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Long term summer spots in New Mexico


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We're toying with finding an "escape the Texas heat" spot somewhere in New Mexico - maybe around Ruidoso but also up at Red River.  I've been all over the various review sites but am wondering if perhaps any users of this forum have had any first hand experience they might be willing to share.  Thinking in the $600/month range?

BTW, I asked a related question but not specifying New Mexico a few weeks ago - with this post I'm trying to drill down to more specific information.  Thanks.

Edited by GR "Scott" Cundiff

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We lived there from '85 through '91, every winter was cold.  We lived in Alamogordo, the further north or higher you went, the colder it got.  Even though the snow only lasted a couple days before it melted, it happened too many times to enjoy.  Saying that, it is still a heck of a lot warmer than the minus 24 degrees we just experienced.   Just make sure your tanks/water lines are protected from freezing, you just never know in NM.

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1 hour ago, GR "Scott" Cundiff said:

We're toying with finding an "escape the Texas heat" spot somewhere in New Mexico - maybe around ….. Red River.  I've been all over the various review sites but am wondering if perhaps any users of this forum have had any first hand experience they might be willing to share.  Thinking in the $600/month range?

We have stayed at Road Runner in Red River. We really liked it, but it is about double what you are looking to pay. I think any of the RV parks in Red River may be more than you are looking to pay. I think you will find several in the Eagle Nest/Angel Fire area that are $600/month or less. Red River and Taos are both easy drives although there are some steep ups and downs.

Edited by trailertraveler
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1 hour ago, NDBirdman said:

We lived there from '85 through '91, every winter was cold.  We lived in Alamogordo, the further north or higher you went, the colder it got.  Even though the snow only lasted a couple days before it melted, it happened too many times to enjoy.  Saying that, it is still a heck of a lot warmer than the minus 24 degrees we just experienced.   Just make sure your tanks/water lines are protected from freezing, you just never know in NM.

Sure not interested in being there in the winter.

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1 hour ago, geodog said:

We spend most of Aug & Sept at Rio Chama RV Park in Chama,  NM 7800 ft. elevation and less than $600.00 per month.

Bonus is a daily steam train.

 

Will be in space N-11 this year.

 

ShortyO

Apparently, they have lost their domain name.  I take it that they are still open - just no website?

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We've stayed in Red River at https://www.4kredriver.com/.  Not fancy, but nice enough.  It was several years ago.  We had no issues getting in and maneuvering a 70' rig.

Here's a working link to the place in Chama:  https://www.coloradodirectory.com/riochamarv/

Edited by rickeieio

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Howdy!

When it starts warming up in Texas the talk around the Escapees in Livingston is where to go for cooler temperatures. The closest place is Cloud Croft, New Mexico.

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You could buy a NM State Park Annual Camping Permit for $225 and then circulate around from one state park to another. 

That basic rate for a year gets you free camping with water and sewer, showers, etc, then for $4 per 24 hours you get electricity.

Pretty good deal, but you will be moving around from park to park about every 2 weeks or so.

 

 

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If you consider going farther north I have stayed at Ambassador RV Resort in Caldwell ID a suburb of Bosie for $410 + electric, monthly rate. It is a very nice park, pull thru, FHU, pool, laundry etc. Its getting more popular and you need to reserve no less than 6 months in advance now. I used to just arrive but no more. The spaces are roomy, grass between each, wide roads. The Escapees HDT group have their annual meeting there.

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Rio Chama is closed for the winter. They will open about 01 May.

There are quite a few of us that spend most of the summer there.

They have back in sites, head  in sites and pull thrus. 30  amp and 59 amp.

It is not a resort type setting as there is now pool or rec hall.

We all just enjoy the quiet and cool.

 

ShortyO

 

WE have been camping here since 2001.

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<<It is not a resort type setting as there is now pool or rec hall.>>

Hopefully meaning less unsupervised children.

LD, ya got my wheels turning........

Edited by rickeieio

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12 hours ago, podwerkz said:

You could buy a NM State Park Annual Camping Permit for $225 and then circulate around from one state park to another. 

That basic rate for a year gets you free camping with water and sewer, showers, etc, then for $4 per 24 hours you get electricity.

Not sure what you mean by "free camping with water and sewer". Yes there is usually water and at most of the parks a dump station although I believe there are a few that still do not have a dump station. We have stayed at 19 New Mexico State Parks and only a few have sites with sewer at the site. Those full hookup sites are $8 with the annual pass and are usually booked well in advance through the reservation system. In my experience, in recent years, it has been getting harder and harder to get an electric sight as a walk in. 

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I did not specify 'full hook ups'...my use of the term 'sewer' could have been more properly stated, 'dump station at most locations' but I was keeping it brief and trying to get the point across that you don't have to spend $600 a month in New Mexico for a place to stay in your RV. I also mentioned showers, but did you assume that I meant there would be a shower house at each and every site?

Normally there is a shower building in a central location in the campground, and somewhere near the exit there is often a dump station...and since you will most likely be moving from campground to campground anyway, using a dumpstation approximately every 10 days to 2 weeks seems reasonable and normal to me. 

In addition to whatever services and facilities are at (or near) your 'camping' spot, you can often plug in to electricity for the $4.

