USDA Forest Service · New Mexico
Water Canyon Campground
USDA Forest Service · New Mexico, United States
- Sites
- 15
- Hookups
- 15 with water, 14 no hookups
- Season
- Year-round
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 6,857 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Access road
- COPPER CANYON (NFSR 406) · native material · high clearance vehicles
- Lake
- Cibola National Forest and Grasslands
- Phone
- 575-854-2281
- Activities
- Biking, Birding, Camping, Hiking, Picnicking, Star Gazing, Wildlife Viewing
About
Overview
Within the Magdalena Mountains is a beautiful campground with twelve campsites and an additional group campsite tucked away at 6,800 ft elevation. These campsites are a mix of first-come first-served and reservation sites. There are several vault toilets as well as a picnic table, a fire ring, and a grill at each campsite. The group campsite offers an additional shelter structure and large fire pit. The area is great for birding and has access to several trails nearby.
Recreation
Birding, hiking, and biking are popular activities in and around the Water Canyon Recreation Area. The campsites are also great locations for star-gazing.
Nearby Attractions
Forest Road 39, which is the spur that leads to the group campsite, can be followed as the North Fork Trail and hiked. Below the campground is the Water Canyon Picnic Area and access to more trails including the Mesa Trail.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 27° | 11° | 59° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 51° | 29° | 8° | 69° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 58° | 33° | 23° | 76° | 8 of 11 |
| April | 68° | 40° | 29° | 81° | 4 of 11 |
| May | 75° | 49° | 38° | 86° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 86° | 61° | 49° | 94° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 87° | 64° | 54° | 95° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 83° | 61° | 53° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 79° | 57° | 43° | 86° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 69° | 46° | 34° | 84° | 0 of 10 |
| November | 59° | 35° | 20° | 72° | 6 of 10 |
| December | 51° | 29° | 21° | 66° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Water Canyon Group Campground · USDA Forest Service · 0 mi
- Bear Trap · USDA Forest Service · 24 mi
- Hughes Mill · USDA Forest Service · 26 mi
- Springtime · USDA Forest Service · 35 mi
- Luna Park · USDA Forest Service · 40 mi
All public campgrounds in New Mexico · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-05-05. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.