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Please access this dispersed location using Llano del Norte which is an unmaintained gravel road. The paved access is a private road. Palomino and Mustang Roads are private.
The Caja del Rio area is a lower elevation and drier section of the Santa Fe National Forest. This is mainly a Piñon-Juniper dominated vegetation zone with areas of sage and mixed grasses. It is often open for recreational opportunities when the rest of the Forest is snowed over. Watch for seasonal road closures due to wet and very muddy roads. It is another good area for solitude and lesser travelled trails.
Primitive camping is allowed almost anywhere on the Santa Fe National Forest unless otherwise posted. These areas generally do not offer any amenities although occasionally you will find a toilet building or a picnic table and grill. Please keep your campsite at least 100 feet from streams and lakes, including riverbanks or areas next to bodies of water. This will help preserve the health of the riparian area and protect sensitive animals and plants found here.
Scout
This camp spot is one of the best free camp sites in New Mexico. Would definitely go again. Highly recommend to anyone who loves to camp and drive four wheelers
Traveler
Great boondocking spot @15 mins from downtown Santa Fe.
Zero amenities but clean, huge open areas, and safe.
Your are behind a huge solid waste transfer station but you’d never know besides the huge hill. No smell or garbage anywhere.
Pros-
-HUGE open area -WIFI is great (pull in and go to the left down by the cattle coral) -Clean areas -Safe -Bathrooms (Didn’t Use) -Tons of hiking -15mins tops to downtown Santa Fe -Free
Cons-
-Windy -Dusty -No water -No Dump Station
We got water at the dog park up the road with our water bladder bag. Try to go during dusk as it is way less busy with fewer spectators watching and wondering what you’re doing, we had zero issues! 😊
It’s a great Free spot for a night or two weeks also surrounded by BLM land so you can’t really go wrong.
This area is well big enough for any size rig, just stay to the right on the gravel road pass the cattle guard where the road is gravel and smoother for sure!
Enjoy! 😊
Guide
We came here planning on staying at Coyote Trailhead that was listed. Turns out you can't overnight park at the actual trailheads. And to get to the dispersed camping you have to have a jeep or similar rock climbing type vehicle & not towing anything. Crazy steep rock face in the middle of the road near the trailhead. So we turned around, saw this spot and no one was there. We spent the night, boondocking. No one bothered us.
ScoutThis is dispersed camping with mostly RVs, some vans, and a few tents and teepees. There are no hookups but near the entrance there is a building with two enclosed bathrooms. There is no trash collection so you must carry out everything you bring in. This is great free camping or just free overnight parking if you are self sufficient with your own water and solar power. There is lots of space but it seems like a lot of people just pull in and find spots near the front. We camped in August 2021 and days got up to 90 degrees. We hung out in SantaFe until about 8pm and it dropped to 80 and the breeze picked up. It is dry in the desert so 80 is very comfortable. Another nice thing about desert camping is there are some flies, and a few mosquitos but compared to the moist midwest we seem fine without having to use a lot of bug repellant. We will stay here again.
Ranger
The area is right next to a landfill which worried us at first but turned out not to be a problem, I imagine it gets worse in the warmer months. You can drive around and find some cool and private spots but there is trash seriously everywhere. We even found shot gun shells a little further out all over the ground. When you pull up to the area you can either turn right into the blm land or go straight past the signage into the National park area. I think it said El Camino Real. This is where the toilets and shelter is. The toilets were actually well kept. There were some nice people but I can imagine if you drive further out away from people it feels a little sketchier. It wasn’t the best, but it was definitely free.
Guide
Perfect dispersed camp spots close to town but very quiet. Except a few evening fun shots. Lots of spots scattered with plenty of privacy.
Ranger
My friends and I were climbing at the Cattle Wall all day, and decided we wanted to disperse camp. While we pulled up to Jemez camping nearby, the park rangers told us it was closed because of Covid, but we could go down the road to this unmarked, unnamed, dispersed camp site.
when we did we drove to the left, followed the path until we saw an opened gate, and turned up to a site on the right. It was well-used and had a fire pit, but you're not allowed to have fires right now.
