Cochiti Campground
Army Corps Of Engineers
Write a Review 82 Dam Crest Rd. Peña Blanca, NM 87041 505-465-0307 Reservations: 877-444-6777 Official WebsiteGPS: 35.6415, -106.3256
Overview of Cochiti Campground
Last Price Paid: $20
Reported by ZombieCat on 4/30/2024
Longest RV Reported: 45 feet (Class C)
Reported by CindyM on 9/29/2021
Number of Sites 80
Pad Type asphalt
Reservations yes
Open Seasonally March 1 - October 15
Elevation 5,446 ft / 1,659 m
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Cochiti Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 505-465-0307
Reviews of Cochiti Campground 67 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 33 Users
Last reported 5/8/2023
Confirmed by 26 Users
Last reported 10/27/2023
Confirmed by 11 Users
Last reported 7/7/2023
“Great park Great price”
Reviewed 10/25/2019
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| Site Number: | 58 |
| RV Length: | 28' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
I would say the only negative about this park is that you are pretty far away from both Santa Fe and Albuquerque about a 45 minute drive. But you are very close to the tent rocks and that is a surprisingly great little national park to explore. More about this campground We had a great site that overlooked the mountains and we had ... more
I would say the only negative about this park is that you are pretty far away from both Santa Fe and Albuquerque about a 45 minute drive.
But you are very close to the tent rocks and that is a surprisingly great little national park to explore.
More about this campground
We had a great site that overlooked the mountains and we had a bit of a view of the lake
Our site had both electricity and water and the dump station is right at the entrance
There are trails that you can hike in in the park, a great overlook area, and also you can walk bike or run on the top of the dam which is pretty cool.
Their bathrooms are pretty much what you expect of a state or government park. A bit dated somewhat clean but not very private or modern.
And even though the park was full and crowded during our stay it was relatively quiet and at night really good stars sunrise and sunset we’re really both fantastic the whole time we were at the park.
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NamasteontheRoad would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Buffalo Grove Loop ideal for big rigs”
Reviewed 10/2/2019
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 58 |
| RV Length: | 25' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
This ACOE campground is ideally situated for visiting Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks and is not terribly far from Santa Fe, though other activities in the area are limited. Sites are nicely spaced out with views across the lake and the surrounding countryside. The Buffalo Grove Loop in particular has very large sites with 50- and 30-amp power... more
This ACOE campground is ideally situated for visiting Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks and is not terribly far from Santa Fe, though other activities in the area are limited. Sites are nicely spaced out with views across the lake and the surrounding countryside. The Buffalo Grove Loop in particular has very large sites with 50- and 30-amp power as well as water, making it perfect for large rigs. Many of the pull through sites even have separate parking for toads. The sturdy shade shelter at our site was a nice touch, though it was too windy during our stay to spend much time outside.
The bathhouse in Buffalo Grove is showing a bit of wear and tear but is still nicer than many ACOE campgrounds we have visited. Water was acceptably warm, though the annoying push buttons are timed to different lengths in different showers.
We had good service on AT&T throughout our visit, though strangely we had better speeds on upload than download, a first for us. Speeds on AT&T: Download 2.56 Mbps Upload 8.46 Mbps
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Zamia Ventures would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great campground beautiful views ”
Reviewed 9/22/2019
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| Site Number: | 26 |
Overall Rating
We planned on 2 nights ended up staying 5. The grounds are kept spotless. One of the bath houses was closed for renovation but the other was nearby so no issues. It is about 30 minutes back to Sante Fe. Verizon cell reception was great.
The sunrises and sunsets were fabulous.
Wendell would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“What a bargain!”
Reviewed 9/2/2019
| Nightly rate: | $10 |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
| Site Number: | 51 |
| RV Length: | 32' (Class A) |
Overall Rating
$10 (Sr. Pass Rate) for a pull-through, 50 amp, paved site with a covered picnic area and view of a lake is hard to beat. To get to the CG, head toward the lake, not the visitor's center. The CG entrance will be visible a little ways down. There were no signs at the main entrance when we were there. There was no one at the CG e... more
$10 (Sr. Pass Rate) for a pull-through, 50 amp, paved site with a covered picnic area and view of a lake is hard to beat.
To get to the CG, head toward the lake, not the visitor's center. The CG entrance will be visible a little ways down. There were no signs at the main entrance when we were there.
