Camp Washington Ranch

We stayed for 4 nights and for the first 2 we were the only ones there. It was peaceful!!

The road in is an old county road and is paved. The Ranch is 13 miles outside of Carlsbad, abut 3-4 miles from the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and around 30 miles from Guadeloupe Mountains National Park. It was the best location we could find to see both of the parks. Oh, and the Slaughter Canyon and Rattlesnake Springs areas (also part of the National Park System) are down the same road.

We got the spot by the dump station so we were able to hook up (there are multiple
hookups so no, we didn’t block it off). Power is only 30 amp. Water pressure was great.
Bathrooms were clean.

The staff was nice and the location isf truly is an oasis. There are multiple ponds and that brings in wildlife. There are a LOT of turkeys, daily visits from deer, we saw a fox...and every night we heard coyotes singing. Oh, and the night sky is packed with stars.

We came in mid October and there was nothing going on at the Ranch. You’re free to walk around the ranch and much of it seems unused/abandoned. Maybe it’s an off season thing. The purpose of the ranch is a place for people with developmental disabilities, the RV and lodging area was added as a way to utilize the grounds (that’s our take on it). With that said, you’re a guest in their home and it’s great to be at a place that takes such great care of their special residents.

There is NO WiFi but our phones worked fine and our Verizon Hotspot worked better than it ever has!!

This isn’t a resort, you’re not going to have laundry and some of the other amenities. What you will have is an unique and cool experience and a very quiet nights sleep!

We needed a place between Carlsbad and Guadeloupe and this was perfect on about 30 minutes from both. It is a wedding venue so there are only 3 RV Spots. They have power and water hookups at each site and a dump station. They do not allow day use or just tent camping anymore.

We arrived after dark so we had no idea what kind of view awaited us the next morning. Man we were impressed you are looking out on the Guadeloupe mountain range and the stars in the evening are amazing. Definitely need AC at this spot there is no shade and our pop up with the Ac on full blast still didn’t keep the camper in the day under 87!

I would call before you just show up because it is a wedding destination nothing would be more annoying then showing up and have hundreds of people there for a wedding.

Washington Ranch – Carlsbad, NM
We stayed here for a week in March 2019 to visit Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains NP’s. This is not a typical campground or RV Park. It is a non-profit organization with 3 RV sites, tent camping, 3 motel rooms, 2 single-room cabins, & a bunk house, dorms/bunk houses and holds weddings/group events. The gentleman we dealt with was extremely nice. The 3 RV sites are in a dirt area and only one is close to the sewer. The sites have 30 amp service and water. There are 3 sewer spots but they are clustered together. The sewer setup was odd but the situation was unique and we really liked it! The view out the front window was spectacular! Mountains and we could see Carlsbad Caverns NP in the distance. There were quite a few wild turkeys around. It is quiet and serene here. They have a path to walk around the property that was interesting. We would stay here again. https://campwashingtonranch.org/

Arrived June 3 and ended up staying an extra night because of the view and tranquility. We found Camp Washington Ranch through Campendium as we were looking to be near Carlsbad Caverns Park. What a find! It’s a beautiful facility for other events, but has water and 30 amp service in only 3 sites side by side. A dump station is available nearby. We were the only RV during our stay. The caverns park entrance was 5 miles away and the visitors center could be seen on top of the mountain from the campsite. Whites City is a small town near Cavern entrance has fuel (gas/diesel) and supplies or drive 20 miles into Carlsbad for Walmart and restaurants. The view of the mountain range in the evening sitting outside watching sunsets and small rain showers in the distance was beautiful. A good place to stargaze as temps started to fall. No issues for our big rig and toad to maneuver from highway 180. Saw turkeys, jack rabbits, foxes and abundance of birds. Office staff very nice. We will definitely be back.

