Fantastic RVing at New Mexico’s historic Pancho Villa State Park

Nestled in the tiny village of Columbus, New Mexico, near the U.S.–Mexico border, Pancho Villa State Park offers RVers affordable camping spots overlooking breathtaking desert scenery with a hefty side helping of U.S. history.

For such a tiny village, Columbus boasts two important historical claims to fame:

#1 Pancho Villa’s Raid

The park sits on the site of the last foreign aggression in the Continental United States, Pancho Villa’s 1916 raid. The 60-acre park was established in 1959 in commemoration of Villa’s raid and as a gesture of goodwill between the United States and Mexico.

Despite bearing his name, the raid was conducted by Villa’s army. It is unknown whether he actually took part in it himself.

Various theories about Pancho Villa’s motivation for the attack still swirl. Some say he desperately needed supplies. Other rumors say he wanted revenge for a business deal that had gone bad in Columbus.

Regardless of the reason, the United States government wasted no time in their response. General John “Black Jack” Pershing and his force of 10,000 men soon arrived in Columbus with orders from President Woodrow Wilson to pursue and capture Pancho Villa.

Called the “Punitive Expedition,” Pershing’s men searched for Villa deep into Mexico from March 1916 to February 1917, although they never managed to capture him. It took Pershing just six days to enter Mexico following the raid.

Pershing’s headquarters, the former Camp Furlong, is now Pancho Villa State Park, but many buildings and artifacts from that era remain for visitors to walk among and explore.

#2 The United States’ 1^st military air base!

In response to the raid, Columbus, NM, became the site of the first U.S. Military air base. In 1916, the U.S. Army established its first operational air base here, using several cloth-covered biplanes in its pursuit of Pancho Villa.

The visitor’s center has a terrific museum with a history of the raid, doing an excellent job of putting it into the context of the political climate of the time and the various political figures and leaders who played a part.

History comes to life with artifacts from the period and location. There’s even a cloth-covered biplane like the ones used for tracking Pancho Villa.

Breathtaking desert views

History aside, a visit to Pancho Villa State Park allows RVers to get in touch with the beauty of nature and the surrounding desert.

Each of the campsites has its own small cactus garden. Of course, a vast natural desert “garden” surrounds the entire area.

Each sunrise and sunset seems to compete to display more spectacular arrays of light and color than the last.

A short, easy climb to the top of “Cootes Hill,” the highest point in the park and once used as an army lookout, offers 360-degree views of the campground, village of Columbus, and the desert all the way into Mexico.

What’s near Pancho Villa State Park?

From the campsite, you can walk into the village of Columbus, where you’ll find a museum, a few restaurants and a convenience store. The burgers, quesadillas and pizza at the Borderland Café, just across the street from Pancho Villa State Park, are decent. I also had a terrific Green Chile Cheeseburger (that MUST be the state dish of New Mexico) at The Patio Cafe in downtown Columbus.

Just 2.5 miles south of the state park, you can park in the lot next to the dollar store and walk across the border into Palomas, Mexico. Don’t expect much in this tiny village. Most locals cross to shop at the pharmacies and get dental work done.

The Pink Store, a large and impressive marketplace of Mexican art and traditional crafts, was recommended as the place to have lunch. Determined to not eat where the tourists go, I set out in search of a taco or birria joint.

I had no luck, not even street tacos. I ended up at the one other open restaurant I could find and it was terrible. In this case, eating where the tourists eat was good advice. The Pink Store also has lots of interesting things to look at, so be sure to stop.

Rockhound State Park is just 36 miles away. True to its name, you’ll find first-rate rock hounding here. New Mexico’s smallest state park, all campsites at Rockhound State Park are by reservation only. Learn more here.

Deming, the nearest larger town, is about 35 miles away. There you will find groceries, laundries, and lots of shops and restaurants. In fact, it’s a good idea to shop there before heading out to Pancho Villa State Park.

Pancho Villa State Park practicalities

• Before anyone asks, there were zero (and I do mean ZERO) signs of any kind of border unrest or problems. This is a tiny border crossing that is not heavily trafficked aside from locals from both sides.
• Off-grid camping is just $10 (currently free with the NM state parks pass), $14 for sites with hookups ($4 with the pass). Get the pass NOW, as it is reportedly going away in July 2024.
• You can stay up to two weeks at a time.
• Make reservations for camping through ReserveAmerica.com. Seven sites are first-come, first-served.
• Pancho Villa State Park offers 53 electric campsites (30 amp), 8 electric campsites (50 amp), 5 non-electric campsites, plus a large dispersed boondocking area.
• There are porta potties in the park and regular restrooms at the visitor’s center. As of now, the showers and the dump station are not working because of a plumbing problem that has been going on for some time. No estimate as to when they will be back.
• Park Elevation: 4,073 ft.
• Learn more about Pancho Villa State Park here.
• Pancho Villa State Park is about 35 miles from Deming, at the intersections of Hwy 9 and Hwy 11.
• Pancho Villa State Park
  400 NM-9
  Columbus, NM 88029
  575-531-2711

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