Needed to get a few camping days in before the end of the year, so my son and I packed the teardrop and hit the road. We settled on Valley of Fires Recreation Area in central New Mexico, primarily because they were allowing campfires while some of our other options (Three Rivers campground and Fort Stanton - Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area) were not.
We expected, and prepared, for cold but damn it was COLD. Long story short, the teen-to-twenty degree temperatures coupled with double digit winds made for cold days to the point were it wasn't even fun to have a campfire. A couple of military surplus Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) sleeping bags made sleeping comfortable though.
Valley of Fires Recreation Area is an interesting place where a 5000 year old lava flow is between four to six miles wide, 160 feet thick and covers 125 square miles. The campground is on a ridge top, so the wind was relentless.
https://www.blm.gov/visit/valley-of-fires
We did do drive-throughs of the other campgrounds and really liked the Snowy River cave campground (the cave system is closed due to White Nose syndrome that has killed a lot of bats) though it is very small (part of the appeal). There is associate boondock camping as well.
https://www.blm.gov/visit/fort-stant...river-cave-nca
The Three Rivers campground wasn't that exciting, but the location was pretty nice. The nearby Three Rivers Petroglyph site was amazing though. There are over 21,000 documented petroglyphs in the area.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/linc...a/?recid=34202
https://www.blm.gov/visit/three-rivers-petroglyph-site
Herb