Dispersed on 4 - Fenton Lake State Park

This is such a mixed review. We stayed here the weekend of July 26. We arrived Friday night and found a beautiful campsite on the right side of the entrance with a beautiful view of the canyon below. Watching the sunset over the ridge is breathtaking. We enjoyed our time until Saturday evening right about 8:30 where we were watching the sunset from the ridge. We heard one gunshot, followed by 6 gunshots and the sound of bullets whizzing past us. We immediately ducked behind the car. We had not heard any gunshots the whole day and did not see any hunting areas nearby. Where the sound of the bullets and gunshots were from it felt like someone was shooting directly at our campsite from beside us or in the canyon. We made it to the car and got out to the Hw 4 to flag someone down given that we had no cell service. A man stopped and told us that unfortunately that’s pretty common in the area and it was probably just some drunk assholes and it was not malicious. We were so shaken we could not stay there that night and packed up as quickly as we could. I enjoyed the beauty of this area but would not stay here again after this experience.

Pros. went on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of July. Absolute solitude. saw someone else the afternoon of the forth, off in the distance, but it was empty and the view was fantastic. you will pass some logging that has happened at some point, but go beyond that. the view from the ridge is incredible. Cons. if it has rained the access is washed out and mud holes and ruts and mud will require a 4x4. access to the spots we were at were up a short steep ridge, again glad for the 4x4. ground clearance is a must. do not pull to the right, short road that will take you to the bottom of the restroom overlook off the main road. went to the left at first and did not find any good spots but had fun in the mud, the best spots are to the center, on the right hand side. you cant see them from the trial, you only see small trails going up. my opinion is just past the logging then to your right. perfect trees to camp and hang your hammock. cant wait to go back. Also, its going to get colder than you think at night. bring a fleece or warm jacket at the least.

There are a lot of spots to disperse in this campground but there are a few certain spots that blow the rest of them out of the water. We arrived on a Friday with only a few people there. Saturday/Sunday was maybe at half capacity. Pretty sure that were we the only ones there when we left on Monday.

We stayed on the edge of the cliff at the far back right side of the campsite and it was easily one of the top 5 locations that we have camped at. Even in July, it was a perfect 60-65 degrees at night and in the upper 70's low 80's during the day. We have T-mobile and there was relatively no reception here. We had just enough to send out and receive a text message every once in a while but not strong enough for a phone call. The reception comes and goes the more that you walk through the campsite. We stayed here for 3 nights and were never bothered by the cars driving on the road close by. The later it gets the fewer the cars. We locked our food and trash up every night and never ran into any problems with any other animals during the day or at night. We all slept well include our Dog who always shuffles around if she hears something scurrying around our site at night.

Directions to our cliff edge campsite:

*Note we took on this adventure in a long bed Chevy 2500.

• As you enter go to the right.

• The road will split but stay right and continue the slight uphill climb.

• As the road starts to descend, you will see a small white sign nailed to a tree on the left with a sharp turn off the road. 

• Take that trail to the left unless you have a high clearance vehicle. (We took the more adventurous route straight down and almost didn't make it)

• At the bottom of that trail go right and start to weave your way through the trees all the way to the back right side of the campsite.

• The trees will begin to open up and you'll get a very clear picture of the cliff and mountains.

In the 3 days that we were there, we didn't see anyone else try to take on the same route. Although, we saw plenty of other smaller SUVs and cars get down there via the turn-off.  

Still can't believe that this place was free with no reservations needed. It's a must stay if you are in the area.

When I pulled into the dispersed camping I was shocked to see 2 fire rings right there! There were two different ways to go and I choose to go right. All along the dirt road were pull offs and if you choose to go to the right side campsites you will end up at one of the fire rings with an incredible view of the canyon below. I did this because I love a good view! The main downside to this was how windy it was so I did not enjoy campfires until the third night and it was no longer windy. I highly recommend 4WD and high clearance vehicle to get to some of the best spots. Not impossible in my Honda Pilot but there were parts that I knew I wouldn’t make it. I was the only one there initially and only saw 2 others the 3 days I stayed. This is pack in pack out no restrooms just good old fashioned camping 🙌 I was not expecting to have service but I did where I camped! (T-Mobile) in Jemez springs and in the canyon I did not have service. It was a bit cold until my third day which was a very nice warm and sunny day.
I also went on a hike at Los Conchas Trail maybe 10 minutes up the road (away from Jemez Springs) and was shocked by the beauty!! What a wonderful hike! 10/10 recommend! Pictures are posted as well. My last day there I hiked to the hot springs at Spence Hot Springs Trail, there is a pull off but not clearly marked. It’s a 15 minute walk to lukewarm pools you can bathe in and the upper pool even has a cool cave you can sit in. There seems to be even more springs all about you can hike to I just did not have the time. I also think Soda Dam looks incredible from pictures so maybe check that out as well! I definitely hope to visit again!