It is hard to find a less expensive place to camp than
New Mexico State Parks. . Unlike Texas and Colorado state parks, no entry fees on top of the camping fees. Free showers and nice restrooms as well and for $4 more you can have electric, too. Most are very scenic as well.
There is a lot to see in do in New Mexico & many out of the way places to camp:
Must See in New Mexico
A NM
Byways Link and more
NM Byways.
New Mexico ~ Land of Enchantment ˇSí, hablamos inglés!
Here's another old
Post, it might have some repeated things, but I believe it has some new things as well.
Off US 70 between Las Cruces & Alamogordo,
White Sands Nat'l Monument & Alamogordo Area.
If you make it to the
Las Cruces Area - NM Mexican Food plus camping and attractions in the area. At least try a Green Chile Cheese Burger.
Video
Taste of NM Pecans:
Stahmanns or
Salopek
North of Cruces or West of Carrizozo using US 380, off of I-25 in New Mexico by San Antonio, the Bosque
del Apache Wildlife Refuge.
Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park Never stayed there, but have read about others staying there to see the Bosque. As a matter of fact you could take US 380 all the way to I-25 at San Antonio &
the Bosque del Apache. I-25 to Socorro, take US 60 towards Datil,
Passing the VLA before you get to Datil & a very
Nice BLM Campground. But would miss White Sands.
One of the most talked about green chile cheese burgers for years, is in San Antonio, NM at the
Owl Bar.
Ditto
I have now been hearing about another green chile cheeseburger in San Antonio. The Buckhorn Tavern in San Antonio.
A Food Review and
Ditto
I believe the chef at Buckhorn beat Bobby Flay on a Throwdown with his.
San Antonio, New Mexico was the birth place & boyhood home of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton Hotels.
In AZ: The Chiricahua National Monument by Wilcox is a neat place. The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, just west of Tucson is really great (a zoo mainly without bars mostly) is over on the west side of Tucson by the Saguaro Nat'l Park and Old Tucson (the movie set/theme park). The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum is a must see for sure. Tucson Mountain Park and Gilbert Ray Campground in near by. I drove into the campground last spring, it wouldn't be a bad place to spend some time. I believe it is first come/first served which I prefer. Kartchner Caverns State Park from what I have read should also be a neat place, we have not gone yet.
My Daughter & family live in Tucson, which has proven to be a neat city, easy to get around in, with many things to see and do around it. Never camped there, however. But visit often. Maybe something in this will help out:
Clicky.
Over in Texas,
Big Bend Area, what I have on it.
Virtual guards to monitor remote Texas border crossing.
Closer to San Antonio (I have never stopped here, but have been tempted to do so), Caverns of Sonora, they say is a National Natural Landmark, a unique cave located 8 miles west of the town of Sonora, Texas, and a world-class cave.
cavernsofsonora.com
What I have on
San Antonio & Texas Hill Country.
In New Mexico (northern) & into AZ:
Flagstaff - Gallup - Grants- to Santa Fe - Plus and
New Mexico State Parks Plus.
Here is an old post dealing with mostly things off of or near I-10 in New Mexico & AZ:
Clicky.
And a second one with some Texas info as well:
Clicky.
Boondocking/Dispersed Camping NM-AZ
Aguirre Spring BLM Campground -LasCruces
City of Rocks State Park Campground >>>>
City of Rocks web site
HIstoric and on Mexico border
Pancho Villa State Park South of Deming, in Columbus.
Rest Area West Bound Mile Marker 61 -West of Deming, New Mexico:
Rest Area
The Welcome Center/Rest Area on West side of Lordsburg has a nice area to park overnight as well.
Carlsbad Area & US 285 from Fort Stockton to Roswell; then US 380 to I-25. At San Antonio, NM take I-25 S to Hatch; NM 26 W to Deming & I-10.
Things Along This Route
Bonito campground. Not far from Flagstaff, AZ just off US 89, near Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and on the same looping hwy, Wupatki National Monument, a neat drive. From Flagstaff, take U.S 89 north for 12 miles (19km), turn right on the Sunset Crater - Wupatki Loop road and continue 2 miles (3km) to the visitor center.
Area Map ~ I have never been to
Walnut Canyon National Monument, it should be neat as well.
Sunset Crater &
Wupatki
There is a section of Route 66 out from Williams, Arizona which might be neat to check out.
Seligma to Kingman
Historic66.com/NewMexico and
Route66 New Mexico and
Explore By Ways
Route 66 AZ, Illinois, NM, OK
Historic Route 66 Attractions through Albuquerque
Ya gotta try some
NM Green Chile as you drive through our state. As for food, I am not too familar with restaurants in Santa Fe, BUT we have enjoyed some very good food off of "push" carts or I should say street vendors around the Plaza. Not sure if they were actually a push cart or just carts of some kind if not just stands. It has been a while since we have gone. One item was corn on the cob, rosted. Also Bar-B-Que, if I remember correctly and some Mexican food as well.
I believe it is called Roque's Carnitas.
One can detour to Santa Fe from I-40 by taking US 285 N at Exit 218 (Cline's Corners) west of Santa Rosa, NM. Use I-25 to reach Albuquerque after finished visiting Santa Fe.
When Route 66 was first laid out in 1926, everybody knew it would go through the capital of New Mexico and indeed it did. Route 66 followed the Old Pecos Trail from Santa Rosa through Dilia, Romeroville and Pecos to Santa Fe. From Santa Fe it went over La Bajada Hill and down into Albuquerque. That was the way it was aligned and constructed and that was the way it was supposed to stay - forever. But it didn't. But why was it moved? In 1937 the then governor of New Mexico, Governor Hannett lost the re-election. Hannett blamed this on the politicians in Santa Fe. In one great last act of defiance before the new governor was sworn in he vowed to get even with this Santa Fe ring. He had until January to institute his revenge. And he did! He decided the best way to get even was to re-route Highway 66 to Albuquerque and bypass Santa Fe altogether.
More of the Stroy
By Amarillo, TX: Never been to the state park, but have read about it & would like to make it over there someday.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park as well as Caprock Canyons State Park, from what I have read, seem like very neat areas to see.
Farther away from I-40, Caprock Canyons is home of the official Texas State Bison Herd. Activities: Viewing wildlife, Horseback riding, Hiking, Fishing, Picnicking, Swimming, Rock climbing, Mountain biking.
State Park Site ***
More Info ***
Some Pics
In North Central New Mexico: Never been to the State Park near Santa Rosa, but it should be a good place to overnight
StatePark.
Villanueva State Park is a neat one on the Pecos River, off I-25, but can be reached from I-40 using some back country roads.
For
California Historic 66 get onto Foothills Blv. in the SouthernCal area, by
Fontana.
Here's what I have compiled on the area,
Los Angles Area Camping and Sites.
Some ways to keep cost down while traveling:
Overnighting Sites
Free or Almost Free Campgrounds
Free Campsites
Boondocking Sites Map
Click for A Splattering of Sights & Sites Western US & Canada; Mostly Sites West of the Mississippi River with some Mid-West.
Our Trip to Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't Last Month:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...d/26332548.cfm
Our Trip to Chaco Canyon & Angel Peak BLM Area last April:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...d/26019902.cfm
Ditto:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...1.cfm#26021301
San Antonio, TX to Rio Grande Valley:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...1.cfm#23358834
Half Moon Bay & San Francisco & BART
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...9.cfm#23448059
Los Angeles to San Francisco
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...8.cfm#23324498
California
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...1.cfm#23173581