Looking for an adventure where you can explore El Rito and then fall asleep in your tent? Finding a place to camp in New Mexico with your tent has never been easier. From remote to easy-to-reach, these El Rito campsites are perfect for tent campers.
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.
Big Tesuque is a walk in campground not conducive to trailer or RV campoing. There are 10 units, Picnic tables and grills, and Vaulted toilets in the parking lot. There is no potable water and no Campground Host. The entire area is very scenic, and NM 475 is also designated as the Santa Fe Scenic Byway. Because of the large stands of aspen, the area is very busy, especially in the fall aspen viewing season. There are additional recreation opportunities along NM 475, both above and below Big Tesuque Campground, including hiking and biking trails, picnic areas, and in the winter. both nordic and alpine skiing. Tesuque is pronounced "Tess-U-key"
Guide
I will start with the only downside of this site: it is very active with hikers, families, dogs, and photographers. You can expect dozens upwards of a hundred faces a day hiking up here which can be extremely annoying and the car traffic can drive you nuts. That said, for the ease of access, for the beautiful trails, and for the clean amenities I think it is worth it. In the winter right before the ski area opens is your best bet for quiet camping. But in the summer, spring, fall, and during ski season you will have a lot of friendly faces. Again, not bad, but I know some folks are very interested in getting "away" from people while camping. To those I recommend this site for hiking and not staying. Highly recommend for folks who are less physically abled; I developed a heart condition which limits my abilities most days and the ease of access to these sites and close parking is great for someone who wants to be in touch with nature while enduring limiting conditions.
Scout
Stayed here 2 nights and had a great time. This campsite is in a great location to see the falls, and has a good layout. The pit toilets were clean, and well maintained. The camp hosts were very friendly and helpful when we had questions. I’ll definitely be back at some point!
Guide
There was a decent amount of snow but the road was easy enough to navigate. I came in from Las Alamos and went in about 7-8 miles. The site I found was amazing. There was a site available right as you pulled in and about 3-4 more half developed sites (fire rings) within a quarter mile walk in. It looks like there’s a bit of an OHV trail leading up the mountain, halfway. From there if you want to reach a peak you do have to bushwhack a bit. This was easily by top 10 dispersed campsites I’ve even been to and will definitely be coming back. Little to no service, roughly an hour 45 minutes from Albuquerque stayed 2 nights.
TravelerAfter a long drive I found this site to be posted and closed. I’m a newbie so I could be incorrect but check USFS closures.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/santafe/alerts-notices/?aid=88339
Guide
Campground is nestled in a bug group of dense pines and only a 15-20 minute drive from Los Alamos. Quite a few hiking trails in the areas to explore the high desert mesas and escape the heat of Albuquerque.
Traveler
The place was clean. Our issues were two.
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
Picnic table, running water in spigots, fire ring and a view. We drove our van right to the spot. Clean pit toilets. $7/night
Traveler
Unwisely, we decided to go here in a large RV. DON’T!
Ranger
Stayed in #21. Sites 13 and 30 a!so good but avoid campsites downwind of toilets. No water while we were there. Very nice & helpful host. Several 1st come/1st serve sites but seems to fill up fast. Bathrooms cleanish & well used. Several convenient to back of campground. Trees. Good spot for screen tent.
Ranger
Stayed in spot R1 which is pretty small/crowded in, but near river and trees. Lovely duck and geese ponds and river walk, also dog park. Clean restrooms and showers but no changing stalls in either mens/womens shower. Very quiet and affordable. Near to grocery. Grounds are well-kept and healthy & green (lots of trees, shrubs, beautiful walk by river). Sorry pics are a bit washed out, doesn't do it justice.
Guide
This place sufficed due to the need to have somewhere for the night, if we had the chance we’d have gone somewhere else. Massive piles of trash everywhere, sites strewn with people’s leftover garbage from camping there.
Due to its close proximity to the landfill, it was extremely loud during the morning from around 7am onwards.
There was a partial closure banning camping in a section of the landfill, which was incredibly difficult to figure out where we could camp, as the map is not clear at all,
Coyotes at night were really cool.
Overall disappointing but glad we managed somewhere to sleep for the night
ScoutWe loved it. Very spacious. Fire pits here and there.
Scout
It's a lovely location, and the camp is hosted by the Army Corps. They do a good job, the facilities and grounds are very well maintained. Drinking and marijuana consumption is strictly prohibited, with the hosts making regular rounds. The sites are so close together it may as well be one big group camp; I could hear everything going on in the sites around me at all hours of the night. Even when folks were in their tents and campers. Forget trying to enjoy a quiet evening stargazing. Was surrounded by large family groups who were having a great time, which I'm glad about, but it is not my cup of tea for camping.
