El Aguaje Campground

We met friends here, otherwise we never would have known about this place and what a wonderful surprise! This is the confluence of 2 rivers but aside from the amazing location this is a very well maintained campground that is little used. There is one central pit toilet and water spigot.The sites are spaced well apart with a sun/wind shelter. My only criticism is that they are designed more for RVs and don’t really have much of a tent pad so if you use a tent look for a site with enough space. It can get windy here so plan on guywiring your tent. The hiking is fabulous and the views amazing.

I debated writing this review, cause I'd like to keep it under the radar. BLM scores a 5 Rating. Paid $3.50 / night with Golden Age pass. Backed into #26, with spectacular view of mountains across the Red River valley, and a few yards from 550' drop-off. CG access road is graded gravel, site drives gravel, but may need blocks to level your RV. All sites are FCFS. Super clean, very large sites, picnic table, fire ring, grill, most with metal canopy. 2 very clean concrete pit toilets, 2 spigots (screw connectors) with drinking water. Sites have lots of privacy but minimal overhead shade, so sun was helpful during chilly early mornings. Summer days would be hot. Quiet hours 10 pm - 6 am. Most RVs actually used solar panels to recharge.

Lots of well-maintained trails, including a Difficult-rated trail down to the river. Great pinion & juniper smells. The nearby Visitor Center has restricted days (Fri, Sat, Sun) due to Covid. There are 4 additional CGs on the west Rio Grande side.

El Aguaje is the last of 5 small campgrounds (all first come-first serve) in the Rio Del Norte National Monument (managed by the BLM). It sits on the Red River side of the Taos Vulcanic Plateau with the Rio Grande a short hike to the west. It is very close to where the two river gorges (Red River, and Rio Grande) come together. This campground is the largest of the 5 and has 7 sites. We were in site #5 and lucky to get it on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. There were 3 sites available when we arrived at about 2pm, and they were all gone by the end of the afternoon. I suspect that sites would be readily available on most regular weekends, and certainly during mid-week, as the campground is quite remote (about 15 miles in from the highway, but on a nicely paved road). Our site was very good, but sites 26, 27 and 28 have the best views in our opinion. These sites sit on the perimeter of the campground and back up to the rim of the Red River gorge (the rim is literally just a few yards away from the back of the campsites). The trail down to the Red River starts just next to site 26. There is a trail that connects El Aguaje CG to the other campgrounds on the other side (Rio Grande side) of the plateau where there are several trails down to the Rio Grande. I might add that most of the sites in this campground, as well as the other campgrounds in the Monument, are mostly suited for tent camping and small RV's. I would not attempt to bring in anything larger than maybe 25-30'.

The campground has very clean toilets, and drinking water available as well as trash dumpsters. Each site is equipped with a covered concrete picnic table (on a concrete pad) and a fire ring. The sites were not super level, so be prepared to put a little effort in.

There are a number of spectacular hikes in the area, and lot's of wildlife. We ran into a family (including a couple of young lambs) of big horn sheep on our way down the Red River gorge. The most remarkable (and enjoyable to us) aspects of this CG is the absolute quiet, and incredible stargazing. Due to the remoteness, there is very little light pollution or man made noise. We will definitely go back - probably this summer even though we were just there in late May.

The standard rate is $7 per night - we paid $3.50/night with our lifetime interagency senior pass. We camped in a 21' travel trailer.

I love this place! This is part of the Wild Rivers Recreation Area, which is now the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. There are several campgrounds located on a mesa between the Rio Grande Gorge on one side, and the Red River Canyon on the other. El Aguaje is on the Red River side, and the canyon was directly behind my campsite. I could walk down the trail right from my camp!

Every campsite has a shade structure, picnic table, fire ring, and grill. The bathrooms (pit toilets) are in good shape, and there's garbage collection and recycling. Drinking water is available, but there are no hookups. A surprising plus was that I had good cell service on T-Mobile - better than some places in Taos!

The hiking here is amazing. If you have the energy, follow the trails down to one of the rivers. It's heavenly down at the bottom, and a great change from the sagebrush and juniper scenery at the top. There's also a loop hike you can take around the top, that has nice views of the mountains.

I was here over a weekend in the summer, and the place was only about half full. On a weekday, it was even emptier. Very quiet, very peaceful, and very beautiful. One of my favorites!

More generally known as Two Rivers which is a series of primitive C/G's high on the rim of two rivers 600' below the campsites. This is so quiet here you can hear yourself think and your heart beat. No amenities, but who needs them when you have this for a low price. Nearby is a visitor center staffed with rangers and expert naturalists.

If you have the stamina for climbing down and back from the rivers, they say fishing can be excellent. So too iseagle watching, feet and elk at dusk and big horn sheep if you are lucky.

A local motocycle camper living in Taos told us of this place. I can't be more thankful. This is a gem.