Datil Well Recreation Area Campground
RV Guide
Introduction
In the 1800s, the Magdalena Livestock Driveway was established to move cattle between Springerville, Arizona and Magdalena, New Mexico. The 120-mile cattle trail had 15 watering sites with water wells along its route. The Dalit Well Recreation Area Campground is situated at one of these traditional water sources in New Mexico. The region is dotted with pinon-juniper and ponderosa pine wooded areas and offers vistas of the vast San Augustin Plains. Mountain ranges are visible in the distance. Wildlife is abundant in the area, keep an eye out for local elk, deer, and pronghorn, and large predators such as black bear, bobcat, and mountain lion.
The campground has 22 unserviced sites, with vault toilets, sheltered picnic sites, and a small visitor center, as well as three miles of hiking trails. Tents and RVs can be accommodated at the campground, which has open and treed sites. The campground is situated 20 miles west of the Very Large Array, an impressive radio telescope installation and popular tourist destination. Visitors to the astronomical site often stay at the Dalit Well Recreation Area Campground. While RVing the region, visit the Gila National Forest, Elephant Butte State Park, and El Malpais National Monument, which are located nearby.
RV Rentals in Datil Well Recreation Area Campground
Transportation
Driving
There are some services and amenities available in the town of Dalit, New Mexico, just a few miles south of the Bureau of Land Management, Dalit Well Recreation Area Campground, and more amenities available in Socorro, New Mexico, 63 miles to the east on US Highway 60.
To get to the Dalit Well Recreation Area Campground take US Highway 60, and go one mile north of Dalit to the ¼ mile gravel access route, on the west side of the highway. Alternatively, you can take New Mexico Route 12, approximately one mile southwest of Dalit, to the second signed entrance, and head north on a gravel access road to the campground. The site is open all year around, and winter weather does not prevent access to the BLM recreation site.
The gravel road is short, well maintained, and accessible for RVs and tow-trailers. The sites at the campground are not all level and have overhanging brush, so some of the sites may not be accessible for larger RVs and holiday trailers. The sites at the end of the loop are more spacious and flat to accommodate larger units.
This region of New Mexico experiences very hot weather in the summer months, ensure you have a well maintained and stocked vehicle for traveling in extreme temperatures.
Parking
Public Transportation
Campgrounds and parking in Datil Well Recreation Area Campground
Campsites in Datil Well Recreation Area Campground
First-come first-served
Dalit Well Recreation Area Campground
The Dalit Well Recreation Area Campground is a Bureau of Land Management property with 22 individual overnight camping sites. There is a campground host on-site and a small visitor center. Camping is appropriate for tents, RVs, and holiday trailer units. Amenities include vault toilets, sheltered picnic tables, fire pits, a drinking water supply, and barbeque grills. Firewood is provided on-site. The campsites are gravel and dirt surfaced. Some of the sites are not level and have overhanging vegetation. Larger sites that are level and have more clearance are situated at the end of the loop. There are back in and pull through campsites, and they are available on a first-come, first-serve basis all year round for maximum stays of up to 14 days, for a nominal fee. The campground is well maintained, clean, and stocked.
The campground is one of 15 water wells along the historic Magdalena Livestock Driveway a 120 mile route established in the 1800s. Visitors will also find three miles of hiking trails at the campground.
Seasonal activities in Datil Well Recreation Area Campground
Off-Season
Very Large Array
The Very Large Array is a radio telescope facility situated just 16 miles east of the Dalit Well Recreation Area Campground, which is a popular overnight location for visitors touring the facility. The Very Large Array has a visitor center featuring a documentary film, a gift shop, and self-guided walking tours.
The tour takes you to the base of one of the huge dish antennas at the site. This astronomical facility is well-known and is cited in many scientific papers and used by world astronomers.
Stargazing
The San Augustin Plains were allegedly the site of the Roswell UFO incident! The Dalit Well Recreation area is a great place to enjoy excellent night sky viewing, and maybe imagine extraterrestrial visitors? There is little light noise in this desert area to hamper the visibility of stars, and the location is ideally situated for stargazing, which is why the radio telescope installation is located nearby.
Take a telescope and set up to view the heavens. Note that campfires produce light noise, and can hamper ideal night sky viewing, so avoid lighting campfires until after your viewing experience.
Historical Cattle Drive Discovery
Imagine the sound of hundreds of longhorn cattle, lowing at the water source, at Dalit Well, on their 120-mile trek between Springerville, Arizona and Magdalena, New Mexico. The Dalit Well is one of 15 watering sites that was used on the Magdalena Livestock Driveway, which was established in the 1800s to move cattle between the two settlements.
Interpretive information is available at the local visitor center. Visitors can learn about how the cattle drive trail was used, and what it was like to make the arduous trip 200 years ago!
In-Season
Hiking
The peak season for hiking and other outdoor recreational activities in the area is during the fall and spring, when temperatures are more moderate. Temperatures in the summer are prohibitively hot for hiking, and during the winter, cool weather and high winds are unpleasant for hiking.
The Dalit Well Recreation Area Campground has three miles of relatively easy hiking trails. The hiking trails are for foot traffic only, and not open to cyclists or equestrians. Wear good hiking boots and keep an eye out for rattlesnakes!
Wildlife Viewing
Sit at your campsite and take in the beautiful desert landscape and wilderness or wander the campground area to enjoy the pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands. The campground region features views of the San Augustin Plains, a wide basin, and mountain ranges in the distance. Visitors enjoy the natural wilderness and quiet solitude. Keep an eye out for large mammals such as elk, deer, pronghorn, bears, cougar, and bobcats that frequent the area, and are attracted to local water sources.
Old Horse Springs Ghost Town
The Old Horse Springs settlements is located 30 miles southwest of the Dalit Recreation Area Campground. The site got its name when soldiers traveling between Socorro, and Fort Tularosa, lost a horse here, and then recovered it on their return trip at the large spring located nearby. The town had a post office from 1879 to 1882. The remnants of the old town buildings still remain at the site, and it is an interesting place to visit and explore on a trip through the area.
