Big Tesuque Campground

I loved it because it was next to a little river and the sites are so spaced out!

I will start with the only downside of this site: it is very active with hikers, families, dogs, and photographers. You can expect dozens upwards of a hundred faces a day hiking up here which can be extremely annoying and the car traffic can drive you nuts. That said, for the ease of access, for the beautiful trails, and for the clean amenities I think it is worth it. In the winter right before the ski area opens is your best bet for quiet camping. But in the summer, spring, fall, and during ski season you will have a lot of friendly faces. Again, not bad, but I know some folks are very interested in getting "away" from people while camping. To those I recommend this site for hiking and not staying. Highly recommend for folks who are less physically abled; I developed a heart condition which limits my abilities most days and the ease of access to these sites and close parking is great for someone who wants to be in touch with nature while enduring limiting conditions.

Pros:

• In a National Forest, so beautiful, remote.
• Nice babbling brook alongside campsites, fun for kids to play in (COLD, but shallow), and makes for great white noise.
• Convenient to Santa Fe (20-25 min from downtown)
• drive up the mountain 4 minutes for a gorgeous vista and sunset view
• nice trails in the area, but we didn’t use them (one night stopover)
• pit toilets (smelly, but they exist)

Cons

• essential hike in, uphill, have to carry your gear. The further in your campsite, the more hiking you will do (we chose one close to the parking lot, but sacrificed privacy)
• limited spots, and high traffic (people came in in the middle of the night, hiked in with dogs, cyclists, potential regulars (?)
• campsite tent pads are small/limited. Our family of 6 usually would use 3 small tents, but had to limit ourselves to 2, so everyone was squeezed together.

Chilly, even in July, just FYI, come prepared.
Picnic table, fire ring provided

Fantastic. Easy to access. Road is paved all the way and regularly plowed during the cold seasons. I'm sure this is very busy during the warm seasons but we had the place to ourselves during the week in early December.

Stopped here as part of a road trip in March. It snowed heavily, but that only added to the beauty! I didn't realize the elevation here was nearly 10,000 ft, so we were affected slightly by altitude sickness while unloading our gear. It was easily accessible, even in two feet of snow. A small stream was nearby, and the bathrooms were clean. No one else stayed the night for obvious reasons, though some families were there during the day enjoying the snow. Had a wonderful time enjoying the views. Can't wait to go back sometime! You can check out current conditions at:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/santafe/recarea/?recid=75602

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.

Great location for free tent camping. Sites are located starting at the trail head and continuing up Big Tesque Trail. Recommend going during the week as it’s very busy on the weekends.

Quiet at night, not much privacy and road noise.

If you have an RV, Hyde Park Sate Park is where you want to be. If you're tent camping, Big Tesuque is AMAZING!! It's small, but absolutely beautiful. Each site has a picknick table and a tent pad. There are basic toilets. No showers, no sinks. But there are 2 streams bordering the campground and trails leading into the mountains.

When I was there, it was 5 to 10 degrees warmer than Hyde Park! (end of May.)