Looking for the best dispersed camping near Carlsbad? Dispersed camping gets you off the grid so you can disconnect from the hecticness of everyday life. Find the perfect dispersed campsite for your next adventure.
Chosa Campground consists of a 3.5-acre, pipe-rail fenced pad that offers a trash container and a safe parking space for your Recreational Vehicle plus a protected area to set tents, whatever your camping style. Chosa campground provides visitors a fee free location strategically located between two national parks with Carlsbad Caverns a short 11-mile drive north and Guadalupe Mountains National Park 27 miles south on highway 62.
Dispersed camp sites are located along most secondary roads and may not be marked. Popular locations can be recognized by the telltale flat disturbed area that has been used as a camp site before. Not all flat spots are sites. If possible, please use existing sites to avoid creating new disturbances. To further protect your public lands, campers must not dispose of any refuse, hazardous materials, sewage, or in any manner pollute the surrounding area.
A Wilderness Use Permit is required for all use of these campsites. An interesting hike along the Permian Reef Trail meanders up 2,000 feet to Wilderness Ridge where the sudden transition from rock to trees is refreshing. Once on top, the trail is level through forested and open areas and takes you to the edge of the escarpment where the view is outstanding. Wilderness Ridge Campground is in the trees, and worth the extra distance to save the resource from unnecessary damage.
$6 - $48 / night
Traveler
BLM land that is close to Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns. Great cell reception. A fenced in area of land, that has dumpsters, just of the highway. Some traffic noise, but not that bad. Free camping by two National Parks!
Traveler
Quiet place away from others, which we like. We followed the GPS coordinates and found a spot away from the freeway. It had a firepit and we weren't super close to our neighbors. We could see them, but they were a ways off. Sunrises were beautiful and the weather in April pleasant. Occasional wind gusts, but not too bad. We stayed for 4 nights.
10 minutes from the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Once you enter, you have a 15 minute drive to get to the Visitor's Center. And, this spot is only 25 minutes from Carlsbad, with Walmart, restaurants and gas stations.
First we tried Carlsbad BLM Land Dispersed, but didn't want to stay in the lot right off the freeway. And we walked the road going further up and it was too rutted for our 36 ft travel trailer. We could have done it but wanted something not so hard on our camper.
Next we tried Carlsbad Caverns Dispersed. We followed the coordinates here on Dyrt.com and it took us way out into a cow field (with very aggressive cows) and eventually a dead end. It was a bit tricky getting turned around. We never did see places off the side of the road to boondock. Right after the grates there is a dirt lot off to the left but was too close to freeway and others for us. If you do that one, just don't follow the GPS coordinates.
We needed to refill our water and use a dump station, so I called around. White City RV charges $15 for dump and refill (too much), and we found an Ice House America at the White City gas station the had water refills for $.25 a gallon (good for our drinking water bottles, but not good for filling our RV). Finally we called Greasewood RV. Neil, the owner, was super nice. He told us we could just pull up to any open spot at his park and fill our water tanks, dump our black tank and use the big trash bin. He also said he had spaces for us to stay if we wanted to. He offered $20 a night instead of his usual $30 a night which I thought was super nice of him. If we had known that, we may have stayed their instead since we calculated that it costs us $18-$20 a night to boondock. We like having electricity when possible because we have a full size fridge to keep cold.
Anyway, we really enjoyed this spot. Our kids even found a sinkhole with what looked like a small cave near our campsite.
LegendOnly 10 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP and about 25 minutes from Guadeloupe Mountains NP!
The area is a large fenced in gravel lot. Plenty of spots for trailers/RVs/and any other campers. Very easy to find right off the highway! Pretty crowded compared to most dispersed camping areas, but still a very easy spot to get to. If you want more secluded areas, there are more campgrounds further down the gravel road. A few fire rings here and there.
Dispersed area, there is a large trash bin in the campground. Verizon service was good!
