Best Dispersed Camping near Shiprock, NM

This is BLM Land outside of Mesa Verde National Park. Has quite a few different sites that are all free and have fairly easy access to. The one downside (for us) was that it had just rained and the sites and road are clay which we ended up sinking into and getting stuck in. Luckily a few other campers nearby got up to watch the show and see us dig to get out (eventually they all helped push us out). There's a little road noise from the highway but it didn't bother us.

Each site has a little rock ringed fire pit and a flat area for a tent that we saw.

So if you want a free spot for up to 14 nights and want to check out Mesa Verde (highly recommend it), this is a pretty nice little spot.

Dispersed camping in one of the 15 established camp spots. Not a whole lot of shade but really close to everything.

This is a free campground with bathrooms near by. There is also some more dispersed camping in the BLM areas, but 4x4 is recommended to reach them. There is no visitors office and the landmarks/features are not marked on the trail map. 

This is a great place to stay.

Great dispersed, free camping 5 minutes from mesa Verde, and 10 minutes from Cortez.

These dispersed campsites were recommended to us and they did not disappoint! Secluded dry camping spots with great views of the monuments.

We had the goal of exploring New Mexico back country and Bisti, which we did! The Dyrt directions to the trailhead here are perfect. There were a few folks camping at the parking lot and there is a relatively clean pit toilet there though bring TP. We drove past the lot and got over a ditch no problem with our Tacoma. Past the second lot there is dispersed camping. We picked a great spot on the left. Nearby our spot 100 yards were very cool rock formations. We hiked in the badlands and found some neat formations and petrified wood though nothing like the beautiful photos published online. It was still worth it for the unique experience. We did a 6 mile out/back hike with 2 dogs. Flat but hot and windy at times. Some of the wind got intense at our camp spot. All in all this is a worthwhile experience if you like getting off the beaten path and exploring something different. We drove from here to Alien Throne. GPS was spotty but got us there and we had on/off service in Bisti.

Traveling to Colorado from Albuquerque NM and this was a perfect place to camp. Arrived early Friday afternoon and got the only spot left our 26' toy hauler would fit in. 

If you get there later in the afternoon on a weekend you will have a hard time finding a place in the official camping spots but you can disperse camp if the camp ground area is full. 

We had good cell service with Verizon. It was cold for us but we had a nice fire to keep us warm.

I started my trip to Mesa Verde NP not quite sure where I was going to camp for the night.  I entertained the idea of spending the night inside the park, at the sad, overpriced campground there.  Once I discovered they wanted north of 40 bucks for a tent site, I moseyed my way down the hill to this sick little dispersed campground.  You can't beat the price (free) and there were plenty of sites to choose from, even during Labor Day week.

I believe the BLM calls this site "Chutes & Ladders".  There are 15 or 16 sites available, and unlike a lot of other dispersed camping I've come across, this doesn't seem to be a place where people come to party.  It was quiet and there was a lot of space between sites.  Plenty of room for trailers if that's your thing.  Great place to spend the night!

Area is closed for wildlife management. There are no dispersed camping sites available near Mesa Verde until June-ish

Great dispersed camping near Mesa Verde. Tons of marked sites along the road. The road gets a little rougher the further you go in. It’s about a 10min drive to Walmart. The only downside is the dust but that is to be expected.

Stayed here 1 night in early June. Super easy access to dispersed camping, dirt road that is well maintained, no problem for 2wd and spaces large enough to accommodate big rigs. The camping starts about a half mile up the road. Most sites are just right off the road but there are some short dead end roads that offer a little more privacy off the main drag. Lots of trees that help with noise and block sites from each other. We got in at 5pm on a Thursday and all the spots along the first mile were taken but were able to find several good open sites. Good reception with Verizon.

We were lucky and found a spot, there are probably 10-15 camp spots in there and only one was available. Guess that’s the one downside of some of these blm spots. Also keep in mind these are pretty small spots, large rvs might not be able to make it in. Great views of Mesa verde and the temp was super nice. Would definitely come back here again.

This free campground positioned us well to beat the heat and hike through the badlands first thing in the morning! Pit toilets available next to the parking lot as well as a pavilion area with tables.

A handful of dispersed sites were available once in the BLM boundaries as well as plenty of space in the trailhead parking lot to spend the night.

The hike to the various features of the badlands are not marked, however good GPS signal allowed us to plug in coordinates to follow during the hike. Land forms looked like they should be from a different planet!

Great camping spot! Super close to Mesa Verde National Park! And it's freeeee! The road to get the the sites is rutted out so you do need some clearance! We have a subaru impreza and it was fine! No amentinites.. Spots are numbered. We stayed in 4!

This is a good free spot near Mesa Verde, but if it is closed check out the many BLM spots on road 316 off the highway, barely West of Target Tree Campground slightly East of Mancos.

This is a good free spot near Mesa Verde, but if it is closed check out the many BLM spots on road 316 off the highway, barely West of Target Tree Campground slightly East of Mancos.