Best Dispersed Camping near Chama, NM

Recent Dispersed Reviews in Chama

77 Reviews of 36 Chama Campgrounds

• 

  Juan David M.

  Scout

  

  Dec. 1, 2024

  Forest Road 37

  Perfect and quite in a pinch

  Had no issues, pretty close to town, highly recommend. T-mobile works from here

• 

  jsjsjdn I.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 28, 2024

  West Fork Dispersed

  Nice spot by the river

  There were about 4 spots clustered together right after the second bridge (a little over 2 miles from the main road). i took the right fork after that towards the rainbow springs trailhead and didn’t find anything else, but there might be more spots if you take the left fork after the second bridge instead. at the end of october the paid campground you pass by is closed for the season, no water and vault toilets are locked

• 

  Rick T.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 18, 2024

  Beaver Creek Site 4

  Nice

  This spot is pretty open with room for a small rv or tent camping. Area Code It's a short drive up to Poage Lake at the top of the mountain and also a short drive to Beaver Creek Reservoir down the mountain.

• 

  Erik F.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  New Jack Road

  numerous campsites

  area is pretty rocky so i would be careful with a ground tent. We stayed in our van and it was great.

• J

  Jason R.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  Elk Creek Trail

  spacious creekside hiking area

  Parked on edge of flat in trees close to creek. Nice ambient noise. Fire rings, metal and stone. Plenty of room. Two vault toilets were clean plenty if TP. Lots of trails, bridge over creek, lakes are near by foot.

• 

  Mark B.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 1, 2024

  Pass Creek

  Over night sleep stop.

  Stop here just for and sleep stop overnight. Road is well maintained. Several places to pull off the side of the road or actual sites too. We have a 35' 5th wheel and had no problems menivering the area. Nice lake with a parking lot at the end the turn around at if you wish to take the road all the way to the end.

• J

  Jason

  Legend

  

  Sep. 12, 2024

  Pass Creek Road Dispersed Camping

  Pass creek rd camping

  Quick stop while traveling. Several established dispersed camp sites nearby. Rock fire pit at this site doesn't appear to been used in awhile

• K

  Kelly

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 1, 2024

  East Fork San Juan River, USFS Road 667 - Dispersed Camping

  Fun location

  There are 20+ campsites along FR667. Some can accommodate RVs, some only tents. We parked a popup at the 1st campsite past the bridge near the trailhead. 2 waterfalls are close, Pagosa Springs is 30ish mins away. Our kids tubed down the creek. Lots of ATV traffic, some bikes, but overall quiet.

• 

  Timothy N.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 29, 2024

  Dispersed Camping Near Hopewell Lake

  Plentiful dispersed options

  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.

• 

  Sonny C.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 26, 2024

  FS Road 631/633

  Excellent Dispersed Camping Site at end of FS Road 633

  Drove to end of FS 633 to find an unoccupied clean, dispersed campsite with plenty of room. From there, hiked along the adjoining irrigation ditch to Piedra River Falls trailhead for breathtaking views of the multi-tiered waterfalls.

• 

  Allen

  Scout

  

  Aug. 25, 2024

  Beaver Creek Site 4

  Cliff high exposure

  No water sources within walking distance. The lake is aways away. It's a pull off on the dirt road that's big enough to fit a small camper on the side of a cliff with high exposure. No cover for thunderstorms.

• D

  Daniel K.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 18, 2024

  New Jack Road

  Long road, lots of choices!

  Down a dirt road, you get to where you make a turn, and immediately you’ll start seeing unimproved site. The better sites appear to be closest to that turn, but if you keep driving you’ll find plenty of sites not within earshot of anyone else.

  One think I noticed with ATT service you’ll get 2, sometimes 3 bars by my location (below). As I drove the road I was seeing mostly 1-2 bars.

  Bring your own everything and enjoy the peaceful and quiet!

• N

  Nathan M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 14, 2024

  FR 024 Dispersed

  Nice spot on the river

  Grate spot on the river No cell service Someone has left trash

• 

  Abby H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 5, 2024

  Del Norte Dispersed Camping

  Incredible spot during the week

  Incredible spot, river is incredibly cold even in August. Most sites have river access: Wildlife is abundant. Air is cool. One of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever camped at. The only downside? The F’n ATVS. Disrespectful to other campers and stir up SO much dust, also just out right dangerous? Because of this the road is full of washboards. Folks out here apparently also do not care to pick up their trash or have any common curtesy of how to leave a campsite. Very unfortunate:( PSA: clean up your trash and pack out your used toilet paper…. 🤢 We stayed at 3 different sites. Sites get better the further along you go, road is rough but nothing a standard 4x4 vehicle can’t handle. (We have a Toyota Tacoma) There are hiking trails/ ATV trails too. We will definitely be back. Great spot during the week when there’s less traffic!

