Las Cruces KOA Journey

We stayed at Las Cruces KOA Journey in Las Cruces, New Mexico. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Our second visit in just a few months to this RV park.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-02-25
  • Check out: 2023-03-04
  • 7 nights
  • We arrived one day early to avoid traveling during 60 MPH gusts

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy
  • High temps ranging between 52-69°F, lows around 27-37°F
  • 60 MPH wind gusts on the first day, and 30-40 MPH most other days

Noise:

  • Negligible road noise (distant freeway noise, only audible outside); no train noise

Sites:

  • #28, pull-in, gravel; unusual to have a front-in site
  • Needed to disconnect toad; parked beside coach
  • Fairly level
  • Large site: about 55 feet long by about 45 feet wide
  • Full hookups (on both sides, for front-in motorhomes and back-in trailers):
    • 50 amp power, not very conveniently located
    • 45 PSI water, fairly conveniently located
    • Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)
  • Picnic table on concrete pad; no fire pit
  • City and mountain view

We were only in that site for the first night, as that was the extra day for arriving early (as a separate reservation). Then we needed to move to a different (similar) site:

  • #16, pull-in, gravel
  • Needed to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
  • Fairly level
  • Medium site: about 60 feet long by about 20 feet wide
  • Full hookups (on one side, for front-in motorhomes):
    • 50 amp power, very conveniently located
    • 50 PSI water, very conveniently located
    • Good sewer connection, somewhat conveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)
  • Picnic table on gravel; no fire pit
  • City and mountain view

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 12-16 Mbps down, 34 Mbps up, 58 ms ping
  • AT&T: 9 Mbps down, 9 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
  • Verizon: 1-11 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 65-588 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpster
  • Closed pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

The best views

This was our second time staying here and it was just as nice as the last time. We came in a day earlier than originally planned to avoid some wind storms in the area and were able to get a reservation that morning for a view site. Because it was technically a second reservation, they had to do some rearranging and we wound up moving from site 28 to 16 at the start of our original reservation. No biggie, other than the disconcerting feeling of bringing in the stabilizing jacks and feeling the wind buffet the rig violently from side to side. Some of the most white-knuckle driving ever just to go from one end of the campground to the other. The staff were so helpful and understanding in accommodating our early arrival and relocation as we weren’t the only ones with the idea to avoid the weather. You just have to get a view site at this place or you’re really missing out. I’m sure you could get a peep of it from further back or enjoy the view from one of the communal areas, but it’s just so awesome to view it out the front window of the motorhome. We’ll definitely be back when we come this way again. We camped at Las Cruces KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Bosque Brewing across from NMSU has good beer and food.

An interactive map of the park:

RV park map:

Map

Our first site before parking:

Our first site

Our first site with our coach and truck; this may look familiar to long-time readers, as it’s the same site we had last time we were here:

Our first site

Our first site

Our first site

Our first site

The view from inside our coach:

Our first site

The utilities of our first site (I didn’t bother hooking up the sewer pipe, since we were only there one night):

Our first site utilities

After that first night, we needed to move to another site. Here’s our second site before parking:

Our second site

Our second site with our coach and truck:

Our second site

Notice the sky; it was very windy and dusty, so we only put out the driver-side slides (being leeward), and left the passenger-side ones in:

Our second site

Our second site

We received an emergency alert for the dust storm:

Emergency alert

A screenshot of my weather app, showing the wind gusts:

Wind gusts

The coach is a bit weird with one side in, but still quite usable:

One slide in

One slide in

Nicer weather:

Our second site

Our second site

Our second site

Our second site

The view from inside:

View

Our second site utilities:

Our second site utilities

Cleaning the windshield:

Cleaning windshield

Cleaning windshield

Nice view:

View

Mountains

A tiny Casita trailer next to our 40-foot coach; kinda looks like we laid an egg:

Tiny trailer

Since the wind was ongoing, if not quite so strong, and we wanted to put the slides out, I added ropes to brace slide toppers:

Ropes to brace slide toppers

Ropes to brace slide toppers

One day, it even snowed!

Snow

Snow

Snow

A video of the snow:

A video from the dash cam, showing the snow clearing:

(Did you spot the cat?)

Snowy mountains:

Snowy mountains

You can see more of this RV park in my post for our previous stay, but here are a few pics, starting with the office:

Office

Dog park:

Dog park

Tent and camp kitchen areas:

Tent and camp kitchen areas

Other RVs:

Other RVs

Sunrise view from our coach:

Sunrise view

Sunset views:

Sunset view

Sunset view

Sunset view

This is a nice RV park; the sites aren’t the best, especially being buddy sites, but the view more than makes up for that. This was our second visit, and we’ll probably stay here again if we’re back this way in the future.

US Virgin Islands National Park

As previously mentioned, the US Virgin Islands consists of three main islands, and a bunch of minor ones. We were staying on Saint Thomas, but another highlight of this trip was to cross off another national park, in our goal to visit all of them. The nearby island of Saint John mostly consists of the Virgin Islands National Park.

It is possible to take a passenger ferry over to the island, and walk to the park visitor center, and explore the town of Cruz Bay (where the ferry docks), but we wanted to explore more of the park, which is best done by car. So we headed to the car ferry dock.

Here’s a car ferry loading; the cars all back on, to make it easier to drive off at the other side:

Car ferry

Car ferry

Car ferry

The departing ferry, and another arriving:

Car ferries

Car ferry

Car ferry

We made it onto this ferry, the Big Red Barge:

Car ferry

Car ferry

The cars are packed rather tightly:

Car ferry

Car ferry

Car ferry

Arriving at Saint John:

Car ferry

Driving off:

Car ferry

Why did the chicken cross the road? They’re all over the place:

Chickens

Jenn got her National Park passport stamps:

National Park passport stamp

Info in the visitor center:

Info

Visitor center gift store:

Visitor center

Selfie:

Jenn and David

The visitor center was undergoing some renovations:

Visitor center

Virgin Islands National Park sign:

Virgin Islands National Park sign

Trunk Bay is one of the most popular parts of the park; we hoped to be able to stop here, but they have very limited parking, so we skipped it:

Trunk Bay

Maho Bay is another (too) popular beach:

Maho Bay

But we were able to find parking at Francis Bay, a less popular but still very nice beach:

Francis Bay

We had a picnic lunch on the beach:

Picnic lunch

Parts of the beach were a little rocky, but the sand was very soft:

A little rocky

Underwater photos:

Underwater

Jenn swimming:

Jenn swimming

Video of fish:

Fish

Jenn

Looking like a merman:

David looking like a merman

Fish

Fish

Fish

Fish

Fish

Fish

Fish

Fish

Fish

Fish

Fish

Continuing on, we visited the historic windmill of the Annaberg sugar plantation:

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

A turtle:

Turtle

Nice view

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Goat:

Goat

Donkeys:

Donkeys

Nice view

Lots of steep roads:

Steep road

Back to the car ferry:

Car ferry

Car ferry

Car ferry

A nice swim, fascinating history, and great to visit one of the more difficult to reach national parks.