4.56104 reviews
Price
$15/night
Booking
Walk-in Only
Sites
12 campsites
Season
Year-round
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
Price
$15/night
Booking
Walk-in Only
Sites
12 campsites
Season
Year-round
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
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Three Rivers Campground, Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico
Equestrians and hikers targeting the Three Rivers Trail (T44) into White Mountain Wilderness will get the most out of this spot. Spring is the sweet spot: temps stay manageable, wildlife is active, and the petroglyph site nearby adds a solid half-day side trip.
No potable water on site is a genuine logistical problem for multi-night stays, so plan your supply haul carefully. Vault toilet complaints are consistent across reviews, generator noise can break the quiet, and RVs over 25 feet won't fit.
Reference information about Three Rivers Campground sourced from official USFS records and forestcamping.com. View official recreation.gov page →
<p>This rustic style campground has 12 sites set at the base of southern New Mexico's tallest mountain. A portion of the site is designed for Group Camping. Three Rivers is a great place to go to get away from the crowds and is located at a much lower elevation than our other campgrounds (around 5000'). From here you can access the Three Rivers trailhead (T44) into the White Mountain Wilderness is located. </p><p>Access to the site and the roads throughout the site are all well-maintained dirt roads. Don't miss the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site on the way in or out.</p>
The elevation is 6,400 ft. The campground, located in a Pinyon/Juniper habitat, provides gorgeous (close-up) views of the Sacramento Mountain range and White Mountain Wilderness. It is located next to two seasonal creeks, Dry and Fall, and the year-round Three Rivers. Although the sites are all in an open area, some have ramadas covering the picnic tables. Horses are permitted in the campground but must be housed in the several provided corrals. Located on the west side of the White Mountain Wilderness, the campground is an excellent home base to explore the mountains and wilderness. Elk and other wildlife are frequent visitors. The campground is nicely laid out and should be a pleasant experience for most every type of camper. An excellent day trip for the whole family is visiting the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, 8.4 miles west of the campground on County Rt. B030. There are over 20,000 petroglyphs scattered throughout the site. Bring a picnic lunch, lots of water and wear sturdy shoes. The self-guided trail through the site is a moderate climb and rocky. This is bear country; practice safe food storage techniques.
The parking aprons are gravel. Facilities Flush Toilets: No Hot Showers: No Vaults: Yes Wheelchair Friendly Toilets: Yes Public Phone: No Playground: No No. Water Spigots (non-site): 1 No. Threaded: 0 Comments: Drinking water is available at the host site. Water Sports None Hiking: Three Rivers Trail (foot and horse) - 6 miles. The trail provides access to the White Mountain Wilderness. Fishing: No For the latest information on fees, seasons and much more, visit the U.S. National Forest Campground Guide website at www.forestcamping.com Shattered dreams - Rita Blanca National Grassland (OK & TX) McClellan Creek National Grassland 239 McClellan Creek National Grassland Texas The McClellan Creek National Grassland (NG), 1,149 acres, is located in the Texas Panhandle (northwest Texas). It is administered by the Cibola National Forest. There is one campground and it meets the selection criteria. George B. McClellan was an Army surveyor, invented the saddle that is still in use and bares his name, rose to General in the Union Army, and ran for President against Abraham Lincoln, just to mention a few of his accomplishments. While performing his duties as an Army surveyor in the Texas panhandle, McClellan named a little creek after himself. Years later, a dam was built across McClellan Creek and Lake McClellan formed. Oil wells were drilled on the ridges above the lake and a little later, McClellan Lake became part of the McClellan Creek NG. By then the lake was the premiere recreational area in the Texas panhandle. Time, budget cuts, changes in how people recreate, and a massive wildfire in 2006 changed McClellan Lake. Special features like a dance hall and store are gone but McClellan Lake continues