Best Dispersed Camping near Santa Fe, NM

Great boondocking spot @15 mins from downtown Santa Fe.

Zero amenities but clean, huge open areas, and safe.

Your are behind a huge solid waste transfer station but you’d never know besides the huge hill. No smell or garbage anywhere.

Pros-

-HUGE open area -WIFI is great (pull in and go to the left down by the cattle coral) -Clean areas -Safe -Bathrooms (Didn’t Use) -Tons of hiking -15mins tops to downtown Santa Fe -Free

Cons-

-Windy -Dusty -No water -No Dump Station

We got water at the dog park up the road with our water bladder bag. Try to go during dusk as it is way less busy with fewer spectators watching and wondering what you’re doing, we had zero issues! 😊

It’s a great Free spot for a night or two weeks also surrounded by BLM land so you can’t really go wrong.

This area is well big enough for any size rig, just stay to the right on the gravel road pass the cattle guard where the road is gravel and smoother for sure!

Enjoy! 😊

This place is super convenient to Santa Fe. Easy to find and plenty of spots. We opted not to camp in the “lot” where a lot of people set up. We drove back the road a bit further for some privacy. The area is very dusty. Given the proximity to town there were some campsites that had a degree of homelessness to them. However, we camped two nights with absolutely no issues. If I needed a place to camp near Santa Fe, I’d camp here again.

A gorgeous and vast dispersed campground just a short drive from Santa Fe. There was enough space and trees/shrubs to offer privacy, and as a solo traveler I felt completely safe sleeping in my crossover. I parked just off the main dirt road between a couple of junipers and still felt like I had the privacy I preferred. You can drive further to get a more secluded space. The only downside: it was very windy and the entire interior of my vehicle was covered in reddish dust. But this place was so beautiful and spaced out that being covered in dust seemed like a small price to pay for a great experience.

The Campground: The main dirt road wasn't in great condition, so the short journey after you turn off of Country Road 62 was very bumpy, but it didn't appear that anyone was having issues navigating it (that might change if there's heavy rainfall). There's a vault toilet and picnic pavilion near the front; this area is also a trailhead. The whole place feels very open and has a nice view of the mountains. 

The area: Very close to Santa Fe. 

Booking: No booking or fee. This is dispersed camping and there are no official "sites" here. When looking for a place to set up, make sure you chose a place that's well-traveled. Seemed like there were enough areas to camp that I don't imagine this place ever gets too full.

Cell Service: I have Verizon, and my service was good.

20 minutes from Santa Fe, super convenient, spread out enough, some good stars at night. Check our other reviews about the left turn.

Given the area described has piles of trash and little else to recommend it, it seems a shame to be close to gorgeous wilderness and stare at rubbish.

Head out just a bit further and turn onto the well maintained dirt Buckman road?  There are canyons to explore and access to the Rio grande at the road's end, offering water in an area with next to none otherwise. 

If these lowlands are too hot in the summer, drive up Artist Road to Big Tesuque or the ski-way at the end of the road, where shade, cold streams, and elevation keep nights pleasant even in July or August. 

You won't be any further from Santa Fe, although it can take awhile to drive from the river or ski-way to town if you park as far away as possible.  

All of the above sites have fire rings and vault toilets, and Big Tesuque and the ski-way have some sites with picnic tables as well.  Firewood can be scavenged, especially if one gets away from the immediate campsite area.

Dispersed camping on the edge of Santa Fe. Easy access. Some former homeless camps and trash scattered around. Go further in for a more scenic vista on high ground.

Not too far out of Santa Fe. There are multiple places for dispersed camping along the same road, including a few trailhead campgrounds like Diablo Canyon (rock climbing hot spot).

Easy to get to just outside of Santa Fe. It’s BLM dispersed so no facilities at all and a bit of a Nomadland vibe. Some folks were pistol shooting in an arroyo until dark. We were able to find a spot with adequate privacy but not isolated, although one could certainly go further in. A truck with just running lights came through during the night and a BLM LE officer came by in the morning. It was cold af in mid-Dec. I would stay here again.

This is dispersed camping with mostly RVs, some vans, and a few tents and teepees. There are no hookups but near the entrance there is a building with two enclosed bathrooms. There is no trash collection so you must carry out everything you bring in. This is great free camping or just free overnight parking if you are self sufficient with your own water and solar power. There is lots of space but it seems like a lot of people just pull in and find spots near the front. We camped in August 2021 and days got up to 90 degrees. We hung out in SantaFe until about 8pm and it dropped to 80 and the breeze picked up. It is dry in the desert so 80 is very comfortable. Another nice thing about desert camping is there are some flies, and a few mosquitos but compared to the moist midwest we seem fine without having to use a lot of bug repellant. We will stay here again.

