Planning a dispersed camping trip near Farmington? Find the best information on dispersed campgrounds near Farmington, including photos, reviews, and tips. Find the perfect dispersed campsite for your next adventure.
Dispersed camping along Forest Service Road 316
San Juan National Forest encompasses about 1.8 million acres in the southwestern corner of Colorado. From high-desert mesas to alpine peaks, these federal lands are managed for multiple uses and visitors are asked to respect each other and the natural resources. The San Juan National Forest Headquarters is located in Durango, Colorado, with district offices in Bayfield, Dolores and Pagosa Springs.
The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is a rolling landscape of badlands which offers some of the most unusual scenery found in the Four Corners Region. Time and natural elements have etched a fantasy world of strange rock formations made of interbedded sandstone, shale, mudstone, coal, and silt. The weathering of the sandstone forms hoodoos - weathered rock in the form of pinnacles, spires, cap rocks, and other unusual forms. Fossils occur in this sedimentary landform. Translated from the Navajo language, Bisti (Bis-tie) means "a large area of shale hills." De-Na-Zin (Deh-nah-zin) takes its name from the Navajo words for "cranes". Because of the climate, most of the visits occur in the late spring/early summer and in the fall. Since this is a Wilderness Area, it is closed to motorized vehicles and mechanical forms of transportation (mountain bikes included). Also prohibited are campfires, collecting fossils or petrified wood, climbing on delicate geologic features, traveling in groups of more than eight people, and trespassing on adjacent tribal lands. Permits are required for uses such as grazing, scientific research, and commercial guiding. Though these trailheads are off regularly maintained roads, they are not paved. County Road 7500 can become extremely slick and impassible when wet. Conditions of roads can change at any time due to weather. Drivers should avoid dirt roads during rain or snow. Drivers should be cautious of wash-out following rain or snowmelt. Though camping in the Wilderness is a rewarding experience, there are no water sources. Visitors must carry all the water they will need for the duration of the trip.
The Durango Special Recreation Management Area is comprised of isolated parcels of Public Lands surrounding Durango Colorado. Durango SRMA includes five discontinuous units that encompass 6,300 acres of land adjoining the town of Durango offering a wide range of recreational activities with plenty of hiking and mountain biking trails. Mountain bikes can be rented at shops in town.
Dispersed camping is permitted within the Glade Run Recreation Area. Both developed sites and dispersed camping require a permit within Glade Run Recreation Area.
Scout
We stayed for 3 nights due to the convenience of Mesa Verde NP. The GPS coordinate on Google were spot on. The driveway was a little rough and can get very pitted with wet weather. We have a 38 foot 5th wheel that had plenty of clearance. We stayed in site 9. They do recommend 30ft and under but we got lucky there was an available site.
Scout
Camped at site #11. Beautiful sunset view. We drove a 4WD truck with truck bed camper with no problem. Never took it out of 2WD.
Traveler17 spots all pretty spaced out, filled up around 5pm on Sunday October 12 (but this could be due to the Indigenous Peoples day being tomorrow).
The surrounding landscape is beautiful.
We didn’t find the road too bad in our Ram Promaster, but we have a pretty high clearance.
Scout
Beautiful place! It's pretty easy to get into, there are more secluded places up the hill a ways but it gets kinda rough. You can hear the highway, but it's not much. Just ambient background noise. I got a spot with shade all day, so that was awesome. There was one night an inconsiderate person parked his company truck and camper as close to me as was possible with wide open space all over and ran his generator. Luckily he was gone the next day.
Legend
The site is literally right off of hwy 160. If your gps tries to send you through residential areas or on county roads don’t listen to it.
There are quite a few available spots and most are pretty big. Roads can be a bit rough the farther back you go but it’s got large easy to access spots close to the front. It’s pretty busy but still plenty of room for everyone to have their own space.
Phone and internet connection is excellent!
GuideThe only reason I give this place a 3 is because of the close proximity to Mesa Verde NP. This stay is only for high clearance vehicles and small RV's. Deep drain ditches between service road and sites. All sites are extremely uneven. Also the road and sites have sharp crushed shale stone. I have a 35 foot 5th RV and was way too big for this place. But by the grace of God I managed to back into site 12. How the use planks to shore up the ditches so I could get in without bottoming out. I will not return.
ScoutGoing east from Durango, you make a right turn on silver hills road. You will see the blm sign. Gravel road, fire pits. We stayed in a camper van at one of the first spots and had 5g internet with AT&T. Can hear highway noise
Traveler
Got here on a Sunday night at 9pm and site 7 was open. Perfect spot if you're visiting Mesa Verde.
