Trifter

The South Fork campground is maintained by the National Forest Service.  It is fairly large and during the week has minimal occupancy.  The daily use permit is 10 dollars, however those in possession of a Golden Pass only have to pay half the normal daily fee.  The campground elevation is approximately 7500 feet and sits at the base of many hiking trails.  Camping sites are designated into two separate groups: 1. RV parking  and 2. Tent sites.  Tenting is allowed in any  of the RV sites, but the Tent sites do not allow any RVs.  The simple truth is that you cannot access any tent site with any kind of vehicle making it an awkward camping experience for car camping.  All tent sites are accessed via a steep bank that has stones placed as steps.

Difficult Access

The bathroom facilities at the campground are excellent and drinking water is available.  However, due to the extreme difficulty in accessing the tent sites it would not be advisable for a family tenting experience.  It would be much too difficult to pack the tent and supplies to the tent sites. 

Bathroom Facilities

The campground is very beautiful and surround by tall pines.  However, the elevation is extreme and would not be recommended for anyone with any type of disability especially Emphysema or other lung problems. 

The RV sites are kept very well, easily accessed and can accommodate trailers up to 25 feet.  The occupancy for the RV sites is much higher than for the tent sites.  During the week the RV sites appear to be at about 50 percent of its capacity.  The sites are laid out in a deck fashion and the road around the sites are one way only. 

Fishing is available about 2 miles from the campground at Bonito Lake.  The lake is actually the city reservoir for Alamogordo and does not allow any activity other than fishing from the bank.

Accessing the lake is much like accessing the tent sites at the South Fork campground.  The banks are steep and an intricate trail of rail road wood ties are used to access the lake.  The trails are not steep but it would not be suitable for anyone with a physical disability especially something involving ability to walk.

In summary the South Fork campground is very beautiful, but I would not go there again because tenting is much too difficult for the senior citizen such as myself and my wife.  There is a campground right on Bonito Lake operated by the City of Alamogordo and all sites are much more accessible than at the South Fork.

Happy Trails from Jill and Nevyn