If you're looking for a place to dispersed camp near Lincoln, look no further. Find the best information on dispersed campgrounds near Lincoln, including photos, reviews, and tips. Each dispersed site offers quick access to one or more of Lincoln's most popular destinations.
The Upper Bonito Dispersed Recreation Area is located at the end of Forest Road 107 in Bonito Canyon. It is a popular dispersed camping site with access to the adjacent White Mountain Wilderness Area and its trails.
Throughout the Lincoln National Forest you are allowed to do what is called 'dispersed camping'. This is a rustic experience where you are allowed to drive up to 300' off of designated dirt Forest Service roads onto USFS lands to park and camp. Do not drive across creeks and no camping is allowed on private property or within city or village limits. The Motor Vehicle Use Map, available as a download from fs.usda.gov/Lincoln, will show detail on where camping is allowed in each district, as well as a listing of the roads allowing dispersed camping. This map is also available at the District offices, at no charge. No permits are needed for dispersed camping and no cost is associated with this camping experience. Be sure to bring what you need, especially water, and also pack out what you pack in. Leave No Trace principles should be followed for all camping experiences in the National Forest.
Throughout the Lincoln National Forest you are allowed to do what is called 'dispersed camping'. This is a rustic experience where you are allowed to drive up to 300' off of an open public road onto USFS lands to park and camp. No permits are needed for such activity and no cost is associated with this camping experience. Be sure to bring what you need, especially water, and also pack out what you pack in.
Throughout the Lincoln National Forest you are allowed to do what is called 'dispersed camping'. This is a rustic experience where you are allowed to drive up to 300' off of designated dirt Forest Service roads onto USFS lands to park and camp. Do not drive across creeks and no camping is allowed on private property or within city or village limits. The Motor Vehicle Use Map, available as a download from fs.usda.gov/Lincoln, will show detail on where camping is allowed in each district, as well as a listing of the roads allowing dispersed camping. This map is also available at the District offices, at no charge. No permits are needed for dispersed camping and no cost is associated with this camping experience. Be sure to bring what you need, especially water, and also pack out what you pack in. Leave No Trace principles should be followed for all camping experiences in the National Forest.
Guide
04/15/22 service road 568, Lincoln National Forest, NM
Friday night/Good Friday
I found this camp on a suggestion from a local waitress at Big Daddy’s. It was a short drive off the main road to get to the camp. The spot I found felt pretty secluded despite there being a lot of other campers in the area. There were several rock fire rings so I took my pick based on the direction of the wind.
It’s a dispersed area, so no bathrooms or showers, but well worth it for the scenery. There was a dry water run off that ran the entire length down the mountain and a tree lined bluff across from there. I bet it’s pretty cool to see the water run when the snow melts.
There was an occasional OHV that cruised by and people walking their dogs, but everything went calm before sunset. I would have liked to hit some of the trails in the area, but my Jeep was completely overloaded so I decided to come back another time.
Legend
It was late November and cold so I stayed where I had electric service. But I rode my bike all over the place and there's dispersed camping everywhere. Good cell phone service. I plan on staying for a full week and working from here. Lots of things to see and do close Ruidoso is interesting Lincoln is interesting. Probably not the place to stay in high summer but otherwise really great location.
Traveler
A lot of dispersed camping areas don't have toilets, but this one does.
Lots of first come first served campsites along the little creek. Not much privacy when it's busier (warmer months).
Good base camp for some of the best hiking around Ruidoso (Big Bonito Trail, Argentina Trail, etc.)
Be prepared for lots of dust with the dirt road uphill from sites.
In the summer there are horse riding camps set up to provide trail rides.
Can get snowed in in the Winter months.
Guide
This was a good patch of dirt and trees up in the mountain with a good clearing to park the truck. Very much so dispersed camping with no amenities. The road up was a little muddy but over all smoother and easy. We picked a spot at the highest point along Bailey Canyon Rd. There were several other dispersed spot further down the road. Nobody in sight, no animal sightings either.
