America’s Camping Report Card
New Mexico
Better than 64% of graded states overall.
Graded on 9,689 written reviews from New Mexico - no star ratings, just what people wrote.
The breakdown
Letter grades are this state ranked against all other graded states, topic by topic.
What campers praised
- beautiful place109
- beautiful scenery102
- beautiful campground100
- beautiful area94
- beautiful views85
What campers warned about
- windy conditions9
- very windy conditions4
- lake very low3
- windy, cold weather3
- heavily grazed canyon2
- Praised by
- 53.0%
- Warned by
- 1.9%
- Rank
- Better than 93% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.511 (±0.011, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- hiking trails45
- fishing21
- camping and fishing20
- great fishing16
- great hiking trails16
What campers warned about
- limited things to do3
- limited hiking2
- limited onsite activities2
- not a lot to do2
- not much to do2
- Praised by
- 28.2%
- Warned by
- 1.5%
- Rank
- Better than 50% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.267 (±0.009, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- very clean153
- clean150
- clean bathrooms130
- well maintained118
- clean restrooms73
What campers warned about
- restrooms not cleaned4
- bathrooms need cleaning3
- dirty bathrooms3
- needs a lot of tlc3
- toilets not maintained3
- Praised by
- 33.6%
- Warned by
- 6.9%
- Rank
- Better than 60% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.267 (±0.011, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- spacious sites62
- nice campsites31
- nice sites26
- well spaced sites20
- great sites18
What campers warned about
- sites close together14
- sites too close together13
- site not level7
- no shade6
- sites very close together5
- Praised by
- 35.4%
- Warned by
- 9.7%
- Rank
- Better than 31% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.258 (±0.012, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly staff41
- friendly and helpful hosts35
- friendly camp host27
- friendly camp hosts25
- friendly hosts25
What campers warned about
- no camp host present8
- no camp host6
- no host present6
- camp host absent4
- absence of host2
- Praised by
- 25.8%
- Warned by
- 4.5%
- Rank
- Better than 45% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
More campers praised this than complained (25.8% vs 4.5%) — so it doesn’t score as a fail. It lands here because it ranks below most other states on this topic.
Net sentiment +0.213 (±0.010, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bathrooms29
- bathrooms and showers29
- clean bathrooms28
- restrooms27
- hot showers22
What campers warned about
- no water available40
- no showers17
- no water14
- no dump station13
- no potable water13
- Praised by
- 26.8%
- Warned by
- 13.1%
- Rank
- Better than 81% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.136 (±0.012, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- quiet231
- very quiet135
- quiet campground108
- quiet and peaceful58
- quiet atmosphere57
What campers warned about
- sites close together11
- road noise8
- busy on weekends7
- generator noise7
- sites very close together7
- Praised by
- 18.1%
- Warned by
- 8.5%
- Rank
- Better than 74% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.096 (±0.010, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- free camping54
- free campground40
- free27
- free campsite14
- $10 per night13
What campers warned about
- overpriced4
- $5 entry fee3
- $20 per night2
- $8 charged2
- $8 reservation fee2
- Praised by
- 7.7%
- Warned by
- 2.3%
- Rank
- Top-ranked among graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.054 (±0.006, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly people10
- family friendly8
- dog friendly7
- friendly campers5
- respectful campers5
What campers warned about
- didn't feel welcomed1
- disrespectful people1
- felt judged by other campers1
- felt prejudiced against1
- felt uncomfortable1
- Praised by
- 2.3%
- Warned by
- 0.3%
- Rank
- Better than 24% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
More campers praised this than complained (2.3% vs 0.3%) — so it doesn’t score as a fail. It lands here because it ranks below most other states on this topic.
Net sentiment +0.019 (±0.003, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- safe18
- felt very safe16
- felt safe14
- feels safe6
- safe campground4
What campers warned about
- no cell service3
- dog attack and threat2
- fire evacuation / closure2
- a little scary1
- advised to go with a group1
- Praised by
- 1.9%
- Warned by
- 2.6%
- Rank
- Better than 69% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.007 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- close to town36
- easy access20
- close to santa fe13
- easy to find12
- close to albuquerque7
What campers warned about
- no cell service9
- rough road in9
- rough road access4
- bumpy road in3
- little to no cell service3
- Praised by
- 8.9%
- Warned by
- 9.8%
- Rank
- Better than 14% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.009 (±0.009, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy check-in4
- easy to reserve4
- easy reservation process3
- reserved spot honored3
- easy online reservations2
What campers warned about
- hard to get a reservation6
- reserved site occupied3
- book early to get a site2
- confusion over reservations2
- gate code did not work2
- Praised by
- 2.0%
- Warned by
- 4.7%
- Rank
- Better than 7% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.028 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- dog-friendliness4
- quiet hours observed3
- atvs not allowed2
- dog friendly2
- dog-friendly2
What campers warned about
- fire ban3
- fire restrictions3
- no campfires allowed3
- no fires allowed3
- dogs off leash2
- Praised by
- 1.3%
- Warned by
- 4.4%
- Rank
- Better than 57% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.031 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- local wildlife2
- active squirrels and hummingbirds1
- adorable chipmunks1
- bear-proof trash management1
- birds and wildlife signs1
What campers warned about
- very windy conditions10
- windy conditions9
- very windy5
- flies4
- lots of flies4
- Praised by
- 0.5%
- Warned by
- 5.8%
- Rank
- Better than 38% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.053 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 9,689 written reviews, 41% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
We read every written review of a campground in New Mexico and used AI to label what each camper praised or complained about, across 14 topics. A topic’s score is the share who praised it minus the share who complained. Then we rank that against every other graded state and assign a letter grade on a curve (A = top vs other states, F = bottom vs other states).
The letter is bounded by what campers actually felt: a topic most campers praised won’t score a D or F, and one most campers complained about won’t score an A or B. Within those bounds, the curve — how it ranks against other states — sets the exact grade. Switch to Raw numbers to see the share who praised vs. warned behind every grade.
Only states with at least 2,000 reviews are graded. Scores are smoothed toward the national average (shrinkage k=500) so small samples can’t swing a grade, and every topic carries a 95% confidence interval. The overall grade weights each topic by how often campers actually raise it.
Topic weights
- Scenery15%
- Campsites15%
- Cleanliness13%
- Facilities12%
- Staff & hosts10%
- Things to do9%
- Crowds & noise8%
- Getting there6%
- Bugs & weather3%
- Booking2%
- Value2%
- Rules & policies2%
- Safety2%
- Welcoming1%
Methodology v2-curve-shrink-k500-sniff-floor | 43 states graded | updated June 2026.