Ranger
Traveling to Colorado from Albuquerque NM and this was a perfect place to camp. Arrived early Friday afternoon and got the only spot left our 26' toy hauler would fit in.
If you get there later in the afternoon on a weekend you will have a hard time finding a place in the official camping spots but you can disperse camp if the camp ground area is full.
We had good cell service with Verizon. It was cold for us but we had a nice fire to keep us warm.
ScoutWas great
Scout
We got to town late and our preferred spots were all taken, so we came here as a backup. The spots are all right off of the road and easy to get to. The views aren’t much, but they’re good spots. There’s a bit of traffic on the road but nothing out of the ordinary.
ScoutThis is a great spot, but there are only 15 sites, then it turns in to gated off private property. Get there early to help make sure you can find a spot.
GuideAwesome spot, TONS of places to pitch a tent or park a camper.
That being said - lots of generators, moderate views, cars driving by often.
ScoutCamped here a few weeks ago on our cross-country trek from Utah back to the east coast. Easy to find but as others noted use the coordinates. There is signage for BLM land right as you pull up.
We got to our spot a little before sunset but noticed that most spots were filled (late july, midweek) so keep that in mind.
Overall a nice spot, bug free for the most part and accessible with a stock truck.
Guide
We stayed at a site a couple down from this one but it wasn’t on the map so I thought I’d add it. This one has space for 2 vehicles. Road in is decent, fine for bigger rigs. From the trailhead at the point to Quinn creek there are 4 spots. None were occupied when we went, probably more the further down you go
TravelerIt was very easy to find, with good signs. We got here at 1030pm, and got one of the first campsites. Unsure of how many free there were. It was quite a bumpy road, but no problems for our RV. We did however get screamed at my a man in a tent on the campsite on the side of us, but ended up staying in place and had no problems.
TravelerTuta was not the place for the campsites, but rather the start of the road where you can find X amount of campsites.
ScoutWe stayed at campsite 4 and it was pretty nice spot. All the sites were pretty spread out and the road was good. It ended up raining overnight. We're from Minnesota so I had no idea the mud was going to be so horrible. My shoes were caked. The tent ended up super muddy. We were slipping and sliding on the road.
GuideJust arrived at Angel Peak dispersed campground near Bloomfield NM. It's Monday July 9th 2024. We stayed one night. The gravel road from HWY 550 is in good shape. Only one other camper in the entire area. This is completely dry camping. No potable water nor electricity. However, each site has a fire ring, picnic table and shade shelter. Everything is very tidy. Only a small bit of litter in the fire ring. Clean vault toilet nearby. Strong 5G TMobile cell signal.
RangerThis was such a nice spot super close to Mesa Verde national park. It was about a 5 minute drive from the park entrance. The road was a little bumpy at places and some of the spots were rutted up but any vehicle could navigate it if they are careful.
ScoutGreat place, but the coordinates are wrong . Using Google maps and it took us to town. Had to look at the map to get there.
TravelerGoogle maps was spot on. Road in was a little rutted, but the e350 made it no problem. Great nite sleep, we are self co tained.
GuideThe views are amazing here. Not all the sites are level, and this place can get a bit muddy if it rains, which it did for us. Established stone fireplace rings on all sites. Traffic noise from the main road carries, but dies off at night. Sites on right side of road are lower and can get muddier.
Legend
OHV trails are all over. I am not a OHV guy, but looks to be OHV haven. Flat and hilly areas for lots of fun. I’d stay away during heavy rain.
ScoutRoad is fair, all spots are marked. Some are to steep for a camper, but perfect for truck or van camping. We got to our spot around 4pm and by the time we were set up and heading into town for stuff all the spots were taken.
TravelerA perfect spot! Got a beautiful view, a feeling of privacy and nature. Road was comfortable and we had no problems with our private.
Traveler
Right after you pass the Columbine Basin and before you go up to Kennebec trailhead off to the right (after you pass your first stream) is this awesome campsite. It features a wide meadow in the open with rivers and streams beside it. One site is big enough for groups. It’s the last place you could camp before going to the trailhead. Unmarked but clearly visible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Farmington, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Farmington, NM is Mesa Verde National Park Boundary (BLM Land) with a 4.6-star rating from 25 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Farmington, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 28 dispersed camping locations near Farmington, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
