Best Dispersed Camping near Chama, NM

Recent Dispersed Reviews near Chama, New Mexico

79 Reviews of 36 Chama Campgrounds

• 

  Ron G.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 9, 2023

  Carson NF - Forest Service Road 578 - Dispersed Camping

  Tres Piedras area

  The 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.

• 

  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!

• 

  Jennifer H.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 12, 2023

  Carson NF - Forest Service Road 578 - Dispersed Camping

  Cold and quiet with good views

  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!

• 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

• 

  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 .

• N

  N I.

  Legend

  

  Mar. 28, 2021

  Del Norte Dispersed Camping

  Road closed

  Road closed to dispersed camping is closed

• 

  Sofia A.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 6, 2020

  West Fork Dispersed

  Best so far

  This BLM at San Juan National Forest is gorgeous! (Se pics) the spots are kinda leveled, the road to get there is a dirt road but not that bad (I have a converted sprinter full of sh$&@$ and I did it great) it is primitive so no hook ups, restrooms nor trash cans, so PLEASE Leave no Trace! Everything was super clean so I guess people is finally getting it. Te river passes right next to you and the views are amazing! There are a few trails next (like the Rainbow trail). Awesome place to stargaze!

• M

  Michael W.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 30, 2020

  Del Norte Dispersed Camping

  What more could you want

  Great spot! Lots of dispersed camping along the river. Fishing, hiking and swimming all right there. Great views of the Mountains. The star gazing at night was amazing. Great to see everyone packing out there trash. One of the cleaner and quieter camp areas I’ve been too in a while.

• B

  Brent & Lisa A.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 16, 2020

  FS Road 662 campsite

  Good primitive camp site

  This site is not for those who need amenities. But for those who come prepared with whatever they need, it is a great spot to camp close to Pagosa Springs, CO in the national forest.

• 

  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.

• 

  Jacob W.

  Ranger

  

  Apr. 21, 2022

  Carson NF - Forest Service Road 578 - Dispersed Camping

  Primitive dispersed camping

  I tent-camped off of Carson NF Forest Service Road 578 in mid April 2022. FS 578 is south of Tres Piedras about 5 miles on the west side of Hwy 285. There are several dirt road turn offs but FS 578 is clearly marked with a brown NFS sign (see photo) and has no gate but there is a cattle guard/grate. Here is a NFS road use map that shows dispersed camping along FS 578 and many other NFS roads: https://www.fs.fed.us/r3/gis/mvum/Carson/CarsonTresPiedrasCanjilonElRito.pdf (see also screenshot). My Tacoma had no problem on the dirt road, which has ruts and might be tough for an RV. There were few clearings suitable for dispersed camping but I found a nice spot with a small fire circle in a small clearing on the south side of the road just past a fork in the road. I carried two black boulders over to serve as a table and chair. I didn’t see anyone else camping or driving by. The forest is a nice mix of sage, juniper, and pine trees. I saw two elk across a swath of sage. I could see the snow capped peaks of the Sangre de Cristo range on the eastern horizon when I walked farther up the road. It got cold at night, like 27 F. It was a nice waypoint on my trip between Gunnison CO and El Paso TX but it didn’t look like many people camped there. I had intended to drive to Taos the next day on Hwy 64, but didn’t.

• N

  Nathan P.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 5, 2020

  Del Norte Dispersed Camping

  Beautiful spot very dispersed

  It’s not the best dirt road getting in but I was able to make it quite a ways up in my Nissan Altima. The sites are scattered along the road that follows the river. Beautiful views and great trails to hike. I found a spot that was a peninsula, surrounded by the river. Very primitive camping. No facilities, so bring water and be prepared to take your trash out with you.

• c

  chad

  Scout

  

  May. 3, 2024

  New Jack Road

  Peaceful location

  There are several established camping spots along the first mile or so of this road, heading south from Turkey Springs Road. Plenty of room for travel trailers or tents. There was almost no vehicle traffic past our camp site, so it was nice and quiet. There’s a ton of hiking and mountain biking trails in close proximity.

• J

  Jen & Troy S.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 30, 2021

  FS Road 631/633

  Cows but still AWESOME!

  Pulled the teardrop into a site almost all the way down the road (a spot at very end was already taken).  Tons of privacy though we are right on the road so the little bit of traffic that did drive past - folks camping nearby or looking to boondock - we'd wave and say hi.  Biggest surprise was all the cows that would go up & down the road throughout the day. Free rang'in the mountain. So cute but a bit loud.  They apparently loved my partner's guitar playing as you can see in the pic.  They loved it so much they stayed the whole night and next day.  Did smell a bit but then again, after a few days, I guess we probably did too. :)   We'd stay here again. (No hike down to water - need to be at very end of road to get even close. This was just a homebase; we unhitched and drove to other sites for hikes & fishing)

• 

  Michael N.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 7, 2023

  Whirlpool Dispersed Camping Area

  Awesome views

  This 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.

• 

  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.

• 

  Lauren S.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 24, 2020

  Rainbow Hot Springs

  Access to hot springs!

  4.5-5 mile hike in on the West Fork Trail in the Weminuche wilderness. Some ups and downs along the trail with some river crossings - great man made bridges. Severa great camping spots along the trail closer to the hot springs, with access to 3 pools. Bring a water filter and access water from the San Juan River. Can get stormy in the afternoons so make sure to bring rain gear!

• 

  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.

• 

  Eric G.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 19, 2022

  West Fork Dispersed

  Lots of room

  Had a great experience with this dispersed area. Campsite was close to the river. Able to find it easily. Lots of road traffic with UTV’s and vehicles. Which was a bit annoying, but overall I’d still give it a 5 Star

• K

  Kala J.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 26, 2023

  Carson NF - Forest Service Road 578 - Dispersed Camping

  Private and beautiful

  A nice secluded little forest road. RVs will not make it, so it's nice and quiet.

  AWD/4WD needed on the rutted rocky road.

  Stayed one night and saw no one else.

  Multiple pulloffs for unmarked campsites, but the one I picked was right off the road.

  Cell service drops completely pretty soon after leaving the highway. I sporadically received some messages at my camp site but not reliably.

• 

  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.

• 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.

• 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).

• 

  Karylee H.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 17, 2020

  West Fork Dispersed

  Great Dispersed along the river

  This truck camper and a van went past the West Fork campground and the whole mile up to the bridge and the other side of the bridge was dispersed. The road was nice. After the bridge a little, turns into private and you can go to the Rainbow hot springs trailhead and hike to that also. Lots of mosquito this June day. No Verizon WiFi

• 

  Alexas B.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 30, 2021

  Whirlpool Dispersed Camping Area

  Not the right time of year

  Campsite got very muddy river was no clear what so ever. Otherwise quite nice

• 

  Austin and Christel S.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 22, 2023

  West Fork Dispersed

  Peace on the San Juan River

  First, access. From the road the 2nd bridge (start of dispersed) is 2.2 miles. This is the same road to rainbow hot springs trail. I camped 5 nights. The river was incredible. Had my dog with me, no problems with pets. Abundant chipmunks and hummingbirds. Don’t be confused by the West Fork campground operated by the forest service (they have potable water and vault toilets). Lows in 50’s and highs in the low 80’s. South wind until dusk, then north every night. Mosquitoes were manageable, flies were pretty bad

• 

  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.