Located on the high plains of New Mexico’s desert plateau, Roswell is a town of 50,000 that offers a mild winter climate, hot summers, and a bucolic pace for experiencing the unique cuisine and culture that make New Mexico such an enjoyable place to visit. Famously, or some may say infamously, the city is best known for a mysterious crash in the 1940s that some believe to have been an alien spacecraft. Today the city embraces its otherworldly reputation, offering a range of interpretations of the extraterrestrial theme, from the downright charming to the borderline kitsch. Whether you buy into the official or unofficial story of what happened, the area makes a fun stay just for the alien theme alone. However, Roswell’s access to nearby sites of interest makes it a compelling jumping-off point for a deeper exploration of the geological and historical wonders of southern New Mexico.
UFO enthusiasts have a range of sites to visit, from the International UFO Museum and Research Center to the UFO Festival taking place on the 4th of July weekend each year. For aerospace enthusiasts with a more mainstream bent, the Roswell Museum and Planetarium explores early rocket flight advances pioneered by local scientists. There’s also a thriving art scene, with the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art showcasing local artistic achievements. Foodies will be able to sample dishes unique to New Mexico at plenty of the local eateries. Entrees featuring Hatch chilies, blue corn tortillas, pozole, and frybread tacos will have visitors scheming to make their stay in this unique city last even longer.
Red Barn RV Park is conveniently located right in the heart of Roswell and offers all the amenities to make a stay more enjoyable, like a game room, library, small store, laundry, and showers. There’s an adjacent field for walking dogs, and RV plots come graveled and feature pull-through access.
Trailer Village RV Park offers complimentary amenities like Wi-Fi and coffee in the clubhouse to sweeten the stay at this charming site. Located just at the edge of Roswell, it offers pull-through RV sites with full hookups, a coin laundry, showers bathrooms, a dog park, and play equipment for kids.
Spring River RV Park is located just a few blocks from Roswell Museum and offers guests easy access to the city, with a handy grocery store and several restaurants nearby. There’s a dog park, cable TV, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, bathrooms, showers, and full hookups in the generously sized, pull-through sites at the park.
Bottomless Lakes State Park is bordered by the Pecos River and is just a short, 15-minute drive from Roswell. There are nine lakes in total, with Lea Lake offering a sandy beach and the only swimming area among the lakes. Visitors can paddle canoes or kayaks, bird-watch, picnic, and snorkel. Fishing is also allowed from November to March. RV camping is welcomed, with Lea Lake providing full hookups, a dump station, showers, and toilets.
Brantley Lake State Park arose from the damming of the Pecos River, and this man-made reservoir is a popular site for water sports, especially fishing and boating. Located in a relatively arid region, the lake is a welcome respite during the summer months, attracting local wildlife that will delight bird watchers. Fish species include bass, catfish, bluegill, and walleye. Camping facilities include a visitor center, a playground, showers, flushing toilets, a dump station, and electrical hookups for RVs.
Sumner Lake State Park is remote enough to offer excellent star viewing while also providing an excellent camping base for exploring the nearby sights. The lake is a man-made reservoir stocked with species that fishing enthusiasts will enjoy catching, like bass, pike, crappie, and catfish. There are convenient pull-through sites for RVs that include hookups for water and electricity. Camping facilities include bathrooms, picnic tables, a playground, and a grill area. Activities include boating, horseback riding, hiking, biking, and viewing wildlife. Visitors can spend the day swimming and cooling off in the lake before taking a short hike, grilling up the day’s catch, watching the sunset, and picking out bright constellations in the night sky.
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument commemorates both early Spanish missionary efforts and the Native peoples living in the area for thousands of years. The colonial remains of three church buildings date to 1622, with ruins of the Pueblo villages dating to 1200 B.C.E. or even older. The Abo and Gran Quivira ruins are especially elaborate and well-preserved among the various sites. The main visitor center is in Mountainair, where there is plenty of RV parking while visiting. None of the sites provide services for an overnight stay, but RV campgrounds are available nearby.
Pecos National Historical Park spans American history from its earliest beginnings as a home for the Native peoples to the early Conquistadors, the Civil War, and the ranchers of the 19th century. The Ancestral Sites Trail leads through the ancient remains of dozens of pueblo structures, offering insight into the way of life of the first inhabitants of the continent. Visitors can also view the Glorieta Pass Battlefield, parts of the Old Santa Fe Trail, historic Route 66, and the Forked Lightning Ranch. Parking accommodates RVs at the visitor center and other sites of interest. While camping isn’t permitted in the park, Santa Fe National Forest has campgrounds nearby.