Off the beaten path. About 2 miles off of Hwy180.
The entire area was awesome. Stayed one night, saw an abundance of wildlife (deer, turkey, etc). Entire ranch was well maintained, clean, and very family friendly. Kids had wonderful time exploring different areas of the ranch.
Ranch has three total RV sites, we were the only ones there and had ample room. About 100 feet from the site there is a rounded unfinished structure built that is used for campfires. Great area to have s’mores and protected from the wind. Had huge log that could accommodate 3-4 people. Easy access throughout park.
Would stay again!!

Great spot! There are only 3 RV sites, all have water and electric. There was one other rig already there and he parked in a way that would make 3 rigs awkward (basically he should have been oriented the other way) and was hooked into the dump station in a way that made it impossible for us to utilize if we wanted to. It wasn’t an issue since our stay was so short. The manager Chad is super nice and gave a walking tour of the grounds. Definitely recommend showing up during office hours so you can get the bathroom codes if you need them. The ranch itself is a popular wedding site and the parent organization, CARC, is a non profit that provides services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There is no WiFi but Verizon signal is great and it’s nice and quiet. Views are gorgeous and deer, rabbits, and wild turkeys roam the area. A strange overflow of water showed up between our rig and where the bathrooms are and turned it into a muddy mess, impassable without boots. A minor inconvenience. There weren’t paper towels in the bathrooms but showers are nice and hot. The water spigot at our site was also oddly close to the ground which made using a Y splitter tricky - we had to dig the dirt out around it before we could plug our water hose in. Overall, very happy we found this spot and would definitely come back again.

After reviewing all our options for camping in Carlsbad, I came to realize there weren't a lot of options. When I came across Camp Washington Ranch and there was availability, I jumped at the chance to camp there. Here's my thoughts. Camp Washing Ranch in itself is gorgeous. Tons of acreage and lots of animals running wild (turkeys, deer, fox, rabbits). You can walk around the paths throughout the facility and your money goes to help fund this ranch who's primary purpose is to house people with developmental disabilities. They are easy to work with however the camp side of it feels like an afterthought. While the land is huge, the sites they have for camping are quite small, on a dirt pad, and really close together. There are 3 spots. 2 of the spots are for more long term rentals. People that might work in the oil fields or tradesman doing contract work. We were in the middle of those 2 RVs with about 5-8 feet on either side. They do have water and electric. The pump station is close but you have to maneuver in a weird way assuming the other RV isn't in the way. They have bathrooms/showers but they are so dark to get to and not really that great (dark, no heater during winter months, nose height shower head, and the hot water does run out). There's not a lot of direction (like there are bathrooms or that they have door codes, where the dumpsters are, is there a noise curfew). They are quite laid back which is good and bad. Our neighbor left for work at 4am every morning and make quite a racket slamming doors and having loud conversations for 30 minutes before leaving. In looking at options to camp at nearby, we really used this site as a basecamp for exploring the parks nearby. We did make it to Carlsbad Caverns and it was amazing! That park and Guadalupe National Forest both don't allow dogs on their trails so we were pretty bummed to not be able to adventure with them.

Our family of 7 stayed here on night 4 of a 13 day trip to the Grand Canyon. We're so happy we stumbled across it while researching campsites.
We made a reservation a few weeks in advance, but were the only people around (except for a few workers) the night we stayed.
The grounds were wonderful and we loved watching the jackrabbits, buzzards, turkeys, quail, coyotes and deer all around us.
The grounds were well maintained and we felt very safe. The pictures we took should speak for themselves.

We stumbled upon this spot while aimlessly driving around the Carlsbad Caverns area looking for a boondocking spot we never found. It is only a few minutes from the National Park and has great views of the surrounding mountains. There is also a beautiful desert oasis lake lined withe weeping willow trees.

The proceeds even go to the non-profit that owns the area - which funds the on-site home for people with developmental disorders. So wonderful all around!

The road up was easy and, aside from briefly seeing a few of the full-time residents, we were the only ones there. We did see a bunch of wildlife as well. (More pics in our blog).

If you are there during office hours they are able to take credit cards, otherwise there is a self-pay station. I'd also recommend making a reservation. This is an event venue for weddings and other groups as well. So, it may not be as peaceful on an event weekend, so just check before booking.