Winter Camping Near Red River + Other Tips for Your Ski Trip
Find out everything we know about year-round camping options for your Red River winter road trip, plus other tips for a successful ski trip.
Intro to Red River Ski & Summer Recreation Area
Red River Ski & Summer Recreation Area is one of three ski areas located along the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway in the Southern Rockies. Local New Mexicans and Texans love it for it’s uncrowded nature.
The base of the ski area resides right in the town of Red River that was built by miners and has a small population of less than 600 people. If you stay in town, the slopes are a short drive or shuttle ride away. You might even be able to walk from your accommodations.
Trip Report: January 2024
We drove through the town of Red River back in 2020, but our ski pass at the time didn’t include any days at the ski area. So Red River was one motivation for buying a Ski Cooper pass this season. Both ski areas participate in Freedom Pass, and Freedom Pass gives you 3 ski days at each participating resort.
A Ski Burrito reader also recommended Red River, and I was not disappointed.
Red River’s footprint is small with only 209 skiable acres, but I think it skis bigger than it sounds with a 1,600-foot vertical drop. I loved that two lifts allow you to easily take long top to bottom runs while taking in some of the best views along the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.
It wasn’t important for Red River to be any larger because nobody was there. We took most of our runs without seeing anyone. However, a tip from Ken, a Ski Burrito reader: Don’t go during Texas and Oklahoma spring break!
We only spent a day at Red River because most of the advanced trails were closed. They probably needed at least another foot of snow for proper coverage. But I’m super excited about returning when they have a greater base.
Website, address, contact info, and hours
redriverskiarea.com
400 Pioneer Road, Red River, NM 87558
(575) 754-2223
Email
Operating Schedule – Check their calendar for operating dates
Lift Hours – Most lifts spin 9 am to 4 pm
Pass affiliations
Freedom Pass 2023/24 – If you have a top-tier season pass to a participating Freedom Pass resort, you get 3 days of skiing and riding at Red River with no blackout dates or restrictions.
Red River mountain stats
- Average annual snowfall: 214 inches
- Skiable terrain: 209 acres
- Vertical drop: 1,600 feet
- More stats
Driving to Red River
I normally have special notes to impart about the drive to a particular ski area, but getting to Red River is pretty straightforward. No matter if you’re coming from Questa or Angel Fire, Highway 38 to Red River is a mellow, meandering two-lane road that doesn’t gain significant elevation and you won’t be going over any scary mountain passes.
Parking at Red River
See Red River’s Frontside Map for parking options.
I was a little confused on where to park at first.
When you arrive in the town of Red River, you’ll turn south on Pioneer Road. After you cross over the river, the Lift House will be on your left and you can park at Rainbow Lake to your right.
However, while I saw the parking at Rainbow Lake, I completely missed seeing the Lift House and the bottom of the Platinum Chair. So I continued straight and parked in front of the Main Chalet, which looked like the more obvious place to park.
You can certainly park at the Main Chalet, but the closest lifts only service beginner terrain and don’t go to the top of the mountain.
Even though we ended up at the Main Chalet, we parked in the first row as you enter the parking lot. It wasn’t a far walk back down the road to the Lift House and Platinum Chair.
Plus, we could still ski back into the Main Chalet parking lot.
How to use your 2023/24 Freedom Pass benefits at Red River
You can go to the Lift House or Main Chalet to redeem your Freedom Pass benefits. Just bring your eligible season pass and a photo ID. If you have a Ski Cooper pass, you’ll also need to show your benefit card. In addition, be ready to pay $5 (plus any taxes) for a reloadable RFID card that they refer to as the Red Card.
Lift and trail navigation tips
A note about Silver Chair. The trail map shows some blue runs. However, none of the runs in that area were groomed during our visit. Maybe it’s different with a deeper base. You should be comfortable riding icy ungroomed slopes with thin cover depending on when you visit.
Also, if you’re a beginner ready to move past Gold Chair and Little Blue, the Emerald Chair looked perfect for beginners. Caution, though. You’ll have to take a long green run covering Red River’s full vertical to get back down the mountain, so make sure you have enough energy.