We wandered down to a cliff, and the most BEAUTIFUL view awaited us. If it was known, it would be a better view than the jemez falls and people would FLOCK to it. Instead, it was our campsite, free, and people-less. This is just a new mexico thing, I guess. finding best kept secrets everywhere.
PS: weather was perfect, no sounds from anywhere in the campsite, completely amazing! Definitely go here.
TravelerThis is a massive dispersed camping area. I’m not really sure how far in the camping spots go, but so far I’ve seen over 100, with about 1/4 of them taken right now. Many, but not all, are level spots. Roads vary depending on which spots your getting to. Great cell service. Great views. And minutes away from stores and gas stations.
Traveler
This dispersed camping is a great spot to stop. There are multiple site identified with lot signs and fire rings. Some of the spots are Easier to access than others. Be prepared for a road that in rough shape. I would not recommend accessing this if your in a small sedan or a large vehicle pulling something as if will be difficult to maneuver. You will likely need 4x4 and some ground clearance. My Rav 4 did just fine at the first few spot but I wouldn’t take it much further. It’s primitive camping no water no outhouse. It’s past the group camping site turn on the left. Great hiking in the area and it felt like a safe location. You can hear cars and dirt biking in the background but activities ended around 7 and made for a peaceful night. I liked it a lot and would come back again!
GuideThis was a great campsite! Dispersed and secluded. Between Tijeras and Albuquerque. In the Cibola National Forest. When you turn into Juan Tomas (FS 542) Rd - be sure to go straight down nearly to the very end of the road. You’ll see signs marking campsites (refer to photos). Sites were large with fire rings. No showers or other amenities… however there are two vault toilets along the road (only one was usable). They are gross - so be prepared to do your business in nature. Cell phone tower nearby - so cell service was great. We saw a coyote and a snake and several beetles. If you love nature and want to be secluded - highly recommended!
GuideI live in Albuquerque, and this road is one of my constant summer repeats. You got water, shade, privacy and an adventure. It's about 1.5 hours from Abq and it takes you through the Gilman Tunnels which is always a fun stop and view. The road is a little bumpy and rocky, but there's probably 100 dispersed camping spots. There's ones right on the river, in forrest spots or meadows, you choose! There are no bathrooms, water, or cell service. Everyone has got their spot in Jemez, but this road offers endless possibilities, for all types of campers!
Guide
There are a few tent spots and car camping spots, and it’s right along a creek where you can fly fish. It was a longer drive out there than expected, but there’s a sign that lets you know your in the National forest and out of peoples private property. You probably want 4WD because the road was rough, but definitely worth it with the fall colors! We loved this spot!
Guide
Was exploring for a weekend campsite and turned north on hwy 485 just south of Jemez. After a few miles you get the opportunity to pass thru the Gilman Tunnels along the Jemez creek. For the next 11 miles there are numerous dispersed camping areas; however, vehicles are not allowed between road and river. After the 11 miles the river designation changes and becomes smaller. Continuing north there are countless opportunities for dispersed camping with sites on both sides of road. The road will eventually lead into Hwy 126 with several developed campground. The place we chose was about 4 miles south of Hwy 126, a large area designed to accommodate up to perhaps 40 sites. It was across from some tent rocks which also had a campsite. Cool area and especially good for large groups. Several large campers could make a weekend community here.
GuideThere are a ton of campsites here, and even more options if you have a high clearance vehicle.
If you have a low clearance RV I recommend taking the first road to the left after crossing the cattle guard. That road leads around most of the camping area and you can avoid the side roads with the steep entrances.
It is right next to a landfill which is interesting but there were no flies or smells in October.
For a free camping area right next to a city the area felt safe and was surprisingly clean.
