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Free Camping Collection

Dispersed Camping

Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake, near Alamogordo, New Mexico, is a unique spot for those looking to camp close to the stunning White Sands National Park. This area offers a free, no-frills experience where you can park your RV or pitch a tent amidst the wide-open spaces and enjoy breathtaking sunsets over the lake.

While amenities are minimal—no drinking water, toilets, or trash services—visitors appreciate the quiet atmosphere and the chance to spread out. As one camper noted, “It’s a great little spot if you’re planning on hitting White Sands NP.” The access road is decent, making it manageable even for lower-clearance vehicles, and the surrounding landscape is perfect for solar setups and stargazing.

If you’re up for some adventure, the nearby mountain ranges provide excellent hiking opportunities. Alamogordo is just a short drive away for any supplies you might need, including food and gas. Just remember, the lake is actually a wastewater treatment pond, so it's best to keep your distance from the water. With its convenient location and stunning views, Raptor Lake is a solid choice for a camping getaway.

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Location

Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake is located in New Mexico

Detail location of campground

Coordinates

32.809820543861946 N
106.1217617624031 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Fair
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Good
  • T-Mobile
    Good

Site Types

  • Dispersed

Features

For Campers

  • Phone Service
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Pull-Through Sites

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 Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake needs a permit.

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Reviews

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40 Reviews

Reviewed Jul. 10, 2024

Location + Free + Spectacular Sunsets = Great Option Near White Sands NP!

This whole valley is just… something! A disappearing and reappearing lake, ancient human and mastodon footprint fossils, the birthplace of nuclear reactions and aerospace exploration -- all this AND hills of white gypsum sand upon which you can sled year round?  Not bad for the middle of New Mexico, between two mountain ranges. 

However, camping nearby leaves something to be desired, even in the RV parks – which is never our thing. However, during a couple of visits we’ve spent the night at some BLM areas just a few miles to the east of the main entrance to the National Park. We’ve spent nights on either side of the highway, but the better boondocking area is on the north side of the highway here at Holloman Lake (not for swimming, read other reviews for details).  You’re right on the border of the air force base, so expect a lot of activity nearby.  In December, there were maybe 6-8 other RV's nearby, but lots of space to spread out.  Road in was good (a little rough in spots) but overall pretty easy, even for our 67 year old camper. The sunsets are always spectacular, even better if it's a bit windy as the fine grains of gypsum sand are in the air, creating gorgeous color.

There’s nothing in the way of services at this place, just a good, quiet place to park for a few nights.  But, the wide open range has everything you need for solar power and Starlink.  

Outdoor activities outside of the park can be found up in the mountain ranges to the east of Alamogordo, or to the west in the mountains closer to Las Cruces. 

Alamogordo is just 15- 20 minutes away where you can get anything you might need, food, groceries, gas, laundry etc.  Oh, and go to the New Mexico History of Space Museum...super fun for kiddos of all ages!

Month of VisitDecember
  • Play button icon
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Shari  G., July 10, 2024
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Shari  G., July 10, 2024
  • (7) View All
Reviewed May. 23, 2024

Convenient to white sands

Super convenient (maybe 4 minutes) to White Sands National Park, the "lake" is reclaimed waste water from the nearby Air Force base and the whole area can kinda intermittently smell like stale farts. Fairly decent amount of flat space for RV's, but turning around might be tricky based on congestion.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Mike B., May 23, 2024
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Mike B., May 23, 2024
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Mike B., May 23, 2024
Reviewed May. 23, 2024

Good spot for boondocking White Sands

Found the location on Google. During my time there the lake had a bit of a funk but not too bad. Some reviews said there wasn’t anything while they were there but alas I was not so lucky

No amenities, just an empty lot, but decent enough for a night while exploring white sands. Gravel access road is pretty good and my low clearance sedan had no trouble with it

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by MC , May 23, 2024
Reviewed May. 23, 2024

Decent spot

DO NOT go in the water. There is currently an ongoing lawsuit against the USAF due to the amount of PFAS in the water from firefighting foam. That being said, it’s a great little spot if you’re planning on hitting White Sands NP. Was fairly packed during my visit last month but I still found a spot. Very quiet and peaceful!

SiteRandom dirt patch
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Nick F., May 23, 2024
Reviewed Apr. 27, 2024

Convenient but Noisy

Good spot to camp near white sands. Very busy- but most people seem to stick to the large lot near the entrance. If you follow the road around to the west side of the lake there are additional spots that are a bit more secluded.

The Air Force does regular flyovers throughout the day on weekdays. Very loud.

