Are you planning a dispersed camping trip to Carson National Forest? We've got you covered. Find everything from dispersed backcountry camping to boondocking with The Dyrt. Find dispersed campsites you've visited before, or discover new spots from other campers.
The Orilla Verde Recreation Area is located within the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument and along the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River. Nestled along the banks of the Rio Grande and within the steep-walled Rio Grande Gorge, the campgrounds in this area offer nearby access to the river. The elevation along the river is 6,100 feet and the steep canyon rises 800 feet from the river to the Gorge rim. Because of the dramatic changes in elevation and the diversity of plant life, Orilla Verde draws many species of animals, including raptors (such as eagles and hawks), songbirds, waterfowl, beaver, cougar, ringtail, mule deer, and more. The Rio Grande also has attracted humans since prehistoric times. Evidence of ancient peoples is found throughout the Recreation Area in the form of petroglyphs on the rocks and many other types of archaeological sites. The climate at Orilla Verde is semi-arid, with summer thunderstorms common in July and August, and snow possible from October through March. Summer temperatures range from 45 to 90 degrees, and winter temperatures range from -15 to 45 degrees
$5 - $15 / night
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. It means no services; such as trash removal, and little or no facilities; such as tables, fire pits and toilets are provided.
There are extra responsibilities and skills that are necessary for dispersed camping. It is your responsibility to know these before you try this new experience. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
With two outstanding Wild and Scenic Rivers and three developed recreation areas, the BLM’s Taos Field Office is a great place to experience a whitewater rafting challenge; enjoy a breathtaking view of a river gorge; hike miles of developed trails; camp under the stars; view wildlife; or visit important prehistoric, historic, or active cultural sites. Come and explore over 594,000 acres of your public lands. The Field Office also administers over 4 million acres of Federal mineral estate.
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. It means no services; such as trash removal, and little or no facilities; such as tables, fire pits and toilets are provided.
There are extra responsibilities and skills that are necessary for dispersed camping. It is your responsibility to know these before you try this new experience. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
The Tres Piedras Ranger District is managed for many multi-use purposes; hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, snowmobiling, camping and personal firewood cutting are among the activities.
Guide
We parked a little further off 285 than most people so the road noise was minimal. A car drove past us on the dirt road in the morning which was surprising but nothing more. There was a rotting animal smell once in a while but we didn’t smell once inside the van. No toilet. Someone left a small fire ring. The road was rutted, don’t go if it’s wet. Fine for overnight lodging but I wouldn’t hang out there.
Guide
There are so many campsites to choose from, all along the Hondo Rio. It's peaceful and quiet. We brought our four dogs and 13 year old. There's so much to do to keep them busy. The dogs love the river and to run through it. No one really bothers anyone. There are toilets at some of the sites. Very clean. We had storms while camping. At least six rock/mud slides on the road. I don't know who, but someone managed to clean it all up in record time. We've had a great time, even with the rain and hail. We will definitely come back.
TravelerA good amount of dispersed sites off of FSR558. I just pulled off to one of the closer sites but looked like tons of other sites were further in on the road. Really quiet even with the highway close by. Great stars at night, decently clean (the sites that I saw). You could probably make it in a 2WD vehicle for the first few sites but it gets a bit more rugged as you continue in.
Guide
We spent a few nights in the dispersed area near Hopewell . We rolled in at 5 and had plenty of sites to choose from. We chose one of the lower areas, with one large open space surrounded by smaller sites. There were many more up the road, and there was constant traffic headed uphill until about 9PM. Once the traffic stopped it was very quiet, only the cattle calling through the trees. It rained for several hours and our spot stayed solid. Some offshoot roads were rutted out. The main road had minimal rocks and holes, didn't get very muddy. TMobile\Google mobile service worked well enough. Verizon did not work.
Guide
Even with a couple and a new born up the hill I never heard them from our campervan! Serene surroundings and even and beautiful place to camp during a thunderstorm!
Traveler
I pull a small trailer and the road in was rough. I was concerned about being able to turn around. When I got to the spot where there are six or eight camping spots, finding one suitable for a trailer was difficult, but I did it. This is more suitable to car camping.
There is an open area that would be good for group camping. There are three or more RVs that appear to be permanent features. That was strange. Looked like fishing camps. I didn't want to drive the steep road down to this area.
Personally, I wish I had stopped a the forest service campsites up hill from this location, but if you are in a car and want to tent camp here, I don't see a problem,
ScoutThis dispersed area is close to Hopewell Lake and Campground where there is fishing and vaulted toilets. The Continental Divide Trail goes right through this location.
Scout
The scenery was beautiful, but very windy at times. Also the person that stayed before me left a lot of trash in the fire pit, so we cleaned that up before the campfire. It’s also loud with the 18 wheelers driving down the main road. If you’re camping in a van or camper shell, it’s probably not a big deal. If you roof top tent camp or regular tent camping, it gets loud.
Traveler
Great site with shade and sun, water from creek, could possibly hold 3 med. Sized rv's. About 10 miles south of taos nm. And about 1 mile off pavement
Guide
We found this place randomly. Seen all the road exits of the Carson National Forest on our way to Taos we said “let’s give it a try!” And we found apparently a fairly popular place. It may be due to available internet connection (which we greatly enjoyed it after weeks!) or just a lower altitude spot that may help with physical activity and weather temps. At any rate, easy and short access to the camp sites via gravel sandy road, some with fire rings and camp tables, leveled grounds for trailers and lots of pine trees for privacy. There are signs for trailheads and pretty rock formations that will need to be explored next time. We stayed a night and enjoyed it to the fullest. Highly recommended, especially as nights get nice and chill (vs. hot day temps) for good sleep.
Guide
Tons of Boondocking spots.
