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Dispersed Camping

Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping

Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping, near Cloudcroft, New Mexico, is a fantastic spot for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle. This area offers a unique camping experience with plenty of space to spread out and enjoy nature, all while being surrounded by stunning views and the soothing sounds of a nearby creek.

Campers often rave about the beautiful waterfall and the picturesque scenery that makes this location a favorite. It's a great place for families, with kids enjoying the creek and the wildlife, including deer and elk, that roam the area. One visitor noted, “We woke up to a herd of cows mooing and walking past our tents,” adding a bit of charm to the experience.

While there are no electric hookups or drinking water available, the area allows campfires, so you can cozy up at night under the stars. Just be prepared for some wind and chilly nights, as temperatures can drop significantly after sunset. Many campers recommend visiting during the week to avoid the crowds, especially on holiday weekends when it can get quite busy.

For those who enjoy hiking, there are trails nearby that lead to even more breathtaking views. Plus, being close to Cloudcroft means you can easily grab supplies if needed. Bluff Springs is a solid choice for anyone looking to immerse themselves in nature while enjoying a bit of peace and quiet.

Description

National Forest

Lincoln National Forest

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.

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Location

Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping is located in New Mexico

Detail location of campground

Directions

Take the Sunspot Highway (NM6563) located just 2 miles south of Cloudcroft about 8 miles and turn left (east) onto the Rio Penasco Rd, county road C017.  This road is paved up to Water Canyon, then dirt the remainder of the way.  Continue on the dirt portion for another 1.5 miles and Bluff Springs will appear on your right.  

Coordinates

32.83114965 N
105.73726997 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Available
  • Verizon
    Unknown
  • AT&T
    Available
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Dispersed

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Firewood Available
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

DISPERSED CAMPING

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

We curate permit requirements across the US for our PRO members. Try PRO to see if Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping needs a permit.


Reviews

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14 Reviews

Reviewed Mar. 29, 2024

Private Pine Valley

Sunspot Hwy to Rio Peñasco Rd., past the pavement onto dirt road for about 2 miles before coming to the trailhead/bathrooms on your right. No overnight camping at the trailhead but overnight camping is allowed beyond that point, along the creek. Very quiet and private, a bit of snow was still down at the end of March, no other campers. Very windy, so campfires are allowed but need to be well controlled. Great spot all-around. There is NO Verizon service there or on the way in, pretty much since you pass Haynes Canyon on Sunspot.

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Twan M., March 29, 2024
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Twan M., March 29, 2024
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Twan M., March 29, 2024
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Sep. 4, 2023

Super pretty, SUPER busy

We were here Labor Day weekend and it was so busy. Do not expect the have a quiet camp if you go on a holiday weekend. That is my only complaint though. It was beautiful, the stream was so pretty. The waterfall is so fun, and the natural spring was super convenient! It dropped into the 50’s at night but was low 80’s during the day! So bring blankets and jackets for night time!

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Hailee S., September 4, 2023
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Hailee S., September 4, 2023
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Hailee S., September 4, 2023
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jun. 29, 2023

Beautiful free spot

We 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.

Siten/a
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Mandi W., June 29, 2023
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Mandi W., June 29, 2023
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  • (7) View All
Reviewed Dec. 31, 2021

Bumpy and Busy

Went 12/28-12/30 and the actual campground area was packed the whole time even with it being 20-30 degrees outside. Extremely windy and most areas only get an hour or two of sun. Do not take the route via Mayhill, take the sunspot hwy route in cloudcroft (mayhill route will be 9 miles of horrible unpaved road while cloudcroft route is only about 2 miles unpaved). If you like to be away from people and have a 4x4/AWD vehicle, take the right at the fork when it turns to unpaved road. The area is basically surrounded by neighborhood, especially the east side of the campground. No cell coverage but is not far from Cloudcroft where you get signal. If you like being away from people, this probably isn’t your spot. Traffic up and down the roads. Elk, mule deer, and turkey were seen.

SiteDispersed
Month of VisitDecember
Reviewed Sep. 11, 2021

Awesome campground

This 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

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Ally , September 11, 2021
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Ally , September 11, 2021
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Ally , September 11, 2021
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jul. 17, 2021

Beautiful

Stunning views. Waterfall. No cell coverage

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Name , July 17, 2021
Reviewed May. 24, 2021

Camp with cows, moo!

Great 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.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Jeanie P., May 24, 2021
Reviewed Jan. 1, 2021

Lots of options

Dispersed 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.

  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Abraham , January 1, 2021
Reviewed Sep. 16, 2020

Awesome Dispersed Camping Spot

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.

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by David L., September 16, 2020
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by David L., September 16, 2020
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by David L., September 16, 2020
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Aug. 11, 2020

Best family get away in years...

We arrived in Cloudcroft NM around 7pm on Thursday the 6th got some last minute supplies at all sups gas station and headed to the ranger station just down the 130 Cox Canyon Hwy to get a map of the park, we kinda knew where we wanted to go but wanted to do a last minute look see at the map. We kept our plan of Bluff Springs and headed out. We found a pretty big spot and set up camp. With one camper, two tents, two jeeps, two dogs, six kiddos and 10 adults it was a chore to get everything out and set up but worth every minute to enjoy the next three days worry and technology free. The spot was amazing right next to the little creek. We will definitely be going back soon.

  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Gene S., August 11, 2020
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Gene S., August 11, 2020
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Gene S., August 11, 2020
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2020

Potentially good

Bluff 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.

  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Jacob  W., August 3, 2020
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Jacob  W., August 3, 2020
Reviewed Jun. 12, 2019

Lovely little spot in the Lincoln NF

This 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.

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by J E., June 12, 2019
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by J E., June 12, 2019
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by J E., June 12, 2019
Reviewed Jul. 24, 2018

Beautiful area near Cloudcroft, NM

It 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!

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Scott B., July 24, 2018
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Scott B., July 24, 2018
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Scott B., July 24, 2018
  • (9) View All
Reviewed Jul. 16, 2018

very popular spot.

some good hiking and a pretty waterfall but a lot of people camp near the waterfall. I don't think it's an amazing spot but love to visit the waterfall and hike.

  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Brittany N., July 16, 2018
  • Review photo of Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping by Brittany N., July 16, 2018

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Are fires allowed at Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Bluff Springs Dispersed Camping?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is unknown, AT&T is available, and T-Mobile is unknown.