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by William C., April 27, 2024
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by William C., April 27, 2024
Reviewed Apr. 4, 2024

Busy but great location for White Sands

Pretty crowded on a Wednesday night in April. Had a little trouble finding a level spot far enough away from others but otherwise no complaints for this free camp spot, great sunset views!

Month of VisitApril
Reviewed Apr. 2, 2024

Windy.

Little more than 3 miles from White Sands Natl. Park easily found rough road. Quite, didn't find to m8ch trash

Siteopen sites
Month of VisitApril
Reviewed Mar. 24, 2024

Not Bad At All

Super close to white sands, sunset and sunrise were great. It was relatively busy but the sites are far enough away from each other that it still felt private. At night you can hear the sounds from the highway and see the lights from the base/city. Also as an FYI, not sure I saw this ahead of time, the lake is actually a wastewater treatment pond so steer clear from the actual water.

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Jess T., March 24, 2024
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Jess T., March 24, 2024
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Jess T., March 24, 2024
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Reviewed Mar. 13, 2024

Perfect Spot, plenty of space

1990 Winnebago Chieftain towing a '95 Wrangler from LA > FL

Got here late last night driving from Albuquerque and since it's essentially just all dirt/shrub, you're able to park wherever you can (just don't block the worn in dirt roads obviously). Had about 30 other RVs, campervans, 5th wheels, tents and cars parked all around. Any type of camper is welcome and their space respected. Quiet, everyone was respectful of one another. Mostly families with young children and retirees. Woke up to a beautiful lake. A bit windy though, for anyone thinking of tent camping or has a tall vehicle.

SiteDead Center
Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Jani L., March 13, 2024
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Jani L., March 13, 2024
Reviewed Jun. 14, 2023

Perfect for Dispersed Camping

Stayed here 04/26/23 for an overnight stop after visiting White Sands National Park. Great views of the lake and plenty of other vans/RVs around but everyone was very quiet and respectful

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Sam W., June 14, 2023
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Sam W., June 14, 2023
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Sam W., June 14, 2023
Reviewed May. 7, 2023

Good easy spot

Super close to the park only 3 miles. Easy to find, easy to navigate with small cars and even some rvs. Lots of spots that are spread out. Great views of sunset and sunrise. Windy and no amenities of any kinda. Good for just sleeping

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Matthew S., May 7, 2023
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Matthew S., May 7, 2023
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Matthew S., May 7, 2023
  • (7) View All
Reviewed May. 1, 2023

Not a place to spend time but easy access to the park

Plenty of spots, it was a busy Saturday night and we arrived after 10pm and still saw plenty of spots. It was very basic honestly, I would not want to spend much time here.

Pretty bright city lights across the lake so no stargazinf

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Justin C., May 1, 2023
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Justin C., May 1, 2023
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Justin C., May 1, 2023
Reviewed Apr. 28, 2023

Worth it to be so close to the park

It’s meh. The water is a wastewater evaporation site so it’s kinda gross looking. No smell in April though. Lots of open land to park on. 0 privacy.

Sitealong the water
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by KC H., April 28, 2023
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  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by KC H., April 28, 2023
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Reviewed Apr. 17, 2023

Beautiful lake site for FREE

Easy access, gravel road in a class a or lower vehicle can travel on without a worry. Beautiful view of the sunset over the mountains on one side and the sunrise over the mountains on the other.

Siteboondocking
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Josh M., April 17, 2023
  • Play button icon
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Josh M., April 17, 2023
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Reviewed Apr. 3, 2023

Well dispersed campsites, only a handful of others, aka Holloman Lake CG

We are full-timers in a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow. We were here for a few days in early April. There are only a handful of other campers here on a Monday afternoon. It was quite windy the day we arrived with wind speeds of 25 mph and gust up to 40 mph, which kicked up a little dust from time to time, but the weather was beautiful otherwise. Much the same forecast for tomorrow, but the wind is supposed to die down a fair bit on Wednesday. As others have mentioned, getting to some of these back sites can be a little rough, but if you go slowly, it’s not too bad, even in our rig. 

AT&T coverage was quite good, with 3 Bars of 5G service and speeds up to 4.5 MB/s. We had an unobstructed view of the sky and so we were able to receive all 3 SW Dish satellites and Starlink had up to 5 MB/s. We didn’t try to load any OTA channels.