LegendThis is right off of highway 244. From CloudCroft take highway 82 east to highway 244 about half mile past designated campgrounds is a dirt road to the left. There is a large grass/dirt area right off the road on the left and a couple of spots further down. To the right there are a couple of more"secluded" spots though the generator noise and the chainsaws are still loud. One generator ran all night long. The chainsaw eventually stopped after the guy had maybe enough for a log cabin.
You can continue up the road which is a nice hike and there are a few more pull out site along the road. The road Ys and to the left are more sites that are private but the road is a bit rough. This place is FREE which we usually look for but this is probably one of the loudest we've been to. Both roads at the Y offer a nice hike with minimal traffic, there was only a single vehicle we came upon. Very nice.
Good cell reception AT&T and Verizon. No water, garbage or bathrooms. PACK IN AND OUT! Multiple rock fire rings in random places as this is a dispersed camping area and watch out for the multitude of animal limbs and carcasses laying around from hunters.
GuideIf you don't feel like dropping 20 bucks a night or more for a spot to camp, this is a great alternative. FR 568 is about a mile long and has a ton of all types of dispersed camping on both sides of the road, from little tent sites to pull-throughs for campervans and trailers.
Not a terrible road at all. I drive a little, low-clearance hatchback and was able to make it all the way to the end of the road and back out while scoping out sites. Go the whole length and see what your options are so you can pick the best one.
Guide
The camping is great and the views are amazing. However, the trail up to the camping spots is steep, washed out, and tight. Can be navigated with a stock 4x4 pick up. Also, there is a gun range at the bottom, so you'll hear gun shots til sundown. Also, a little highway noise is present in the distance.
TravelerGreat strip of dispersed campsites along the forest road. Very high elevation (8000ft), so it can get colder. Cell service is great. Services are near at cloudcroft. Was rather crowded here in October but still plenty of spot.
Guide
It's a decent pull off from a random dirt road in New Mexico. You have to drop off into a slight ditch to get to the spot, about 3-4 inches I'd say. We were fine in a truck camper but it's something to consider. There was a decent amount of local trees traffic on the road, but we were far enough away from the highway that we couldn't hear much of any road noise. Literally just a patch of somewhat level gravel
GuideNeeded a last resort spot to sleep and decided on finding a spot here. Visited in last day in November, so it was a bit cold at night. Since it was so late in the year I ran across 0 other people, and at night it was absolutely silent. You can get as far away from main roads as you need. There are infinite spots on this road. It’s quite long and the road conditions aren’t all that bad, so anyone can access it. You can tell where other people have been due to campfires. But if you visit anytime in the year I’m sure you’re able to find a spot, as they can extend up to 200ft back into the woods and have lots of area. About 5 min drive to main road and 8 minutes to cloudcroft. There was no trash, and also no amenities. I highly recommend this spot if you need somewhere free to stay extended or even one night if you’re visiting Lincoln. Coordinates are accurate
Guide
Needed a last resort spot to sleep and decided on finding a spot here. Visited in last day in November, so it was a bit cold at night. Since it was so late in the year I ran across 0 other people, and at night it was absolutely silent. You can get as far away from main roads as you need. There are infinite spots on this road. It’s quite long and the road conditions aren’t all that bad, so anyone can access it. You can tell where other people have been due to campfires. But if you visit anytime in the year I’m sure you’re able to find a spot, as they can extend up to 200ft back into the woods and have lots of area. About 5 min drive to main road and 8 minutes to cloudcroft. There was no trash, and also no amenities. I highly recommend this spot if you need somewhere free to stay extended or even one night if you’re visiting Lincoln. Coordinates are accurate
Guide
We have a 30 foot motor home and were so glad to find a dispersed spot in the mountains we could fit!
Rim Trails and Alamo Peak Trails in walking distance. There were other campers nearby but it was quiet and beautiful.
No cell service except for a few bars down the road toward Alamo Peak.
Elk, hummingbirds, all tucked away in aspen grove. This is a special spot.
GuideThe good: it was enjoyable out in the night sky and the stars were very clear and beautiful. Fire pits were all over the place and area had a lot of spots to set up camp.
