Best Dispersed Camping near Ruidoso Downs, NM

Recent Dispersed Reviews in Ruidoso Downs

101 Reviews of 22 Ruidoso Downs Campgrounds

• 

  K&S Adventures !.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 22, 2024

  Upper Bonito Dispersed Recreation Area

  Night at Bonito Dispersed!

  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!

• 

  Shari G.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 10, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Location + Free + Spectacular Sunsets = Great Option Near White Sands NP!

  This whole valley is just… something! A disappearing and reappearing lake, ancient human and mastodon footprint fossils, the birthplace of nuclear reactions and aerospace exploration -- all this AND hills of white gypsum sand upon which you can sled year round?  Not bad for the middle of New Mexico, between two mountain ranges. 

  However, camping nearby leaves something to be desired, even in the RV parks – which is never our thing. However, during a couple of visits we’ve spent the night at some BLM areas just a few miles to the east of the main entrance to the National Park. We’ve spent nights on either side of the highway, but the better boondocking area is on the north side of the highway here at Holloman Lake (not for swimming, read other reviews for details).  You’re right on the border of the air force base, so expect a lot of activity nearby.  In December, there were maybe 6-8 other RV's nearby, but lots of space to spread out.  Road in was good (a little rough in spots) but overall pretty easy, even for our 67 year old camper. The sunsets are always spectacular, even better if it's a bit windy as the fine grains of gypsum sand are in the air, creating gorgeous color.

  There’s nothing in the way of services at this place, just a good, quiet place to park for a few nights.  But, the wide open range has everything you need for solar power and Starlink.  

  Outdoor activities outside of the park can be found up in the mountain ranges to the east of Alamogordo, or to the west in the mountains closer to Las Cruces. 

  Alamogordo is just 15- 20 minutes away where you can get anything you might need, food, groceries, gas, laundry etc.  Oh, and go to the New Mexico History of Space Museum...super fun for kiddos of all ages!

• 

  Violeta A.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 27, 2024

  Forest Rd 568 Dispersed

  Large Rigs beware

  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.

• 

  Julie F.

  Guide

  

  May. 28, 2024

  Dog Canyon

  Great spots, easy access, cell service

  Many great spots available and easily accessible by low clearance vehicles (we have a camper class B van). Very close (less than a mile?) to the state park, and about 30 minutes from white sands NM. Very quiet. Cell signal. Dog friendly.

• 

  Brian and Janet S.

  Guide

  

  May. 26, 2024

  Alamo Peak Rd

  RV dispersed camping

  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.

• 

  Mike B.

  Guide

  

  May. 23, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Convenient to white sands

  Super convenient (maybe 4 minutes) to White Sands National Park, the "lake" is reclaimed waste water from the nearby Air Force base and the whole area can kinda intermittently smell like stale farts. Fairly decent amount of flat space for RV's, but turning around might be tricky based on congestion.

• 

  MC

  Scout

  

  May. 23, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Good spot for boondocking White Sands

  Found the location on Google. During my time there the lake had a bit of a funk but not too bad. Some reviews said there wasn’t anything while they were there but alas I was not so lucky

  No amenities, just an empty lot, but decent enough for a night while exploring white sands. Gravel access road is pretty good and my low clearance sedan had no trouble with it

• N

  Nick F.

  Scout

  

  May. 23, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Decent spot

  DO NOT go in the water. There is currently an ongoing lawsuit against the USAF due to the amount of PFAS in the water from firefighting foam. That being said, it’s a great little spot if you’re planning on hitting White Sands NP. Was fairly packed during my visit last month but I still found a spot. Very quiet and peaceful!

• 

  William C.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 27, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Convenient but Noisy

  Good spot to camp near white sands. Very busy- but most people seem to stick to the large lot near the entrance. If you follow the road around to the west side of the lake there are additional spots that are a bit more secluded.

  The Air Force does regular flyovers throughout the day on weekdays. Very loud.

• 

  Crista G.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 19, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Busy but convenient and great sunset

  Quite busy and noisy with people running their generators. No privacy. The redeeming factor is the sunset was spectacular over the lake!

• 

  Crista G.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 19, 2024

  Dog Canyon

  Beautiful, spacious, and quiet!

