Perfect Camping for You in New Mexico! The Land of Enchantment provides a spectacular backdrop for some of the most scenic campgrounds in the country. But do you know which campgrounds offer the most privacy? Which are the best for first-time campers? Amaris Feland Ketcham traversed the entire state―from the rugged beauty of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the arid and peaceful Chihuahuan Desert―and compiled the most up-to-date research to steer you to the perfect spot! Best Tent Camping: New Mexico presents 50 national park, state park, national forest, and state recreation area campgrounds, organized into three distinct regions. Selections are based on location, topography, size, and overall appeal, and every site is rated for beauty, privacy, spaciousness, safety and security, and cleanliness―so you’ll always know what to expect. The new full-color edition of this proven guidebook provides everything you need to know, with detailed maps of each campground and key information such as fees, restrictions, dates of operation, and facilities, as well as driving directions and GPS coordinates. Whether you seek a quiet campground near a fish-filled stream or a family campground with all the amenities, grab Best Tent Camping: New Mexico . It’s an escape for all who wish to find those special locales that recharge the mind, body, and spirit. This guide is a keeper. Amaris Feland Ketcham occupies her time with open space, white space, CMYK, flash nonfiction, long trails, f-stops, line breaks, and several Adobe programs running simultaneously. Her creative work has appeared in Creative Nonfiction, the Kenyon Review, Rattle, the Utne Reader, and many more literary venues across the country. Her book of poems, A Poetic Inventory of the Sandia Mountains, was published in 2019. Amaris teaches interdisciplinary liberal arts at the University of New Mexico Honors College. Her courses include creative writing, graphic design, nonfiction comics, and bookmaking. She is the faculty advisor and instructor for the award-winning, undergraduate literature and arts magazine, Scribendi. Her work on Poetic Routes (poeticroutes.com) has been adopted by the Albuquerque City Planning Department as a way to use poetry as a means of understanding neighborhoods and community character and values throughout town. As a practitioner of creative placemaking, she has taught poetry workshops in Albuquerque’s bosque and Place as Text Institutes with the National Collegiate Honors Council. Amaris has painted murals throughout Albuquerque, acted in a radio drama about the Badlands National Park, and taken students on multiweek camping trips along the Lewis and Clark Trail. Cochiti Lake and Tetilla Peak Campground Ratings: Beauty: 3
Privacy: 2
Spaciousness: 2
Quiet: 2
Security: 4
Cleanliness: 4 In addition to flood control, this no-wake lake provides plenty of opportunity to swim, kayak, paddleboard, canoe, water-ski, sail, and fish. Key Information Location: 82 Dam Crest Road, Pena Blanca, NM 87041-5015 - Contact: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 505-465-0307, tinyurl.com/cochitilake - Open: Cochiti Lake, year-round; Tetilla Peak, April–October - Sites: Cochiti Lake, 129; Tetilla Peak, 54 - Each Site Has: Picnic Table, pedestal grill; many have shade structures and lantern hooks - Wheelchair Access: None - Assignment: First-come, first-served only mid-October–November 30 and March 1–mid-April; otherwise reserve online (877-444-6777, recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233461, recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233649) - Registration: Self-register on-site or online - Amenities: Boat ramp, swimming area, visitor center, showers, flush toilets, water, RV hookups, dump station - Parking: At site - Fee: $12/night nonelectric sites; $20/night electric sites - Elevation: 5, 343' - Restrictions Pets: Allowed on leash - Quiet Hours: 10 p.m. –6 a.m. - Fires: Prohibited; only charcoal allowed in grills - Alcohol: Not permitted - Other: 14-day stay limit; checkout at 2 p.m.; life vests required for any water activity other than swimming During the long, hot days of summer, do you dream of leaping into a cool lake? Such a place seems improbable so close to Albuquerque, but in 1975, with the completion of the 5.3-mile–long dam, Cochiti Lake was formed. This earthen dam is one of the 10 longest in the world. Working in conjunction with three other dams―Abiquiu, Galisteo, and Jemez Canyon dams― the Cochiti Dam keeps the Rio Grande from flooding Albuquerque. In addition to flood control, this no-wake lake provides plenty of opportunity to swim, kayak, paddleboard, canoe, water-ski, sail, and fish. Cochiti Lake Campground is the main campground, on the west side of the lake, and Tetilla Peak Campground sits above the eastern edge, overlooking the river. Each has a boat ramp and water access. In the summer of 2019, long, warm days and still water created the right conditions for a toxic algae bloom in the lake. Because blue-gree