Clear Creek Campground

For New Mexicans seeking refuge from the summer heat or a peaceful retreat into the stunning mountain landscapes, Clear Creek Campground in Jemez Springs offers an exceptional outdoor experience. Nestled within the cool shade of ponderosa pines in the magnificent Jemez Mountains, this campground is a beloved destination for locals who appreciate tranquility, clean facilities, and abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation. It’s a place where the sounds of nature replace urban clamor, and the crisp mountain air provides a welcome respite.

New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, boasts diverse landscapes, from arid deserts to alpine peaks. The Jemez Mountains, part of the Santa Fe National Forest, represent a verdant and refreshing escape, and Clear Creek Campground embodies the best of this region. It’s designed to accommodate a variety of campers, from those with RVs and trailers to tent enthusiasts, and even offers a dedicated group site, making it suitable for family reunions or friendly gatherings.

This article will provide a clear, engaging, and factual overview of Clear Creek Campground, specifically tailored for our local New Mexico audience. We'll explore its precise location and easy accessibility from major population centers, detail the services and amenities available, highlight its standout features that make it so popular, and provide essential contact information. Our goal is to help you understand why so many New Mexicans return to Clear Creek Campground year after year, praising its beauty, quietude, and the helpfulness of its camp hosts.

Drawing from the enthusiastic reviews of real customers, we'll illustrate why this campground is consistently rated highly for its peaceful atmosphere and well-maintained grounds. If you're a New Mexican looking for a beautiful, quiet, and well-equipped place to camp, hike, and fish, Clear Creek Campground stands as a highly recommended destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Clear Creek Campground is located near Jemez Springs, NM 87025, USA, within the Santa Fe National Forest. Its coordinates are approximately 35.99659693867568, -106.8267809308997, placing it at an elevation of around 8,500 feet. This elevation is key to its appeal, as it provides a cool oasis, offering refuge from the often-intense New Mexico heat, particularly during the summer months.

The campground is nestled in the scenic Jemez Mountains, accessible via New Mexico State Highway 126. It is approximately 11 miles east of Cuba, New Mexico, where visitors can find lodging, restaurants, and gas stations for last-minute supplies. Importantly, Clear Creek Campground is less than a two-hour drive from Albuquerque, making it a convenient and popular weekend getaway for residents of New Mexico's largest city.

Accessibility within the campground is also well-regarded. The roads leading to and inside the campground are paved, ensuring easy navigation for various vehicle types, including RVs and trailers. Most individual campsites feature asphalt pads that are "mostly level," simplifying the setup process for campers. While there are no pull-through sites, requiring campers to back into their locations, the pads are generally well-maintained and spacious enough for easy maneuvering. Trailers up to 16 feet and RVs up to 30 feet can fit comfortably in most sites, though larger RVs might find the individual sites a bit tight, with group sites potentially accommodating more.

This combination of being relatively close to population centers while offering a genuine mountain escape, coupled with well-maintained access roads and site pads, makes Clear Creek Campground highly accessible and a practical choice for New Mexicans seeking a quality outdoor experience.

• Individual Campsites: Clear Creek Campground offers 15 individual campsites. These sites are spacious, providing ample room and a good degree of privacy between them, creating a quiet camping experience.

• Group Campsite: A dedicated group campsite is available, located in the last loop of the campground, offering a more secluded area for larger gatherings. This site can host up to 35 people (some sources say 70) and can accommodate up to 3 RVs or camp trailers in addition to 3 tents. It features a large ramada with picnic tables and a pedestal grill.

• Paved RV Pads: Most individual sites are "RV and trailer ready" with asphalt pads, making them suitable for vehicles of various sizes. These pads are generally level, simplifying the setup for RVers.

• Fire Rings: Each campsite includes a designated metal fire ring, allowing for campfires for warmth, cooking, and ambiance (always subject to current fire restrictions, which are common in New Mexico, especially in drier months. Reviewers note that in August, occasional rain helps keep fire risk low, allowing for campfires).

• Picnic Tables: Every campsite is equipped with a picnic table, providing a convenient surface for dining and food preparation.

• Vault Toilets: Clean and well-maintained vault toilets are available within the campground, offering basic restroom facilities.

• Drinking Water: Potable water is available at the campground, with communal spigots or a hand-pump, ensuring campers have access to fresh water during their stay.

• Camp Host On-Site: A camp host (e.g., Joe, Ben, Sharon) is regularly on-site, providing a welcoming presence, maintaining cleanliness, and offering helpful advice and assistance to campers.

