roadtripper9825942

There are a plethora of amenities: restaurant/saloon, pool/jacuzzi, full hook-ups, wedding venues, a set from "3:10 to Yuma," a rock labyrinth, casitas for those friends that don't camp, hiking, laundry and our favorite - horseback riding!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time here hiking around the property, climbing rocks, playing in the snow and riding horses.

A storm was coming through so we moved from Whitewater Draw to the ranch so that we would have electric hook-ups (the campsites are full hook-ups). The campsites are spacious with large rocks as a backdrop. The campground and accessible nature trails lent itself to feeling like we were at a State Park.

There were three other campers when we arrived. I think there were about eleven established campsites. We had a lovely afternoon exploring and that night the storm hit - six inches of snow! Two years ago the ranch had a dusting and twelve years ago they had a few inches, so this amount was pretty fun for all.

On our last morning we took a trail horseback ride with a good guide who knows the land, its history and the horses well. In the afternoon the horses roam the property, some coming near the rocks by camp. They are beautiful and uninterested in coming into the campground area. Be mindful of the horses when driving in.

The boulders provide a sound barrier so that we did not hear any road or highway noise. There are fire pits. You can get a big rig into the campground; I do not know if there is a limit, but there was a big Class A.

Benson is not far. We recommend Wild Dogs restaurant.

IMPORTANT: Do not tow ANYTHING up the 15 out of Silver City! At times there is no center line and it is windy and steep (per a white-knuckled gal we met in Gila Hot Springs). All larger vehicles should take the 35 out of Mimbres. There is really good Verizon cell service in town that fades out about eight miles north of town. The 152 from Mimbres to the 25 is hairy and dotted with white crosses. It is a well-made road, but dangerous nonetheless and can overheat your transmission. An alternative route is to go through Deming, then go north. Seemingly, everything up here is part of the Geronimo Scenic Trail.

This campground has a good location for exploring the Gila (HEE-la) Cliff Dwellings, hot springs and hiking; however, location of the campground is right along the main road so you will get plenty of road noise.

The campground consists of a parking lot, right along the road, with picnic tables and fire pits dotted about under the trees. There is no designated separation of campsites or vegetative barrier for privacy. Lower Scorpion provides more privacy with a smaller parking lot.

The toilets are in the middle of the parking lot. There is a handicapped accessible campsite to the far right. If someone is parked at that corner in an RV or car, it may be difficult to impossible to access the campsite from the parking lot. You would hope people would have some common sense and not block it.

You could easily fit a motorhome in this campground, yet it is a gamble since there are no reservations and you would need a long, continuous space. The campground host in Lower Scorpion was in a motorhome about 35-feet-long.

I imagine people would like to picnic here too. Scenic area. The road out is beautiful.

IMPORTANT: Do not tow ANYTHING up the 15 out of Silver City! At times there is no center line and it is windy and steep (per a white-knuckled gal we met in Gila Hot Springs). All larger vehicles should take the 35 out of Mimbres. There is really good Verizon cell service in town that fades out about eight miles north of town. The 152 from Mimbres to the 25 is hairy and dotted with white crosses. It is a well-made road, but dangerous nonetheless and can overheat your transmission. An alternative route is to go through Deming, then go north. Seemingly, everything up here is part of the Geronimo Scenic Trail.

This campground has a good location for exploring the Gila (HEE-la) Cliff Dwellings, hot springs and hiking; however, location of the campground is right along the main road so you will get plenty of road noise.

The campground consists of a parking lot, right along the road, with picnic tables and fire pits dotted about under the trees. There is no designated separation of campsites or vegetative barrier for privacy. Upper Scorpion has a bigger parking lot.

You could easily fit a motorhome in this campground, yet it is a gamble since there are no reservations and you would need a long, continuous space. The campground host in Lower Scorpion was in a motorhome about 35-feet-long.

The road here is not for newbie RVers. Watch for road dips and dragging out a tongue jack or rear stabilizing jacks.

I imagine people would like to picnic here too. Scenic area; not a scenic campground.

There are toilets on the right side of the campground. The camp host is on the left end.

Nearby, a quick hike to petroglyphs.