Lions Beach Campground

There are several different areas in this part of the park (Lions Beach, Quail Run, Desert Cove, Rattle Snake Beach Rally site, Ridge Road Group, Dirt Dam Rally Site), and figuring out what the deal was with the camping here was confusing before we arrived. Lions Beach, Quail Run and Desert Cove camping areas all have Wifi. The are all independent camping loops that are fairly near to each other. We stayed in the B loop of Lions Beach. All the sites were asphalt with gravel surround and had a covered picnic table and a fire ring. The sites were close together, but not so much so that you felt you were on top of the neighbors. The views out toward the lake were quite nice. The park was quiet when we were there, but I imagine this is really busy during the warmer months with families and boating groups. There isn't really any hiking, as the "trail" was more of a sandy road - might be ok for a mountain bike ride, so not much to do here if you don't have a boat. We parked right next to the wifi repeater and did have trouble getting it to work. It did seem a bit better outside at times than inside.

We needed a place to reconnect between boondocking spots and the NM State Parks are pretty inexpensive so we ended up on Lions Beach Loop A.

The first thing we needed to do was dump tanks so we followed the signs to the dump station (near our loop) and saw that it was closed for repairs. We consulted the map and went back to the dump station at Desert Cove. It was nice because you could pull up from either direction and on either side. Plus the concrete leading to the hole was angled. The crummy thing was the lack of warning that the station you're directed to on the signs (and the one convenient to our site) was closed.

The next thing I wanted to do after boondocking was take a long, warm shower. The nearest bathroom was at the end of the loop (presumably to be convenient to all of Lions Beach) so I drove over with my bathroom kit to find that it, too, was closed for repair. Obviously, we didn't receive any warning about this closure either. We did have water and 30 amp power hookups so I just showered in Marvin.

The wifi was not very usable although with a lot of attention and patience, I was able to download things to watch to my tablet as well as app updates. Unfortunately, our AT&T cell signal wasn't much better although usable.

There seems to be a lot of lakefront boondocking available with either portapotties or vault toilets nearby. I couldn't tell you what the rules about camping there are, though.

We stayed mid-March. ~S

Lions beach is the campground with the best views and the closest to the water (unless you dry camp on the beach itself). There are 3 loops and loops A C are reservations or you can stay one night if it’s unreserved, loop B is first come first served which is where we found ourselves a spot. We arrived around 4-5 on a Friday and there were two spots available- there were also 5-6 spots in quail run which was our back up plan.

The one downside was the bathrooms/showers and dump station at lions beach were closed for renovation- so we had to go over to the other campgrounds to take of this- it’s quite a long walk but a easy bike ride to shower.

We enjoyed riding our bikes around the park, going down to the marina and just enjoying the views of the water from our spot. We went down to the beach area some but it was really windy during our stay which made hanging out there not the best.

Truth or consequences is a really fun town and is just 15 minutes away (maybe less if you aren’t in a bus)

We had great cell service here with both AT&T and verizon

We stayed in Loop C of Lions Beach CG. Balcony view of the lake. Even though the lake is only at 6% right now, it is still a gorgeous view. The mountains alone are beautiful. This campground is super quiet. Everyone we have encountered is very nice. We have water and electric hook up and there is a dump at a neighboring CG to make dumping easy on the way out. Wi-Fi is great here. Firepit and picnic table at every camp spot. They have recycle bins set up throughout the CG too. We took the dogs down to the "beach" and they LOVED playing in the sand. Only negative I could say is the bathrooms. They feel dirty and unkept. No soap option either. I also went to take a shower at a neighboring CG one morning and the showers didn't work. Luckily we have our own, so I was still able to shower. Truth or Consequences is a 5 minute drive. Has all the necessities you would need. We visited Riverbend Hot Springs during our stay and that was amazing! We would definitely stay here again!

The good: There are many different campgrounds within Elephant Butte SP and the views of the lake from Lions Beach are the best, outside of camping on the beach itself. It was fun to see all kinds of boats out on the lake. Sites were clean and level, with a nice picnic table and shade structure. We loved the wildlife that wandered through the campsite -- we saw quail, roadrunners, and rabbits every day. T or C is a short drive away and offers plenty of service like gas and a few restaurants; we grocery shopped at Walmart.

The bad: Sites in this CG are side by side and much closer than we would typically expect for a state park. Privacy when sitting outside the rig was nonexistent. The Lions Beach CG does not have a bathhouse, just 4 pit toilets. The only bathhouse in the park is at the Desert Cove campground, across from the dump station, and it has just 4 showers (2 men, 2 women) to serve the whole park. Not surprisingly, the showers are really beat up after all that heavy use. It would probably be a better camping experience to stay in Desert Cove, where sites are more spread out and it's an easy walk to (crappy) showers.

Call service on AT&T was great: Download 42.2 Mbps Upload 11.17 Mbps

Large and wide, accommodated our 44ft 5th wheel and truck - level with picnic area. Beautiful views and walking trails - everything is sandy of course which of course is not always ideal in and out of rig - but we’re not complaining!!

The camping spots are very close to each other. The site is level. We were able to drive our motor home onto the beach. Perfect and quiet.

We stayed 2 days mid week. Sites are long enough for our 34’ MH but we’re a narrow. Each site has a great pavilion that covers a large picnic table. A tree held my bird seed feeder. Water and electric at site. Nice doable walk to beach area. We drove down to put kayaks in. Windy on lake but oh so pretty. Not very crowded, we got same day reservations by calling 800 number. No walk-ins at this time due to covid. Primitive camping closed at this time due to covid. By Friday the sites were filling up. But there is still an essence of expansive! Loved this park
Close to town, Walmart, restaurants.
No showers in lions beach area
Added bonus: internet that wasn’t too bad. We were close to repeater pole tho

As soon as I pulled into the site I called to reserve a 2nd night! I booked lions beach CG for the proximity to the lake but did not expect the great views. 2 trees in the site (Desert Willow) hummingbirds a family of bunnies and a short walk to the lake. This loop offers 30amp and water. No noise except for the thunderstorm 1st night.

4 PM check-in would be a real pain but fortunately isn't enforced this time of year. Sites are 30 amp and water with dump station on site. Camp hosts on site. Good size with covered picnic tables and fire ring overlooking the reservoir. Quiet at night and mostly dark with that one street light that's always going to be right in the bedroom window. Utilities clean and easy to access and hookup. Open sky access for satellite. Able to get level. Wind blew too much to enjoy being outside but the views are really wonderful.
Truth or Consequences has seen better days with fewer services and eateries than in the past. We enjoyed the Geronimo Historic Scenic Trail through vintage mining towns and into the hills. Visitor Center was closed for the cliff dwellings.
Don't know if it's a year-round thing but there were several boondockers along the entrance roads, parked in areas marked for day use only. Looked pretty trashy as a result. Boondockers down by the water were spread out (those we were expecting from past visits) and although still pretty cold, people were enjoying the water.