Established Camping
Bottomless Lakes State Park Campground
About
State Park
Located just 14 miles southeast of Roswell, Bottomless Lakes State Park is your place for bottomless fun! Enjoy non-motorized boating in your kayak or canoe, camp, fish, picnic, swim, hike, go birding or even scuba dive! The unique lakes at this park are sinkholes, ranging from 17 to 90 feet deep. The greenish-blue color created by aquatic plants is what gives the lakes the illusion of great depth.
Location
Bottomless Lakes State Park Campground is located in New Mexico
Directions
545 A Bottomless Lakes Rd., Roswell, NM 88201
Coordinates
33.31659914002773 N
104.33077670449416 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiFair
- VerizonGood
- AT&TGood
- T-MobileGood
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Tent Cabin
- Equestrian
Features
For Campers
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- WiFi
- Showers
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Sewer Hookups
- Water Hookups
- Pull-Through Sites
- Big Rig Friendly
Nice state park
Room between sites. Most sites are gravel with shaded picnic tables. Peaceful nights.
- (10) View All
Very nice state park
Hasn't changed much in the 7 years between visits. Very little shade but neat to see the lakes. Water is clear and I bet feels really great in the summer heat. Still pretty full considering the time of year. Local sites are just down the road at the Bitter Lake Rec area. There is also a 3 mile bike ride.
All sites are reserve only (7/2023).
$14+$4 ReserveAmerica Fee This is a local park for us. We were in Site 19 which is a Handicap site with a concrete pad (RA did not specify that this was a handicap site). Other sites are packed gravel. Site was a "short" site and close to the bathhouse which we did not use. Sites are 50/30/20 with a water hookup. Only a few sites have sewer. Dump station is at the entrance of the campground. The deer flies were not a problem during our visit (they are worse around the salt cedar trees). We were only bit twice and we did not use insect repellant. Since we could not check in until after 4PM, we parked over in the picnic area by the lake. We knew this and had planned it. Dogs are not allowed on the "sand beach" but there are plenty of access points around the campground& picnic area edges of the lake that pets can use. Goat's Head stickers are a problem here, as they are in most of the desert. Our dog wears "shoes" to protect her feet from the stickers and from hot pavement. Wifi was available in the park but we could not connect. We stayed in a Truck Camper 7/4 - 7/5/2023.
Lovely location and people
The red rocks and contrasting blue lake make it a beautiful place to camp. The sites are roomy enough that even when full it doesn’t feel crowded.
Small but nice
Fine campground. Geared mostly for RVs. Not very big so books up quickly. Reservations online. $14 + tax and fees = $18ish for the night. Nice lake area. Outdoor beach showers.
Nicely spaced campsites, well maintained CG and near the lake
We are full-timers in a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow. We were in site 5 for 4 nights in late March. The campground is nice, well maintained and quiet CG. It was quite windy the day we arrived with wind speeds of 25 mph and gust up to 45 mph, which kicked up a little dust from time to time, but the weather was beautiful otherwise. Lea Lake is deep blue and crystal clear.
AT&T coverage was excellent, with 1-3 Bars of 5G service and speeds up to 12 MB/s. We had an unobstructed view of the sky and so we were able to receive all 3 SW Dish satellites and Starlink had up to 20 MB/s. We didn’t try to load any OTA channels.
Nice state park
Very nice little state park. We used it as a stop over. Lots of scenery, quite the change from most of Eastern NM. Would be a nice place to spend a weekend in the summer when it's warm enough to use the lake.
- (5) View All
8 dollar book fee
It’s twisty roads getting to the park and no where is made for anyone with a trailer. Tight spaces, gravel, covered picnic tables. Water and power, surprised booking fee. Makes it not on the cheap side anymore. Haven’t found the dump station, but it’s got to be close,
- (9) View All
Another quality campground !
No complaints here. The roads and gravel sites were level. Some of the sites were out of commission due to maintenance as was the campground bathhouse. Facilities in the adjoining day use area were up and working. Well spaced sites, would stay here again.
- (4) View All
D Area is great for views of the sunset
We stayed in the D section. I have included a video. Very quiet, no one else was back here. Beautiful sunsets and night sky.
- (6) View All
Beautiful
Beautiful location! A bit of a drive off the main road, but well worth it. A bit buggy when we visited (July) but there are hiking trails and beautiful views and Lea Lake is open for swimming. Our site had trash in it from the previous campers. We went ahead and cleaned up after them. We only stayed for a night, but it was quiet and beautiful.
