Carlsbad KOA Campground Review {New Mexico}

Travel Dates :: March 9 – 12, 2016

We went to Carlsbad, New Mexico with specific plans to visit the Carlsbad Caverns and explore the nearby area. When researching places to stay nearby we found the local Carlsbad KOA had great reviews and it looked like the perfect home base while we were in town.

North of the city of Carlsbad, New Mexico the Carlsbad KOA  is nestled in a quiet spot off Highway 285 making it easy to access and away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Carlsbad.  Because of it’s nice remote location the Carlsbad KOA  is about a 38 mile drive to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. For some this might be a deal breaker but honestly we didn’t see much for camping options closer to the caverns and we liked the park so much that the drive wasn’t an issue for us. Plus as I mentioned in an earlier post, we LOVED visiting Artesia which was just a short drive from where we were located.

You can always tell a lot about a campground when you check-in at the front desk. The Carlsbad KOA had lots of staff on hand at the front desk and they were super helpful when we arrived.

We were escorted to our spot, which was a beautiful pull-thru spot right near the main office and pool. The spot was level (I LOVE it when a spot is already level!) and it had a nice wooden swing, picnic table, fire pit and grill. We had full hook-ups (water/sewer/electricity) – SCORE!

Even though we were close to the pool, we didn’t get to test it out because it wasn’t yet open for the season. I did notice it was covered, clean and well-maintained. It’s a little on the small side, but I would love to go back on a hot summer day and jump in the pool.

But even without the pool, the kids had a lot of fun playing at the campground playground. It’s one of the most impressive play areas we’ve seen at a KOA campground.

It has a very cool climbing structure, plus swings and other things. We had to pull our kids away from it every time we needed to leave.

They also had a basketball court, volleyball net, horseshoes and more. If you have a BIG rig they have lots of big spots. We saw a lot of large motorhomes with tow vehicles and they fit easily in the spots. The layout of the park made it easy to navigate with long rigs.

Although located on a flat piece of land we noticed there was a lot of mature landscaping and trees – and those trees were full of birds! I loved listening to the birds, especially the doves every morning. A tree nearby even had dove eggs in it.

They have beautiful landscaping around the park. We especially enjoyed the koi pond near the campground office. It has a waterfall feature and there were birds flying around and bunnies hopping through the grass.

The campground main office/store is very nice. They carry a lot of campground necessities (RV parts, groceries, etc) along with a nice selection of local gifts and souvenirs.

The gift shop is also where you can order dinner! That’s right, at the Carlsbad KOA they smoke and roast their own meats. You can order barbecue from the front desk and have it delivered to your trailer at no cost! How cool is that!?! We just had to try it. We shared a platter with brisket, sausage, pulled pork, beans and potato salad. It was delicious and I loved that it was delivered to my front door in just a short 15 minutes after ordering!

We were also really impressed with the laundry room at the Carlsbad KOA. They had many large machines that were clean and they worked like champs. There is nothing worse than bad washers/dryers that require you to do the same load many times.

If you don’t have an RV the Carlsbad KOA has beautiful cabins for rent.  The cabins come with a grill, fire pit and picnic table. They also have tent accommodations.

The sunsets here were beautiful. We really enjoy KOA campgrounds and had a wonderful time here at the Carlsbad KOA. We would definitely recommend it to other friends and family who are traveling through the area!

Have you been to the Carlsbad area? Do you have a favorite KOA campground? 

Sponsored post :: The Carlsbad KOA provided us with a complimentary stay in exchange for an honest review and blog post about our time there. All photos were taken by us during our stay. We share only our honest opinions and thoughts when we do campground reviews.