Arizona and New Mexico State Parks for RV Camping: What We Paid
Arizona and New Mexico state parks don’t cost the same for an RV. Our six nights in Arizona state parks averaged $51.80 a night, and our eleven nights in New Mexico state parks averaged $34.73. The gap is mostly the fee schedule: the three Arizona parks we used charge $50 a night for a hookup site, while a non-resident in New Mexico pays $35 for a developed site with water and electric.
We camped in nine state parks across the two states between October 2025 and May 2026. Villanueva was a single night on our first big trip in the Brinkley, Colorado to Austin. Most of the rest came in March 2026 on the drive from Austin back to Colorado, and the last three came on our spring loop in April and May. Below is what each park was like and why the two states cost so differently, with every receipt in a table near the end. The numbers come from the same receipts behind what a year on the road actually cost us.
What is each park known for?
Arizona
Catalina State Park sits at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains on the north edge of Tucson, and it’s one of our favorite campgrounds anywhere. Arizona State Parks says it holds nearly 5,000 saguaros and more than 150 bird species. For me it was the saguaros. They’re everywhere, and I had never seen one in real life. The park is huge and the hiking was incredible. It was really hot, and it was beautiful. If you’re hiking the Romero Canyon Trail with a dog, note that dogs aren’t allowed past Montrose Pools, in the bighorn sheep area.
Kartchner Caverns, south of Benson, protects a living limestone cave you can only see on a guided tour. Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts found it in 1974 and kept it secret until 1978. The Big Room Tour runs only from mid October to mid April, because a colony of bats raises its young there in summer. We didn’t take a cave tour. I’m very claustrophobic, so it wasn’t a priority, and we only had one night there on the way to Catalina. I would have liked to stay longer, because it’s a beautiful park. (If you do go underground, pets aren’t allowed on the tours.)
Lost Dutchman State Park is at the foot of the Superstition Mountains about 40 miles east of Phoenix, named for the legend of the Lost Dutchman’s Mine. The Treasure Loop is 2.4 miles round trip, and trails lead on into the Superstition Wilderness. We were there in April. Summer there often tops 100 degrees, and the park says to carry at least a gallon of water per person per day.
New Mexico
Villanueva State Park sits in a canyon of sandstone bluffs along the Pecos River, between I-40 and I-25 in northern New Mexico. Leasburg Dam State Park is on the Rio Grande about 25 minutes north of Las Cruces, built around an irrigation dam from the early 1900s. Its observatory opens for monthly night sky programs.
Bottomless Lakes State Park, southeast of Roswell, is a chain of eight lakes that are really sinkholes, 17 to 90 feet deep. In 1935 it became the first state park in New Mexico. If you camp at Lea Lake like we did, note that fishing isn’t allowed there.
Rockhound State Park near Deming was the first park in the country to allow collecting rocks for personal use, and each visitor can take up to 15 pounds. Common finds include quartz crystals and geodes. We didn’t take any rocks home, other than the dirt stuck in our tires and on our feet that ended up on the RV floor. A big dust storm came through while we were there. It was cool to see, but it made it hard to be outside.
City of Rocks State Park, between Silver City and Deming, is about a square mile of volcanic rock pinnacles up to 40 feet tall, lined up like city streets. Campsites are tucked in among the rocks, and there’s an observatory for stargazing. We moved sites for our last night there.
Sugarite Canyon State Park, just outside Raton at 6,664 feet, has about 20 miles of trails, including one through the ruins of an old coal camp. Heads up for RVers: hookups are limited. Across its two campgrounds there are eight water and electric sites and two full-hookup sites, all 30 amp.
Why did Arizona cost about $52 a night and New Mexico about $35?
Arizona keeps it simple. Arizona State Parks lists $50 a night for a hookup site at all three parks we used, plus a $3.60 reservation fee per site. Our receipts match that to the penny. Catalina was three nights at $50 plus $3.60, which is $153.60, and the other two work the same way. Arizona’s camping fee also includes park entrance for the length of your stay, so there was no separate entrance charge.