Lastly, the Copper Chair is an old-school two-man chair. I was wondering if anyone has fallen into the river getting on that chair as you swing over it almost immediately after loading.
Overnight camping at Red River
Red River does not allow overnight RV camping.
Their website is very clear that the Town of Red River doesn’t allow it either.
Winter camping options near Red River
Red River RV Park – less than 5 minutes in Red River
Red River RV Park is the closest RV park to the ski area with the best reviews. We didn’t stay there, but if we’re back in Red River and need amenities, I’d consider it in the future.
Winter rates start at $42 as of January 2024, and their monthly rate is $600+electric.
One thing I noticed on their website is that you can pay $7 for a shower as a non-guest. On the downside, guests must pay $2 on top of their site fee.
I also noticed that they’re next to a stop for the free town shuttle that runs year-round from 7:30 am to 5 pm daily (with variations). See redriver.org for more information.
Goat Hill Campground – 15 minutes on NM-38
Goat Hill Campground is the cheapest option in close proximity to Red River at only $12 per night. In the winter season though, there are no amenities. The vault toilet is locked.
We didn’t stay here because AT&T cell service was spotty. There were a lot of trees which we assumed would make our Starlink unusable, and with so much shade, our house batteries wouldn’t charge using our rooftop solar panels.
Goat Hill’s scenery was also a lot less exciting than where we ended up staying in Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. More on that shortly.
While we had no trouble driving through Goat Hill, the campground is unpaved. Depending on recent precipitation, you might need 4WD.
Rio Grande del Norte National Monument – Wild Rivers Section – 45 minutes near Questa
Unlike the Orilla Verde section that is down in the canyon along the Rio Grande, Wild Rivers sits above the river on the canyon rim.
There is a loop road that starts with the Wild Rivers Zimmerman Visitor Center and passes by five campgrounds and two scenic overlooks.
After completing the Wild Rivers loop road and checking out all of the scenic overlooks and campgrounds, we chose the El Aguaje Campground for our stay that night. It was only $7 and we didn’t share the campground with anyone.
Angel Fire RV Resort – 40 minutes in Angel Fire
Angel Fire RV Resort is a great option if you want a home base for skiing all three ski resorts along the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway. Red River is a 40-minute drive, Taos Ski Valley is one hour, and Angel Fire Resort is 10 minutes.
It’s important to note that they are not within walking distance of skiing at Angel Fire Resort and there is no shuttle. Plus, services like Uber and Lyft don’t operate in Angel Fire.
Also important, their policy online states that they only accept fifth wheels and motorhomes with a bathroom and kitchen. When they say motorhome, I think they mean Class As. However, call (855) 421-0308 to see if they’ll make an exception. They were fine with our converted 2021 Mercedes Sprinter van.
Harmony Taos Farm via Hipcamp – 50 minutes in Taos
If you’re looking for a central place while skiing anywhere along the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, Harmony Taos Farm is an excellent option if your rig is under 25 feet. This Hipcamp is only 5 minutes from downtown Taos, 40 minutes to Angel Fire, 50 minutes to Red River, and 35 minutes to Taos.
Cell service at Red River
AT&T cell service worked well for me at the ski area and around the town of Red River. It was spotty on the drive up from Questa.
Conveniences
The town of Red River offers some basics like Der Markt Food Store (no water refill station) and a Valero fuel station (Red River Pumps).
If you’re looking for more, you’ll want to head to Taos 45 minutes away. If you happen to be traveling through Santa Fe, it’s larger than Taos with even more conveniences.
If you’re looking for a vault toilet for dumping a cassette toilet, check out the Eagle Rock Lake day use area between Questa and Red River. The lake is 15 minutes from Red River and just a couple of minutes outside of Questa on NM-38.
Ski resorts close to Red River
- Angel Fire Resort (Powder Alliance 2023/24) – 40 minutes in Angel Fire
- TAOS (Ikon Pass 2023/24, Mountain Collective 2023/24) – 60 minutes in Taos Ski Valley
