New Mexico RV Resorts for Winter Stays?

[Mr Cole]

Hello- I would like to solicit recommendations on super nice RV resorts in New Mexico. The wife and I, with red healer are looking to setup for extended stays during the winter months. My main criteria, other than safe and fairly quiet, is a nice outdoor pool, an exercise room and some semblance of shade. I am not fond of parks that have allot of cottages mixed in with the RV sites nor year-round "seasonal" residents with extended family that have accumulated a bunch of "stuff" and multiple automobiles at their site. This is our first attempt at finding a winter base in our new Class A. I need it to be as awesome as possible so we can easily settle into the Snowbird routine. I plan to arrive down south in November, driving down from the Olympic Peninsula. Thank you!

 

[Cooperhawk]

We've stayed at three different places in Los Cruces and the one I prefer is the KOA. Lots of folks don't like KOA, but this one is up near the top of the plateau and well kept.
814 Weinrich Road, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88007

Las Cruces, New Mexico Campground | Las Cruces KOA Journey

Las Cruces KOA Journey is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and offers great camping sites! Click here to find out more information or to book a reservation.

koa.com

 

[bigb56]

Hello- I would like to solicit recommendations on super nice RV resorts in New Mexico. The wife and I, with red healer are looking to setup for extended stays during the winter months. My main criteria, other than safe and fairly quiet, is a nice outdoor pool, an exercise room and some semblance of shade. I am not fond of parks that have allot of cottages mixed in with the RV sites nor year-round "seasonal" residents with extended family that have accumulated a bunch of "stuff" and multiple automobiles at their site. This is our first attempt at finding a winter base in our new Class A. I need it to be as awesome as possible so we can easily settle into the Snowbird routine. I plan to arrive down south in November, driving down from the Olympic Peninsula. Thank you!

You're not saying what part of NM, it's big state with varying altitudes and climates. There's a nice resort at Elephant Butte but the pool is indoors, not outside. They also have a 10 year rule. You won't find any year round residents with stuff piled around.

We stayed at a nice place in Ruidoso but I'll be darned if I can remember the name. Angel Fire is another place to find resort type parks.

Check out Sipapu Ski and Summer resort which is in the mountains between Las Vegas and Angel Fire. Last time I was there they were adding RV sites. Not a big place but located in stunning country. Ooops I forgot you wanted a pool, no pool there just a river and a pond.

edit: Since you say you're coming for the Winter and you want an outdoor pool I'd guess you'll be wanting Central to South though.

 

[Mr Cole]

You're not saying what part of NM, it's big state with varying altitudes and climates. There's a nice resort at Elephant Butte but the pool is indoors, not outside. They also have a 10 year rule. You won't find any year round residents with stuff piled around.

We stayed at a nice place in Ruidoso but I'll be darned if I can remember the name. Angel Fire is another place to find resort type parks.

Check out Sipapu Ski and Summer resort which is in the mountains between Las Vegas and Angel Fire. Last time I was there they were adding RV sites. Not a big place but located in stunning country. Ooops I forgot you wanted a pool, no pool there just a river and a pond.

edit: Since you say you're coming for the Winter and you want an outdoor pool I'd guess you'll be wanting Central to South though.

Right bigb56, I thought about specifying an area but I didn't want to rule anything out. But yea, I think Central to South would be the answer. After all, I am looking for warm days and NOT sub-freezing nights. Thanks!

 

[creativepart]

Wrong state for a winter stay. There's too much altitude to escape much of winter.

Your best bet if you want to give it a go is T 0r C, or Deming... anywhere Southwest near Arizona. As for "real nice" in those areas? I would call them adequate but not "real nice."

Head to AZ and Wilcox, Tucson, Phoenix, Mesa, etc and you'll be all set.

NOTE, we camp in NM a LOT. We've got friends in ABQ and usually spend a week in Santa Fe and a few days in Las Cruces and Deming. We winter in Tucson (LOVE IT) and travel through southern NM every Jan and Feb. We find even Southern NM cold and even snowy in the winter. Definitely plenty of subfreezing nights.

 

[Greg121]

Agree about the elevations really restricting possibilities. Check out Hacienda in Las Cruces. Its called a resort and it is a really nice place. But it's not what I think of as a resort. Agree about AZ, the issue there will be trying to narrow it down. There's bound to be something that matches up with you.