New Mexico charges by the piece, and as Colorado residents we pay the non-resident rates:
- Developed campsite: $20 a night ($15 for New Mexico residents)
- Water hookup: $5 a night
- Electric hookup: $10 a night
- Reservation fee: $3.50 a night, capped at $10 per reservation
A site with water and electric comes to $35 a night, and the reservation fee goes to the booking system, not the parks. Leasburg Dam and Rockhound were both $77 for two nights, which is exactly $70 in camping and $7 in reservation fees. Two stays came in lower, City of Rocks at $26.50 a night and Villanueva at $33.50, and that pulls the New Mexico average just under $35.
So the short answer is $15 a night. Arizona’s hookup rate at our three parks was $50, and New Mexico’s came to $35 even at non-resident prices.
Is an annual pass worth it in Arizona or New Mexico?
Not for the way we camp. Arizona sells a $200 annual pass, but its reservation policy says annual entrance permits aren’t credited to camping fees. Camping already includes entrance anyway. It wouldn’t have changed a single one of our Arizona receipts.
New Mexico sells an Annual Camping Permit for $600 to non-residents ($300 for residents), and New Mexico State Parks says it covers the base camping fee. At the $20 non-resident base rate, you’d need 30 nights in New Mexico state parks to break even. We did 11. The FAQ doesn’t say the permit covers hookup fees either, so check before you count on it.
And my Access Pass is no help in either state’s parks. It only works at federal sites, and New Mexico State Parks says outright that federal discount passes aren’t accepted.
Which Arizona and New Mexico state parks did we stay at?
Here’s every Arizona and New Mexico state park stay in one place, and every total includes the reservation fees on the receipt. A few of our stops in these two states weren’t state parks, so they’re not in the table:
- Valley of Fires, a Bureau of Land Management recreation area near Carrizozo, New Mexico: two nights in October 2025, $66.00.
- Pine Flat Campground in Oak Creek Canyon, Coconino National Forest: four nights in April 2026, $72.14 with my Access Pass discount.
- Rio Verde RV Park in Cottonwood, Arizona, a private park: three nights in April 2026.
| Park | When | Nights | Site | What we paid | Per night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | |||||
| Kartchner Caverns | Mar 2026 | 1 | 42, Lower Loop | $53.60 | $53.60 |
| Catalina | Mar 2026 | 3 | A-11, A Loop | $153.60 | $51.20 |
| Lost Dutchman | Apr 2026 | 2 | 94 | $103.60 | $51.80 |
| Arizona total | 6 | $310.80 | $51.80 | ||
| New Mexico | |||||
| Villanueva | Oct 2025 | 1 | 10 | $33.50 | $33.50 |
| Leasburg Dam | Mar 2026 | 2 | 29, Cholla Loop | $77.00 | $38.50 |
| Bottomless Lakes | Mar 2026 | 1 | 23, Lea Lake | $38.50 | $38.50 |
| Rockhound | Mar 2026 | 2 | 18 | $77.00 | $38.50 |
| City of Rocks | May 2026 | 3 | 30A, then 17 | $79.50 | $26.50 |
| Sugarite Canyon | May 2026 | 2 | 4, Lake Alice | $76.50 | $38.25 |
| New Mexico total | 11 | $382.00 | $34.73 | ||
All of them have their own page on our travel map.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to camp at an Arizona state park?
At the three parks we used, Arizona State Parks charges $50 a night for a site with hookups, plus a $3.60 reservation fee per site. Camping includes park entrance for your stay. Our six nights averaged $51.80.
What do New Mexico state parks charge non-residents for camping?
A developed site is $20 a night for non-residents and $15 for New Mexico residents. Hookups are extra, and water plus electric brings a non-resident site to $35 a night. Reservations through the state’s booking system add $3.50 a night, up to $10 per reservation.
Is the New Mexico Annual Camping Permit worth it?
Only if you camp there a lot. It’s $600 for non-residents and $300 for residents, and it covers the base camping fee. A non-resident would need about 30 nights at the $20 base rate to break even.
Does the America the Beautiful pass work at Arizona or New Mexico state parks?
No. Federal passes, including the Access Pass, only work at federal sites. New Mexico State Parks states that federal discount passes are not accepted.
How long can you stay at a New Mexico state park in winter?
From October 1 to April 30, New Mexico State Parks allows up to 14 days in any 20-day period. From May 1 to September 30, the limit drops to 7 days in any 20-day period.
See you down the road,
Matt