Guide
We enjoyed our 2 nights here and would stay again next time we are in Taos. Easy access to all the activities in the area. Grounds and bathrooms were very clean. The staff was friendly and helpful. In late Sep it was still busy and full, but it was quiet within the RV park. We had a full hookup site and all services worked as expected. Wifi was available, with repeaters around the park. Mobile service was solid. The showers worked well and were clean. The only negative was the noise from the adjacent streets with what sounded like street racing, finally quieting down around 1AM.
Traveler
We loved the location. The hiking trails were awesome. We booked a reservable with hydro for one night and decided to extend our stay with the first come first serve system. The self pay stations are at each of the teo campground loops. The 2nd and 3rd night didn’t have hydro however the size of the site and view more than made up for it.
To use the dump station, you have to go to the Rangers Station and ask them to unlock the gate. The access is a bit tight and we were not able to fill our fresh water tank due to the State Park having to bring their water up by truck. All in all, it was worth it.
Ranger
We camped right to. The Red River, the site was fairly clean but we cleaned up what the campground host failed to pick up.
Picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilet was clean.
This is a great place to stay and it allows for day trips into Taos and Valle Vidal which is a spectacular trip. We saw large herds of bison roaming and had to wait for 20 minutes while they crossed the dirt road.
Traveler
20 gravel sites in the desert about 6 miles NW of Taos. Only issue is there was only 1 men's room and 1 woman's room. But since we were smallest rig in our Sprinter van it wasn't an issue as I think others in Class A and C rigs had their own showers.
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.
Scout
Mostly RV sites, some tent sites. Some with no hookups, partial hookand full hookups. Awesome staff. Full bathroom & laundry facilities.
Guide
Very small, but quiet and secluded primitive campground. Several sites appear to be overgrown or have too much debris to be usable. There are a couple sites that could fit a small trailer. All are suitable for tents or a van. The bathroom is still out of order. Mobile coverage was spotty, worked better if you went up to the nearby trailhead. The road up to the campground is in good shape, 4x4 not required. Overall traffic was very low. There was a little bit of firewood cutting nearby, with a few trucks making multiple trips. A few families were up on Sat for picnics. UTVs were minimal. There are a few dispersed options in the area.
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.
GuideThe weather is perfect in the summer! The Cumbres & Toltec steam train goes by the campground twice a day at the trestle. The Rio Chama flows along the edge of the campground. The staff was friendly and helpful. The town of Chama is within walking distance. Definitely worth staying.
Traveler
Yes, it can get packed but be prepared to go early enough to find a good spot. I prefer camp sites 7 through 10, even the very first site when you first come in since they are right near the river. If you really want to experience the haunt of the campground I prefer the campsites in the back 11 through 16.
I have not experienced the haunts until I camped at spot 15, this past Labor Day weekend on Friday night August 30, 2024. I went to bed and about 12 am I heard a voice say Hello to me. Then the last night my friend and I were by the fire we did not have any more neighbors as they left that Sunday, we had our trash bag hanging from my friends canopy there was no wind and that trash bag was swaying back and forth rapidly. Was definitely an experience.
The hikes are the best especially if you have time to go to the lake which you want to get an early start, just follow the trail in the back past the reservation spot to get to the trail and follow up get to the fork in the trail and hang a left to the lake. I love the camp site always clean restrooms and fun experience for the paranormal.
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
This is a wonderful little campground on the way to Taos Ski Valley. Sites are right on a creek & have picnic tables. From what we could tell, there are 2 different locations that we saw on the road, highway 150, one with sites 4-6 & further North where we stayed sites 1-3. We were able to find a level place to park the van & I took a dip in the creek in the morning. Refreshing! Camping is FREE at this campground for up to two weeks! There is no garbage here, so pack it in & pack it out.
GuidePlenty of spots and easy to get to. The only catch is you will need to find a spot away from the multiple large piles of trash.
The surrounding area was pretty and sunset was great!
Tent camping near El Rito, New Mexico, offers a blend of serene landscapes and outdoor adventures, perfect for nature enthusiasts looking to escape the hustle and bustle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near El Rito, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near El Rito, NM is Carson NF - Forest Service Road 578 - Dispersed Camping with a 4.4-star rating from 5 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 41 tent camping locations near El Rito, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