Not ideal for long wheel base as it’s an out and back without turn around spots.
Best pull outs are to the left as the road forks after the cattle guard.
LegendClean washrooms. Cement picnic tables. About 4 nice camping sites around the lake. Quiet windy. The van is rocking around. Hold onto your car doors when you open them. Two bar LTE mobile service.
TravelerAs a dead end (there is the Taos ski resort up further, the best spots are before the ski resort) there wasn’t much traffic. One of the cleanest campsites off a road I’ve been to! Plenty of brush if you want to start a fire. There is no Verizon service.
TravelerI work seasonal(may-oct) jobs and found out about this site from freecampsites.net, i stayed here with a frequency (abiding to the rules but frequently). There are 4 places to park on the lower section and 3 on the upper section, most spots can fit multiple cars. A little stream is near by-- a little shallow and a little mucky on the bottom, but really refreshing. The stars are incredible, also some beautiful views of the mountains from the lower section. The road in is a bit sketchy at times, but as long as you are mindful of potholes you should be good-- my minivan made it with ease.
There are some family reunions which took place while i visited and they dont really follow the rules which sucks. One family had their stuff on the land for over a month i noticed, they had fires when not permitted, trash scattered, and they had atvs which would tear up the place a bit... other than that though this place is amazing and close enough to town if youre a seasonal worker and need a good home base. AT&T service was crap, i think one time i got 1 bar of service for a second but i bumped my phone and lost it.
Last thing i will say is be cognizant of fires and flooding, both can happen here! Happy camping folks :)
Scout
One thing is that you MUST approach from the west, you can’t get here coming from the east over John dun bridge. Dirt road but we did it with no problem with our 24ft trailer. Make sure you go all the way to the coordinates as there are a ton of great spots off to the left of the road, plenty of room to spread out and some solidly flat spots. Made a quick walk down to the springs in the evening and watched the stars come out. Awesome!!
Guide
This is a nice spot next to the river, there are a couple of hiking trails. I was there during the week and it was pretty quiet
Guide
There are a bunch of different roads you can turn off to camp on if you’re driving from Taos to Durango. We mapped Forest Road 578 and it took us to a dirt road with a lot of flat spots you can camp on. We spent the night there and it was very quiet and peaceful. If you keep going to Durango you’ll get to Carson National Forest, which is not too far from the coordinates on The Dyrt. That’s where more people are camping, you can pull off right before the 64H road marker. You’ll keep passing camping spots as you drive to Durango so you can really go almost anywhere!
TravelerWe got there on a Friday and had our pick of sites. We picked one right on the river. No electricity. No water. No picnic tables. No trash receptacle. Vault toilets. Camp spaces are spread out. Some of the roads on the campground had deep ruts and pools of mud water but not all. You can see every star on a clear night. The road to the campground is about 6 miles of curvy dirt and gravel single lane. But a woman managed it in a Jaguar so not too bad just go slow. Rustic and relaxing.
GuideThis camping spot is awesome but can be busy at times. One down side being close to the river is the bugs, literally thousands of them can make it unpleasant. Outside of that the spot on the river is fantastic for viewing pleasure. You can certainly find valuable relaxation here.
Guide
Got there late so we just pulled into the first site we saw. Woke up to a little creek behind us. More people were camping on down the road. And had a few people show up in the morning to go on a walk.
TravelerRight off the road, literally. it hidden behind some trees so the barrier between the site and road makes for a little privacy. Great spot for a day or two right next to a creek so you fall asleep to the sound of it, not wasn’t a gentle creek, but lovely all the same. trees to put up a hammock. Fire pits but they were off limits do to fire season . Would definitely recommend .
Traveler
We stayed one night in Rio, bravo, Campground. This campground is not dispersed camping, because there is water and electric in some sites. There are a few sites where a 30 foot or larger rig will fit.
ScoutLed me to dirt, private road after 3 attempts! I don’t give up easily but 3 xxx you’re out! Bad gps guidance here and also another site as well! Will not continue with app, trial/pro or otherwise!
Guide
Highway 64 between Taos and Angel Fire > Turn onto Forest Rd 5 and go to end
Solid road, no issue with 25ft travel trailer.
There's a gravel cul-de-sac with a couple obvious places to camp. Also a couple two tracks roads continuing into the woods, but those weren't passable due to mud.
There's a few small ponds which appear to be the beginning of the Rio Fernando. I think there's some restoration work going on if I'm not mistaken.
I tried parking so that I was looking out at the clearing, but this made levelling my trailer pretty difficult. Probably would be easier to just keep in on the gravel.
I somehow had 5g reception here on Verizon, and Starlink also worked well.
TravelerWide open dispersed desert camping. FS-558 runs for several miles south of HWY-285. We stayed closer to the highway which is safer without 4WD. Higher clearance is helpful due to ruts in the road. There's a fair amount of trash, but plenty of spots without. Bummer that locals use public land as their private dumping area. The nights were quiet, other than occasionally coyote calls, which add to the ambiance. We had a few thousand acres all to ourselves for four nights while climbing on nearby El Rito walls.
RangerAs you can see in the pictures, camping is not allowed here. The icon of the tent with a red line going through it indicates that they would prefer if you do not camp in this place. The other signage indicates that this area is for launching your white water rafting craft if you have the necessary equipment and skills. This entry in the database was not vetted very carefully.
ScoutThe location on Dyrt maps is wrong, forest service is NW of 285 & 64. Beautiful dispersed camping spots plentiful. Park ranger Melissa was the top notch. Couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly. Definitely stay there again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Carson National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Carson National Forest is BLM Orilla Verde Recreation Area with a 4.8-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Carson National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 31 dispersed camping locations near Carson National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
