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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.
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 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
This is a quiet area tucked away in Lincoln National Forest. It's not too far from Cloudcroft, NM so it's easy to resupply on water, snack, etc. You can camp right next to a creek and the valley makes for some great views. This area is basically everything you can ask for when dispersed camping. It's quiet and other than the occasional hiker, nobody else is around. There's plenty of hiking and just good times to be had. A quintessential camping experience.
Traveler
Ok, so it's free on BLM land and there's quite a few places to put your camper. I'm sure you could pitch a tent as well. Most spots are reasonably level and the road in should be fine for most travel trailers, I wouldn't pull in a huge trailer but under 40' should be able to fund something that works.
There's a self appointed camp host most of the year, you'll know him when you meet him. He'll be the one in a thong. Yes. A thong. No, it's not a big deal. Talk to him, and you'll understand why, and you'll be fine with it. He's a great guy, and he made our stay better.
All in all, great little BLM spot. Watch out for all the bushes. They're basically midevil torture devices masquerading as bushes.
Ranger
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!
RangerBluff Springs is nestled in a pretty forested valley with a creek and falls in Lincoln National Forest about 10 miles south of Cloudcroft off Sunspot highway on Upper Peñasco Road. There’s a gravel parking lot with bathrooms but no campground. We tent camped Sat, Aug. 1, 2020, arriving about 2pm. There were many people camping and it was difficult to find a spot along the road with dispersed camping sites. We had to camp in thicker grass among cow dung because the mowed sites were taken. Still, life outside is better, right? It stormed much of the day and night but Sunday morning dawned clear and we took a short 1-mile hike from the Bluff Springs trailhead to the Willie White trailhead. There are longer hikes too. There were some camping trailers but no big RVs. Upper Peñasco Road is narrow in parts. A decent place.
TravelerThis is our first time on BLM land. We didn’t really know what to expect. We pull a 36’ fifth wheel and was a little apprehensive about coming to a place like this for fear of being too large. After getting through the gate though, there is plenty of room. We got a nice spot right on the lake. There are a few other campers but it’s not crowded. We have enough distance between us to let our dogs off leash. The only advice I have is if you’re pulling a trailer and approaching from Alamogordo you should make a wide right turn in from the travel lane. Turn on those flashers and slow down. When you see the gate. Make turn as wide as possible. I pulled off the highway first and had a hell of a time getting straight enough to get through gate. From direction of las cruces. You’re fine.
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.
RangerPros - Free camping, gorgeous sunsets. Plenty of available spots.
Cons - the lake is sewage from the Air Force base. It’s stinks here, badly.
We stayed here for one night. I think that’s all we could take. We got out of here as soon as we could. We love free camping as much as the next person, but we were kind of disgusted that we were sleeping next to a lake of pee and poo.
Stay here if you must, if you can find another campsite, do it.
GuideDispersed camping along the bluff spring stream. A ton of campsites, and easy access to bluff spring and a trail complex. High clearance vehicle recommended, pretty packed in the summer months.
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.
Ranger
We tent camped in mid September 2022 in the Lincoln National Forest south of Cloudcroft, NM off Forest Service Road 64. Over 9,400’ and it got cold at night. Saw one elk and heard more bugling. Plenty of wood to make a fire. Nice forest. We stayed at a spot on a meadow about 4-5 dispersed sites south of Sunspot Highway. Good times.
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.
GuideIt has dispersed camping that, depending on the site, may require a short walk. I did not actually camp here (wish I did!), but spent an afternoon at the campground. A beautiful area!
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.
GuideThis is a little pull-off area in a very populated National Forest. It can get pretty crowded so hiking in is important. The car-camping and RV camping is right on the road.
LegendThis 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!
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.
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.
ScoutThis 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.
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.
GuideHolloman AFB BLM.... aka... Raptor Lake Dispersed
Great spot....but... as others have said, it IS a tricky entry for bigger rigs, especially if you are traveling South on 70.
Sharp right turn, immediately into 2 gates with a slight curve between them, slight dip after the 2nd gate and then another curve going uphill.
We're only 34' long STD width, and used the left turn lane to turn right and get straightened before entering. I'm glad we did an RV park the 1st night to dump, pump, and resupply. It gave us a chance to drive out and see the entry 1st hand before towing in the rig.
Once you're in, it's a nice spot. Verizon & ATT both work great 3-4 bars. We got 23 OTA channels. Area was pretty clean.. Not as spread out as some places, but not on top of each other either. Stays reasonably busy even in February.
Winds were up some on arrival. Parked accordingly and had no problem. Ground is another issue. Firm enough for parking etc, but if it rains I imagine the silty texture might turn to peanut butter.
All in all a nice spot with the lake, mountains, and the jets from Hollowman AFB to watch. Road noise not noticeable inside the rig.
GuideGreat little spot next to pit toilets in the Sacramento district of the Lincoln NP. Easy to find and can get there with 2wd no problem. This is a super popular spot on the weekend so the camping area and parking lot were PACKED all day when we were there on Saturday. Cleared out Sunday. Big OHV area. Nice trail access from the campsite that is OHV friendly, so not super great for running or biking. There is a small waterfall that we could see and hear from our campsite and a creek for for kiddos to play in. Its a free range area so cows are all over the place which was fun to see. Cloudcraft is the closest town, small and cute to visit.
ScoutHad a great time here! (October) At night it was so windy that the tent was basically flat on top of us, but it was fun. We had to move campsites to be a little further from the lake then we were originally because of the bugs. This was a great place to stay after visiting the sands, it’s free, and I highly recommend it! Beautiful stars too
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
TravelerThis campsite is a gem. We stayed from Wednesday to Saturday and we were the only campers there until mid day on Friday. Many people visit for the quick waterfall hike (can be done in less than 30 min). The “campsites” are very spread out. I’m not sure where they all are because I only saw 3. It was HOT during the day and COLD at night. Great easy hikes right from the campsite. Only downside was the gnats/flies (mostly during sundown) and lack of shade. Bring your own pop-up. By Friday night, this place was PACKED. So if you want one of the better sites, go mid week. It was also a tiny bit muddy on the road
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.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Ruidoso, 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
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Ruidoso, NM?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Ruidoso, NM is Forest Road 568 - Dispersed Camping with a 4.4-star rating from 14 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 22 dispersed camping locations near Ruidoso, NM, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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