Traveler
Only 5 minutes from Carlsbad caverns, this dispersed OHV trail is accessible to anyone with a vehicle that can make it over potholes and speed bumps. Gorgeous views of southern New Mexico and the chihuahuan desert are worth it when you wake up
GuideThis is a good place for dry camping. Right off the road. GPS takes you straight there. 6 or 7 miles from Carlsbad Caverns. Not far from Carlsbad, NM. Very few people came through. I went past the first two sites on down a short distance to a great spot on the left. There was a rock fire ring there. Another big spot on down a little on the right. Great view of the mountains. No services, but not far from Carlsbad. Cell service is full 5G!
Can't beat it for free campsite.
Traveler
We tried this location. It looked like it could be just what we wanted. However, we followed the GPS coordinates here on Dyrt.com and though the road was smoother than the one across the street, it took us way out on a small dirt road that led to a cow field (with very aggressive cows) and eventually a dead end. It was a bit tricky getting turned around. We never did see places off to the side of the road to boondock.
Just as we left the freeway, right by the grates there is a dirt lot off to the left but it was too close to the freeway and others for us. If you decide to try this spot, just don't follow the GPS coordinates.
We ended up staying 4 nights at Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping, and we really liked it.
Traveler
We found a little gravel track off the road and parked for the night. Some cows roaming nearby. Served as a good free camp out for us to check out Carlsbad caverns the next day.
LegendOnly 10 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP and about 25 minutes from Guadeloupe Mountains NP!
The area is a large gravel lot with some brush and scubs scattered about. Plenty of spots for trailers/RVs/and any other campers. Very easy to find right off the highway! There is no turn off if you are headed west. You'll have to make a Uturn about a mile up the highway. This campsite was less busy than Chosa campground, which I stayed at the night before. A few fire rings here and there.
Dispersed area, pack in pack out. Verizon service was good!
LegendOnly 30 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP and about 20 minutes from Carlsbad NM! This is a great spot off the highway with basically no noise from cars.
The area is a level gravel lot with some brush and scubs scattered about. Seems like a place that isn't well known. I'd recommend high clearance to get up to the main area. There are other sites as you follow the road up the hill, but the road gets more rocky the further you go up. One fire ring in the main area and some fire rings in other sites. If you want a site that you can't see the highway from, this is the spot.
Dispersed area, pack in pack out. Verizon service was good!
GuideClose to Carlsbad Caverns, Rattlesnake Springs and Cottonwood Day Use Area with had a spring fed pool .
Saw several Rio Grand Turkey near the two springs.
Saw Pronghorn Antelope.
Quite and decent night views. Light noise from Carlsbad and White City
Flat caliche site.
Plenty of additional campsites away from the caliche pad in the desert.
Verizon service was great.
ScoutA lot not far from Carlsbad park. Not great-not bad.
LegendOnly 20 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP! This is area is about 2.5 miles off the highway. Only about .7 miles on a pretty level gravel road with some small ruts here and there.
There aren't sites per say when you get to where the GPS takes you. It's a long stretch of gravel road with some areas to pull off. I didn't see any fire rings, but it was a good spot to pull off for the night that is a couple miles from highway noise. Would be easy for any large camper to make its way here. (There is another dispersed site directly across the highway from this spot that has fire rings and a bit better of a view, but the road is rougher)
Dispersed area, so pack in pack out. Verizon service was good!
Traveler
4 miles from Carlsbad Caverns NP. Not traffic. No noise. We had area to our self. Level Dirt/gravel area. Bring water and toilet. Would stay here again.
TravelerReally nice place to stop. Impeccable cell service, lots of space with any neighbors far away, and location 20 minutes away from Carlsbad Caverns can't be beat. No sun or wind protection though!
RangerDecent place to stay for the night right across from Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Easy to get to. Arrived on a Saturday evening and the lot was packed with travelers. There was trash, but nothing else. Pack in, pack out! Great cell service.
ScoutAbout 7 miles away from Carlsbad Caverns. A half dozen spots right at the entrance. It was empty so we stayed near the front with a small rock fire pit. There are other spots deeper in the field but we didn’t go that far in. Easy to find entrance, easy to find a spot, easy to get to Carlsbad Caverns or Guadalupe Mountains NP. Great for a quick overnight spot.
GuideI stayed here because it was 15 minutes from Carlsbad cavern, and it did not disappoint. It was a really rough road past the first three spots, but my 2wd van made it. Very private and spread out with plenty of spaces. I had cell service at this location.
