Sunset Reef Campground
BLM
Write a Review Washington Ranch Rd. Carlsbad, NM 88220 575-234-5972 Official WebsiteGPS: 32.1095, -104.4253
Location submitted by: @fearoftheknownrv
Overview of Sunset Reef Campground
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by LokiStormbringer on 4/6/2024
Longest RV Reported: 44 feet (Class A)
Reported by Zelda Z on 10/30/2021
Number of Sites 11
Pad Type gravel
Elevation 3,608 ft / 1,099 m
Max Stay 5
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Sunset Reef Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 575-234-5972
Ellie asked on 12/26/2021
Do you need to make a reservation for Sunset Reef Campground?
Andrew asked on 9/22/2023
How safe is this area for leaving your rig and going to the caverns
ds9writer asked on 9/10/2021
We're looking to stay somewhere near Carlsbad Caverns - but in a tent -- this campground looks like it's all gravel -...
Reviews of Sunset Reef Campground 95 people have reviewed this location.
“Clean, quiet campground”
Reviewed 7/22/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
This was a nice place to camp for just one night. It was only us and one other couple so it was quiet and secluded. Had decent bathrooms and picnic tables and a fire pit at each station. Felt safe there
Jesstheglambert would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good ”
Reviewed 6/3/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 0 |
RV Length: | 30' (Class A) |
Excellent overnight place to visit Carlsbad Caverns. Easy dirt/gravel road access. Excellent grated flat surface for RV.
Redjacket3 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Lovely BLM campground”
Reviewed 5/21/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
RV Length: | 40' (Fifth Wheel) |
Just clean east spacious and perfect for visiting Carlsbad Caverns area. Nice structures for sun protection too! Just a bit long on the dirt road to get there but that’s it! Rating 4 stars just because you do hear the highway.
Livin the Dream would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great BLM Camping”
Reviewed 5/16/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 1 |
RV Length: | 21' (Class B) |
Like many of the other reviews, this campground is great. The covered picnic tables are wonderful. As the previous review says, it got busy this weekend. From tents to Class A's and everything in between. The pit toilet is so clean and filled with toilet paper. The guys just came around and changed out all the garbage cans. Clean and q... more
Like many of the other reviews, this campground is great. The covered picnic tables are wonderful. As the previous review says, it got busy this weekend. From tents to Class A's and everything in between. The pit toilet is so clean and filled with toilet paper. The guys just came around and changed out all the garbage cans. Clean and quiet. People do use generators, but they've been turned off at night,.so far!
Great stay, the sunsets and sunrises have been amazing! We have Tmobile and have had no issues with service.
Corndog Caravan would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“super nice free BLM site”
Reviewed 5/14/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
RV Length: | 29' (Travel Trailer) |
We stayed here to visit Carlsbad Caverns and catch up on a little down time. Because we were there 3 nights, we saw folks come and go and watched it fill completely 2 of the 3 nights, so you might want to make sure you arrive before it gets too late. There's a pit toilet that was honestly very clean. They also have trash cans and each ... more
We stayed here to visit Carlsbad Caverns and catch up on a little down time. Because we were there 3 nights, we saw folks come and go and watched it fill completely 2 of the 3 nights, so you might want to make sure you arrive before it gets too late. There's a pit toilet that was honestly very clean. They also have trash cans and each site (6 tent only) and 6 RV sites had a covered picnic table placed on a concrete slab. Any size rig would have no problem and the road in was gravel, but also very nicely graded.
Moore2Explore would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Very nice”
Reviewed 5/9/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
RV Length: | 24' (Travel Trailer) |
This site was perfect for us. No obstructions so we could maximize our solar charging. I had to do some Zoom meetings and the Verizon 4G service was just fine for that. Several folks we talked with indicated this was one of the nicest BLM sites that they had seen. Each site has its own pavilion, picnic table, and trash can so it is ver... more
This site was perfect for us. No obstructions so we could maximize our solar charging. I had to do some Zoom meetings and the Verizon 4G service was just fine for that. Several folks we talked with indicated this was one of the nicest BLM sites that they had seen. Each site has its own pavilion, picnic table, and trash can so it is very clean. People have taken good care of it. We could have stayed longer easily, but we had to keep moving.