There was no one at the CG entrance station most of the time we were there, so we just entered and took the spot we had reserved.
The visitor's center is very small, but had a Jr. Ranger packet available. There was a nature walk from the visitor's center.
The lake has a designated swimming area and "beach".
This was a good location for visiting Tent Rocks and Santa Fe.
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tacksonthedeck would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Spectacular views, and close enough to many interesting places”
Reviewed 7/2/2019
| Nightly rate: | $10 |
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| Days stayed: | 7 |
| Site Number: | 53 |
Overall Rating
Spectacular views, and close enough to many interesting places to visit while using Cochiti as a base camp. The major problem immediately observed however was the absence of any bars of AT&T service even though published reviews state the opposite. Pretty disheartening to realize seven days camped in a basically remote area without any... more
Spectacular views, and close enough to many interesting places to visit while using Cochiti as a base camp. The major problem immediately observed however was the absence of any bars of AT&T service even though published reviews state the opposite. Pretty disheartening to realize seven days camped in a basically remote area without any phone, internet, or email service. But that dire situation only lasted the entire first day, and then miraculously we received, at times, up to three bars. But the inconsistency is not good when you want to watch the first 2019 Democratic Debates on live streaming TV. AT&T being such a regular sore spot in our lives is the only thing that prevents this campground from us rating it a five star location. So be aware there is basically “No Service” in Cochiti Campground in respect to AT&T unless the wind changes and you get lucky. But if phone service is something you do not care about, this campground is great for nights sleeping with the windows open, swimming and boating in the huge lake, and general relaxing. Bike riding is doable, but not easy for the basic beach cruiser.
Every day provided an opportunity to explore the surrounding area. Day trips into Santa Fe to visit a most wonderful coffee shop called Iconik in the more hip section off Lena St., and a restaurant called Opuntia off Shoofly also provided a few great lunches. A Natural Grocers food store is also nearby to stock up on healthy supplies. On another day we spent a fascinating two hours at the New Mexico History Museum downtown at 113 Lincoln Avenue. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum on Johnson Street was also worth visiting, especially if an upcoming visit to Ghost Ranch north of Abiquiu is in the cards. Due to tiresome crowds of tourists shopping downtown and just too much humanity in one place we chose not to frequent the famous Farmers Market near the railroad station on either Saturday or Tuesday when it was open. But another day trip took us in a wide circle through the mountains around the revitalized mining towns of Los Cerrillos and Madrid south of Cochiti. Horseback riding was also available at the Broken Saddle Ranch in Los Cerrillos.
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument was only about a fifteen minute drive from the campground and it truly is a surprising and astounding hike and scenic wonder. We had no idea this national monument even existed. Amazing rock formations. We visited Tent Rocks on two successive days in order to see and do everything.
The check-in at Cochiti was easy. Just go to your site, set up, and then return to the guard house when it is open. The views are spectacular. Water and electric hookups on site worked flawlessly. The one dump station was never busy and was actually kept quite clean. The restrooms were as expected, the showers large and with good pressure and heat. Still, weekends again showed the lesser members of our social community pigging up the facilities, discarding their trash wherever they wanted to, and failing to open an empty dumpster container and instead throwing their bags of trash on a mounting heap. Our site #53 was private and faced the sunrise and the lake. Our National Park geezer pass got us into Tent Rocks both days for free and also afforded us paying an embarrassing $10 per night for the seven days we were visiting Cochiti Campground.
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Nomad Reign RV would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Very quiet and remote”
Reviewed 6/27/2019
| Nightly rate: | $10 |
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| Days stayed: | 14 |
| Site Number: | Juniper #2 |
| RV Length: | 42' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
We are pretty much used to staying at busy RV resorts/campgrounds so this was a nice change at first but we honestly miss the people and the camaraderie. The restrooms are very outdated and sketchy but what do you expect for $10 a night? I work from home so internet speeds are very important to me, so here they are: Verizon: 20-... more
We are pretty much used to staying at busy RV resorts/campgrounds so this was a nice change at first but we honestly miss the people and the camaraderie. The restrooms are very outdated and sketchy but what do you expect for $10 a night?
