$5 / night

Camper submitted image from Quaking Aspen Campground - 1

Camper submitted image from Quaking Aspen Campground - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Quaking Aspen Campground - 3

Camping

Camper submitted image from Quaking Aspen Campground - 4

Roads

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Activities

Established Camping

Quaking Aspen Campground

12 Reviews

About

National Forest

The campground offers a respite from the heat in a setting of aspen and mature ponderosa pine trees, approximately 6 miles south of Fort Wingate. This is the most recently renovated campground on the Mt. Taylor Ranger District. This area has a rich history of railroad logging, and the original town of McGaffey was built in the vicinity of McGaffey Lake a few miles down the road. Remember to pay attention to road conditions and your vehicle's abilities before driving off of the main road.

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Location

Quaking Aspen Campground is located in New Mexico

Directions

From the east side of Gallup, NM, on State Rt. 118, take Interstate 40 east 7.6 miles to Exit 33 (McGaffey - State Rt. 400). At end of exit ramp, turn right onto Rt. 400 and go 5.3 miles to campground sign. Turn right at sign into campground.

Coordinates

35.40704961 N
108.53937236 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Good
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

ADA Access
Picnic Table
Reservable
Toilets
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Big Rig Friendly

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

mark F.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 6, 2024

Great sites no direct hiking

Claen vault toilets, well spaced and quiet sites. We'll maintained. No water. No hiking from campground. Some trails and dispersed camping 1/2 mi down road south.

Site2

Month of VisitJuly

Dennis P.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 24, 2023

Very pretty!

I would give this a 5-star rating except it didn't have hook-ups. Still, for $5/night you can't go wrong. Everything was clean: vault toilets, smooth gravel driveways, gravel tent pads, and almost no litter anywhere. Sites were spaced far enough apart we hardly knew there were others camping nearby. We camped in a 30' fifth-wheel and had no problems maneuvering. Some sites have pull-thrus and others are easily backed-in. We'll stay here again.

Site14

Month of VisitOctober

Irelend A.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 9, 2023

Best campsite I’ve been at

Stopped here on our way from Arizona to South Carolina. And we’re hefty campers. This was the best campsite we’ve ever been at. The cleanest campsite we’ve ever been at. Bathrooms were spectacularly clean. It was great for a short night stop only about 15 minutes off of I-40. Don’t forget to bring your own firewood if you want a fire.

Site1

Month of VisitJuly

Berton M.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 5, 2022

Quiet time in the trees

Located about 15min from I-40 is this campground. It offers everything you would expect including tables, fire pits, restrooms, and trash. For only $5 a day you can't beat it. There are a few hiking trails in the area worth exploring as well.

Cell service: Limited by the entrance

Site14

Month of VisitNovember

Kimberly

Guide

Reviewed Mar. 1, 2022

Spacious and peaceful

Stopped in to rest late at night on my way to CA. Super easy to find. Set up our tent right before quiet time. Lots of campgrounds. Perfect for tent camping.

Month of VisitOctober

Liz R.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 13, 2021

BEAUTIFUL

We came in at dusk and it was such a lovely campground! Our only wish was that we could have stayed longer.!! We were shocked when we woke up to snow on Oct. 12, but it was gorgeous. Beautiful pine & golden Aspen greeted us on our way out. Will definitely stay here again.

Site3

Month of VisitNovember

Lisa G.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 27, 2021

Spacious and close to the freeway!

Having four dogs who love to bark when they hear/see someone, we really appreciate campsites with lots of space. Dogs didn’t bark once! Very quiet, maybe two others in the park with us on a Sunday evening. About 10-15 minutes from the freeway, so it’s the perfect distance from the freeway - no freeway noise!

Site12

Month of VisitOctober

Tommy B.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 8, 2021

The Best $5 campsite

We love this area. Amazing hiking and mtb’ing trails. And, a nice lake.

Site14

Month of VisitJuly

Chip

Guide

Reviewed May. 31, 2021

So. Much. Space.

Small campground with massive campsites. This campground could easily squeeze double, if not triple, the sites out of these woods, but someone decided to let everyone breath a little here, and we should thank that someone. Granted, it's a small crawl to one of the only two bathroom huts (each with two clean pit toilet bathrooms), but with so few campers, even when the site is full, you don't feel like anyone's fighting for their potty time.

Quiet? Absolutely. Stars? All over the place. When summer heat was beginning to knock everywhere else in late May, it was serious blanket weather up here. The hiking must be amazing, although we didn't have time to find out.

Friday night, late May, and we barely got the last spot. No reservations makes this gem a tricky quest when you're running a bit late, but if you're lucky enough to snag a spot, you'll celebrate your success. There ain't a bad spot in the lot, if you're lucky enough to get one.

Month of VisitJune

(5) View All

Irene L.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 30, 2017

National Forest

Densely wooded PRIMITIVE campground with trails and fishing but NO WATER. We only stayed there while driving from ABQ to the coast, which was perfect for us, but we will plan to return to explore the Cibola National Forest more. It was cool and shady in August so we quite enjoyed it as a stopover. In our little sedan we didn’t have trouble, but I think there are other forest service roads you’d want a jeep for?

Charles V.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 4, 2016

It's So Quiet

We stayed at Quaking Aspen Campground for one night but thats all it took. I fell in love with the campground. The big aspen trees, how remote and quiet it was. The elevation at which the cg is at is 8000' makes for cool days and nic crisp cool nights, even in the summertime.

(4) View All

Tyler G.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 23, 2016

Wonderful Base to Explore the Hidden Beauty of the Zuni Mountains

We used this campground as a starting point for a research trip sampling Precambrian rocks of the Zuni Mountains. I hadn't spent much time in this part of New Mexico, and assumed that the trip was going to be hot and sun-bleached, similar to the desert exposed in nearby Gallup, NM. I was surprised to drive into a beautiful forest just a few minutes off I40.

The campsite includes basic forest service amenities: pit toilets, picnic tables, and metal-rimmed fire pit/grill sites. What set this apart from other non-hosted campsites for me was the condition of the grounds. The tent camping sites had well maintained, leveled tent pads, maintained gravel roads, and clean facilities. The Sites offered a reasonable degree of privacy, although some of the sites near the middle of the loop road place you in close proximity to your neighbor. The area is moderately wooded with pine and aspen, providing shade throughout the day and easy access to the dirt road that transects the Zuni Mountains, letting you out near the Bandera volcano and ice cave, which is a wonderful drive if you have a high clearance/4x4 and time to drive through.

We saw abundant wildlife while working in the Zunis, including several brown bears, deer, and elk. While we didn't have any run ins with these guy in camp, be aware that large animals are present in the area and be sure to take necessary bear-proofing precautions.

Camp fees were $5/night, which is quite the bargain given the well-kept grounds and wonderful scenery. If you're looking for a less-traveled escape from Albuquerque, or just want the chance to explore the under-valued Zuni mountains and western New Mexico landscape (and some pretty interesting geologic features such as orbicular granite), this campground is an excellent place to spend some time on the cheap.

Photos included are from the Zunis south of the campsite, as I didn't think to take any photos while we were at camp.

(5) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the max vehicle length at Quaking Aspen Campground?

Quaking Aspen Campground allows vehicles up to 22 feet.

Are fires allowed at Quaking Aspen Campground?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Quaking Aspen Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

Does Quaking Aspen Campground have wifi?

No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Quaking Aspen Campground does not have wifi.

Is there cell phone reception at Quaking Aspen Campground?

According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is unknown, AT&T is unknown, and T-Mobile is unknown.