
Enjoy the scenic drive south through Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico. Appreciate the amazing night sky at Cosmic Campground. Get settled in before dark as it’s an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. Continuing south leads you to Silver City. Silver City boasts a vibrant, historic downtown with an authentic art scene. A fairly large town, it’s a great stop to fuel up and stock up on groceries.
From Silver City The Whit Way takes you south on 180 to camp at City of Rocks State Park. Alternatively if temps are cooler or camping is unavailable stay just a few minutes down the road at Faywood Hot Springs. This unassuming oasis features a combination of clothing optional and clothing required pools (pro tip: it’s the same water and mineral content in all pools, each area has pools of different temperatures). We had a great experience enjoying a night at Faywood Hot Springs and experienced some of the friendliest camp guests we’ve ever come across. We stayed at RV #6 adjacent (little tough to back into and extra leveling required but we were right next to a pool… within baby monitor range!).
Great Plains: South Eastern New Mexico
White Sands National Park is a New Mexico must! Plan to hike, hang out and picnic (tables and bbq grills within the dunes). With kids I’d recommend a few hours in the morning, temperatures in the 55-65° range is perfect. Experiencing the dunes at sunrise or sunset sounds dreamy, but may not be feasible with small children. Our choice to camp nearby is Oliver Lee Memorial State Park outside Alamogordo. Grocery shop at Lowe’s Signature Market before heading to camp. Oliver Lee offers two hikes: a nice, kid-friendly nature trail into the canyon and a challenging hike with significant elevation gain. The sunset view is stunning.
We opted to camp at Oliver Lee and then visit White Sands the next morning. It seems crazy, but White Sands Missile Range often sets road backs limiting access to White Sands. Because of this keep in mind you may need flexibility to visit White Sands and you should check the missile range recording line before packing up camp: (575) 678-1178. Pack a picnic and drinking water, buckets and shovels for kids to play in the sand, and prepare for battle with the sun (layers, hats and sunscreen).
Further east Carlsbad Cavern National Park is a lifetime must visit. Consider your arrival time carefully; when we went the caverns closed at 5pm so the last ticket sold was for 3:15pm. No children four and under on the Ranger Guided Tours, but the self-guided tour is a great option. We could only spend so much time experiencing the caves anyway, as quiet voices and not touching most things (this is an important rule!) were limiting for my boys (then 2 and 4 years old).
Pro tip: wear closed toe shoes, bring an extra layer, grab a flash light or head lamp (one for everyone in a family may be overkill), and make everyone go to the bathroom before your tour. It’s free to watch the Brazilian free-tailed bats emerge from the Natural Entrance at Carlsbad Cavern in the evening (mid to late April through October). Electronic devices, including cameras and phones, are prohibited.
I don’t have a solid camping recommendation near Carlsbad. Oil refinery workers occupy a lot of sites full-time so make an advance reservation for the area or plan on dry camping on nearby BLM sites. We stayed at Brantley Lake State Park, about 1 hour of Carlsbad Caverns. We managed dry camped near the lake, but if we had a RV site reservation our experience there would have been much better. If you find yourself in Carlsbad at mealtime Carniceria San Juan de los Lagos is a must to enjoy some authentic Mexican food, and pick-up meat and baked goods for the road.
Roswell is awesome and weird, worth an afternoon visit. Read up on the Roswell UFO Incident on your drive. Must stop photo opportunity at the Welcome to Roswell sign south of town on highway 285. There is another iconic welcome sign on the north end of town. The Roswell UFO Spacewalk is an immersive art installation that adults and kids alike will enjoy. The International UFO Museum is worth checking out IF you are really into UFOs, aliens, and conspiracies.
Winding back toward the center of New Mexico takes you to Valley of Fires Recreation Area. More than just barren rock (though pretty exposed out there!), the Malpais Lava Flow is cool to check out! The nature trail is an about one mile, paved loop. Make this a stop to stretch legs or camp overnight (19 sites, 14 with electricity).
From Valley of Fires you can check out Truth or Consequences, or head north toward Albuquerque, Clayton Lake State Park, Santa Fe or Taos.
FAMILY RV NEW MEXICO ITINERARY (10-14 days)
- Start this route in New Mexico wherever makes sense for your starting location. Direction is unimportant but consider weather, reservation availability, local events and rush hour where applicable.
- 10 days is fast for touring New Mexico and limits you to only one night per campsite, but the daily drives are short. Add in a few extra days to extend your itinerary to 14 days… fit in some laundry and errands.
DAY 1
Storrie Lake State Park, Las Vegas –> Santa Fe (1 hr 11 min, 71 miles)
or
Taos –> Santa Fe (1 hr 20 min, 70 miles)
DAY 2
Santa Fe –> Tent Rocks National Monument (51 min, 39 miles) OR BANDELIER?
Tent Rocks –> Coronado Campground (36 min, 47 miles)
DAY 3
Coronado Campground –> El Morro National Monument (2 hr 6 min, 137 miles)
DAY 4
El Morro National Monument –> Cosmic Campground (3 hr 14 min 175 miles)
DAY 5
Cosmic Campground –> City of Rocks (2 hr, 108 miles)
DAY 6
City of Rocks –> Oliver Lee Memorial State Park (2 hr 39 min, 172 miles)
DAY 7
Day trip to White Sands National Park
DAY 8
Oliver Lee Memorial State Park –> Carlsbad Caverns (3 hr 28 min, 187 miles)
Carlsbad Caverns –> BLM Camping near Carlsbad Caverns, Carlsbad, or Brantley Lake State Park (1 hr, 45 miles)
DAY 9
Brantley Lake State Park –> Roswell (1 hr 16 min, 71 miles)
Roswell –> Valley of Fires (1 hr 39 min, 93 miles)
DAY 10
Valley of Fires –> Clayton Lake State Park (4 hr 50 min, 307 miles)
or
Valley of Fires –> Coronado Campground, Bernalillo (2 hr 22 min, 166 miles)
or
Valley of Fires –> Taos (3 hr 50 min, 233 miles)
or
Valley of Fires –> Santa Fe (2 hr 35 min, 164 miles)
