Black Bear Group Area

PO BOX 836
CLOUDCROFT, NM 88317

Overview

Black Bear is perched atop the scenic Sacramento Mountains of south-central New Mexico, near Alamogordo and Cloudcroft. The site is surrounded by the aromatic pine trees and aspen groves of Lincoln National Forest. The group area is conveniently connected to a network of hiking and biking trails. Bring your camera and binoculars for the chance to spot elk, deers, birds, and even black bear.

The black bears are arguably the most celebrated wildlife in the area due to the fact that the original Smokey Bear was found here. While battling a fire in 1950, firefighters rescued a burned bear cub clinging to a scorched tree in Lincoln National Forest. The bear was adopted by the US Forest Service and became the real-life mascot for forest fire prevention.

Recreation

Evening skies are often clear of clouds - bring a telescope for stargazing. The campground is surrounded by a series of hiking trails. A popular hike is the Osha Trail, which is a 2.5-mile loop.

Facilities

Whether for a family reunion or a large social event, Black Bear is a convenient location for groups up to 70. No water is provided at this site, but it is available at Sleepy Grass Campground from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Natural Features

Set 9,000 feet above sea level in the Sacramento Mountains, Black Bear is in a pine forest area overlooking the desert valley of the Tularosa Basin. The basin stretches 6,500 square miles between the Sacramentos and the San Andres Mountains.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (575) 682-1518.

Nearby Attractions

The campground is a mile from Cloudcroft, a quaint tourist village with New Mexico's only standing railroad trestle. It's also a quarter mile from the Rim Trail, which is popular for mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding. Other nearby trails are open to ATV enthusiasts.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Pets allowed: all 1 sites
Group sites: all 1 sites
Longest RV: 35 ft
Largest party: 70 people

Fees

Group Standard Area Non-Electric: 1 to 30 people $123/night 31 to 70 people $154/night

Directions

In southeast New Mexico, approximately 20 miles east of Alamagordo. From Alamagordo take US 82 east. Go 16 miles. Just before Cloudcroft, turn right (south) on NM 130. Go 1.4 miles. Turn left (east) on Forest Road 24B. Go .5 miles. Black Bear Group area is on right (south) side of road across from Aspen Group Area.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

10 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

Ken P

Loop:Blac

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

Great host. Campground borders private land and takes a little away from the camping experience

Ray J

Loop:Blac

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

The site and the hosts were amazing. We saw deer every day and we felt secluded. The bathrooms were neat and tended to daily by the hosts. The amount of people who randomly came into camp to throw away trash or to stop and look at us from the street was strange. Also this site boarders private property and the owner is not friendly. He was chasing his dog and chased it into camp where our dogs were. My husband shooed the dogs back toward him and the guy was rude yelling at my husband because he was 10 feet onto the guys land to help him get the dog he was trying to catch for an hour. We had our dogs which were tethered and behaving. Glad my husband was able to keep the mans dogs away or it would have been a whole different story as we have large reactive dogs. The neighbor is the only thing that keeps this site from being 5 stars.

Rebecca B

Loop:Blac

Site:

Reviewed 5 months ago

The spot is very nice, difficult to get trailers in there, fits like 3 if they are 28ft+ Excellent for tents, multiple spots for tents. We were able to get 3 trailers inside the gated area, we made it work. We love the spot, very nice and Hosts were awesome.

Raúl A

Loop:Blac

Site:

Reviewed 6 months ago

Cercano a Cloudcroft, baños limpios y espacio ideal para familias

Ernest G

Loop:Blac

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

The location is great. The campground guests are very friendly and they are very helpful. The campground itself was very quiet. The campground was extremely clean and very well maintained. 5 stars.

Greg E

Loop:Blac

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

This campground was the perfect location for our family reunion. The covered pavilion provided plenty of shade and there were more than enough picnic tables. Trash was picked up each morning and the bathrooms were very clean.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve