Best Southwest Winter Camping Spots?

[NicheVintage]

Any suggestions on a great place to camp during the winter months in the Southwest? We live in Phoenix and Have seen much of AZ already. We were thinking New Mexico maybe even Texas. I saw a post on here about the Jemez mtns in NM but am not sure if it is winter accessible. Our business is pretty quiet in November and December so we were thinking about hitting the road again. We intend on attending the 4 corners rally so we will have to be back in AZ by the 28th.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. This forum ROCKS!

[tphan]

I know that New Mexico has very reasonable (cheap, in fact) fees for it's State Park camping, especially if you go the annual pass route. Check it out on the web and see if you don't agree. And texas has a lot of Reservoirs and other parks, some of which have cheap camping. Also check on these forums for "Cheap of Free"-type boondocking sites, which are quite well documented for the SW states. Have fun! -tim

[eubank]

Ah, if you're looking for warmth during the winter in NM, then staying in the mountains is not your best bet. Even Jemez country gets its fair share of snow and cold.

Most folks migrate south in the state. There are more low elevation (=warmer) places down there than there are here in northern NM.

But if warmth is not the issue, then you have lots of options, albeit fewer in the higher mountains, where a lot of places simply close shop for the winter.


Lynn

[48Bob]

Southern New Mexico in November and December is nice. For northern NM, think of Flagstaff type weather at that time, cold and a good chance for snow, allthough the lower elevations such as Albuquerque can be nice at that time, but the weather can change quickly. For southern NM, look at Rock Hound State Park, Pancho Villa SP, White Sands NP, the Alamagordo and Carlsbad areas too. If you are into remote boondocking, there is a lot of Bureau of Land Management lands in southern NM.

[Phoenix]

I second "Rockhound State Park". It's a hidden gem, near Demming. Also, pick up some geodes at the rock shop about a mile from the entrance (look for the shack with the solar panel arrays). Nice hiking, but we didn't find any geodes.

Valley of Fires, a little farther north is also very nice, and recently remodelled with excellent showers, etc.

Check out details on the Web...

[Ahzmyrah]

We love New Mexico and have been there every year for the last 4 winters. It does get cold after Christmas and definetly expect snow in the higher elevations and north of Sandia Mtn.. We migrate to west Texas and love the hill country around San Antonio and Austin. There are a lot of really nice relatively inexpensive RV parks around Boerne, Bandera and Kerrville with a lot of things to see and do close by.

[TBRich]

We just got back from a trip in the Jemez Mts...in between the 4CU Heron Lake Rally and the Balloon Fiesta..we camped at Jemez Falls campground at about 7000'...great campground but not sure if it's open in the winter...but I am rpretty sure the Jemez River Valley area down off the mt around the town of Jemez Springs is open n the winter...there's very a nice little campground there called Vista Linda right on the river...and there are a few other campgrounds in that area as well.....We have stayed in a number of NM state parks that should be fine in the winter... Caballos Lake State park on I-25 just south of Truth or Consequences (and just north of T&C is Elephant Butte, but we have not stayed there yet)...Leasburg Dam just north of Las Cruces on I-25 is nice... We really enjoyed City of Rocks State Park...north of Deming on the way to Silver City... We plan to explore some of othe other state parks in SoNM in the winter, too...

[NicheVintage]

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions. This is a huge help. I will keep you posted on the trip as we get closer. I am also going to look into a annual pass. I do have to say after looking into these places I couldn't believe how affordable the all were. I thought AZ was priced well to camp.

Thanks again.

[jrudd1968]

Mustang Island State Park, Corpus Christi Texas. Warm in the winter.. Tyler State Park, Tyler TX. Can be 65-70 in winter or 28-35.