Camping In Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge In New Mexico

Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge was established on August 24, 1965. It is run by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and is located near Maxwell, New Mexico.

The refuge encompasses 3,699 acres of short-grass prairie, playa lakes, woodlots, wetlands, and crop fields.

This is a free camping spot with a five-day stay limit and is also known as Lake 13 Campground.

The campground is a giant grass lot next to the lake. Any size rig can fit here and the area is large enough to accommodate multiple rigs.

These campsites are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. We were lucky enough to get the spot under a couple large trees which was nice.

There were vault toilets at the campground entrance, but no water, dump, or hook-ups.

There are a couple of picnic tables and trashcans scattered throughout the area as well so please dispose of trash properly.

There are no campfires allowed here but pets are allowed as long as they are kept on a leash and please pick up after them.

I believe we had cell service with Verizon and AT&T and all the spots have sun if you’re powering up with solar.

The lake has been low for many years so there is no access to the boat ramp. There is a road that goes around the lake to drive or walk and you can access the lake to fish.

During our visit, the lake was full of various bird species, great for photography.

The visitor center is about a mile down the road but I believe its hours are limited and we never caught it open during our stay.

We had a fantastic stay at Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge and would visit again in the future.

We had multiple campers join us every night, but it was always quiet and we felt safe.