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5.0
14 votes

Cave Canyon Campground

Cave Canyon Trail, Lincoln, New Mexico 88338 USA

  • Independent
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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Reviews of Cave Canyon Campground

14 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.3 Access
4.7 Location
4.9 Cleanliness
4.4 Site Quality
4.9 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G

Confirmed by 11 users | Last reported on December 03, 2022

AT&T 4G

Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on October 27, 2021

T-Mobile 4G/5G

Confirmed by 2 users | Last reported on August 28, 2023
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Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

May 03, 2017
Rated

We loved this spot. Only downfalls were the bumpy road in (not too bad though) and that the spots were not level at all. Definitely make sure you have some way to manually adjust. Bathroom was out of order, so can't comment on that. And the cave is permanently closed due to white-nose syndrome, so don't visit solely to explore that because it is fenced off now.

But the nearby trails and views are totally worth any little inconveniences. It was a truly beautiful place. There was one other van while we were there, but they kept to themselves.

Definitely check out nearby Fort Stanton if you go exploring.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: -

4 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Reviewed by
chingfu

  • 57 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
May 21, 2018
Rated

The road is washboarded so it's a bit bumpy coming in, but it's not a big deal if you go slow and put your tires in the right spot. It's a small campground with only three sites that have covered picnic shelters and are large enough for an RV (two of which are pull-through sites). There were two fire grates in between the covered sites that might be for tenters.

The whole campground was extremely clean, but we were particularly impressed by the pit toilet which looked like it was newly renovated and the cleanest pit toilet I've ever seen.

It's a really quiet spot with easy access to a variety of trails (paper maps are available at the kiosk by the cave entrance) that can be hiked or mountain biked. There are great views from the trails of the surrounding mountains. The cave was still closed to the public when we stayed there.

Fresh water and a dump station are available (for a fee) at Rob Jaggers Camping Area right down the road (I wouldn't recommend staying there if you don't need electricity because of the horse smells).

If you can't find space in the campground to turn around (in case all the spots are taken), keep driving straight and there'll be an intersection that'll give you enough space to make a 3-point turn.

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chingfu would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: -

4 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Reviewed by
rjpetr65

  • 11 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
June 29, 2018
Rated

We came here intending on only staying a couple days BUT we ended up staying much longer since we love the hiking trails!

The spots are level and the campground is clean. Maintenance comes around daily for trash pickup and to treat the vault toilets.

The cave is closed. We were hoping to see some bats at night but we didn’t see any flying out of the cave.

Turning around to get back out again in our rig (32 ft) was challenging. So anything over 32 ft will probably be very difficult.

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rjpetr65 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 10

Site Number: -

3 Access
4 Location
4 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

July 27, 2018
Rated

We visited Cave Canyon while visiting kin and escaping the south Texas heat wave. It's an easy to get to, well kept clean, small campground. The road in is somewhat washboarded, but well graveled. I have traveled much worse. There is no water at this site.

There were a couple of friendly locals when we arrived, there to ride their UTV's. But they all left well before dark, leaving the place to us. We camped at the upper most place, the only back in place, but we were only in a pickup camper...

The entire place was litter free, many litter barrels available, and there was a new vault toilet. It was open for use, tho not quite completed, the concrete form for the walkway was there, with the re-bar, but not poured yet. It created no problem for entry. It was what we call a "one hole-er"... unisex, with a good locking door. Exceptionally clean & well stocked with paper. A little farther downhill, you could determine the old location where the pit had been filled in, the building removed, only the sidewalk remaining. Judging from the posted pics, this new one is much larger.

There are four concrete slabs for camping. Three are covered, but one of these has no table. One of the slabs has a table only. There were fire rings, some steel, some rock. There were no "burn ban" signs posted, but we didn't trouble with a fire.

We were there over the weekend, left mid-day Monday. We didn't see any workers even tho their labors were plenty visible. From the looks of the road in, the new toilet, the cleanliness, it appears BLM may be upgrading the site some. I sincerely hope so, I love the loneliness and beauty of this place.