• Reservations: Individual campsites and the group site are reservable via Recreation.gov, allowing visitors to plan their trips in advance (reservations are recommended, especially for popular weekends, and are generally available from mid-May to mid-September. After mid-September to mid-November, sites may become first-come, first-served, but always verify current policies).

• Beautiful and Peaceful Setting: Consistently praised for its serene and picturesque environment, Clear Creek Campground offers a "very beautiful and peaceful" escape. The natural beauty of the Jemez Mountains, with its ponderosa pines and green landscapes, creates a calming atmosphere.

• Quiet Environment (No ATVs): A significant highlight for many campers is the restriction on ATVs within the campground, which contributes to a noticeably "more quiet" and tranquil setting, allowing visitors to truly enjoy the sounds of nature.

• Cool Oasis from Heat: At an elevation of 8,500 feet, the campground provides a refreshing escape from the warmer temperatures of lower elevations in New Mexico, making it an ideal summer destination.

• Excellent Camp Host Service: Visitors frequently commend the camp hosts (such as Joe, Ben, and Sharon) for being "very friendly," "helpful," "knowledgeable," and keeping a "close watch on everything," ensuring a pleasant and well-managed experience.

• Spacious and Private Sites: The generous spacing between individual campsites (except in group areas) offers a good sense of privacy, enhancing the feeling of being immersed in nature.

• Hiking Opportunities: The campground offers direct access to great hiking. It's close to the San Pedro Parks Wilderness, which provides easy and scenic day hikes, as well as an ideal backpacking destination for various skill levels with trails like San Gregorio, Palomas, and Los Pinos within driving distance.

• Fishing Opportunities: Local streams, including Clear Creek and Rio de las Vacas, along with the San Gregorio reservoir, offer fishing opportunities for anglers.

• Clean and Well-Maintained Facilities: The restrooms are noted for being "very clean," and the overall campground is described as "clean and well maintained," a testament to the care taken by the hosts and forest service.

• Wildlife Viewing: The surrounding forest is home to various wildlife, including elk (especially bugling in fall mornings/evenings), mule deer, black bears, and a plethora of bird species, offering opportunities for nature observation.

Address: Jemez Springs, NM 87025, USA (within Santa Fe National Forest)

Phone: (575) 289-3264

Mobile Phone: +1 575-289-3264

For reservations and detailed information, it is highly recommended to visit the campground's page on Recreation.gov.

For New Mexicans, Clear Creek Campground in the Jemez Mountains is an exceptionally suitable and highly recommended destination, offering a perfect blend of natural beauty, outdoor recreation, and comfortable amenities right in their backyard. Its appeal stems from several key factors that directly cater to the desires of local residents.

Firstly, its primary benefit is the "cool oasis" it provides from New Mexico's often intense heat. At 8,500 feet, it's a welcome escape for a refreshing summer camping trip, allowing locals to enjoy the outdoors comfortably when lower elevations are sweltering. This makes it an ideal spot for weekend getaways from Albuquerque and other warmer parts of the state.

Secondly, the campground's consistently praised "quiet and peaceful" atmosphere, reinforced by its no-ATV policy, creates a genuinely serene environment. For New Mexicans seeking to disconnect from urban noise and reconnect with nature, this tranquility is invaluable. The spacious sites also enhance privacy, allowing for a more intimate experience with the wilderness.

The accessibility for both RVs and tents, coupled with paved pads and clean vault toilets, ensures that a wide range of local campers can enjoy the facilities comfortably. The availability of drinking water and the presence of dedicated, helpful camp hosts like Joe, Ben, and Sharon, further enhance the ease and enjoyment of the stay. These amenities, combined with the reasonable pricing (noted at $20/night as of May 2025), offer great value for a national forest campground.

Finally, for active New Mexicans, the abundance of hiking and fishing opportunities in the immediate vicinity, including the nearby San Pedro Parks Wilderness and various streams, provides endless avenues for outdoor adventure. Whether it's a strenuous hike or a relaxing day by the water, Clear Creek Campground serves as an excellent basecamp. Its suitability for group camping also makes it perfect for local families or friends looking to enjoy the outdoors together. In essence, Clear Creek Campground is a cherished local treasure, offering a beautiful, quiet, and well-equipped mountain escape that resonates deeply with the spirit of New Mexico outdoor living.

Clear Creek Campground

35.99659693867568, -106.8267809308997, Jemez Springs, NM 87025, USA