LegendThis was our first boondocking experience and we loved it! This is absolutely an entry level boondocking spot, but that was perfect for us. There is a gravel parking lot that is pretty level and trash cans. There are no facilities other than that though. The big draw of this place is being right outside of Carlsbad Caverns NP. We also lucked out and were camping there when another couple we knew were(totally by chance!) and we met an additional couple while there. While we were here we also visited Guadalupe National Park. I highly recommend this spot! Make sure you come stocked up with supplies though because it is a bit of a drive to get to town!
Traveler
Multiple pull offs along the paved road to sitting Bull Falls. The road follows a winding canyon up to a natural spring and waterfalls. There's a picnic area at the falls and trailhead to loads of hiking into Lincoln National Forest. No facilities at the campsites but there is water, trash, and bathrooms at the end of the road at the bottom of the falls. Well with the visit!!
RangerComing from Carlsbad the GPS may have you get off at Chosa Campground and there’s a dirt road connecting that to this site, but recommend you turn around to get back on the highway going north and then exit at this marker. Even camped right off the highway the noise didn’t bother us, but a few people continued down the roads going further away. Windy and hot until the sun went down!
TravelerDates: 12/28/2020 and 12/29/2020
Vehicle: Dodge Caravan
Camp Setup: In-van
As there is currently no camping within Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Mile 10 is a perfect (and free) place to spend the night in order to get an early start at the park.
It's easy to find (literally AT the Mile 10 marker) and relatively private, given its vicinity to the highway. There is a some noise from the highway, but a fair enough trade off for the price and proximity.
We arrived after dark (7:30pm at the end of December), but had no trouble finding our way. There were already a few other vehicles taking advantage of the site, but we were able to find a spot for our van.
The actual campground is great. The ground is flat and relatively free of debris. There are some lights from Carlsbad and some of the mining operations in the distance (and of course lights from vehicles on the highway), but otherwise it's completely dark, giving an absolutely amazing sky full of stars and the full moon. And of course the sunsets/sunrises are simply amazing.
Fair warning: the area has absolutely no cover or wind breaks, so you WILL experience the wind. Be sure to secure your belongings/trash, and come prepared with appropriate clothing (especially in the winter).
GuideWent on a birthday road trip, and found this site by chance. Because of the old cattle corral, my friend and I were both able to set up our hammocks for the night. If you have dispersed camped before, this site is great. Pack it in, pack it out, would stay here again in a heartbeat.
LegendGreat spot right off the highway. Only 25 minutes from Carlsbad NM, and 20 minutes from the NP.
The road is a bit rough and may need a higher clearance the further you drive in. There are about 1-2 large spots right near the entrance if you don't want to jostle your way further up. If you go back far enough the hill blocks the highway. Sites are spaced well. Most of the sites are fairly level, may need to move some rocks if tent camping. Only noise throughout the night was the occasional car from the highway and some cows.
No services, so pack in pack out. Verizon service was good.
GuideGood place to boondock! You get the low hum of the oilfield. Road can be kinda rough but we did it in a Camry. We were the only ones. May get a visit from some cows.
TravelerThis was our first boon docking night ever, and it was great. The large site has four trashcans, far enough from the road so there isn't any noise or many lights, and is super quiet. You can see SO many stars in the clear sky, and the mountains are beautiful.
GuideEasy access to camping spots, marked only by a fire ring of rocks. No amenities at all. No shade. Windy. But if you are planning to visit Carlsbad Caverns and it’s full everywhere this isn’t a bad spot.
TravelerThis was a great camping spot off the beaten path. I would make sure to have high clearance and even 4 wheel drive for the steep rocky drive up if you plan to go past the main camp area. I was worried it would be busy this time of year, but we were the only ones there. We drove up the road a way past the camp site. Beautiful views. It did get very windy at night. Very quiet and far off from traffic noise.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Carlsbad, New Mexico, where you can enjoy the great outdoors without the constraints of traditional campgrounds. With stunning landscapes and proximity to national parks, this area offers a unique experience for nature lovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Carlsbad, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Carlsbad, NM is Chosa Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 50 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Carlsbad, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 dispersed camping locations near Carlsbad, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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