• 

  Chris E.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2024

  Dispersed Camping Near Hopewell Lake

  Lots of sites in high elevation and shaded area.

  This 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.

• 

  Ben H.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 24, 2024

  Lower Piedra River Camp

  Beautiful

  Great camping area, stayed here for just one night. There was plenty of camping areas along the river. About 8 spots. Some were large enough to handle RVs. Others you might require four-wheel drive.

• 

  Ben H.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 18, 2024

  Forest Road 37

  Remote

  There only seemed to be about 2 camping spots. However there is area to just pull off and park. I stayed here 1 night no issues. There is no Verizon phone signal. Stayed at the first large pull off with a stone circle fireplace. It was nice and quite, not a busy road.

• 

  Macy E.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 3, 2024

  Pass Creek

  Roof top tent camping

  This place was perfect for a little one night stop. I am not sure if I would stay much longer, the spots are pretty out in the open not much privacy. there was a couple of spots that are further away from others but most spots are near each other. No bugs, there was service, and saw quite a bit of wild life. It’s closer to the road so we could hear some traffic if it bothers you. roughly about 10 spots

• M

  Matt T.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 1, 2024

  New Jack Road

  Easy and beautiful

  Super easy to find, travel, and stay. Loved the tall trees and beautiful wildflowers. Despite the rain sites aren’t too muddy for our campervan. Dirt load leading in little bumpy but easy to drive. We stayed about half mile short of the coordinates. Barely any Verizon service. Fire rings, open space, nice fresh air, close to pagosa springs. Would stay again.

• 

  Greg M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 21, 2024

  New Jack Road

  Remote, nice and quiet

  We rolled in about 5 pm on a Thursday and there were plenty of open sites. Big sites that are pretty flat with existing stone fireplace rings on all sites we saw. Only saw one person walking their dog and a couple of cars pass on the road. Very quiet, was a peaceful night.

• 

  Texas Roving Ranger

  Guide

  

  Jun. 20, 2024

  East Fork San Juan River, USFS Road 667 - Dispersed Camping

  Boondocking near Pagosa Springs, Colorado

  Great boondocking sites about 45minues from Pagosa Springs. These sites are completely primitive. No restroom facilities, electricity, potable water or trash service.  No cell service.  Its worth it, so plan accordingly. 

  Follow US160E about 10 miles, turn right onto USFS 667.  Pass by the entrance to East Fork Campground and continue on the forest service road.  This is where the road becomes fairly rough.  Dispersed sites begin about 2 miles further. Most sites are clustered together in pockets near the river.  

  We arrived early in the day and found a great site near a vertical rock face.  Campsite was at 8000'.    We stayed a week and only saw other campers on the weekend.  The weather was perfect with day time temps in the 70s and overnight temps in the 50s.  Ideal hiking and fishing conditions.  

  The forest road gets busy with Jeeps and UTvs during the day on weekends.  Our site was far enough away from the road that we weren't bothered. 

  Access to several trails, beautiful valley views and waterfalls nearby .

• g

  gretchen

  Guide

  

  Jun. 8, 2024

  East Fork San Juan River, USFS Road 667 - Dispersed Camping

  Lots of water wild life for all rigs and all size and aged familys

  Waterfalls, atv trails for miles some novice some very experienced trails, hiking, creeks, fishing. Hands down my favorite CO spot. With kids or wanting some beauty this is hands down the best! We did camp passed the east fork campgrounds. All the way down to the beginning of the ranch road way you have plenty of dispersed tent areas and rv areas (no electric).

• 

  Chelle H.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 8, 2024

  Del Norte Dispersed Camping

  great place

  easy to get to right on the river. got the last spot late on memorial weekend. a lot of 4 wheelers but sidnt bother us! we stayed an extra couple days it was such a great spot!

• 

  Wild Berries B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 5, 2024

  Tres Piedras Camp

  On the way out from Mesa Verde NP

  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.

• J

  Jena S.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 4, 2024

  West Fork Dispersed

  Flowing River

  Easy to find. Plenty of spots after the 2nd bridge. It was nice to hear the river flowing all night

• Q

  Quell S.

  Scout

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Trail Creek Dispersed Camping

  Great views

  This place can get busy during peak season. Roads are rough, go slow. Beautiful views. Pack in and pack out, no running water, and no bathrooms. One of our favorite places to stay.

• 

  Peter C.

  Scout

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Trail Creek Dispersed Camping

  Meadows and views

  Excellent official dispersed camping area in the Conejos river valley. Entrance is marked with a USFS sign. Very large area for camping spread across multiple meadows. Access is a dirt road in poor condition, high clearance recommended but 4WD is only necessary in wet conditions. Fantastic views of the river valley and surrounding mountains. The area itself is perched on a dry hill well above the river, do not plan to walk or drive down to the river at this location. Very clean and trash-free, help keep it that way!