Solidly okay
Fine site, but the flies were outrageous. More on that later. Cheap at only $14 per night and a $4 booking fee.
Site had WiFi which worked well enough so that was awesome! Cell service for ATT& Verizon worked fine.
Not all sites had water hookup— make sure to check when booking.
There is lake access for swimming and paddle boating, and other activities where you’d need to bring your own gear.
Bathhouses we’re fine. No soap while I visited—and push button showers without warm water. But, showers and toilets worked well enough!
Site was not level, but with the help of levelers we got there.
Covered picnic table at sites. Enough space to not feel squished. Not particularly scenic, but not a crummy gravel lot on the side of the road either.
I saw this in other reviews but did not really understand the extent of flies and horseflies at this site. If I stood outside for more than 1 minute I was bitten multiple times by horseflies. Opened the door the get in and out do the trailer and literally had seven flies inside within the seconds it took to get inside.
Cool area
Easy to find and get to. The park is quiet, and has a few nice trails.
Problems with year pass
I bought a year pass during covid for New Mexico State park in 2019. I only used it 2 times and parks shut down. Now due to fires many parks have had to close. I do not recommend buying a year pass . I received no notification of any compensation for not being able to use the parks.
Great stop but watch....
We have stayed here in November as well as summer. November was the best, ducks and geese flocks fill the skies in late afternoon. Summer, so hot and most sites only have 30a, only 5 sites have sewer but we carry a rhino tank so if no sewer, we still do not have to move to dump. The lake is nice, really crowded in summer. Most of the rangers are really nice. We have watched a power player but only one time, rude.
We use this place while traveling west to East and 12 miles from Roswell, fun place. The host are always great, very nice and helpful.
Quiet, great amenities
The campground was very quiet, and although being pretty full it was peaceful. The showers were very warm and the water pressure was great.
Really Quiet
Arrived about 4pm and the place is really nice. Long pull through spaces and easy to get into. Road coming in is a bit narrow but very little traffic so not a problem. Has water, electric and a dump station. Each site has a covered picnic table. Friendly and helpful camp host. Beautiful sunset. Only an overnight so didn't check out the showers or public bathrooms.
Bottomless lakes
It is a very nice campground. Plenty of room between campsites. Very beautiful surroundings.
Lea Lake Campground
There's not much privacy anywhere at this campground, but the tent sites were so close to each other that we decided to pay to switch to a site with hook-ups that we didn't need. We really liked our new site and would definitely stay here again--just not at the tent sites. The bathrooms were clean and convenient, but the showers were luke warm and push button style with very little pressure. The whole campground seemed very well maintained. Our site had easy access to water and trash cans. The park is nice and it was fun exploring all of the lakes.
Very Relaxing!
Bottomless Lakes State Park is the most relaxing place that I have stayed thus far. It is very spacious and the campsite loops are quiet and clean.
My site, #22, had electric and water hookups—which I use at my own convenience since I have a Jeep/Rooftop Tent Setup, and is close to the restrooms.
The site lists showers, but they are far from it. Instead, you push a button and water runs for a few seconds and then it shuts off. The sink water runs longer and you have to press and hold the button for it to work, plus no soap is stocked for washing your hands. Restrooms are clean, and park rangers come in to clean them regularly.
The lake is very close by, I carried lunch and my chair to it to sit and relax during the day.
The weather is nice and warm during the beginning of December (and gets cold at night).
Overall, the park is nice and great for solo travelers (and families—there were a few there and I still had peace and quiet time to myself).
- (5) View All
A Sweet Spot!
Bottomless Lake State Park is a gem of a campground. Nestled 12 miles from RT 380, this campground has to be one of the quietest we've ever stayed at. There are 7 lakes here for all to discover and enjoy. The camp hosts are awesome, as well as the rangers who drive through a couple times a day. Also the local sheriff drives through! The RV sites are level with 50/30/15amp electric service, and with water and sewer at each site. There is wifi here and we had good Verizon service too. We'll return for a visit here next!
