Pajarito Springs (Dispersed)

To enter the area you have to pass through a check point where they check your drivers license, I guess because it’s on “lab” property. Anyways, once you arrive to the pin, you have the option to go left, where the road is a little rougher, and right, where the road is bumpy but more doable for vans and short campers. I went to the right. There’s so many roads crossing around trees and intersecting with other roads, there’s not much really differentiating a road from a camp site. That being said, just pick a spot anywhere that doesn’t block any main roads. I found a decently level spot and it worked great for the night. My dog loved the openness. A little chilly tonight, absolutely no bugs. Ground is packed dirt covered in pine needles, roads have some ruts and large rocks. There were a few other campers here but we were all spread out away from each other. Couple kids riding mini bikes around but they kept their distance. Quiet at night. Great primitive spot for the night!

Pretty rough road, my Subaru was fine but couldn’t get far. A bit busy, especially for late October. Totally fine place to camp but not my favorite.

We stayed a few nights, it was a good time I would recommend good shoes as we both got poked by thorns. We have 4 wheel drive so it was nice I do not think cars could make it as some of the roads have huge canyon sized holes due to previous rain.

Found a great spot here, stayed a week and it’s like we had the whole place to ourselves. If you go left from the entrance, be prepared for a rough ride. I would say tent camping only. Go right and there are plenty of spaces to choose from. Los Alamos is only 15 minutes away.

Really close to town, and service and was still far enough in that it wasn't terrible

I checked out 6/1. Very inaccessible, was crowded when I got there. Would be good for backpack camping. But not Rv' or larger trailors. You'll need good 4x4!

A bit of a rough drive to the dispersed sites further in, but worth it! Nice, quiet, and saw lots of elk during our stay.

This place is about 20-30 minutes outside of Las Alamos. If you go through Santa Fe, you do have to go through a military checkpoint. There was a decent amount of snow, so I didn’t go very far in. I saw plenty of 4x4 trucks making it further than I did. The site was nice, but there was broken glass nearby so be careful. Made a couple of fires, and had a good time. From my site you could see the town below but thankfully it did not impede my view of the stars. I had full service too which was nice.

Quiet, secluded spaces especially if you drive out the road far. We didn’t see any other people or campers but heard guns being shot in the morning and there were old shells at our campsite.

Stayed: May 26, 2024 Cost: FREE Site: 35.84243° N, 106.37266° W Cell Service: Solid LTE AT&T and T-Mobile Equipment: Forester / Tent

Different apps give this different names. It is Forest Road 181 within Santa Fe National Forest, directly off of Highway 4.

This is some great National Forest camping. Seemed like plenty of room when you first turn in and the you can go left or right. We went left and continued to the end of the road. There were a few sites along the drive back, but we pulled up the satellite map and wanted to keep going. It gets pretty rocky and you’ll need a bit of clearance in some spots.

To get to the end of the road site, when you pull off Highway 4, take a left and then eventually a right at the fork in the road further beyond (~1.5 miles from Highway 4). There were a couple more sites along this road, not very level, so we continued on and are so glad we did! About 30 min from Hwy 4 to end of this road. Elevation is just over 8,000 feet at this point.

We were just looking for a place to crash in our SUV before going to Bandelier National Monument in the morning and continuing on our road trip. Showed up at midnight and grabbed the first flat spot to park. Convenient and free is always nice. 20 min from the visitors center. There was a “No Campfires” sign at the entrance despite what this listing states.

Stayed here just one night—last minute decision and found several easily accessible spots. Road was muddy and rocky and was holding snow still in a few spots but we were able to drive in and out slowly in our extended van. Beautiful views of Los Alamos below.

FSR 181 B is a dispersed corridor, and on the little stretch of road there are like 6 sites. They aren't super close, but closer than I expected from dispersed camping. Travel further down 181 across the little canyon and there are more spread out sites, but they are also more exposed.

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!

We initially went to the left but were intimidated by the narrow road and didn't want to get in a pickle. We ended up camping to the right in the field because the road got a little rough further in...although we walked in later and it wouldn't be too difficult to access the nicer sites further in.

We were near the road, but it was still pretty quiet. It nice having access to Los Alamos and the hikes around that area.

Drive up is a bit winding and steep, but we managed just fine in our Subaru and saw a ton of passenger cars heading up the mtn. Not sure I’d want to drive it in any inclement weather though. Dispersed sites to the right of entrance and a few when you first pull in. I wouldn’t advise going down left road, as it gets really tight and not many places to turnaround. Didn’t see sites that way, but we didn’t get far before turning around.

Pros:

• Location to Los Alamos and Bandalier is great/easy to get to
• Sites are spaced out and pretty large, so privacy shouldn’t be an issue
• Views looking out toward Los Alamos and highway 4 are solid

Cons:

• Like many dispersed sites, dumbasses who came before leave a little trash, so bring gloves if you feel inclined to lessen the impact. Wasn’t as dirty as some spots though