South Monticello Campground

We stayed at the South Monticello Campground. This campground is further north from T or C and maybe because of that was less used and quieter than what we had been told to expect. Sites are large, level gravel, with good separation. Back ins have 30amp, pull throughs have 50 and all have water and a ramada. Verizon was 4G and fast, AT&T was non existent. Dump station is easy to access on your way in or out.

Only real ding is the showers. Water was warm but push button, bad spray and tight quarters.

This is probably one of the nicest RV public parks that we have stayed at. The best part is the price, which is ridiculously cheap. We had a water view from the Electric Loop area. No drain hole, only electricity and well water. If I could have stayed longer, I would have.

Elephant Butte SP has several camping areas - we selected the northern most one, called South Monticello. It's a good 10 mile drive to Truth or Consequences, but a more remote location if you that's not a concern.

The campground during our stay was all first come first service, and all on the south side (with the best water views) were mostly full during our stay. We did snag a great one however.

Really impressed with the site separation, development and size of the sites - definitely one of NMs better maintained state parks.

There's however not much to do here. There's only one official trail we could find, and it's one way south. The water was extremely low, just a trickle of the river during our stay. Verizon 4G signal was usable without a booster, AT&T & T-Mobile not so much so and Sprint surprisingly was usable with a booster.

I loved this state park. There are multiple campgrounds. This review is for the South Monticello campground. I stayed here based on other reviews mentioning the site privacy and quietness of the campground. I was very glad I made that choice The sites are huge. The campground is immaculate. The hosts/rangers take very good care of the grounds. I saw the host raking sites after people left. There was no trash. The bathrooms were very clean and had nice large showers. It's a quick 15 minute drive to Truth or Consequences for all of your shopping needs. If you want to kick back, enjoy your lake view site and just relax, this is the place. New Mexico state parks in general are really nice and a great value. Another review mentioned bad AT&T signal. They must have recently added a tower because I had a strong 3-4 bars of non boosted AT&T. Verizon was also strong and had good download speeds.
If you have issues with your GPS:
Exit 89 off I-25 is what you want. Follow Rock Canyon road all the way to Monticello Rd.
I have Garmin RV GPS and it did not have an issue but some other people have mentioned GPS issues. Google maps also shows the right way.

Site accessibility (Easy in/out, good sineage) - 4
Campground location (Close to TorC) - 4
Nearby amenities (Close to everything) - 5
Site Privacy (No trees but huge sites) - 4
Campground amenities (Super clean, spacious bathrooms. Good showers. Plenty of dumpsters) - 4
Dog friendly (Lots of room for doggies) - 5
Activities (Long hiking/biking trail, nice lake) - 4
Cost ($14/night for 30amp W/E) - 5
Staff friendliness (Very friendly but not nosey) - 5
Connectivity (Great signal w/out a booster for both ATT and Verizon. Only 1 major OTA station) - 3
Total rating = 4.3

We had a beautiful view of the lake in site 19. It was pretty quiet here, although we could hear our neighbors blasting their TV. Otherwise, it was peaceful and calm. Bathrooms were decently clean. Showers were free, although temps varied and you had to keep pushing the button to keep the water on. GPS on google maps got us here just fine. Truth or Consequences is cute but there isn't a ton going on there. Not much else to do, and we were only here for a pass-through for a few nights on our way to Santa Fe.

This is part of the Elephant Butte State Park. The sites had both electric (30am) and water. Sites 17 to 26 all have uninterrupted lake views. We didn’t have any neighbor in site 16 so we did too. This is the most quiet camp we’ve been to with our trailer. Internet was fine. Bathrooms very clean although has some spiders. Staff is nice and the sites are very spacious. There’s a trail around most of the park that is nicely maintained. We went north to the Bosque Del Apache wildlife refuge to see the overwintering birds. We also saw sand hill cranes and pelicans and quail each day from our site. The campground has paved roads and hard packed gravel sites. We will be back as this low key area Is hat we look for.

I had read the reviews on this site so I had high hopes of coming here. I've camped at Quail Run (Elephant Butte) but never at S. Monticello. First off, it's quite a long drive north from the main part of the EBLSP's other campgrounds. This ought to be a state park all its own.