- (6) View All
Bottomless Lakes, Endless Beauty
We pulled in about 7 pm. It was dark due to shorter days. Easy directions via most nav maps. Three mi. Onto the Bottomless Lakes Rd we were excited to see the sign for the park visitor center, which was closed. It was difficult to tell where to haul my 27ft converted horse trailer now camper... we made a circle. Ended up back at the visitor center only to read a state park sign stating "you are here" I pulled up the reservation & map realizing we hadn't gone far enough. Lea Lake RV campground is 7 mi from the turn onto Bottomless Lake Rd. The Visitor Center and day use it at mi. 3. The camp host Al was extremely nice, directed us to site 17 and the easiest route to get my rig backed in. We managed to the settle in just in time to see the full moon rise over the mountain. Sunrise was just as beautiful. Quite pleased is an understatement! Roswell proper is a short 20 min drive with a beautiful vista overlooking the camp area and lake. Great place to watch the sunset! Clean, warm restrooms with flush toilets. The showers are a bit of work. Press press press to keep it going but it was the perfect temp and definitely appreciated! Drought consciousness in action. Biggest disappointment was the nasty little burrs/ cackle buries/ prickly / spiky little devils I kept pulling out of my poor Vizsla's paws. If you can get your pooch to wear protective booties you're golden. My girl Pearl enjoyed ball as long as it was on the shaded, cement area with picnic table. Definitely a dog friendly campground. At 10 pm I heard Taps being played on a bugle. What a great sound to wind dow a wonder day! Don't know if we'll be able to swim this trip, however, I can see how fun it will be on a return trip in the summer! We'll be back!
- (10) View All
Lovely Little Stay
What a nice surprise to find this delightful campground just outside of Roswell. The pull through spots are all the way at the end of the drive by Lea Lake. They are divided by some bushes which provide a decent amount of separation. We stayed in November so it was very quiet, exactly what we were seeking. Watch out for bugs though! We thought we would be spared the mosquitos that so many other reviews mention but alas they’re still around in Nov. If you have a reason to find yourself in Roswell, NM you can’t miss Bottomless Lakes!
Beautiful lakes
Awesome natural landscape, good hiking trails, SO MANY STICKERS, OUCH but a great place to stay
Beautiful sunsets not far from roswell.
Great spot. Beautiful sunsets. Some skeeters.
Pull through campsites (Lea Lake location) w concrete pad/power/water/cover/table/grill. NOT $5.
It’s not $5. It’s $14, plus $4 reservation fee…so it’s $18. (can only be reserved/rented online, not in person at site, but can be done same day…I made reservation driving to the site from Roswell).
I took infamous site 24, closest to the lake and the bathrooms. Large pull-through site w plenty of space for a rig much larger than my Prius with a rooftop tent. I’m pretty sure anything you can drive here will fit here.
Bathrooms are a short walk across a small stream feeding off Lea Lake where rabbits and mosquitos roamed free. Men’s room was large but dark until you get about 12 feet inside and motion activate lights. Toilets were…not clean. There was TP. Early am, some crawly bugs (roaches?) came running toward me from different directions and I had to stomp them before they got to my feet/clothes. Gross. There were what looked like shower heads along one wall and floor drains, but I couldn’t tell how to operate them or if that’s what was going on.
Outside bathroom building are shower poles for cleaning off after swimming/beach (beach is also located next to bathrooms), which were operating in mid-September. Felt kind of warm, but prob because it was cold early morning air.
Did I mention mosquitos? They’ve got ‘em. A bunch made it into the tent. Ugh.
Overall? Fine place to stop for a refreshing night or two.
- (5) View All
Nice lake view
Pull thru site with water and electric. They have a separate dump area for RV.
Skeeters and noisy neighbors
The mosquitoes are awful. Also, as I sit here leaving this review my neighbors have been running two cars in order to provide light on their campsite table. It’s 9:00pm and they’ve been running their two cars for almost an hour. I guess they must have forgotten their camping lanterns. Thankfully I camp out of the back of my truck. If I was in a tent this would be a miserable experience.
Nice Lake Camping
Bottomless lakes is a nice place to camp. I stayed at one of the campsites away from the main lake. The campsite was the only one in the location and it was quiet. The people who work there are friendly and helpful. Lea Lake where swimming is allowed has a nice view and the area is kept clean.
One of the best!
We wanted to visit Roswell to say we have been there and found this campground! The host was awesome! We got there late and all of the spots were full, he allowed us to stay in the day area for the night as we were dry camping anyway! The lakes were amazing and beautiful! Nothing like we have seen yet! Full hook ups there and a shower house!
- (4) View All