Black Canyon Campground

This place is great, next to Hyde memorial Park but with affordable prices. It's strange that there's no water. There spigots, but the Hyde State Park doesn't want to run the pump the transport water to black bear canyon. In the last there was electricity, because the restrooms have lights with sensors. Spots are spacious and fill up quickly. The reservation system sucks. We've seen many spots which were empty for days/weeks. Someone made a reservation and didn't show up. All spots should be "first come, first serve" The area has beautiful hiking trails. The camp host Deborah was extremely helpful with providing us a last minute spot. She was always there for any questions or issues. She made sure everybody feels welcome and rules were followed.

Black Canyon Campground exceeded our expectations! This was our first visit and we were impressed with the paved sites. There is a variety of sites to choose from. We ended up reserving site #17, which was pretty private, yet right next to the restrooms. We loved that there is a fire pit with grill and picnic table. It was very beautiful, peaceful, and affordable. The guests were very quiet. Any talking or music we heard seemed distant. The hiking trail is nice for a short hike and we finished it under 45 minutes. There is a host onsite and she seemed attentive to campers. It was my first time camping since I was a kid, and this is great campground for those who don't want to "rough it." You feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, but are only 7 miles from the city. I wish I could give half stars, as I would give this a 4.5. Minus a half star for the toilets. The vault toilets were okay. The women's had a ton of flies, I just held the door open every time for a moment and most flew out, but they were coming out of the toilet as well. My husband reported the men's did not have this problem. Both had fly traps that needed replacing. We did get an occasional whiff of the restrooms, since our site was right next to them. The women's bathroom ran out of toilet paper. I am glad we brought a bathroom bag with our own TP and hand sanitizer. This is not a deal breaker for us, as it is the reality of camping. However, if vault toilets are provided and there is an onsite host, I would assume they would be attended to. There are water taps in the campground but no water was available. We only stayed one night and brought our own water.

Excellent campground. Beautiful paved terraced sites. Just a short drive to Santa Fe. Helpful camp hosts. Would definitely return.

One of My favorite place to camp. It is calm and beautiful there. Restrooms are well maintained. There are so many beautiful trails nearby. Water taps do not work. We did not get to meet the host. I would definitely recommend this place. Do cleanup your spot when you are leaving.

Would've been a 5 star review besides the fact that the camp ground is SUPPOSED to be open until the end of October per USDA for the remainder of camping season. Highly disappointed that this is my first experience with this camp ground to go out to camp and find a hand written sign with the gates closed saying " Closed 10/18/2024" which was EXTREMELY disappointing when the USDA website clearly states the campground is STILL SUPPOSED to be open. This came as a shock to me and plenty of other potential campers as we watched so many others confused as they attempted to come in to camp and we bewildered at the hand made sign and a closed camp ground. Unbelievable.

Spent a long weekend in the Black Canyon Campground in the Santa Fe National Forest. It was a beautiful spot with recently updated camping spots with rock walls, fire pits, picnic tables, and flat surfaces to set up tents or RVs. There are 35 available spots, and with many being reservable and some first come, they fill up quickly. We were surrounded by pine trees and aspens, and there is an easy hiking trail at the far end of the campground. The bathrooms were plentiful and fairly clean and other campers were respectful. Do be aware that there is no phone signal (which was fine by me!) and no electricity. $10 per car fee.

Unfriendly to local campers! The assistant host had a conversation with my partner today concerning our stay, and it left me concerned. While they were happy to take his money for the next week, they basically told us that we may be forced leave because they are in the process of changing the camp’s rules in order to cater to out-of-state visitors. It has been my dream to camp all summer long for years, and due to health conditions I have been unable to until now. Unfortunately, we can’t take off the entire summer for work. So we both leave the campsite long enough for me to drop him off and use the gym to workout. I have a long-term fitness and lifestyle goal of backpacking for at least a few weeks at time in the future so hiking and/or working out are daily activities for me, and I enjoy hiking the Black Canyon trail that runs through the camp. We also use the fire pit to cook when we can. However, this doesn’t workout everyday because sometimes we get back a little late for him to get a full night before he has to be at work at 4AM. I am a substitute teacher in Albuquerque and Santa Fe so I have the summer off, but he doesn’t. I also leave the camp to do food deliveries to help him so at least I’m contributing something. We’re kind and courteous people who respect the camp and other people. We’re not loud or disrespectful in any way. If anything, we go out of our way to help others and make the camp end trails suitable for others whenever we can. If we see trash or dog waste from another dog, we pick it up. This morning I even removed a fallen tree from the trail so it wouldn’t get in the way of other hikers. I am an artist and I love nature, taking pictures and videos, spending time in the woods alone with our dog. I’m friendly and do not disturb anyone, and neither does he. That’s why I think it’s a weird idea to try to filter out locals that spend some time in town. We’re your neighbors. We contribute to local economy, and we care about our wilderness lands here in New Mexico the most because we love our state! I’m sorry, but I was ready to give rave reviews. I have videos on TikTok and Instagram of us enjoying the site, and I’m happy to promote our national forest and state parks! However, we feel like we’re being JUDGED for camping and one of us working full time. I want to be able to recommend the site so bad, but I’m unhappy with this. I went to speak with the camp host, but she was unavailable. If things change after talking to her, I will edit this review. However, at the moment, it stands. We’re good campers who follow the rules and guidelines for the site. We’ve never caused any trouble at all, and we want to resolve this as soon as possible. We love camping, but we can’t be on site 24/7 unless one of us works for the park. (And honestly, I’d consider it as temporary if offered. I do have applicable skills, including extensive customer service experience and knowledge of the forests and camping).

Beautiful camping! Spots are small but you are surrounded by trees and wildlife! There are lots of trails and hiking in the area. They currently don't have water so bring your own water with you!