U.S. Forest Service
Water Canyon Campground
Photo · Christopher NicholsNot publishedStatus
ReservableAccess
15Sites
The place
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. Keep reading
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.
SRC · Recreation.gov RIDB full extract · 2026-08-23
The sites · 15
| Loop | Site | Type | Max rig | Electric | ADA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camping | 1 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 10 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 11 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 12 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 2 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 3 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 4 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 5 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 6 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 7 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 8 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | 9 | standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| Camping | Group Site | group standard nonelectric | — | — | |
| S&P | Group S&P | management | — | — | |
| S&P | Standard S&P | standard nonelectric | — | — |
SRC · Recreation.gov RIDB full extract · 2026-08-23
Booking
183 daysBooking window before arrival
Recreation.gov default: most campsites can be booked six months prior to arrival date. Most campgrounds go on sale at 7am PT / 8am MT / 10am ET, but not always; check the facility Seasons and Fees tab. Some locations also offer shorter supplemental booking windows.
Book on recreation.govSRC · Rules verified against recreation.gov · 2026-08-24