Earlier this month, fellow campers told us about the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site in Tularosa, New Mexico.
Swayed by their description, we decided to give it a shot! The site is 100 miles northeast of Las Cruces and was easily on our route toward Roswell.
This is our personal experience:
Location: Tularosa, New Mexico
GPS: 33.34417, -106.00749
Price: The dry camping sites are $7/night. There are two sites with water & electricity; those are $18/night.
Date/Temp We Stayed: February 28-29, with a high of 80 and a low of 40
Amenities: Three Rivers Petroglyph Site offers a water source, trash pickup, and clean flush toilets. There is a well-maintained hiking trail & viewing area with handicap-accessible features.
Be Warned, the campsites are very uneven.
Noise: Upon arrival, there were six other campers here – however, it was always tranquil. This campground seems to draw a mature group of people interested in history.
Wifi/Cell: The Three Rivers Petroglyph Site doesn’t offer wifi. We received 2 bars of T-Mobile 4G, enough to stream Netflix. Our AT&T service received a strong 4G signal.
Grocery/Errands: Downtown Tularosa is 10 miles from the campground. We filled up gas and ate lunch at the awful gas station restaurant (not that we were expecting better). There are also a few antique shops and fast food places in town.
Dog Friendly: Three Rivers Petroglyph Site is mostly dog friendly. Dogs are allowed everywhere except on the main trail. The camp host asked us to walk our dog along the road leading into the campground, not through the campground loop – this seemed more like her preference.
Entertainment: The primary source of entertainment is exploring the 1000s of petroglyphs. We’d encourage visitors to hike off the developed trail. The terrain is easy to navigate, and there are hidden petroglyphs around every bend.
Overall: We enjoyed our two days at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site but were ready to leave on day three. It wasn’t as secluded as we liked, and the town of Tularosa had little to offer.
However, it’s well worth a few days of exploration if you’re roaming around New Mexico.
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When we lived in New Mexico, we often visited the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. I have lots of photos of the petroglyphs there. We only camped there once, however, as there is a forest campground further in on the road right at the White Mountain Wilderness boundary at the foot of the mountain. I think you would have liked the camp sites there a lot more, much more secluded with hiking and a lively mountain creek. I don’t recall how cell service was, as we have different cell plans now.