Major chain hotels are at I-40 interchanges in both Tucumcari and Santa Rosa. Smaller ma-and-pa motels can be found along the main streets through town that were once segments of legendary Route 66 -- Tucumcari Boulevard in Tucumcari and Will Rogers Drive in Santa Rosa.
Camping Near Tucumcari -- There are three good campgrounds around Tucumcari. Tucumcari KOA (tel. 800/562-1871 or 505/461-1841; www.koa.com) has 111 sites, laundry and grocery facilities, RV supplies, picnic tables, and grills. It also offers a recreation hall with video games, a heated swimming pool, a basketball hoop, a playground, horseshoes, and shuffleboard, along with lots of elm trees for shade. To get there from I-40, get off the interstate at exit 335, and then go a quarter mile east on South Frontage Road.
Mt. Road RV Park (tel. 505/461-9628) has 60 sites with full hookups, tenting, laundry facilities, and picnic tables. From I-40, take exit 333 to Mountain Road; the park is on the US 54 bypass.
The campground in Conchas Lake State Park (tel. 505/868-2270) has 104 sites, 40 full hookups, lake swimming, boating, and fishing.
Camping Near Santa Rosa -- The Santa Rosa Campground (tel. 505/472-3126) offers 94 sites, 33 full hookups, laundry and grocery facilities, fire rings, grills, a heated swimming pool, and a playground for the kids. Situated in a piñon and juniper forest near town, the campground has a few small elm trees on the grounds. Coming from the east on I-40, take exit 277 and go 1 mile west on Business Loop; coming from the west on I-40, take exit 275 and go 1/4 mile east on Business Loop.
Also in the area is Santa Rosa Lake State Park (tel. 505/472-3110), with year-round camping featuring 75 sites (about a third with electric hookups) as well as grills, boating, fishing, and hiking trails. Swimming in the lake is permitted but not encouraged because of the lake's uneven bottom and lack of beaches; children would be safer swimming in Park Lake in Santa Rosa.
