Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Santa Fe National Forest

12 miles uphill drive into the Santa Fe National Forest, just past million dollar mansions in Santa Fe. Easy access, just drive up and park. Multiple tent camp sites with fire pit and picnic table.  Accessible to trails. Beautiful sunset views.

Camping in Santa Fe National Forest is great if you know what you're in for. There aren't a ton of amenities depending on where you camp and it's in high elevations so during winter months it can get FREEZING. We went in November and it got down to negative temperatures. Thankfully my wife's sleeping bag was rated for -20 but I was not that fortunate. So for sure if you're going in the winter then be prepared! 

Other than this the views up in the mountains were amazing and each site has a picnic table, fire pit, and a location for a tent. 

Definitely would recommend checking out!

This campground is just above 8200ft in the forest, more specifically in the Santa Fe National Forest at the edge of the Pecos Wilderness. We stayed at site 3, more or less right next to the creek. Site 2 was just as pretty and a bit larger, but not quite as shaded. No matter the site, the area is green, peaceful, and cool.

It is gorgeous up there, but be aware that the road is really narrow and, though paved, in terrible condition with HUGE pot holes en masse, so it is slow going, particularly with a camping trailer. We have a 22' trailer and we saw only one other, maybe 25', which I think is likely pushing the limits.

It's a bit of a tense drive for the 3 miles along Holy Ghost Canyon, but well worth the effort! We camped at Holy Ghost Campground in a Travel Trailer.

Stayed: May 26, 2024 Cost: FREE Site: 35.84243° N, 106.37266° W Cell Service: Solid LTE AT&T and T-Mobile Equipment: Forester / Tent

Different apps give this different names. It is Forest Road 181 within Santa Fe National Forest, directly off of Highway 4.

This is some great National Forest camping. Seemed like plenty of room when you first turn in and the you can go left or right. We went left and continued to the end of the road. There were a few sites along the drive back, but we pulled up the satellite map and wanted to keep going. It gets pretty rocky and you’ll need a bit of clearance in some spots.

To get to the end of the road site, when you pull off Highway 4, take a left and then eventually a right at the fork in the road further beyond (~1.5 miles from Highway 4). There were a couple more sites along this road, not very level, so we continued on and are so glad we did! About 30 min from Hwy 4 to end of this road. Elevation is just over 8,000 feet at this point.

This is one of the places to camp in New Mexico

These coordinates are a rough estimate, but this entire forrest road is filled with amazing campsites you can simply pull off and camp in. currently there’s a fire ban, so it makes it hard to stay warm at night, but the stars are amazing. it’s quiet. it’s lovely. there’s canyon walls for miles. it’s really amazing. some of these pics are from the nearby canyon that’s a bit of a walk up the road, but most are from our campground. loved our first experience camping in New Mexico!

Camp May is a small and seasonal campground located at the base of Pajarito Ski Hill. It is wooded with aspens, ponderosas and more. The temperatures are pleasant throughout the hot summer months, and the nights may be rather cold. There is hiking nearby, mountain biking, and the campground itself is situated near Los Alamos, Valles Caldera National Park, and Bandelier National Monument. Pajarito Mountain occasionally opens up their chair lifts to mountain bikes.

There is no staff onsite. Campsite fees must be paid in town at the aquatic center, and campers can reserve a space in advance. However, the campsites are not numbered, and specific sites are not reservable. If campers want to set up outside of pool hours, they can usually call the county (311) or the non-emergency number to let the county know about camping plans and the plan to pay fees in the morning. There is one group site at the top of the loop and a handful of individual sites; the campground itself is very small and has no more than 10 sites. Camping rings are available at all sites, however it would be wise to check on a fire restrictions before lighting any fires. Los Alamos County typically follows suite with the Santa Fe National Forest Restrictions and takes fire very seriously. The Cerro Grande Fire burned thousands of acres along with around 300 homes in town, and campers will drive past the devastating Las Conchas Fire Scar on their way to Camp May.

Although there is no host, typical camp rules are still enforceable by law enforcement and include quiet hours after 10 p.m., fire restriction adherence, etc. There are vault toilets, which are rather not-smelly, considering. Camp May is situated in bear and mountain lion country; if that isn't enough to keep your idle food in your car, then the super friendly but tenacious golden mantle ground squirrels, and chipmunks should be.

There is a steep dirt road upon accessing the camp. Depending on how recently the dirt road has been groomed will determine the vehicles that can climb into camp. Only smaller pop-ups and trailers would be recommended.

Smaller camp ground, with modern and very clean bathrooms and showers! Dog friendly, with a small dog park to boot. Easy in and out, hooks ups and wifi. Manager on site and very attentive. We stayed April 1 for one night, was quiet, friendly and comfortable. Will stay again!

We just spent a couple of nights here. Enjoyed our site, very level. Nice dog park and walking trail. Would of liked to of heard the music tomorrow night, but alas we have to get home.

Nice back in sites are wide with vegetation and patios. The dog park and walking trail are handy. The views are special and there was musical entertainment one night at the club patio. The gravel sites and driveway was a bit dusty, otherwise this would be 5 star park.

Great place in a beautiful wooded hillside southwest of Santa Fe about 15 mins or so. They have a pool, a small dog park and a great little hiking trail with good views of the surrounding mountains. Nice facilities, a small store and a laundry mat make it a great place to explore Santa Fe and the surrounding area.

Great location just outside of Santa Fe, super easy to get to off of I-25. Bathrooms are clean and showers are comfortable. Everything is well maintained and the dog park is a massive plus if you have pups. There’s a little road noise, but not bad, and definitely worth it for ease of use. Would recommend!

The owners are super kind, firstly. Our site was great. Pull through and shady. Neighbors were nice and we had a great stay with a great sunset. There’s a small dog park that was perfect for what we needed. They sell snacks and small things if you need to grab a small missing item. We didn’t use the pool or showers, but they looked fine.

I was a little hesitant to reserve this place after I saw the last review. I’m so glad I did. Here are some of the amazing aspects of Santa Fe Skies.

1. Mountain View’s
2. Awesome sculpture art
3. Walking trains (w/ doggie bags)
4. Fenced dog park!!
5. All the needs - electric, water, wifi
6. CONTACTLESS CHECK-IN!! I paid online and checked in, online. (COVID friendly)

All around great spot.

This is exactly how I thought this park would be. If you want green grass and paved sites, then this place is not for you. But if you want something creative and beautiful, with wonderful vistas, then stop here for a few days.

The Wi-Fi was surprisingly fast and the staff was so nice. There are metal art pieces throughout the park, and a great dog park. 

I can’t wait to come back!

There is not a bad site in this park that we could tell. All are level, spacious, and have a concrete patio. Wifi was strong enough for streaming at site 18. Nice trail around entire park for dog walks. Also a dog park. They have a solar array so assume this is supporting at least part of the park’s electrical needs. Laundry runs off of credit card which I prefer to coins. Clubhouse and outdoor patio look nice but did not use. Metal sculptures and collection of various vintage trucks and other implements are interesting. Convenient location only 20 minutes to plaza.

First longer stop (3 nights) on our cross country trip. 22 ft trailer, sewer hook ups, Koa worker leads you to your spot, which was nice. Fence between campsites gives some privacy. Great dog park area and playground for 2 yr old. Everyone we interacted with was nice and helpful. Laundry is clean: $3 washer, $1.59 dryer— need 2 runs on the dryer. 18 minute drive into downtown Santa Fe. Did the grasshopper canyon trail 9 minutes away, pecos national historic monument 30 minutes and Bandelier national monument 50 minutes.