Sunset Reef Campground

As long as you are self-sufficient for boondocking, this is a near perfect campground for Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The sites are level, there are concrete pads with excellent picnic tables and sunshades, and a well maintained toilet. Follow the directions given by other reviewers and it is easy to find. Hidden surprises are that a little ways down Washington Ranch Road is a very nice water area (Cottonwood Day Park) with wildlife and natural foliage for the area. And a final bonus is that cell service here is excellent.

What a great place to stay. I fought the winter storms in TX, snow/icy covered roads to get here and it was worth it. A nice size area to camp, some sites in the middle have concrete pads with gazebos, picnic tables and grill. Quiet with minor noise from nearby road. Flat solid ground. Good cell signal. Close to the caverns and a great park called Rattlesnake Springs Picnic Area; natural springs that provide the area with water.
Only 3-4 other rigs here while I stayed.

This was a great boondocking spot convenient to Carlsbad Caverns NP. We checked out Chosa and Mile 10 boondocking and thought this one was much better. Felt very safe and there were several folks and families camped here. There are about 6 tent spots and 6 RV spots that have covered picnic tables and charcoal grills. All of the RV spots were full when we arrived, but there were several other campers setup along the perimeter. There is also a newer and clean pit toilet (although TP was scarce). The wind did get pretty intense here and everything was covered in a layer of dust, but the spot is easy to access. When heading south from Carlsbad, turn right when you see the signs for Washington Ranch. Then make the first right across a cattle guard and that leads straight to the campground. Also, about 4 miles from the campground in Whites City (where you would turn to go to the Carlsbad NP Visitor Center), there is a small laundromat, post office, and small grocery and gas station. Excellent AT&T speeds here!

Very clean, well kept, free place to camp. We came in from the south and followed Google Maps directions, which had us drive 4 miles past the GPS coordinates given here, then make a U-Turn... in reality, you can just take any of the turn around points between the N and S roads to get on the S road which takes you to the turn off for the campground. Once on Washington Ranch Road, turn right onto it, then drive about 1/8th mile down until you see the first dirt road on your right. Take that road (drive over cattle guard) and drive about 1/2 mile until you reach the campground.

When we arrived all RV spots were taken, so we just parked along the fence on the North side for the night (visiting Carlsbad caverns in the morning anyway).

Checked AT&T cell signal and despite only having 2 bars of service the speed was FAST... 138mbps down and 20mbps up. Verizon was also fast with with 52 down and 17 up.

As another reviewer noted, coming from the north, your GPS will say you have arrived just short of Washington Ranch Road. Proceed to the turnoff and then take the first dirt road on the right. There is no sign at this point but this road will take you straight to Sunset Reef. It’s a quiet, secluded campground with a bathroom and trash cans but no hookups. Each site has a covered picnic table and a grill. People tend to come and go each day. As a solo camper, though, I felt safe. The location was perfect for visiting Carlsbad Cavern and as the name implies, each day provided beautiful sunsets over the distant mountains.

Nice and clean toilets nicely kept BLM. Just a note when using GPS it will tell you, you have arrived and you haven’t when coming from Carlsbad you will have to go to the next road after your GPS has told you, you have arrived make a right then you first right there is no sign for camp ground but take the road down a 1/2 mile and you will see the camp ground.. there are 5 RV or trailer spots and 6 tent spots clearly marked...

A very clean developed campground 10 minutes from Carlsbad NP and 40 minutes from Guadalupe NP. There are 5 RV sites and 5 tent only sites. Each site is clearly marked and has a covered picnic table plus trash can (no dumpsters).

The campground is a short drive off the highway (no sign) on a very manageable dirt road. Should have no trouble getting larger RVs or trailers there (I have a small 17ft TT).

There is a very clean vault toilet, but no water or electric hookups.

The entire campground is in good condition and looks like it was recently developed or is consistently maintained.

Slight noise from the highway (approximately 1/4 mile away), but completely hidden from view via a small hill.

At the time of this review, Verizon speeds without booster is 70Mbps down and 6Mbps up (with booster is 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up).

We had planned on staying at Chosa Campground initially but saw this spot right up the road, it had a few more amenities, pavilions, picnic tables, and a vault toilet so we stopped in to take a look. It is a converted oil rig pad at the dead end of a dirt road so there is no traffic passing. It was very quiet when we were there, no road noise/trains/etc and the views were beautiful. There are five RV spots that are easy pull-through and very level as well as six tent only spots with nice tent pads and a pavilion/picnic table. It was extremely convenient to Carlsbad Caverns and pretty decent data from two carriers, Verizon and AT&T, none on T-Mobile/Sprint. To get there turn off of National Parks Hwy/Hwy 180/Hwy 62, take the first right onto the gravel road and go over the cattle gap, the road is a little rough but we made it with no problems in a 30ft Class A with our toad still attached. The road dead ends at the campground.