Guadalupe Mountains National Park Campgrounds: Overview
There two campgrounds inside Guadalupe Mountains National Park are split between the Pine Springs area and the Dog Canyon area . This doesnt include the eight backcountry campsites that are reachable only by hiking. While they are not far apart as the crow flies, it will take you about two hours of driving to get from one camping area to the other.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is well visited, but it is not nearly as popular as most of the other National Parks. Since this area of the country can get quite hot in the summer , most visitors choose to avoid the heat and come in April and May or the fall to enjoy the famous foliage. Since there are no reservations at either of the campgrounds, if you plan on coming during one of the popular times of the year, make sure you arrive by mid-morning to secure a space and self-register.
For quick groceries, the Dog Canyon Campground has the town of Queen, NM about 40 minutes to the north. However, if you are in need of camping supplies , your best bet is to head over to Carlsbad, NM. The town is quite large and should have everything you need.
Ahead of your trip, be sure to download our guide for Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Weve included what hikes to do, how to get to them, what to pack, useful maps and what to do in the area in our itinerary. We use these guides in all of our park travels and they have proven to be indispensable!
Water Flora And Fauna
Water is a vital resource in the Chihuahuan Desert. The stream found in Dog Canyon has created a riparian environment in Oliver Lee Memorial State Park that is unique for the area. The stream is kept flowing by rain and snow-melt. The water seeps up from the ground in springs that naturally occur in the limestone formations of the park. The stream dries out just to the west of the park and the remaining water flows underground. It supports a small variety of insects and amphibians, but no fish.
Trees found along the stream include Rio Grande cottonwood , New Mexico locust , and velvet ash . In the areas away from the stream one-seeded juniper , desert willow and netleaf hackberry are found. Shrubs of the park include four-wind saltbush and creosote bush and western poison ivy can be found in the cool and wetter parts of Dog Canyon. A variety of cacti species can be found in the park including strawberry hedgehog , cane cholla and numerous prickly pears . Aquatic plants like cattail , giant helleborine and maidenhair fern are sustained by the stream that flows through the canyon. A botanical resource list is provided by the park staff.
Dog Canyon Campground Report
Dog Canyon Campground
Dog Canyon campground is located in beautiful Eddy county in New Mexico and considered a small and boutique camping ground with only 14 sites. Part of the it’s maintained by the dedicated team of rangers serving open grounds of New Mexico
Dog Canyon Campground Overview
Dog Canyon Campground Activities
A number of activities are available when staying at Dog Canyon campground to ensure plenty of outdoor air & fun such as:
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Albert Jennings Fountain Murder Case
The range war came to a boil in the winter of 1895-6. Colonel Fountain had gone to the Lincoln County court and obtained 32 indictments against 23 ranchers for theft of livestock or defacement of brands. Oliver Lee, Jim Gililland and William McNew were among the accused. This caused their being suspects in the February 1896 disappearance and presumed murder of Colonel Fountain and his 8-year-old son Henry. They were pursued by Sheriff Pat Garrett and a posse. Garrett and posse engaged in a gunbattle with Lee and Gililland near Alamogordo at Wildy Well, with Deputy Sheriff Kurt Kearney being killed. Lee later testified that Kearney and Garrett shot at Lee and Gililland, who were sleeping on the roof of the house at Wildy Well. Lee claimed the two were fired upon without being given the option to surrender, with him and Gililland returning fire. After Deputy Kearney was shot, Sheriff Garrett negotiated a truce and retreated with the mortally wounded Kearney.
Oliver Lee later held office in the New Mexico Senate and continued operating his ranches until his own death in 1941. He has several descendants still living and ranching in New Mexico.
As told by Jim Gililland’s great niece Viola Smith-Hobbs, “Uncle Jim was a hired gun for Oliver Lee. He and Oliver Lee were accused of killing Colonel Albert J. Fountain and his son, Henry, at Chalk Hill, New Mexico at the point of the White Sands. The feud was over politics and a range war.”
Dog Canyon Campground Weather Conditions
Here is the latest weather conditions for today 30th Sep 2022 at Dog Canyon campground which are updated every few minutes to give the most accurate weather conditions.
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Dog Canyon Campground Map
We’ve added a detailed Dog Canyon Campground Map to see where each site is located within the campground to help decide which suits your needs better with the amenities available for each site.
How To Get To Dog Canyon Campground?
Looking to get to Dog Canyon Campground take the following directions.
Contact Details For Dog Canyon Campground
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Best Campgrounds In Guadalupe Mountains National Park
While there are only a couple Guadalupe Mountains National Park campgrounds in the park, they are very unique and in completely different parts of the park. Both offer the serenity that you want in a National Park campground, but with different nearby activities and services.
If you have time to stay at both campgrounds and explore the different areas of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, we recommend doing so. However, if you must pick just one, we hope that this guide helps you pick the best Guadalupe Mountains National Park campground for you and your traveling companions.
Oliver Lee Memorial State Park
New Mexico, New Mexico.
Set against the dramatic Sacramento Mountains, this park features a historic ranch house, quiet camping in the Chihuahuan Desert, and the unique oasis of pools of water under the cottonwood trees of Dog Canyon. Enjoy a short walk on the Riparian Nature Trail or a challenging hike up the Dog Canyon Trail.While at the park visitor center, take the short trail to see the ruins of Francois-Jean âFrenchyâ Rochasâ 1880s-1890s stone cabin above the pools of water in Dog Canyon. Frenchy is credited with building the âmiraculous staircaseâ at Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. You can also take guided weekend tours of the restored historic Oliver Lee Dog Canyon ranch house and museum, and surrounding ruins of the adobe barn, slaughterhouse, and chicken house. Lee sold his ranch in 1907. After a series of several owners, the ranch lands were made a part of the White Sands National Monument in 1939. Management of the 440-acre Dog Canyon Ranch tract was transferred to the State Parks Division in 1983, three years after the establishment of the parcel at the mouth of Dog Canyon. Full ownership of the Dog Canyon Ranch parcel of the park was transferred to the state of New Mexico in 1998.Oliver Lee State Park offers a visitor center, camping, showers, group shelters, electrical hook ups, restrooms, dump stations, and trails.Park Elevation 4,400 ft
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The Campground & Camping
Oliver Lee has a mixture of campsites, some with hookups, others with tent pads reservations are required. The campsites are spaced nicely apart there are water hydrants near each of them there are a couple of pit toilets scattered about plus a building with running water . There is also a Visitors Center with a small museum and adjoining Riparian Nature Trail and Frenchys Cabin.
The campground is on the gentle slope between the flat and level Tularosa Basin and the quickly-rising Sacramento Mountains. Thus the views from nearly all the campsites are really great. The area is open desert no trees, only small shrubs and cactus no place to go bushwhacking. We enjoyed all 3 nights of camping there, starting with a nice fire on the first night .