Fort Union National Monument houses the adobe remains of one of the largest forts built along the Santa Fe Trail. Cavalry soldiers made it their base of operations for almost 40 years beginning in 1851, and the picturesque ruins are an excellent subject for photographs and a deep dive into the area's history. Depending on the time of visit, there may be special events like re-enactments or educational talks. There’s no camping available at the site, but RV drivers will find local campgrounds able to accommodate even larger rigs.
Lincoln National Forest delights visitors with lush waterfalls and thickly wooded stretches of aspen and Ponderosa pine. As the area has ideal dark sky conditions, the National Solar Observatory maintains a telescope there that is intermittently open to the public. Other sights of interest include a century-old trestle bridge once used for hauling timber. Visitors especially enjoy hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and various winter sports as the season allows. RV camping at the Monjeau Lookout offers basic facilities and vault toilets. Other areas of the forest allow dispersed camping for RVs as long as they remain 300 feet from a main road.
Santa Fe National Forest boasts over a million acres and some of the tallest peaks in New Mexico. Winter sports abound thanks to the high elevation, and in the summer, the cooler temperatures make activities like hiking, biking, horseback riding, and fishing enjoyable. RV camping in the forest is often on a first-come, first-served basis, and many of the campgrounds will close for the winter season. The Resumidero Camping Area stays open year-round and accommodates large vehicles.
Carson National Forest is the perfect mountain biking destination. Its trails lead to breathtaking views and transition easily to snowshoeing or cross-country ski trails in the winter. The wilderness areas support a robust population of fascinating creatures like black bears, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, and elk for those who enjoy wildlife photography. The Agua Piedra Campground is one of several that accommodate RVs. There are sites with a fire ring and picnic tables that provide drinking water, toilet facilities, and trash removal services.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park was once the site of an ancient sea. Today it holds the largest cavern in the United States, a 4,000-square-foot room festooned with majestic stalactites and stalagmites. The fascinating history of the caverns’ discovery includes the origins of the names of many of the formations and rooms. Due to the park’s popularity, visitors will need to reserve a visit time beforehand, with tickets available to be purchased once they arrive at the park at the reserved time. RV camping isn’t permitted, but backcountry primitive camping is available. RV campers can find plenty of campgrounds nearby that offer full hookups and RV-friendly amenities.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in Texas, a two-hour drive from Roswell. Its stark desert landscape offers austere beauty and stunning views of both the tallest peak in Texas and the Chihuahua Desert. Hiking, photography, wildlife viewing, and stargazing top the list of activities. There are three campgrounds open year-round offering spaces for RVs, although the facilities are basic and there are no hookups. Pine Springs Campground is the largest, with 13 RV sites that can be reserved up to six months in advance.
White Sands National Park encompasses almost 275 square miles of startlingly white gypsum sand. Footprints found here date back tens of thousands of years, making it one of the oldest inhabited sites in the Americas. The area is surrounded by a missile range and offers 150,000 square acres for exploration. Activities include hiking, photography, and sledding down the dunes, with sleds available for purchase at the Visitors Center. There’s limited parking for large RVs, but an overflow parking lot nearby holds more space for larger rigs. Camping is not available on-site, but the surrounding area offers RV facilities with full amenities.
Motorhomes are divided into Class A, B, and C vehicles. On average expect to pay $185 per night for Class A, $149 per night for Class B and $179 per night for Class C. Towable RVs include 5th Wheel, Travel Trailers, Popups, and Toy Hauler. On average, in Roswell, NM, the 5th Wheel trailer starts at $70 per night. Pricing for the Travel Trailer begins at $60 per night, and the Popup Trailer starts at $65 per night.
Do you need to be a certain age to rent an RV in Roswell?Yes. The minimum age is 25 to be eligible to get an RV Rental in Roswell from RVshare.
Does RVshare have emergency roadside assistance?Yes. Every RV rental booked through RVshare receives 24/7 emergency roadside assistance.
Does RVshare offer one way RV rentals in Roswell?Yes. Prior to renting any RV, check with the owner since not all will offer this particular option.
