albuquerque balloon fiesta - camping?
 

Hello,

My wife and I usually travel with a small tent. Anyone know of any decent places to camp in the area? The more private, the better. Tks, Brian

Brian,
I live in Albuq. and don't know of any place nearby. You'd have to go up in the mountains.... Jemez, Santa Fe, Manzano's, etc and I'm sure it's pretty cold up there already. These areas would all be 1-2 hours away. Since the mass ascensions are very early in the morning, this would not be terribly convenient. There is a local KOA, but I'm sure it's jammed with RV's. The Balloon park has a special field just for RV's and it's already starting to pack up.
Good luck, though. The Fiesta is a great event!

Thanks for the info. We'll have to look into it a bit more since we are driving either from Phoenix or Denver. Tks, Brian

Thanks abqdeb,

I think we might camp around Santa Fe and drive from there which appears to be 1 hour? Hopefully we can find something in that area. Brian

Brian,

There are some camp sites up the road on the way to the ski area (I think!) which would be the closest area to ABQ. Add a little driving time since you will be coming down the mountain and driving through town to get to I-25. The traffic around the balloon field is murderous, to say the least, so either leave verrry early or take a bus from one of the park-and-ride spots around town. I would suggest calling the forest service ahead of time to make sure these sites are open year round. I believe they turn
off all the water and facilities at a certain time of year. It's been a long time since I camped, so can't be too specific. Pack your long-john's... it will certainly be cold!
Deb

There is a KOA in Bernalillo, which is not too far from Balloon Fiesta Park. Coronado State Park is also located in Bernalillo, but I don't know if you can still camp there. Check the NM state park website for that information.

There's another KOA in Albuquerque near Eubank and I-40, and a couple of camp places like that out on the west side of town. If you do one of those, you might want to look into park and ride options.

None of the options I've mentioned would be all that private, but you don't have many alternatives this close to the Balloon Fiesta.

Lee Ann