I work from home so internet speeds are very important to me, so here they are:
Verizon: 20-30 mbps
ATT: 20-30 mbps
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Tight parking but good overall”
Reviewed 6/21/2019
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 7 |
| Site Number: | Juniper 18 |
| RV Length: | 36' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
I was only able to book a site in the Juniper loop a week in advance. All of the other loops were sold out or not suitable for my rig. Note that you only get a discount for the SENIOR pass. My "standard" America the Beautiful pass did not warrant a discount price. Be very careful when selecting a site. Some are smaller than othe... more
I was only able to book a site in the Juniper loop a week in advance. All of the other loops were sold out or not suitable for my rig. Note that you only get a discount for the SENIOR pass. My "standard" America the Beautiful pass did not warrant a discount price.
Be very careful when selecting a site. Some are smaller than others. And some require a tight 90 degree turn off the single car width road, which may be lined with boulders. Most of the pull-through sites look pretty safe for most rigs. I managed to thread the needle with my 36' fifth wheel into a back-in spot that according to the site can take up to a 40' rig. It was the tightest, most difficult parking job I have had to do to date. Unfortunately, I could not find a map that shows which number the spaces are to be able to pick a spot that was better suited for backing in a big rig. Parking for the TV was also tight in my spot as the paved slot itself was only 8' wide and 40 foot long. My dually barely fit on the side of the road next to the site.
All that said, it is certainly do-able. Driving around and parking the rig is only a small fraction of the time you spend here - just go in with the right expectation. Go slow, and be careful.
But, at $20/night for 50A and water, it's hard to beat. Be sure to bring enough water hose. The nearest spigot to me was about 125 feet away. I only had about 75' with me, so I had to drive to Walmart in Santa Fe to buy another hose. There are multiple dump stations available, including one right on the entry to Juniper loop.
In order to get to the Juniper loop, make the turn onto Cochiti Lake road and go straight at the four way stop at the bottom of the hill. You need to enter through the camp ground check in which is the next left before you get to the boat ramp, and drive through the Elk Grove loop about half way. You will see a sign that points to the turn off for Juniper loop. Take the right turn, then bear left and go up the hill. At the top is the dump station, and sites are numbered 1-34 as you go counter clockwise (one way) around the loop.
The location is "OK". It is way off the main roads, so no road noise. It is only as loud as the neighbors you are parked with. I used it as a jump off point to Santa Fe (about 1/2 hour drive) and to other nearby areas. There isn't much else to do right at Cochiti other than play in the lake (although see below).
The site seems clean, but the water spigot I hooked up to leaked pretty badly. The infrastructure in Juniper loop and the day use picnic areas are clearly older than the other loops.
Cell coverage was quirky. T-mobile varied 0-2 bars on my cell phone, but a solid 3-4 bars on my 4g LTE modem with a directional antenna.
BTW, the lake view is nice, but the lake itself is basically a brown swirl of sediment. After talking to some of the locals about fishing, they said it is usually like this and the fishing is terrible. They told me about a few better places for fishing. It is pretty nice for sailboats or kayaks though. Powerboats are required to run at idle ("no wake" lake). If you must fish, you can buy bait and fishing supplies at the Mini Mart on the other side of the hill from Juniper loop (it is on the main road just past Cochiti Lake Rd).
The gas station/Mini Mart is on the main road just past the turn for Cochiti Lake Road, and there is a laundromat there as well.
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T-Mobile 4G
Tim would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Lawnmower Convention (aka generators suck)”
Reviewed 6/16/2019
| Nightly rate: | $6 |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
Overall Rating
This campground has a lot of pluses. Lake views, cheap price, flush toilets, warm showers, shelters, access to Santa Fe and Kasha-Katuwe. However, my stay here was not ideal. It was extremely noisy due to the a-holes surrounding me who ran their generators all day long. Ok yes, the rules say you can run generators from 6am to 10pm, but... more
This campground has a lot of pluses. Lake views, cheap price, flush toilets, warm showers, shelters, access to Santa Fe and Kasha-Katuwe. However, my stay here was not ideal. It was extremely noisy due to the a-holes surrounding me who ran their generators all day long. Ok yes, the rules say you can run generators from 6am to 10pm, but really do you need to run it all those hours? Why go camping at all? Stay home! I just don’t get it. You could not hear anything but the noisy generators other than one of the generator owners with a super loud voice who sounded just like Hank from Breaking Bad.
When I walked the other loops they were pretty quiet. I was just unlucky that all the generator lovers pulled in after me and parked around me creating what sounded like a lawnmower festival. (I would have moved sites but I already paid)
Other than this super irritating noise, the campground is good. It’s not very “natural”, think paved and gravel surfaces, but it was extremely inexpensive (1/2 price with a NP pass) with lots of amenities and I had a lovely lake view. Go down to the lake with your kayak or hop in the car and drive to local hikes. Kasha-Katuwe is a must see! And if you are there on the weekend don’t miss Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve!
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shoshannah would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Forgotten Loop Again”
Reviewed 6/1/2019
| Nightly rate: | $10 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 30Juniper |
Overall Rating
We stayed in Juniper Loop because at the gate the map said that was the only Loop with electricity. However later, driving around, we saw a few electrical hookups in other loops. But there was no one in the office when we entered the park. The sign said to find a spot and come back to the office when someone was there. No idea when tha... more
We stayed in Juniper Loop because at the gate the map said that was the only Loop with electricity. However later, driving around, we saw a few electrical hookups in other loops. But there was no one in the office when we entered the park. The sign said to find a spot and come back to the office when someone was there. No idea when that might be.
We started setting up camp and soon the camp host pulled up to our site and informed us that the shower house in Juniper Loop is totally closed!!! They told us to used the bathhouse one Loop down. When we went there to take a shower, we found out they had NO HOT WATER!
Not only no hot water, the sink was hard to use without it splashing all over you and the drinking faucets out front were not hooked up.
Another thing the camp host told us was that we couldn’t have a wood fire! Charcoal only! That meant no bonfire at night. That’s my favorite part of camping!
A warning if you stay in Juniper Loop, get an inside site, the outer sites with views have no water. So you must decide, view of the water or a hose hookup.
The view was a dirty shame. Most sites with no hookups had a beautiful view of the lake. If you need hookups you over look a water tower that is lit up all night or a car lot dealer.
Thank Heavens for the wonderful people next door! Debbie and Scott were so much fun and we had so much to talk about! We will stay friend for sure!
Pung would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet With Area Hikes”
Reviewed 5/25/2019
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| Site Number: | 10 |
| RV Length: | 31' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
Nice and quiet campground. There are 4 campground loops -- Buffalo Grove (Elec./Water/Shelter), Elk Run (Dry w/shelter), Ringtail Cat (Dry/Shelter), and Juniper Loop (Elec. -- inner loop has elec. and water, some have shelters.) Most sites are level. However, noticed that the back-in sites were not that level since they are construc... more
Nice and quiet campground. There are 4 campground loops -- Buffalo Grove (Elec./Water/Shelter), Elk Run (Dry w/shelter), Ringtail Cat (Dry/Shelter), and Juniper Loop (Elec. -- inner loop has elec. and water, some have shelters.) Most sites are level. However, noticed that the back-in sites were not that level since they are constructed on a slope. All the pull through sites appeared level. We had a pull-through site and didn't need any left/right or too much front/back leveling.
Our site in Juniper Loop didn't have water, but we had a long enough hose to get water for our tank and jerry cans from another site (empty) with water, Another camper said he got water from the spigot at the entrance to the Juniper Loop campground. We found it to be the spigot next to the Dump Station. The spigot has a green handle (supposedly meaning potable water,) but you decide whether you want to fill there if you don't have water at your site.
Nightly rate is $20, but if you have a Senior America The Beautiful Pass (Interagency Pass), the rate is $10. Cochiti Lake has a "beach", but it was closed when we visited due to flooding and debris. You could still access the lake via the pavilions near the boat launch area, but the water was brown at the time we visited. There are several trails in the area that you can hike and according to the trail informational brochure. The trails all lead to the lake.
You have a Walmart close-by in Santa Fe, should you need anything. Also, there is National Monument -- Kasha-Katuwe National Monument which is a must visit, but go early.
Although the weather didn't cooperate during our visit (cold front and high winds,) we really enjoyed our stay. We would go there again, and probably stay at our same site or find another level pull through site with electricity and water.
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Verizon 4G
Cy would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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46 reviews
Tent Rocks National Monument
Tent Rocks National Monument is an easy 50 mile drive north of Albuquerque, NM in the Cochiti Lake area. The entrance fee is $5/person or free if you have the America The Beautiful pass. In...
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Amenities
Hookups
- 50 Amp
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- dry camping
- Partial Hookups
Recreation
- boat ramp
- fishing
- picnic area
- playground
- recreation trail
- swimming beach
- water access
Site Amenities
- big rig
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- dump station
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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