Cochiti Campground

Location

82 DAM CREST RD
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Policies

Check-in

3:00 PM

Check-out

2:00 PM

Max stay

14 nights

Pets

Allowed (per listing)

Campfires

No

About

Cochiti Campground sits on the shores of Cochiti Lake at 5,343 feet in the foothills of the Jemez Mountains, where high-desert pinon and juniper mingle with mixed grasslands and open views across the Rio Grande. The lake and Cochiti Dam one of the ten largest earth-fill dams in the United States and part of the Rio Grande's flood- and sediment-control system give the area a working, rugged character as much as a recreational one. The recreation area is divided between the west side (Cochiti) and Tetilla Peak on the east, both of which have shoreline access, and the family swim beach and day-use area are popular in summer; day-use areas operate seasonally from April 15 to October 15 and carry a $5 per-vehicle fee (this charge is included for people registered at campsites). A paved, year-round boat ramp with four concrete lanes makes launching easy for sailboats, wind-surfers, kayaks and powerboats, and anglers come for bass, walleye, pike, trout, crappie, catfish and sunfish; picnic facilities include 21 covered picnic sites and a reservable large group site (call the main office to reserve group space). The campground has 80 total campsites, and every site is configured to accommodate both RVs and tents. Sites are arranged in four loops: BUFFALO GROVE (16 sites), ELK RUN (16 sites), JUNI (34 sites) and RINGTAIL CAT (14 sites). Buffalo Grove sites all have water and electric hookups; Juniper (listed in the park materials as Juniper/"JUNI") provides electric hookups with some sites offering water; Elk Run and Ringtail are non-electric but have community water spigots. Beyond camping and boating, the recreation area supports water sports, fishing, picnicking, playground use, a visitor center and wildlife viewing look for osprey on their nesting platforms and on the east side deer, coyotes, river otters, beavers, rabbits and the occasional bear. Cochiti Lake lies roughly halfway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque and is reached from the Albuquerque corridor via State Route 22 through Pena Blanca; because the lake and recreation area are within the Pueblo de Cochiti Indian Reservation, visitors must observe all Pueblo regulations and avoid any lands closed to the public.