Steve and Lynn

Cool covered bridge right by the campground. We dragged ground with our motorcycle carrier on the back of our 30' motorhome coming off of the bridge. The weight limit is 10,000 lbs so bear that in mind, too. There is an alternate route to the campground (instruction in the main description above). This campsite is close to some trails and is also a pull out spot for canoes so there was some day "traffic" from non-campers. Bathroom had a serious fly problem when we were there. The sites were are fairly clean, shade and some semi privacy at our site #4, no public water. There were only 4 sites. Two were occupied when we arrived. This is along The National Forest Covered Bridge Scenic Byway which follows State Route 26 so there are other covered bridges in the area to visit.

Note: Even though we stayed here back in 2018, I've added this review because of the lack of others.

If you're looking for full hook-ups close to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (about 5 miles) then this is the place. We spent one night after several days at the free Forks Campground about a mile up the road. We paid $26 for 30 amp which included a $3 fee for electric ac/heat. There is also an extra fee for using a credit card. The park is basic, nothing fancy but it was fine. They were currently upgrading the electrical. I think some guests were longer term (maybe just seasonal) but the grounds were neat. The bathrooms with hot showers were clean and private. The showers are free and are fed by the hot springs. There is also a hot spring jacuzzi but it costs extra so we didn't try that. When we stayed there in mid March, there were baby sheep right outside our window. A bonus at the RV park is the hot and cold water hookups. The hot water is from the springs and it's VERY hot. You can have a hot mineral shower right in your RV.

No cell service for ATT or Version but there's a store across the road with free WiFi. They have a few groceries and delicious homemade ice cream. They also have coin operated washers and dryers available during store hours. We bought a bundle of "firewood" there that consisted of cut-up fence posts and treated landscape timbers. I wouldn't recommend it if you're wanting to smoke a brisket.

The Gila Hot Springs Campground across the road has soaking pools. It's within walking distance - about 1/4 mile down a dirt driveway. The cost is $5 a person for the entire day. They have several pools of different temperatures.

A note about the roads leading there. Hwy 15 from Silver City is a beautiful drive and we have done it a few times on our motorcycle. It's a fantastic ride but it's narrow and has some pretty tight turns. This trip we were in a 30-foot RV and decided hwy 35 through Mimbres would be a better choice. It's much better for larger vehicles and trailers and still a beautiful drive.

We didn't stay here but some friends did and we rode the motorcycle through to check it out. The drive in is a little steep but it's not very long and we could have done it with our 30' Class C by taking it slow. We did see other Class C's that were more than the max 20' posted here. The length posted is because of the access and not the size of the sites. There's no mention of length limitation on the official website, just a warning about the steep grade. If you arrive and access looks too scary, Forks Campground is less than 1/2 mile further North. The sites at both campgrounds are less improved than the typical USDA Forestry campgrounds we've been to. There is no public water available but they do have vault toilets that were pretty clean. At Grapevine it's very shaded with a few campsites right next to the river. There's a swimming area on the North end and a low water crossing at the far South end. We saw several vehicles drive thru the low water crossing to the other side of the river but we didn't check that out. We stayed at Forks Campground which sits on a bluff high above the river. Grapevine campground is down at river level.

$25 plus $2 per person. Sites are 50/30/20 amp with full hook-ups including sewer. It's a small, clean, well-maintained campground. Sites were all raked, like a zen garden, nice touch. Concrete pads are very level. Clean bathrooms and showers. Free tiny library in front of the bathroom building. It was miserably hot when we were there in July, which we expected. There are some nice, pretty easy (to moderate) trails that we hiked on a previous visit when it was cooler. The trails were mostly shaded. This visit (July 2023) there was a section of the park closed due to flood damage. The park borders a river that has gotten log-jammed in the past and floods some low-lying areas.
The park has a lot of trees but they're not large enough to provide shade for RVs in the middle of the day. Depending on your site, you may get shade in the early morning or late afternoon.