New Mexico used to offer a discount pass for State Parks that I believe got you 50% off nightly camping fees.   Although at first glance it seemed kinda pricey I think we calculated that 14 nights would be the break even point.  I haven't checked to see if it's still offered, but has anyone ever used this?  This has been on our dream list for ages!   My son is in Texas,  hubby's mom & siblings in California, & my best friend from high school in Ohio lives in the 'boot heel' of NM so we anticipate LOTS of time spent in NM.  we see this pass (IF still offered) as a great addition to time spent at Rainbow/Skip Parks in the Southwest.  BTW while on our 2 month maiden voyage 2 years ago we stayed at JoJoba Hills, Rovers Roost & in Yuma---we are hooked.

In my opinion, with or without a park pass, the New Mexico State Parks are one of the better deals going. They are being discovered and it is getting more difficult to get sites at the more popular ones without reservations. The New Mexico Park Pass costs nonresidents $225 for a year (13 months if you buy on the first of a month). It covers up to the first $10/night of the camping fee and the entrance fee to any State Park that has one. Dry campsites are $10/night, primitive sites where available are $8/night, Water/electric sites are $14/night and Water/electric/sewer sites where available are $18/night. Day use fee is $5. That makes the break even point 23 nights for camping (less if you visit any parks that charge the $5 day use fee).  

Edited March 15, 2018 by trailertraveler

Try Bob Wells New Mexico Park Pass on You Tube.

  On 3/15/2018 at 7:36 PM, Cat Lady said:

Try Bob Wells New Mexico Park Pass on You Tube.

We have stayed in many of the New Mexico State Parks. A couple of things to add to the information in the video. The New Mexico State Park regulations state "Campers may reside in a park for a maximum of 14 calendar days during any 20-calendar day period unless the director extends, decreases or waives this limit.  Campers shall completely remove camping equipment and gear from the park for six calendar days during the 20-calendar day period." So you can not just leave for a day and return to the same park, You can move from park to park every 14 days.

Primitive sites ($8) at many of the parks, do not have a picnic table or prepared parking area. The sites with covered picnic tables referred to as primitive sites in the video were I think considered developed sites ($10). Some parks do take reservations for both developed sites with no utilities and developed sites with utilities. There are some parks with no sites with electric (Eagle Nest and Cimarron Canyon come to mind) and there are several parks with no water/electric/sewer sites other than the camp host sites. Some parks do not take reservations year round, Some parks shutdown loops in their off season. Vacant reservation sites can normally be occupied for at least one night as one can not make same day reservations.

We spent the better part of one year about 10 years ago visiting the New Mexico State Park system using their parks pass.  At the time we bought the pass, it was $225 (out-of-state resident) and was good for an entire year.  In fact, depending on when you bought it, you could get 13 months of use because the pass was good until the end of the month in which you bought it.  So, for example, if you bought the pass on May 1, 2018, it would be good until May 31, 2019.

It's a much better deal that 50% off.  At the time we used it, if you wanted to boondock, it was free; if you wanted electric hookups, it was $4 (and some of the parks also provide water at their electric hookup sites); if you wanted full hookups, it was $8.  We spent most of our time boondocking, so other than the initial $225 for the pass, we camped the entire time for free.  At the time, you could also stay in any one park for 30 days.

Details may have changed in the intervening years -- I know the stay limit has been shortened to 14 days, but I don't know whether or not any of the fees have changed.

  On 3/15/2018 at 10:23 PM, LindaH said:

...Details may have changed in the intervening years -- ...I don't know whether or not any of the fees have changed...

The information in post #2  is current and there is even a link to the fee page of the website.

We have the pass. $4 a nite with 50 amp elect. does not take long to break even.

The break even point is the same whether you stay in a $10 dry campsite (free), $14 electric site ($4) or an $18 water/electric and sewer site ($8). The pass covers up to $10 of the nightly camping fee. So the break even point for non-residents is 225/10=22.5 or 23 nights. For residents it is 180/10=18. If one stays only in the primitive areas it would be 225/8=28.125 and 180/8=22.5.

If you visit parks that charge a day use fee other than the ones where you camp, the break even point will be reduced.

Edited March 16, 2018 by trailertraveler

  On 3/16/2018 at 7:50 AM, trailertraveler said:

The break even point is the same whether you stay in a $10 dry campsite (free), $14 electric site ($4) or an $18 water/electric and sewer site ($8). The pass covers up to $10 of the nightly camping fee.

So, the fees with the pass haven't changed since we used it 10+ years ago.

We were considering the pass, but saw reference to daily entrance fees that are charged per vehicle.  It said that motorhome with tow would be 1 vehicle, but if you drive each in rather than tow, it is 2 vehicles.  It also stated that this charge applied to each motorcycle, atv, etc.  We have a motorhome, towing a utility trailer with 3 motorcycles , and I drive the Jeep behind.  We can't figure out if we would be charged for 5 vehicles each day - if so, it would not be a deal for us to stay in the state parks.  Because of this question, we are going to go to the first state park along our route and ask about this, then decide if the pass would benefit us.  If we are going to be charged for 2,3,4,5 vehicles per day then we would just stay elsewhere.

  On 3/29/2018 at 12:45 PM, LFDR3116 said:

...We have a motorhome, towing a utility trailer with 3 motorcycles , and I drive the Jeep behind.  We can't figure out if we would be charged for 5 vehicles each day - if so, it would not be a deal for us to stay in the state parks...If we are going to be charged for 2,3,4,5 vehicles per day then we would just stay elsewhere...

I do not travel with a fleet of vehicles so can not speak with certainty about how many passes you would need, but my guess is a least a camping pass for the motorhome and a parking/entrance pass for the jeep (annual pass $40). Another issue I think you need to consider is that of space for all your equipment. Every NM park I have camped at (18 of them), required that all equipment be kept on the pad. I can not recall seeing all that many sites that would accommodate all your vehicles. The reservation website has pretty good descriptions of the sites so you may want to check that out for the parks that you might visit. The primitive areas at parks that have them like Caballo and Elephant Butte have some pretty large open areas. However, the roads are dirt/sand/gravel and I mostly see pickup campers, small Class C/B and trailers towed by 4x4s in those areas. 

educated guess is at least 3 vehicles if you never take one off the trailer. 

Definitly consider the input from trailertraveler above.

The $40 annual pass is only available to residents.    At least I didn't see any non-resident annual vehicle pass.  We have parked all of the vehicles on sites for 7 years full-time  We need a site that is about 60' long.  Many trucks & fifth wheels are longer.

  On 5/11/2018 at 1:22 PM, LFDR3116 said:

...The $40 annual pass is only available to residents...

Not true. Its called a Day-Use Pass not a vehicle pass. I have purchased several of them as a nonresident and currently have one that expires 10/31/2018. From the New Mexico State Park website.

Edited May 11, 2018 by trailertraveler

I'm a full timer and a boondocker. I buy the New Mexico out-of-state Park pass every year. I tow a fifth wheel that has a motorcycle on a rack on the back.and in all my years of doing that I've never been charged an entrance fee or any other kind of fee. My pass lets me boondock for free and after two weeks I move to another park. I think it's one of the best deals that any state offers.

Theboondork