Looking for dispersed camping near Nogal? Dispersed camping is an excellent way to get away from it all and to disconnect. Find dispersed campsites you've visited before, or discover new spots from other campers.
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.
Partially developed picnic and dispersed camping area nestled next to the waterfalls called Bluff Springs. A short trail exists just beyond the bridge that will take you up and over the waterfalls as well as another trail (Willie White Spur T112) that follows and old railroad grade to the east.
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
We 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!
Guide
This was a beautiful location, near the town of Cloudcroft. We enjoyed the cooler weather up in the mountains. It was peaceful and quite. There were not very many spaces available. We should have have just stayed in the first location we found though. We went to the end of the road to find out that there was no way to turn our 29 ft trailer. We had to go in reverse about 1/4 mile to find a place to turn around.
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.
Ranger
Sunspot Hwy to Rio Peñasco Rd., past the pavement onto dirt road for about 2 miles before coming to the trailhead/bathrooms on your right. No overnight camping at the trailhead but overnight camping is allowed beyond that point, along the creek. Very quiet and private, a bit of snow was still down at the end of March, no other campers. Very windy, so campfires are allowed but need to be well controlled. Great spot all-around. There is NO Verizon service there or on the way in, pretty much since you pass Haynes Canyon on Sunspot.
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.
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.
Ranger
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.
TravelerWe were here Labor Day weekend and it was so busy. Do not expect the have a quiet camp if you go on a holiday weekend. That is my only complaint though. It was beautiful, the stream was so pretty. The waterfall is so fun, and the natural spring was super convenient! It dropped into the 50’s at night but was low 80’s during the day! So bring blankets and jackets for night time!
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 tent camped here on a Friday night, it was kind of crowded for dispersed camping but a really beautiful place and still easy to find a spot despite arriving at like 8:30pm. We camped right on the creek, kids loved playing in it and seeing the waterfall. We saw deer, tons of elk, a hummingbird came right up to us and chirped and tried to land on us, and we woke up the first morning to a herd of cows mooing and walking past our tents with their calves. Would definitely stay here again. No cell signal (Verizon). Road to get there is not paved and in some places can only fit one vehicle so we did see some minor issues with that with people traveling the road.
GuideThis place was an unexpected blessing in our NM trip. The road through the forrest was enough to take your breath away but little did we know that where we camped would be the peak of our week long trip. You can’t deny the stark temp difference coming from Roswell to LNF. We parked on the side of a hill with the tall trees up the sunset and wind. Never felt so in tune with nature. I’m coming back for more.
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
TravelerA 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.
Scout
We 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!
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.
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.
GuideCell service barely exists, on and off 1 bar AT&T. It's a Forest road so check it out before pulling you trailer up it. Was gated and locked about 1.5 miles in no room to turn a rig around there. Larger than vehicle should stay at beginning of road.
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.
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.
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.
Guide04/15/22 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.
GuideGood little spot away from traffic. Had some snow coverage in February that made everything look beautiful. Definitely a good stop!
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!
TravelerWent 12/28-12/30 and the actual campground area was packed the whole time even with it being 20-30 degrees outside. Extremely windy and most areas only get an hour or two of sun. Do not take the route via Mayhill, take the sunspot hwy route in cloudcroft (mayhill route will be 9 miles of horrible unpaved road while cloudcroft route is only about 2 miles unpaved). If you like to be away from people and have a 4x4/AWD vehicle, take the right at the fork when it turns to unpaved road. The area is basically surrounded by neighborhood, especially the east side of the campground. No cell coverage but is not far from Cloudcroft where you get signal. If you like being away from people, this probably isn’t your spot. Traffic up and down the roads. Elk, mule deer, and turkey were seen.
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
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
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Nogal, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Nogal, NM is Upper Bonito Dispersed Recreation Area with a 4.3-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Nogal, NM?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 dispersed camping locations near Nogal, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
