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A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service campground

Pines Campground

Forest Service campground in Lincoln National Forest, Otero County, New Mexico. About 8,700 feet. 1.1 miles from Cloudcroft.

Reserve on Recreation.gov
Managed by
Forest Service Lincoln National Forest
Elevation
About 8,700 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
23 23 standard non-electric
Longest rig
35 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Otero County

Overview

Pines Campground is located in the Lincoln National Forest in Cloudcroft, New Mexico at an elevation of 8700 feet. This is a heavily forested campground with large pine trees which provide plenty of shade. Wildlife viewing is a great opportunity here as this forest is home to a large population of Elk. Roads within the campground are paved.

Recreation

This is a prime location for wildlife viewing due to the large population of Elk in the Lincoln National Forest. This forest spans 1,103,441 acres and is a great place for hiking, caving, picknicking, horseback riding, hunting and sightseeing.

Facilities

This campground offers standard sites, accommodating both tent and RV camping. Amenities include picnic tables, grills, fire rings, drinking water spigots, vault toilets and paved parking spurs.

Natural Features

This location provides great views of the White Sands National Park salt flats. The Lincoln National Forest offers a variety of trails, including the Osha Trail, the Little Apache Trail, and the Old Cloudcroft Highway Trail.

Nearby Attractions

There is a variety of stores to shop at roughly 20 miles from the campground in Alamogordo, NM.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

The land around Pines Campground

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Nearest campgrounds

Camping near

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated September 16, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.

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