Lake Alice Campground—New Mexico
Sugarite Canyon State Park
Overall Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Campsite ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Facilities ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Staff ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Location ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This is a very small campground with a total of 16 sites. Four are tent sites and two are host sites. I should add that the ten reservable RV/trailer sites are packed into a pretty small space. Nevertheless, with a couple exceptions they are separated by enough trees to make them seem private. I should add that there are a handful of overflow sites across the road. The lake is also right across the road and there are hiking trails easily accessible from the campground..
The campground is tucked back into Sugarite Canyon and feels secluded, but is not nearly as remote as it feels. The nearby town of Raton offers access to shopping and restaurants, but it was recommended that I make a slightly longer drive to Trinidad, CO to do laundry. I will say it is worth the drive, Trinidad is a lovely, thriving town and worth spending a day exploring the historic downtown. Furthermore, there are several points of interest within 90 minutes of the canyon
The facilities at Lake Alice are well maintained. There is only a vault toilet, but it is clean. The dump station is poorly situated, so that any rig stopping to dump will impede the ability of other campers on the loop to exit the campground. The park seems well staffed, the camp host was engaging and offered a lot of tips about things to do. I saw state employees actively cleaning and grooming the campground on more than one occasion. One additional note: the flush toilets and showers are a couple miles away across from the visitor center.
I am shaving off a single star on this rating, but I would absolutely stay here again.
Additional Information:
Page link: https://bit.ly/3tB46Xl
Reservation link: https://bit.ly/41D1l4h
Fee: $10 to $25
Discounts: resident senior, annual pass holder
Number of sites: 16
Max length: 40'
Hookup: electric (20/30 amp), water, sewer
Dump station: yes
Potable water: yes
Other amenities: flush toilets, showers
Cell service: Verizon (0), AT&T (1), T-Mobile (0)