NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A popular campground in New Mexico is closed down as the owners try to work out a lease agreement with the state. The Enchanted Circle campground in Angel Fire has been voted as a top campground in the state for the last four years, but this season, they won’t get to open for campers.
Some of the camping spots are on the private property of Enchanted Circle’s owner, Landon Dooley. The other half are on state land. Dooley had a lease with the State Land Office, but he says this last year a state land officer came and said they need a new lease. Dooley has been working to renew the lease and negotiating an agreement, but since then he says the state has been hard to reach. He also says they have missed multiple calls and appointments.
Without a lease, Dooley says he has been asked to shut down all sites and return the sites on state land back to their original condition. “We’re pretty much at the mercy of the support from our fellow veterans, residents, and guests that have stayed with us to see what we can do against the state,” said Dooley. He was told Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham did respond back to him asking for help, saying she would look into the issue.
Dooley says either way, it’s too late to get the grounds ready for the 2023 season. He says if he can’t work out something with the state, he plans to rely solely on his own private property.