Dog Canyon Campground

It is on the list as one of my favorite parks. Spent 3 nights with my wife and we both loved it. Park was clean and well taken care of. Connectivity however was non existent but if you’re looking to unplug then it’s the perfect spot.

I was really disappointed about my stay at Dog Canyon. Here are my reasons;

The RV sites are basically a gravel parking lot with four very closely spaced sites. I do not have a large rig, we have a Northstar pop-up camper on the back of a Dodge truck and when I went to the back of my camper I felt like I was in my 'neighbor's' site. If you are a dog owner, (we had 1, one neighbor had 2 & another had 1) even having them on six foot leashes it was hard to give them any space. I have camped a lot of places, including overflows and have never camped in such a small, closely spaced site.

The only bathroom, which was very nice, is down the road approx 200 yards in the tent loop. Quite a walk for the middle of the night if needed.

As far as access to the campground, when it is stated that it is 2 hours from Guadalupe Mountains National Park entrance, it should be noted that that access is not through the National Park. We entered through a road on the outside of the Park (about 1-1/2 hours drive) and I was shocked that you could not access any other parts of the Park besides Dog Canyon Campground once you were there. I think this should be stated much more clearly. I have literally not seen another portion of the Park because of the amount of time it would have take to get to the entrance and therefore the rest of the Park.

There was a 'Welcome to the Park' building, but it was never opened while we were there and according to campers we spoke to it had not been opened in the days prior to our arrival. There also appeared to be surrounding buildings for a Host or support staff, but we did not see a Ranger or any other support staff while we were there. This I found odd for a National Park.

In conclusion, this is a remote campground with good tent camping. There are lots of hiking options from Dog Canyon Campground. This is not a campground for RVers (of any size) to experience Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

I was really disappointed about my stay at Dog Canyon. Here are my reasons;

The RV sites are basically a gravel parking lot with four very closely spaced sites. I do not have a large rig, we have a Northstar pop-up camper on the back of a Dodge truck and when I went to the back of my camper I felt like I was in my 'neighbor's' site. If you are a dog owner, (we had 1, one neighbor had 2 & another had 1) even having them on six foot leashes it was hard to give them any space. I have camped a lot of places, including overflows and have never camped in such a small, closely spaced site.

The only bathroom, which was very nice, is down the road approx 200 yards in the tent loop. Quite a walk for the middle of the night if needed.

As far as access to the campground, when it is stated that it is 2 hours from Guadalupe Mountains National Park entrance, it should be noted that that access is not through the National Park. We entered through a road on the outside of the Park (about 1-1/2 hours drive) and I was shocked that you could not access any other parts of the Park besides Dog Canyon Campground once you were there. I think this should be stated much more clearly. I have literally not seen another portion of the Park because of the amount of time it would have take to get to the entrance and therefore the rest of the Park.

There was a 'Welcome to the Park' building, but it was never opened while we were there and according to campers we spoke to it had not been opened in the days prior to our arrival. There also appeared to be surrounding buildings for a Host or support staff, but we did not see a Ranger or any other support staff while we were there. This I found odd for a National Park.

In conclusion, this is a remote campground with good tent camping. There are lots of hiking options from Dog Canyon Campground. This is not a campground for RVers (of any size) to experience Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Small, remote campground (YAY!) with convenient services and parking. Most sites are very close to each other but the small campground is quiet so not really an issue. Availability of shade/not is well documented on the reservation site. The 3 local hikes are described on the board at the bathrooms. All hikes at https://www.nps.gov/gumo/planyourvisit/dogcyn_dayhikes.htm. Hikes are not described in the NPS brochure.

Small, remote campground (YAY!) with convenient services and parking. Most sites are very close to each other but the small campground is quiet so not really an issue. Availability of shade/not is well documented on the reservation site. The 3 local hikes are described on the board at the bathrooms. All hikes at https://www.nps.gov/gumo/planyourvisit/dogcyn_dayhikes.htm. Hikes are not described in the NPS brochure.

Really cute and well maintained campground. Convenient to the trailheads

Really cute and well maintained campground. Convenient to the trailheads

Too windy in the spring.

Too windy in the spring.

Great to camp out in the lovely valley, only problem is the campsites are really close together which is weird in such a big park.

Other than that, the campsite is next to many hiking trails that get you up into the mountains with awesome views!

Next time we plan on hiking in from the south side or a through hike from either side/.