  Stayed for 3 days and only saw a few cars pass by that whole time. Felt very private and had plenty of space. Lots of beautiful birds and some bats flying around at dusk! Tmobile service was pretty good, mostly had 5G but did lose 5g service a couple of times. Starting to get hot in April!

• E

  Erin G.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 6, 2024

  Picacho Road Dispersed Camping

  Decent Place to Stop, Nothing Special

  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

• 

  Rachel S.

  Ranger

  

  Apr. 4, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Busy but great location for White Sands

  Pretty crowded on a Wednesday night in April. Had a little trouble finding a level spot far enough away from others but otherwise no complaints for this free camp spot, great sunset views!

• F

  Frans H.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 2, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Windy.

  Little more than 3 miles from White Sands Natl. Park easily found rough road. Quite, didn't find to m8ch trash

• 

  Twan M.

  Ranger

  

  Apr. 2, 2024

  Dog Canyon

  Desert Solitude

  Easy to access, plenty of spots along the main road and other spurs going off from it. Drove the whole way until it dead ends into State Park land (fenced) then turned around and went down a spur on the left to a great spot. Verizon service, starry skies.

• 

  Twan M.

  Ranger

  

  Mar. 29, 2024

  Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping

  Private Pine Valley

  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.

• 

  Jess T.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 24, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Not Bad At All

  Super close to white sands, sunset and sunrise were great. It was relatively busy but the sites are far enough away from each other that it still felt private. At night you can hear the sounds from the highway and see the lights from the base/city. Also as an FYI, not sure I saw this ahead of time, the lake is actually a wastewater treatment pond so steer clear from the actual water.

• 

  Jani L.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 13, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Perfect Spot, plenty of space

  1990 Winnebago Chieftain towing a '95 Wrangler from LA > FL

  Got here late last night driving from Albuquerque and since it's essentially just all dirt/shrub, you're able to park wherever you can (just don't block the worn in dirt roads obviously). Had about 30 other RVs, campervans, 5th wheels, tents and cars parked all around. Any type of camper is welcome and their space respected. Quiet, everyone was respectful of one another. Mostly families with young children and retirees. Woke up to a beautiful lake. A bit windy though, for anyone thinking of tent camping or has a tall vehicle.

• N

  Nick B.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 12, 2024

  Bailey Canyon

  Great dispersed spot in the mountains

  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.

• 

  Mark G.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 21, 2024

  Dry Canyon Near Hang Glider Launch

  Great camping. Difficult terrain. Gun range at the bottom.

  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.

• 

  Teresa T.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 25, 2023

  West Mesa Trailhead BLM Dispersed

  All kinds of dispersed camping available

  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.

• 

  Courtney M.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 13, 2023

  Dog Canyon

  Beautiful New Mexico Mountain Views

  This was my husband and I’s first experience boondocking and we were looking for a location close enough to the White Sands National park that wouldn’t be to far of a drive and this location was perfect. Clean, Quite and Beautiful. We enjoyed seeing all the rock trails that have been created from previous visitors.

• J

  Joe Z.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 12, 2023

  Dog Canyon

  Nice place to stay

  Numerous sites with fire rings and clean. The turn off from the paved road is difficult to spot and the unpaved road is rough. High ground clearance recommended.

• N

  Noah K.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 8, 2023

  Lincoln NF - Forest Service Road 64 - Dispersed Camping

  Beautiful Area

  Beautiful area off Davis drive, so many areas to camp. Some are restricted to motor vehicles but just keep driving down the gravel road and you will find something. Lots of open meadows but also shaded areas with trees.

• H

  Hailee S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 4, 2023

  Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping

  Super pretty, SUPER busy

  We 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!

• A

  Alex G.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 6, 2023

  Upper Bonito Dispersed Recreation Area

  Good camping area, very peaceful

  It’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

• 

  PJ M.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 5, 2023

  Dog Canyon

  Best free camping near Alamogordo

  About 20 minutes south of Alamogordo. Main dirt road is fine, even for larger rigs. Side road that runs north/south may give you issues.

  Plenty of obvious campsites, many of which are level. Mine had a stone border created by previous guests which was pretty cool.

  Great views in every direction, but many sites will be exposed to wind. Was pretty gusty when I was there.

  Be advised, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park is right next door, but dump station is clearly marked as only for guests. Water and dump station were physically locked at 4pm which is stupid.