to offer outstanding recreational opportunities to its visitors. The bright blue water of McClellan Lake is an oasis of refreshing possibilities surrounded by the rolling golden hills of the McClellan Creek NG. Trees along the shoreline offer shade and shelter to both people and wildlife. Since the devastating wildfire in 2006, the south shore has been closed but the north shore is open and ready for campers, anglers, and ATV enthusiasts. McClellan Creek's only campground (Lake McClellan Recreation Area) has a pleasant assortment of sites accommodating tent, car, and recreation vehicle (RV) campers. About half these sites have electric and water hookups. And the campground has flush toilets, hot showers, and an RV waste station. Anglers are challenged by healthy populations of Channel catfish, Largemouth bass, and assorted panfish. Winding and steep trails offer ATV enthusiasts a challenging, although probably too brief, recreation. Perhaps one of the best features of Lake McClellan Recreation Area campground is how convenient it is to I-40. A little more than three-miles from the truck traffic, the blazing sunshine, and hurry of the Interstate, Lake McClellan Recreation Area campground is a true oasis of calm, quiet, and shade - a super place to end a day of travel. It might be hard to see the McClellan Creek NG as anything other than what it is today. However, the area now designated as "grassland" was settled in the 1800s under a variety of "Homestead Acts," which opened the land to people, generally farmers, and helped to settle the west. A prolonged period of drought in the late 1920s into the 1930s caused some homesteads on sub- marginal farmland (a location receiving 15 or less inches of annual moisture) to literally dry up and blow away. During this time, Congress established the Land Utilization Program (LUP) which McClellan Creek National Grassland 240 bought homesteads from bankrupt private owners and returned it to public land status. The Work Program Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees helped to stabilize the eroding soil. In the 1950s, the LUP holdings were assigned to the USDA Forest Service and who was tasked with management of these sub-marginal lands. Over the years the Forest Service has established some twenty National Grasslands from those sub-marginal lands. "The designation of the area as National Grassland is not a description of the area as much as a statement of policy and effort to restore the area to a multiple of uses and benefits." General McClellan did not have an opportunity to see the grassland nor lake that bares his name. But visitors to this little grassland oasis in the Texas panhandle will probably agree, McClellan is a place they enjoyed and will remember. Forest Supervisor's Office 2113 Osuna Road, NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113 505-346-3900 Ranger District Offices Black Kettle and McClellan Creek 18555 Hwy 47A Suite B Cheyenne, Oklahoma 73628 580-497-2143 McClellan Creek National Grassland 241 Lake McClellan at Lake McClellan RA, McClellan Creek National Grassland (TX) McClellan Creek National Grassland 242 Campground Map No. Campground Page 1 Lake McClellan Recreation Area 244 McClellan Creek National Grassland 243 McClellan Creek National Grassland Quick Look-Up Table - Campground Locations and Descriptions STATE NEAREST CITY/TOWN CAMPGROUND TOTAL SITES PAGE NO. Texas Alanreed Lake McClellan Recreation Area 23 O O O O O 244 McClellan Creek National Grassland 244 McClellan Creek National Grassland - Campground Descriptions
Drinking water is available at the host site.
The parking aprons are gravel.
In Tularosa, NM, at the intersection of US Rts. 54 and 70, take Rt. 54 north 17.2 miles to a Petroglyphs and Picnic Area sign (County Rt. B030). Turn right at sign onto Rt. B030 and go 13 miles to campground. NOTE: County Rt. B030 becomes gravel after 5.5 miles.
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Spring brings the best conditions: daytime highs between 50–75°F, cool nights around 30–40°F, blooming wildflowers, and active wildlife. Summer tops out near 85°F, manageable for early starts. Winter can drop to 27°F with occasional snow. Fall settles into comfortable 43–67°F ranges. Spring also sees fewer crowds than summer weekends, and the pinyon-juniper slopes green up nicely.
Described as best season: 50–75°F, wildflowers, flowing spring water and active wildlife.
Potable water is not available at this site.
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