Cebolla Mesa Campground

Full time nomad overlanders in a 2013 F-150 STX. Maybe 10 sites here. We picked the site that had the biggest parking area & seemed more suitable for trailers and RVs… looking back we wouldn’t have taken this spot knowing now that it was more suitable for RVs but hey, first come first serve. The views were absolutely spectacular. Roads were doable for us in our F-150 you just got to take it slow & take the road when it’s not raining or flooded. There were many cars that we saw come to this site for day use & weekend camping. Thankfully we had no rain our entire stay the weather was great.
Many locals & travelers come here for day use. There is a trailhead to go down to the Rio Grande here that’s frequented. There’s also a company that comes by regularly providing a burro riding service down and up the trail. Some campsites are more private than others. Not private enough for our comfort but the views made up for it. There are vault toilets here. We had about 2 bars AT&T switching between 3G & LTE, and we do not have a booster. There is an ice and water machine at the Questa Hardware store. We would have stayed here longer but we were chased out by incessant swarms of biting flies - our dogs couldn’t stand a chance against them we had to leave.

Arrived on a Thursday and got the far left camp site. Thanks Drivin' & Vibin' for your review. Road had deep ruts, but was dry and manageable with my Rockwood 21' travel trailer. Did not have to use 4x4😏 Only one trail down to the river. During spring season, water is running fast and high. There is a constant breeze being on the edge of the rim. Down in the canyon, a little hotter. Hike early and take plenty of water. We left Saturday morning and it started getting crowded.

Pulled in around 4pm on a Saturday and only 1 other camper was here. A few vehicles were parked at the bathroom/trailhead, super friendly. There’s about 3-4 spots with picnic tables then at least 10 other spots with rock ring fire pits but no tables. There is 1 clean vault toilet, but no TP so bring your own. 1-2 bars LTE AT&T service available near bathroom but gets worse the further you go away from it. The views of the river are beautiful as well as the sunrise. It’s a bumpy 3 mile road off the highway, had no issues in my transit van as long as you take it slow.

We were here in a 27ft fifth wheel. Great little campground on the edge of the canyon. Beautiful views. No hookups. Outhouse was open but no toilet paper. Plenty of space for us to pull in and turn around. Might be difficult for fifth wheels over 30 ft. Probably inaccessible if it’s raining/wet. We had 3-4 bars LTE AT&T cell service. No one else here but us.

I was surprised to find I had to drive over 3 miles along a single lane dirt road through a field. It was after dark which made me more wary. I arrived and found only 1 other vehicle nestled away, leaving me plenty of privacy.

I awoke to a view across the canyon and down to the river, which was well worth any concerns I had the previous day. Several vehicles came in early in the morning(6-8AM) to hike down an easy trail to the river, where they would fish.

There's a single vault toilet that was unlocked and usable but not well maintained.

Google maps will not guide you in the right way! It led me to a rough road, clearly marked as private property. (It wasn't a drivable road anyhow, with HUGE trenches.) Thankfully I had signal still, and could switch my map to satellite, which revealed clearly how to follow another road to get down to the pinned site.

I spent a few nights here in mid July, before deciding to run away from the heat. The trees were only as tall as the van, so there was no escaping into the shade. I'd abandon the van to go sit in the shade, and would find that the flies were already there waiting for me. I ended up heading out down the trail toward the river, figuring I'd get active during these hours, and maybe make it down for a swim (as previous posts had mentioned going for a dip). However, near the top of the hike, I ended up tucking into some cliff overhangs just off the trail and chilling in the shade there. Apparently, the flies hadn't discovered these spots :)

That said, there were also some incredible spots to chill and overlook the river from on high. As you walk past the bathrooms, there's a single large site there on the corner, and continuing past there you'll find a shaded picnic table and a gorgeous overlook.

Cell reception was very come-and-go here. Near the bathrooms, I got 3 bars and a solid connection, but when I walked 200 ft to my first campsite, my signal dropped out entirely. I ended up walking the whole area to see where I could find a good connection, and it popped in and out. I then found a spot on the edge of the trees, giving me an incredible view of the mountain range back toward the highway.

Wow! an amazing gem. this is a small trailhead area with picnic tables, fire pits, and vault toilet right on the edge of a small canyon of the Rio Grande. for two nights I was the only person here (other than a few people coming during the day to hike the trail into the canyon). I'd say there are about 6 or 8 spots for RVs in the main area and much more for those with tents. if you go slightly to the north along the dirt road there are a dozen more spots for smaller rigs (due to narrow roads and small trees). I will definitely return next time I'm near Taos