Most of these locations often do have non-reserved slots open, but I agree, the more popular spots fill up quickly. For a full time retiree, this is usually not a problem...you simply relocate on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and avoid the popular spots on holiday weekends. 

Still, the main point is, that a person with an RV can spend a lot less money than $600 a month to enjoy some time in New Mexico.

 

 

 

Edited by podwerkz

Nothing to see here. 

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8 hours ago, Twotoes said:

If you consider going farther north I have stayed at Ambassador RV Resort in Caldwell ID a suburb of Bosie for $410 + electric, monthly rate. It is a very nice park, pull thru, FHU, pool, laundry etc. Its getting more popular and you need to reserve no less than 6 months in advance now. I used to just arrive but no more. The spaces are roomy, grass between each, wide roads. The Escapees HDT group have their annual meeting there.

Caldwell/Boise area is very hot in summer. The OP wants to get away from heat.

I'd recommend Red River, NM, Eagle Nest, NM, Pagosa Springs, CO.

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You are wrong. I have spent many summers in Caldwell ID. It gets warm but not hot. You don't have to use the a/c everyday. And they have a nice pool there to cool ff in. 

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19 hours ago, chiefneon said:

 Cloud Croft, New Mexico.

”Happy Trails” 

Chiefneon

We spent many summers tent camping in the forestry there.  Very nice, great reprieve from the heat at lower elevations.  High Rolls is not quite as high but would drop a few degrees, the cherry festival was awesome.  Watch out for black bears, they used to be fairly common there.  Mainly pests, just keep your camp clean of food/crumbs, etc.

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2 hours ago, Twotoes said:

You are wrong. I have spent many summers in Caldwell ID. It gets warm but not hot. You don't have to use the a/c everyday. And they have a nice pool there to cool ff in. 

Sorry.... we didn't stay a summer but it was in the 90's when we were there before heading up to Stanley, ID

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3 hours ago, Twotoes said:

You are wrong. I have spent many summers in Caldwell ID. It gets warm but not hot. You don't have to use the a/c everyday. And they have a nice pool there to cool ff in. 

Dave's brother lives in White Bird, ID. (All you truckers know White Bird Hill?) It's way north of Caldwell yet it gets so hot there we go sit in the creek to cool off. If it's not hot in Caldwell, why do you need to sit in the pool?

Linda Sand

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Thanks for all the helpful replies - just a note here that while we love state parks, we aren't interested in that kind of stay for a long term escape from summer heat in NM.  There aren't that many state parks at altitude - those that are are booked up well in advance - we would want to be more stationary than moving every two weeks - and the state parks don't offer full hookups, something we want for longer stays.  

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I'd say, "hot" is pretty subjective.  What a Houston native would call hot might differ from what a Minneapolis native would call hot.  We spent a week in Red River, NM and while it was in the 90's, I found it pretty dang nice compared to the 80s with high humidity we have that time of year.

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New Mexico can get to 105 during the summer but usually its in the 90's. Lower elevations are hotter than higher elevations. For the past several years we spent our winters in Palm Springs area which gets up to 120 degrees in the summer so we always spent our summers in New Mexico.

Back in 1995 we went to NM for a 2 week vacation and before Christmas moved there. During the vacation we fell in love with the Land of Enchantment. We started full timing in 2005 and just left the road and bought a home just half hour south of Albuquerque. Most of the summer days will be 95 but with the low humidity its nice. A story that I always tell is that I was working in the back yard and worked up a sweat and went and sat under a shade tree and I started shivering, the sweat was evaporating so fast because of the 6% humidity that I was actually cold and it was 95 outside.

There are many RV parks in the state that will charge $600 or less. You may or may not get a swimming pool but if you do it's heaven when you can go get cooled off, if and when the temps reach 105 for a few days or up to a week. We consider 95 degrees here a nice day.

One thing that is definite is that we are missing the Palm Springs weather this winter. We wanted to stay in our 55+ Gated community this winter and see how it is. It's gets cold and some nights it gets down the teens but when the sun comes up it gets nice out. Right now in January most days are in the low to mid 50's.  Next Dec-Jan- Feb we plan to get the RV out of our storage yard here in the community and enjoy Southern California.

Long post and keep checking the New Mexico RV parks and you'll find one that fits your budget. Maybe you'll fall in love with the Land of Enchantment like we did.

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47 minutes ago, travelinbob said:

Maybe you'll fall in love with the Land of Enchantment like we did.

When I retired here in ND, I sold everything, bought a truck and was in the process of buying a new camper when (unfortunately) my wife was offered one of those jobs of a lifetime, she took it so we stayed here.  Point is we were headed back to NM.  Miss it greatly, it is indeed the best place we lived and we have lived in Europe also.  We still want to spend our winters there abouts, did I mention we miss NM!  If we had not developed camper problems, we would have ended up there after a visit to a few other southern states.  It is an awesome state with sooooo much to do/enjoy.  We prefer the southern part of the state but anywhere we have visited in the land of enchantment always impressed us.  We will be back!

Edited by NDBirdman

2002 Fifth Avenue RV (RIP) 2015 Ram 3500 Mega-cab DRW(38k miles), 6.7L Cummins Diesel, A668RFE, 3.73, 14,000 GVWR, 5,630 Payload, 27,300 GCWR, 18,460 Max Trailer Weight Rating(For Sale) , living in the frigid north, ND.

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