Author Amaris Feland Ketcham presents her book ‘Best Tent Camping: New Mexico’  June 24 on Zoom. Courtesy/LAC

COUNTY News:

Find great New Mexico camping spots for birdwatching, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, climbing and more, from author and poet Amaris Feland Ketcham.

Join Los Alamos Public Libraries for this live-streamed event at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 24 via Zoom.

Register for this event here.

Ketcham traversed the entire state―from the rugged beauty of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the arid and peaceful Chihuahuan Desert―and compiled the most up-to-date research to steer you to the perfect tent camping spot!

Ketcham’s book Best Tent Camping: New Mexico presents reviews of 50 different New Mexico campgrounds. Ketcham also shares interesting local details about each location, for example, the name Red River originally came from the Taos Pueblo Tiwa name Pee Ho Ghay Po or “Red River Creek” because sediment  stains the creek’s water red. Elephant Rock campground near Red River offers both good hiking and fishing access. 

Best Tent Camping: New Mexico presents 50 national park, state park, national forest, and state  recreation area campgrounds, organized into three distinct regions. Selections are based on location, topography, size, and overall appeal, and every site is rated for beauty, privacy, spaciousness, safety, security, and cleanliness―so you’ll always know what to expect. Whether you seek a quiet campground near a fish-filled stream or a family campground with all the amenities, Best Tent Camping: New Mexico will help you find your perfect escape. 

Ketcham enjoys camping, traveling, and is an author and associate professor at the University of New Mexico. Her book of poems, A Poetic Inventory of the Sandia Mountains, was published in 2019. She developed a project called Poetic Routes to use poetry as a means of understanding neighborhoods and community character.