Dog Canyon Campground — Hotel in Carlsbad

We went to Dog Canyon Campground to camp from May 18th to 21st. In short, it’s an excellent campground, both clean and well maintained while also being quite remote. It is nestled between mountains, with far taller mountains to the east than to the west, so you’ll get direct sunlight (in May) from about 9am until 8pm. Expect the temperatures to drop significantly at night. For us it was 54 degrees by early morning, and then it would get well over 70 once the sun came out, and maybe up to 80 in the afternoon. Most of the campsites have shade, but it does vary from site to site. The bathrooms were clean, with almost no bugs or spiders. There is a dish cleaning area behind the bathrooms that was also pretty clean and without bugs or spiders. You’ll find flies at the campsites, and a selection of beetles, maybe some ants, but delightfully no mosquitoes. I had only one run-in with a single biting fly during our stay. The sites are a short (and I mean SHORT) walk from the parking. Something to think about is that if you need to inflate an air mattress using electricity from your car, you won’t be able to do that inside your tent unless you have a hundred ft long cord and are staying at one of the sites closest to the parking. We inflated two twin sized mattresses in the parking lot and then walked them down to our tent. I think each campsite has a nice, sturdy aluminum picnic table next to it. There is also a handicap accessible campsite here as well. The wind in the camp is peculiar with long periods of no wind punctuated by sudden gusts. It’s a good idea to use the guy wires on your tent just in case of suddenly high winds. Dog Canyon is remote, and there are no services on the way. Once you get out of Carlsbad, it is about an hour and forty five minutes drive to the campsite over (thankfully) paved roads. The last mile or two is gravel. I used up about a 1/4 tank of gas to get there (one way). Keep an eye out for cows, as they will likely be on the road. The first night we spent at the campsite was beautifully quiet with only a few other people. The second and third nights were unfortunately filled with the sound of little children arguing and whining, and the cries of an infant. For some reason, some fellow campers had decided to go here with 4 or 5 little kids and an infant. I would never blame children for being children. It’s unavoidable, but the adults should have known better. If you have small children (of the age that need constant attention/distraction and cannot satisfy themselves with the simple joys of nature/camping) you should not camp here. It is entirely inappropriate, and changes the character of the campsite significantly for those who came to Dog Canyon for solitude and...

I learned about the Dog Canyon campground several years ago, but I finally made the effort to get there recently and was not disappointed! I came from Davis Mountains State Park near Fort Davis Texas, up Hwy. 118 to Kent, then I-10 over to Van Horn. I took Hwy. 54 North to its intersection with Hwy. 180, and then on to Carlsbad New Mexico to top off my tank (although I guess I could have done this in White’s City). Now, to reach the campground you have to take NM 408 (Dark Canyon Road, I think) East for about 25 miles. It’s a fair-decent two-lane paved road, but be prepared for lots of cattle guards, free range cattle, dips, and an occasional big truck. Then you turn South on NM 137 (the “Queens Hwy.”, so named because you pass through a village called Queen) for the remainder of the total 60 mile trek from Hwy. 180! As with 408, 137 is a decent road, although they were resurfacing it with this loose gravely material which got exciting at times on my motorcycle. It’s an excellent ride with many elevation changes, sharp hairpin turns (some poorly marked), and some precipitous roadside droop-offs! Take your time! Oh, and there are no service stations on 408 or 137.||||When you enter the campground, the Rangers Station is on the right. If it’s occupied they have maps and information, etc. A volunteer host met me as I pulled up and was very friendly. Otherwise you self-check in in typical National Park style. I had the pick of the 9 tent sites available as I was the only one there. I chose #6 as it was the most remote and backed up against Dog Canyon. All of the sites are nice with a raised level tent pad and picnic table. Some have large trees providing ample shade. There are two parking areas, and one has to carry gear into the sites (although only a short distance to most). There are flush toilets and a dish-washing station at the North end of the campground.|| ||I spent a total of two nights there, and hiked the Bush Mountain trail after my arrival, and the Tejas Trail the next day. I was alone in the campground until the second night when a van-load of people showed up after 10 PM and spent two hours setting up very noisily. But my guess is more often than not the campground is sparsely occupied. Still, it’s a beautiful campground, and a perfect place to bird, hike, relax, or just enjoy being off the...

I learned about the Dog Canyon campground several years ago, but I finally made the effort to get there recently and was not disappointed! I came from Davis Mountains State Park near Fort Davis Texas, up Hwy. 118 to Kent, then I-10 over to Van Horn. I took Hwy. 54 North to its intersection with Hwy. 180, and then on to Carlsbad New Mexico to top off my tank (although I guess I could have done this in White’s City). Now, to reach the campground you have to take NM 408 (Dark Canyon Road, I think) East for about 25 miles. It’s a fair-decent two-lane paved road, but be prepared for lots of cattle guards, free range cattle, dips, and an occasional big truck. Then you turn South on NM 137 (the “Queens Hwy.”, so named because you pass through a village called Queen) for the remainder of the total 60 mile trek from Hwy. 180! As with 408, 137 is a decent road, although they were resurfacing it with this loose gravely material which got exciting at times on my motorcycle. It’s an excellent ride with many elevation changes, sharp hairpin turns (some poorly marked), and some precipitous roadside droop-offs! Take your time! Oh, and there are no service stations on 408 or 137.||||When you enter the campground, the Rangers Station is on the right. If it’s occupied they have maps and information, etc. A volunteer host met me as I pulled up and was very friendly. Otherwise you self-check in in typical National Park style. I had the pick of the 9 tent sites available as I was the only one there. I chose #6 as it was the most remote and backed up against Dog Canyon. All of the sites are nice with a raised level tent pad and picnic table. Some have large trees providing ample shade. There are two parking areas, and one has to carry gear into the sites (although only a short distance to most). There are flush toilets and a dish-washing station at the North end of the campground.|| ||I spent a total of two nights there, and hiked the Bush Mountain trail after my arrival, and the Tejas Trail the next day. I was alone in the campground until the second night when a van-load of people showed up after 10 PM and spent two hours setting up very noisily. But my guess is more often than not the campground is sparsely occupied. Still, it’s a beautiful campground, and a perfect place to bird, hike, relax, or just enjoy being off the...