Sunset Reef Campground, Whites City, New Mexico

The sunset, as seen from Sunset Reef Campground in Whites City, New Mexico.

We had read about and seen posts on social media about camping at Bureau of Land Management campgrounds in the West. These are dispersed or minimally serviced campgrounds with no hookups.

We planned on visiting Big Bend National Park in Texas and saw that Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks were reasonably close, but where to camp?

We found Sunset Reef Campground in the guidebook Bureau of Land Management Camping (available on Amazon). It's roughly halfway between Carlsbad and Guadalupe.

There are just a few amenities--covered shelters, picnic tables, and a vault toilet--but that's quite a bit considering the cost: free!

Sunset Reef is first-come, first serve, and getting a dedicated RV site with a shelter is hit or miss. On the day we arrived, we were the second RV to arrive, though there were a couple of tents set up. By the time it got dark, all of the sites were full and RVs were parked along the fence.

Visitors are permitted to camp at Sunset Reef for a maximum of five nights.

Campground Tour

Campground Details

Campground Name: Sunset Reef Campground

Location: Off Washington Ranch Road, Whites City, New Mexico

Number of sites: 6 RV sites and 5 tent sites.

Hookups: None.

Connectivity: Good. We got 2 to 3 bars of 5G on T-Mobile.

Campground Amenities: Covered shelters, picnic tables, grills.

Bathhouse: One single vault toilet.

Reservations: None accepted. First come, first serve.

Our Rating: 4 out of 5