Guide
We stayed here 3 nights over Memorial Day weekend. Got in Thursday night and there were plenty of sites to choose from. As other reviews have said, the sites are spaced out well and there were always sites available throughout the weekend. We camped on the road that immediately turns to the right. Along the entire length of this road dispersed camping is allowed. If you go to the left (high clearance is good to have but could make it with 2wd) dispersed camping isn't allowed till you're about a mile in (see map picture). There are some fun single track trails (Water Canyon and Perimeter Trail) accessible from the campsite if you plan on mt biking or running/hiking. Bandelier National Monument is about 15 min drive away and is a fun place to checkout and climb in some cliff dwellings.
Just as a side note we saw 3 coyotes our first night in and heard them howling in the AM and PM, so keep pets leashed if you bring them and keep small kiddos close!
ScoutLots of open space for dispersed camping
TravelerThis area has multiple free camping spaces. If you follow the road, you can find the prefect camping for you. We saw from damp camping areas to big groups spaces. There is a fire restriction to gas stove only and there is no bathrooms or potable water.
TravelerOverall, this is a good spot to camp. It was simple to find, there was plenty of space for dispersed camping, and was a quiet place.
TravelerDispersed camping on the edge of Santa Fe. Easy access. Some former homeless camps and trash scattered around. Go further in for a more scenic vista on high ground.
GuideNot too far out of Santa Fe. There are multiple places for dispersed camping along the same road, including a few trailhead campgrounds like Diablo Canyon (rock climbing hot spot).
GuideFSR 181 B is a dispersed corridor, and on the little stretch of road there are like 6 sites. They aren't super close, but closer than I expected from dispersed camping. Travel further down 181 across the little canyon and there are more spread out sites, but they are also more exposed.
Guide20 mins from Sata Fe, lots of open roads and land for dispersed camping. Can get a bit crowded and hard to find a spot away from people, but plenty of room.
TravelerMy first time dispersed camping was a success! Enough space for people to spread out, little trees help with privacy. Freezing here at night but it is winter! Beautiful views and just enough service for t-mobile! Couldn’t ask for more really! Just remember Leave No Trace as I did see some litter, nothing crazy tho. Awesome spot.
RangerStayed: May 26, 2024 Cost: FREE Site: 35.84243° N, 106.37266° W Cell Service: Solid LTE AT&T and T-Mobile Equipment: Forester / Tent
Different apps give this different names. It is Forest Road 181 within Santa Fe National Forest, directly off of Highway 4.
This is some great National Forest camping. Seemed like plenty of room when you first turn in and the you can go left or right. We went left and continued to the end of the road. There were a few sites along the drive back, but we pulled up the satellite map and wanted to keep going. It gets pretty rocky and you’ll need a bit of clearance in some spots.
To get to the end of the road site, when you pull off Highway 4, take a left and then eventually a right at the fork in the road further beyond (~1.5 miles from Highway 4). There were a couple more sites along this road, not very level, so we continued on and are so glad we did! About 30 min from Hwy 4 to end of this road. Elevation is just over 8,000 feet at this point.
GuideEasy to get to just outside of Santa Fe. It’s BLM dispersed so no facilities at all and a bit of a Nomadland vibe. Some folks were pistol shooting in an arroyo until dark. We were able to find a spot with adequate privacy but not isolated, although one could certainly go further in. A truck with just running lights came through during the night and a BLM LE officer came by in the morning. It was cold af in mid-Dec. I would stay here again.
GuideSpacious sites, great cell reception and very close to town. Will definitely boondock here again!
GuideFor Dispersed Camping this is good. We are a 45’ DP with 30’ trailer and found a place shortly after we came into the gates. I had rained the day before but had no issues as ground soaked it up. The area did a have several other campers all about a football field apart. Cell was 3-4 bars on ATT and Verizon. If you look on google maps you will see it is close to the landfill but we experienced no issues from that.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Cochiti Lake, New Mexico, where nature lovers can find serene spots to unwind and explore the great outdoors. With a variety of locations offering unique experiences, campers can enjoy the freedom of camping without the constraints of traditional campgrounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Cochiti Lake, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Cochiti Lake, NM is Sante Fe National Forest BLM-Road 62 Dispersed with a 4.2-star rating from 39 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 37 dispersed camping locations near Cochiti Lake, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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