I'm looking for a spot somewhere in North Eastern New Mexico (Taos, Cimarron, Red River, etc) that has good camping near hiking and stream/fly fishing. My buddy wants to bring his camper, so hook ups are a plus but not necessary. Appreciate any input.

[cross posted with H&F]

Red river has some nice campgrounds along the River. It is a tight water up in the mountains but the lower stretch where it runs down into the Rio Grande is trophy waters. Lots of hiking in that same area near Questa. Camp in the mountains, hike in the canyon.

Cimarron Canyon has all that. Camping spots, fishing the cimarron river, and the clear creek trail has some cool waterfalls. Eagle nest lake is right there. There is also good fishing in the rivers outside Taos. Tons of little hikes around the enchanted circle or you can go up Wheeler Peak if you want an 8-9 mile round trip Up the highest point in NM.

Highly suggest hiking to the top of Wheeler Peak...there are a couple of small lakes towards the top that supposedly have fish in them (I've never actually fished up there.) The views are spectacular up there!

Questa is always talked about as a great place to fish the streams.

Thanks, all. I'd like to summit Wheeler's, but most of the guys I'll be with wouldn't make it. We'll have to stick to some of the shorter routes.

zachsccr said:

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Cimarron Canyon has all that. Camping spots, fishing the cimarron river, and the clear creek trail has some cool waterfalls. Eagle nest lake is right there. There is also good fishing in the rivers outside Taos. Tons of little hikes around the enchanted circle or you can go up Wheeler Peak if you want an 8-9 mile round trip Up the highest point in NM.

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This is your answer. Cimarron Valley is a hidden gem as far as I'm concerned.

There weren't showers at the campsite when I went in 2010, so may want to double check if that's a requirement.

Well worth the side trip into Philmont if they're open. The museum is pretty cool. And they might even let you take a shower if you ask real nice. ; )

We spent a week at Road Runner RV Resort in Red River, NM back in early June. I'd stayed there back in high school (~25 years ago). Nice park. Kids and I fished the river right in the park. River was stocked Tuesday. We caught fish Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday on Power Bait.





We hiked up the mountain behind the RV park and also hiked part way to Middle Fork Lake.

Agree with the poster that said the mountain waters are difficult to fish, but once the Red River hits the valley, it's pretty easy. River is stocked regularly.

I've also fished the Cimarron River in Cimarron Canyon State Park. Never camped there. Have camped in Eagle Nest and fished the lake. Shore fishing is okay, even with a fly rod, in the morning and evening. Have seen some 8-10 pound rainbows caught by the boat ramp.

Definitely check out the convergence of the Rio Grande and Red River near Questa, NM. It's a decent hike down into the canyon, but there's supposedly some trophy native fish.

We fished the pond in town and didn't get a bite.

You can hike or OHV to Goose Lake. It was still snowed in when we were there but should be opening up pretty soon.

Just a couple more thoughts:
If you want a "campfire", take a propane fire pit. No wood burning or charcoal fires right now.
Check out All Trails for hiking options.
National Forest campgrounds were beginning to open back up when we were there. They may be an option for y'all. We made this a working vacation so we needed amenities like WiFi and a playground from the private campground.
The ranger office in Questa was closed. If you think you need maps, order them or download ahead of time.
Masks are "required" by state ordinance in NM. However, we didn't see all that many people wearing them.
We ended up at Walmart in Taos for a couple items. Had to wait in line and wear a mask to get in.

We followed one of y'all across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.



My email is in my profile. Let me know if you want some more information.

Great info. Thanks.

Look up the Sipapu Ski Resort. My family goes there every summer for a week. They have cabins, a campground, and RV hookups. It's in the Carson National Forrest, basically between Taos and Red River.

The Rio Pueblo runs right through the property and is one of the stocking sites for the fish truck from the hatchery at Red River. There are lots of non-stocked German brown trout in the river too.

The highway to Taos follows the Rio Pueblo a good ways. There are lots of places to pull over, access the river, and fish. It's all in the National Forrest so access isn't a problem.

One more thing, there are a bunch of hiking trail heads in the Carson National Forrest that are on the road from Taos to Sipapu.

Yep, Sipapu is a cool place, and it's not too far to Taos if you want to eat out. And if you have elderly or small children with you, Picuris Pueblo has a fishing pond, so they can fish. Bonus, it doesn't require a NM fishing license.

They are currently closed to visitors (covid-19) but that could change

http://www.picurispueblo.org/

Good to hear from you, Canyon. You helped me on our last trip to Palo. Don't think I forgot.