Also a great site for sky watching because Carlsbad lights do not cause much light pollution.
Ben would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 5/9/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
We enjoyed this free spot. The spots are very close together, but that wasn’t a big deal. Picnic tables, grills, and sun shades at each spot. If the spots fill up you can park along the fence and no one is bothered. The rules says max stay is 5 days. Great cell service. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the caverns and 25-30 minute... more
We enjoyed this free spot. The spots are very close together, but that wasn’t a big deal. Picnic tables, grills, and sun shades at each spot. If the spots fill up you can park along the fence and no one is bothered. The rules says max stay is 5 days. Great cell service. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the caverns and 25-30 minutes to drive into Carlsbad for groceries. Google maps stopped us just short of the road we were supposed to turn on (Washington Ranch Road) but like others said just turn right at the big red Washington Ranch sign and the campground is your very first right.
olivia would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Easy to reach, clean, quiet”
Reviewed 5/2/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 7 |
We stayed 7 days and worked from AT&T as it had the best signal with lowest latency, Verizon was also good. This is basically a big dirt lot with some designate camp spots, but if those are full there is plant of room to still park rigs. It really close to the park entrance, and in the distance you can see the visitor center wh... more
We stayed 7 days and worked from AT&T as it had the best signal with lowest latency, Verizon was also good.
This is basically a big dirt lot with some designate camp spots, but if those are full there is plant of room to still park rigs.
It really close to the park entrance, and in the distance you can see the visitor center where the entrance to the cavern is located.
Overall this location serves the purpose, and if I find myself in this area again I would use this as home base.
Asgoodasitgets4reel would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“perfect spot to visit Carlsbad Caverns”
Reviewed 4/27/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | n/a |
RV Length: | 33' (Travel Trailer) |
We stayed here for two nights with our 30ft travel trailer and I was able to work with a good internet connection. Sprint, At&T and verizon were delivering enough bandwidth to work. The place would be awesome for any solar needs (charged my ecoflow in four hours). The pit toilet was very clean and the whole place well maintained. We w... more
We stayed here for two nights with our 30ft travel trailer and I was able to work with a good internet connection. Sprint, At&T and verizon were delivering enough bandwidth to work. The place would be awesome for any solar needs (charged my ecoflow in four hours). The pit toilet was very clean and the whole place well maintained.
We would stay here again.
Hermann would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Convenient to Carlsbad, small and straightforward but nice + well maintained.”
Reviewed 4/26/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Great spot for checking out both Carlsbad and Guadalupe as mentioned by others - I've been here twice now and once it was totally overloaded with folks, and the second time was much less packed and everyone was super friendly. Popular spot, and if arriving on a Friday evening it may be tough to get a spot - many just set up on the peri... more
Great spot for checking out both Carlsbad and Guadalupe as mentioned by others - I've been here twice now and once it was totally overloaded with folks, and the second time was much less packed and everyone was super friendly. Popular spot, and if arriving on a Friday evening it may be tough to get a spot - many just set up on the perimeter near the fence. There are a few pull through RV spots and tent sites with very nice and new picnic tables and sun shelters, plus a charcoal station grill. Quiet at night, has a tendency to be windy at times. Turn off US-62 when you see the "Washington Ranch" sign, and it's your first right - coordinates bring you to the turn in, just keep going down the gravel road and you'll see it. Road in is slightly primitive, but not bad, just don't bomb down it and you'll be fine. There are trash cans, and I saw folks come to empty them out a couple times. Great signal for Verizon+Sprint+T-Mobile, worked off my hotspot one day with no issues. Almost everyone here is there to check out the NPs in the area, and its not really a destination camp area, so during the days theres basically no one around.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Leandra
OHSunset Reef Campground
Date Visited: February 1-4, 2021Address: Washington Ranch Road, Carlsbad, NM 88220GPS: 32.1095, -104.4253WebsitePrice: Free Reservations: NoStay Limit: 5 NightsPets: YesRestrooms:...
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Site Amenities
- big rig
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- restrooms: vault
Pets
- pets
Nearby
White's City RV Park
It works. REALLY tight spots. 7 min from Carlsbad NP entrance.
- Wide Turns Only
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