The area is right next to a landfill which worried us at first but turned out not to be a problem, I imagine it gets worse in the warmer months. You can drive around and find some cool and private spots but there is trash seriously everywhere. We even found shot gun shells a little further out all over the ground. When you pull up to the area you can either turn right into the blm land or go straight past the signage into the National park area. I think it said El Camino Real. This is where the toilets and shelter is. The toilets were actually well kept. There were some nice people but I can imagine if you drive further out away from people it feels a little sketchier. It wasn’t the best, but it was definitely free.

This is a massive dispersed camping area. I’m not really sure how far in the camping spots go, but so far I’ve seen over 100, with about 1/4 of them taken right now. Many, but not all, are level spots. Roads vary depending on which spots your getting to. Great cell service. Great views. And minutes away from stores and gas stations.

My friends and I were climbing at the Cattle Wall all day, and decided we wanted to disperse camp. While we pulled up to Jemez camping nearby, the park rangers told us it was closed because of Covid, but we could go down the road to this unmarked, unnamed, dispersed camp site. 

when we did we drove to the left, followed the path until we saw an opened gate, and turned up to a site on the right. It was well-used and had a fire pit, but you're not allowed to have fires right now. 

We wandered down to a cliff, and the most BEAUTIFUL view awaited us. If it was known, it would be a better view than the jemez falls and people would FLOCK to it. Instead, it was our campsite, free, and people-less. This is just a new mexico thing, I guess. finding best kept secrets everywhere. 

PS: weather was perfect, no sounds from anywhere in the campsite, completely amazing! Definitely go here.

This dispersed camping is a great spot to stop. There are multiple site identified with lot signs and fire rings. Some of the spots are Easier to access than others. Be prepared for a road that in rough shape. I would not recommend accessing this if your in a small sedan or a large vehicle pulling something as if will be difficult to maneuver. You will likely need 4x4 and some ground clearance. My Rav 4 did just fine at the first few spot but I wouldn’t take it much further. It’s primitive camping no water no outhouse. It’s past the group camping site turn on the left. Great hiking in the area and it felt like a safe location. You can hear cars and dirt biking in the background but activities ended around 7 and made for a peaceful night. I liked it a lot and would come back again!

There are a few tent spots and car camping spots, and it’s right along a creek where you can fly fish. It was a longer drive out there than expected, but there’s a sign that lets you know your in the National forest and out of peoples private property. You probably want 4WD because the road was rough, but definitely worth it with the fall colors! We loved this spot!

It's a great area with flat sites and close proximity to Santa Fe. The dirt road is not too long and not bad at all. There were a bunch of campers there but it didnt feel crowded. There was a pit toilet, clean and maintained (had fully stocked TP).

Driving along the access road, seems like there are also camping spots before the gate, but within the gate is the Forest Service grounds.

Stars are amazing at night. We saw nearby hiking and mtb trails, though we didnt get to try them. Santa Fe is also a great city to visit while here.

Nice and quiet! LOTS of area to park and be isolated. Easy drive to Santa Fe

There are a ton of campsites here, and even more options if you have a high clearance vehicle. 

If you have a low clearance RV I recommend taking the first road to the left after crossing the cattle guard. That road leads around most of the camping area and you can avoid the side roads with the steep entrances. 

It is right next to a landfill which is interesting but there were no flies or smells in October. 

For a free camping area right next to a city the area felt safe and was surprisingly clean.

We stayed here 3 nights over Memorial Day weekend. Got in Thursday night and there were plenty of sites to choose from. As other reviews have said, the sites are spaced out well and there were always sites available throughout the weekend. We camped on the road that immediately turns to the right. Along the entire length of this road dispersed camping is allowed. If you go to the left (high clearance is good to have but could make it with 2wd) dispersed camping isn't allowed till you're about a mile in (see map picture). There are some fun single track trails (Water Canyon and Perimeter Trail) accessible from the campsite if you plan on mt biking or running/hiking. Bandelier National Monument is about 15 min drive away and is a fun place to checkout and climb in some cliff dwellings.
Just as a side note we saw 3 coyotes our first night in and heard them howling in the AM and PM, so keep pets leashed if you bring them and keep small kiddos close!

Lots of open space for dispersed camping