 

[fanrgs]

We have stayed in Las Cruces for 4-6 weeks in winter. It's great for 1-3 day toad trips to Big Bend NP, Carlsbad Caverns and Guadelupe Mtns NPs, White Sands NP, Organ Mountains NM, Gila Cliff Dwellings NM/Silver City, City of Rocks and Rockhound State Parks, White Sands Missle Range, Cloudcroft/Sunspot (National Solar Observatory), to name just a few!

We have also snowbirded in Tucson for a month or more. There are not as many national parks within easy driving distance, but several national monuments. But Tucson is a much larger city than Las Cruces and has more to do in, and right around, town. It has the must-see Pima Air and Space Museum and Boneyard tour, just for starters! Also, Saguaro NP (two locations--East and West), Tucson Mountain Park/Sonoran Desert Museum (with its not-to-miss raptor show), Catalina State Park, and Mission San Xavier del Bac. A little farther afield are Tumacacori National Historic Park, Tubac, Kartchner Caverns SP, Tombstone, Bisbee, Organ Pipe Cactus NM, and Chiricahua NM/Fort Bowie NHS. And there is major league spring training 100 miles away in Phoenix.

We have primaily stayed at Rincon Country West RV Resort in Tucson. Nice outdoor pool, big auditorium/theater for events and entertainers, 3 laundry buildings, dozens of clubs, workout room, library room, meeting rooms, craft rooms, wood shop, lapidary shop, and outdoor model train layout. Also, a dog park, pickleball courts, shuffleboard, and a bike path right out the back gate that runs along the Santa Cruz River for miles. BUT, it is a gated, 55+ park with many park models and permanent residents. It is beautifully landscaped, but the only trees are palms. However, there are no derelict RVs, trash accumulations, etc. In fact, it has its own gated RV storage lot within the secure area.

The only negative for us at Rincon is that it is directly beneath the take-off flight path for every jet leaving Davis-Monthan AFB. I guess if you are retired Air Force, maybe you would be used to the noise. But I was in the Army and racked up too many hours in helicopters to love any jet engine noise!

 

[ARKBIZ44]

Hello- I would like to solicit recommendations on super nice RV resorts in New Mexico. The wife and I, with red healer are looking to setup for extended stays during the winter months. My main criteria, other than safe and fairly quiet, is a nice outdoor pool, an exercise room and some semblance of shade. I am not fond of parks that have allot of cottages mixed in with the RV sites nor year-round "seasonal" residents with extended family that have accumulated a bunch of "stuff" and multiple automobiles at their site. This is our first attempt at finding a winter base in our new Class A. I need it to be as awesome as possible so we can easily settle into the Snowbird routine. I plan to arrive down south in November, driving down from the Olympic Peninsula. Thank you!

You may want to look at Landwatch.com. Meanwhile, I could be wrong but I think ABQ very recently had a general crime emergency. The state as a whole has a significant heroin problem going back generations in families...sorta a cultural problem.

That said, I looked into an upscale part of ABQ and Santa Fe (generally) to retire, though I ultimately moved elsewhere to be close to family.

 

[fanrgs]

I've been in a snowstorm in April in the Sandias, the mountains on the east and south sides of Albuquerque. And it is nearly 5,000' in elevation, so those two factors alone would make it a non-starter for snowbirding for me. It has real winter and it's definitely NOT an "outdoor pool in winter" sort of place.

Tucson generally has warmer winters than Las Cruces, but I have been in below freezing weather at Kartchner Caverns in February. And Mount Lemmon, right outside Tucson's northern city limits, has a ski area at the top of its 9,000' peak. In both NM and AZ, elevation often has more impact on winter temps than latitude. EG., Phoenix has a lower elevation than Tucson, but Tucson is 100 miles further south. So, which is warmer? Phoenix!

 

[RV_Lee]

I stayed at the Route 66 casino and RV resort there by Albuquerque in April and it was still chilly and the vast outdoor pool was still closed. I agree with the guys above, wrong state to stay at in the winter. If it was me I'd be looking at one of the CRR RV resorts, Buckeye (just outside of Phoenix) or their ones in Ehrenberg or Coachella. These are all new and very nice, with heated pools and hot tubs.