Sitting on a hillside above Santa Cruz Lake on BLM land managed by the Taos Field Office, North Shore Campground is currently closed for construction. Campers who continue past the pay box rather than turning left toward the official sites find a handful of pull-offs marked with tent signs and covered picnic tables with fire rings, though flat tent-pitching ground is scarce. No cell service is available with AT&T. Anglers fish the lake from shore and by boat, and the Overlook Campground sits about a mile south for those needing a fully operational site.
Description
Note: The North Shore Campground at the lake near the boat ramp is currently CLOSED until further notice due to a halt in construction.
Thirty miles north of Santa Fe, NM , the snow-fed waters of the Rio del Medio and the Rio Frijoles begin a 2,000-mile journey and a 7,000-foot descent to the Gulf of Mexico. For a time they gather at Santa Cruz Lake at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Chimayo, behind the 125-foot Santa Cruz Dam.
Built in 1929 by the Santa Cruz Irrigation District, the dam is 535 feet across and 90 feet deep at the overflowing spillway. The lake covers 121 surface acres with water in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, providing recreational opportunities for anglers, picnickers, campers, and boat lovers alike. The scenic lake at base of Sangre de Cristo mountains offers boating, fishing, hiking and camping.
Map & DirectionsNorth Shore Campground at Santa Cruz Lake is located in New Mexico near Chimayo
Directions
About 30 miles northeast of Santa Fe. From Santa Fe: take US 84/285 N to NM 503 in Pojoaque. Turn right onto NM 503 and continue on this scenic 'High Road' towards Chimayo. Pass CR 98 which turns left to Chimayo and continue on NM 503; first you will see the Overlook Campground turnoff on the left, then continue towards and past Cundiyo to Santa Cruz Lake Rd (CR 98A) which is approximately 5.5 miles past the Overlook Campground turnoff. Note: There is no Recreation Area entrance sign at Santa Cruz Lake Rd off NM 503 from the South. From the North: Take NM 503 South from NM 76 (east of Espanola) to Santa Cruz Lake Rd; turn right.
Coordinates
35.9805008 N
105.91442 W
Connectivity
T-Mobile5GGood Coverage
VerizonNo Coverage- AT&TNo Coverage
Connectivity
- T-Mobile5GGood Coverage
- VerizonNo Coverage
- AT&TNo Coverage
Access
Site Types
- Tent Sites
Features
For Campers
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Pets
- Fires
Drive Time
- 31 min from Santa Fe, NM
- 1 hr 20 min from Albuquerque, NM
- 3 hrs 6 min from Farmington, NM
- 3 hrs 48 min from Pueblo, CO