This will, from now on, be our first stop on our travels into The Land of Enchantment.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: -

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Reviewed by
bigdogdriver01

  • 31 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
October 17, 2019
Rated

The first thing I should put down is this camp ground only has three campsites. All campsites have sheltered picnic tables and a fire ring and are pretty level. There is a very clean vault toilet and garbage cans but no water no electrical. The road coming up here is a little washboard but go slow and no problems. Nice and quiet with lots of trails to explore.

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bigdogdriver01 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: 2

4 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

June 18, 2020
Rated

As mentioned, only 3 spots. Vault toilets and garbage cans available. The road adjacent to the spots can be quite busy maybe 5-10 cars per day. Within 5 mins. there's about a dozen (more secluded) dispersed camping options available to anything smaller than a class A, (Cave Canyon trail has a couple class A spots). Since the 3 spots are almost always full it's nice that there are so many other dispersed camping options as well as Rob Jagger Campground about 5 mins. away (with water and electric). This is not Pine Forest like Ruidoso, it's Juniper bushes and about 5-10 degrees warmer than Ruidoso. Close to the airport so even on hikes we rarely lost cell signal.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 14

Site Number: n/a

5 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

  • 116 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
October 09, 2020
Rated

We followed the GPS directions from Campendium map and it took us right to the spot. The road is a washboard in spots. This location would not be good during the summer months as there is no shade. There are only three spots. There is a vault toliet. This location is far enough from the highway that you hear almost no road noise. I was told you could call the number on the gate at the around the cave to arrange to hike into the cave.

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roadtripper452260 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: -

4 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

September 05, 2021
Rated

I had a peaceful stay. The road in is a little bumpy in spots but not bad at all. I just took it slow. There are 4 spots despite what others have said. There is also some Boondocking spots to the right before you turn in the actual campground which is to the left. Available… trash,bathrooms, shelter and picnic tables.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 5

Site Number: -

3 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

  • 7 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
October 20, 2021
Rated

If you follow the GPS and it brings you to the sign with Devil Canyon, turn around and let it take you the other way (unless you have a Jeep.) Great views and peaceful. We absolutely loved this area. The campground is checked daily for trash and bathroom necessities. The grounds are very well kept. We stayed in the first site and in our opinion is the best one. The third site at the end is downwind of the bathroom so people didn’t stay long there. Had a few others come in to the second spot, but we mostly had the place to ourselves. There is traffic going through to the trails everyday, but it didn’t bother us at all. Hike the dry riverbed if you have a chance. So pretty through there. A fourth site is passed the restroom to the right, but there is no pavilion or picnic table.

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roadtripper899098 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 7

Site Number: 1

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

October 27, 2021
Rated

There's not much to say about the campground that hasn't already been said. For motorhomes and big rigs, I think the only accessible campsites are the 3 in the campground.

The ones further up Cave Canyon Trail Road are more for vans and small trailers.

The campground is clean and quiet at night. There's some good hiking and mountain biking on the OHV trails behind the campground and you can hike or bike all the way to Fort Stanton.

The area is beautiful and we were lucky to get a campsite there.

Was this helpful?
This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: 2

3 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

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Cave Canyon Campground

Cave Canyon Trail
Lincoln, New Mexico
88338 USA
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Hours

Hours not available

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  • Unavailable
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Unknown
    Credit Cards Accepted
Max Stay
14
Affiliation
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Last Nightly Rate
0.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
0.0
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
40.0
  • Unavailable
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Unavailable
    Showers
  • Check
    Big Rigs
  • Check
    Boondock
  • Unavailable
    Firewood
  • Check
    Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Paved Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Unavailable
    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
  • Unavailable
    Sewer Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Water Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Check
    Rec Facilities
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Unavailable
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Permit Required
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Check
    Standard Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
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