I was under the impression that you could see the water from allot of these sites, but to my great disappointment, if you can see the water, they are reservation-only sites, or they have a few sites that allow you to camp for one night only. I chose one of those, but I'm not even going to bother hooking up the water hose.

What a drag! You need reservations in JANUARY? And today was wicked windy. Just ticked me off and I'm in a mood, so take this review with a grain of salt. But I'm disappointed. (And there is no convenient place to drop off your permit with money so you have to do it on your way in or out, which is tough when you don't yet know where you're going to camp.)

The other areas that don't require a reservation are just your average NM state park type sites. There isn't a great view, in my opinion. (I really shouldn't be writing this right now.) I just find that you can expect the same type of site at all the NM lake SP campgrounds. You can see smidges of the water but they don't tell you how to actually get TO the water. If you have a boat, boat ramps are marked but not beaches.

So, I don't see much point in driving north (and then driving for miles once off the highway, all the while wondering if you're actually driving toward or away from where you're trying to get to) to come here again. As I was driving in, I got excited. The topography was different and I even saw a yucca plant (I think) so the vegetation is a little different. But that's it.

So, that's my rant. If I come back again, I'll write another review and try to be more "fair and balanced."

ETA: I really am so tempted to delete this review but it has some value. Just take it for my opinion and come check it out for yourself. I would definitely call ahead to see if they are enforcing the reservation policy in the nicer sites. I guess sometimes they don't. Also good to note, there is free wifi at the other campgrounds of EBLSP but not at this area. That sucks, but I have my jetpack. Something to consider if you don't own one.

I did quite a lot of research before I landed in South Monticello, as there are several campgrounds to choose from in Elephant Butte Lake State Park. Unlike a previous reviewer, I was not looking for a "water view" site, but one with some privacy and space AND a good cellular connection, because I needed to get some work done! And I was not disappointed.

I couldn't have asked for a better space in which to work...and play! This campground is the furthest north, approximately 8 miles from the town of Elephant Butte and about 13 miles from Truth or Consequences. But the sites are huge - my campsite was probably over an acre! I was amazed at how quiet the area was, too. The bathrooms and showers look almost brand new and they were immaculately clean. There are also pit toilets at each end of the loop, and dog "bag" stations scattered around the loop, as well.

The sites looked as if the camp host must rake them (driveways included) after each camper leaves. Each site comes with a covered metal picnic table and several sites are pull-through. Most sites have water and electrical hookups, as well. Those campsites along the water are reservation sites, or one night only, but I had absolutely no complaints about my spot halfway around the drive.

AT&T cell service was very strong - I stayed for 14 days and had absolutely no problems. Verizon was almost as good - had one call that got a little weak, but other than that, I was pleased with the service...especially in the middle of the desert!

The campground has a dump station available, with some hiking trails and a boat ramp just down the hill. This was my first official outing in an RV, and I immediately asked for help in getting the lay of the land from the camp host. He was quite helpful and kind - also a hard worker, keeping the entire campground very clean and tidy. I will be back, that's for sure!

We actually stayed here in early March 2018. I had never been to NM before, so I didn't know what to expect, but was very pleasantly surprised by this campground. It's part of Elephant Butte State Park, but its quite a bit North of town and the other campgrounds in the State Park. The sites are level gravel, concrete picnic tables, pergola and fire rings. Many sites have lake views and those that do not, have mountain views. The bathroom was newish & clean and there is access to a trail that goes all the way down to the other end of the park. This park is so quiet at night, you can hear the coyotes breath, much less howl! There's fuel, visitors center, restaurants, etc. in the town of Truth or Consequences. I recommend the Point Blanc Winery & Tap Room. Nice restaurant adjoining a bowling alley, both of which owned by a cute, young couple. Excellent food & craft NM Brew! We had to eat there twice, so good! The museum in TorC is worth an hour or 2.

We loved the site! The camp host was super nice, and the sites were very clean and well cared for! The hot springs in T or C were fabulous!!! Definitely coming back!