The bad: camp sites were a little too close together and for a packed Labor Day weekend it wasn’t quite the escape it could have been. Weird noise in middle of night, sounding like screaming but who really knows.
Overall had a good time and would return.
GuideArrived around 6 pm on a Tuesday evening. Took a right at the fork (sweet group campsite there but occupied) and stayed the night at a pull off to the left, about halfway up the hill. Road is a little rough but flattens out as you go up the hill. After the fork, sites big enough for a van or larger Class B but that's it. I had AT&T 3-4 bars of signal, enough to work my remote job and stream You-Tube. A very nice group site at the top of the hill, big enough for 2-3 Class Bs. 5 bars of AT&T there. You might get something slightly bigger but not a lot of turnaround space for a bigger rig. No services or toilets. Lots of quiet.
GuideEasy to find and not a rough drive. I saw several dirt pull offs surrounded by trees before parking. This was a very private remote area in the forest. It was a nice change of pace from the desert that surrounds the Forrest! Although I did not see anything, there were signs of wildlife everywhere. I got 1-2 bars of cell service here. Would spend multiple nights in this spot!
Traveler
Not to many trees that are tall so u get cover but not complete seclusion but enof to where it’s enjoyable and u see the sky at nights so path ways are very down sloap if ur in a car know how to drive cougars so bring either 40 cal gun or a 45 cal gun fpr power not a 9 mm i dont get why people get those its like getting a 22 but a little more powerful so please be smart get something with some kick to it i can actually see the vally of trees witch is nice if u are a photo guy or girl umm pretty simple to get to alot of open areas just keep quit respect the rules and ull be fine just enjoy
GuideWent to this area to camp and pan for gold. Creek near by that didn't have much water in it. But over all pretty (Dry) Area.
TravelerIt’s a nice area to spend with another person and even with kids, restrooms are clean, there’s some privacy if you find s good spot, could be busy during the weekend, but it’s worth visiting
GuideWe had a great night drove through the entire area and off roads to find a nice quiet area we had our son and two big doggos and had plenty of space for them to roam. Lots of trails nearby and the lake of course!
ScoutGreat spot! Excellent service. Couldn’t ask for a better spot in the trees :)
ScoutSleeping surrounded by the trees was awesome. It was so calm. Not a lot of cars drive through the road right beside it, so it’s pretty quiet.
GuideCell coverage, good clearings. Fills up fast though!
GuideNice road with not to many bad spots fairly smooth and nice. You can have a fire, lots of fire rings at every turn, also lots of rocks so if your ground tenting it can be an issue.
GuideWe planned on only staying up here a couple days, but plans off the mountain fell through and we stayed for 12. It was gorgeous. Huge forest with lots of exploring to do. We got a nice little private spot under a huge tree. There was lots of really nice people staying at the sites at the entrance, but if you go further you can find some privacy. Less than a 5 minute drive from Cloudcroft. We also found a lot of bones from dead animals which was pretty cool.
GuideEasy to find. A little rough getting in, but we made it in a small SUV. Not sure how well a car will do.
Lots of wildlife driving in. We saw 6 big elk and several deer.
Cold at night but it warmed up when the sun came out.
Lots of fire pits, but if you’re in a tent the ground is uneven and rocky.
ScoutWe went in mid-march and the road there was decently slick. However, after turning a corner we had to stop because a tree was in the road. We lost our momentum and had to sleep in the truck for the night. I’m sure it’s a nice place but be prepared!
GuideStayed a couple of nights in different sites. I would recommend a 4-wheel drive and maybe something with a little clearance. It's pretty rocky so take your time. My site was large and I couldn't see or hear any neighboring sites. I had a handful of others drive by but overall it was quiet. I would absolutely stay here again if I was in the area. The nights were gorgeous and quiet.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Lincoln, New Mexico, where nature lovers can find serene spots away from the crowds. With a variety of locations offering unique experiences, this area is perfect for those seeking adventure and tranquility.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Lincoln, NM is West Mesa Trailhead BLM Dispersed with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.
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