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Ray & Terri F., April 3, 2023
Reviewed Jan. 28, 2023

Raptor lake dispersed camping

This is our first time on BLM land. We didn’t really know what to expect. We pull a 36’ fifth wheel and was a little apprehensive about coming to a place like this for fear of being too large. After getting through the gate though, there is plenty of room. We got a nice spot right on the lake. There are a few other campers but it’s not crowded. We have enough distance between us to let our dogs off leash. The only advice I have is if you’re pulling a trailer and approaching from Alamogordo you should make a wide right turn in from the travel lane. Turn on those flashers and slow down. When you see the gate. Make turn as wide as possible. I pulled off the highway first and had a hell of a time getting straight enough to get through gate. From direction of las cruces. You’re fine.

Sitena
Month of VisitJanuary
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by mike , January 28, 2023
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by mike , January 28, 2023
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by mike , January 28, 2023
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Reviewed Dec. 31, 2022

Best free camping outside the National Park

Campground is right off the highway. Easy to get all kinds of campers, Rvs, trailers, ect into the campsites. No services, pack in, pack out. Only a few sites right next the to water and all fairly flat. There are plenty of more sites off the water. Only a 5 minute drive to White Sands National Park and about a 20 minute drive to groceries and restaurants.

Month of VisitDecember
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Noah E., December 31, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Noah E., December 31, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Noah E., December 31, 2022
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Dec. 30, 2022

Great No Frills Spot

This was actually one of our favorite stops. Breathtaking views, especially sunrise and sunset. Clean, easy access, and peaceful. Plenty of space and several fire rings. Bring your own wood.

Month of VisitDecember
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Laila K., December 30, 2022
Reviewed Dec. 3, 2022

It’s not bad !

It’s a good spot. I didn’t smelt anything. It’s accessible with any car and it’s a nice place for tent. Very close to the national park (5min)

To get inside there is a sign “camp” in the freeway.

Little dirty but it’s not that much.

Go for it !

Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Flavien G., December 3, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Flavien G., December 3, 2022
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Reviewed Nov. 26, 2022

good spot

nice view easy setup, white sands spots apparently still closed due to covid in 2022. tell that to my job! haha

Month of VisitNovember
Reviewed Nov. 8, 2022

Closest you can camp to White Sands in an RV

Biggest draw is that this place is only about 3-5 miles away from the entrance to White Sands. You can see the lights from the highway, but it is very quiet, especially after dark. Only 4 other campers when we were there and plenty of room to spread out. There are fire rings, but nothing else. Sunset and sunrise over the lake were nice. The smell that others have mentioned was only really apparent after the sun went down and the temperature dropped, it’s just a marshy smell, nothing that terrible, imo.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Jen , November 8, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Jen , November 8, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Jen , November 8, 2022
Reviewed Sep. 25, 2022

Nice quick stop

Nice place, we found a perfect flat spot. It smells sometimes, but not often. The highway was very loud but such a pretty sunset and we saw lots of stars. A little trash, we found some metal and glass.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by emmy , September 25, 2022
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2022

Good spot despite reviews

Arrived at 830 pm on 8/25 and stayed just one night. No smell at all. Only 2 other RTT. When it cooled down at night there was a very slight smell. To me it was kind of like low tide at the ocean. Totally bearable. Plenty of flat spots if you have a RTT but also plenty of space in general. Was very quiet as well. AFB stopped flying around 9 pm. There is a little bird watching sign just before the turn off 70.

Siteall the way at the end by the water
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Erin M., August 26, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Erin M., August 26, 2022
Reviewed Jul. 31, 2022

Nice spot by White Sands

We arrived at night and didn't have difficulties finding it. you must look for an open gate on US 70, just few miles before the exit to White Sands National Monument. The road is perfectly fine at the begin ing and quieckly turns bumpy so we decided to ivernight just before the dust road becomes mire challengi g for a non 4 wheel car. At night we could hear cayotes. The place didn't smell bad, as noticed several time in the previous reviews so I guess it must depend on the wind ! And of course it's not a place you can swim in : the lake is a wastewater evaporation pond but as long as you know it ,it just makes sense. The highway is not that far so it can be a bit noisy for light sleepers.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by magetju , July 31, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by magetju , July 31, 2022
Reviewed May. 29, 2022

Good spot and close to white sands

I thought this was a good little camp site for a day or two. The view is nice but the area is kind of a mess. You can’t swim in the water its sewage or something from the air force base and there are many signs saying no swimming. The best part about the site is it’s 5 minutes from white sands. The entrance is right off of us 70 you come in and cross a cattle gate and there is a bunch of signs saying no off road driving from the Air Force. Just go back there 100 yards. There is plenty of room and will most likely never fill up.

Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Apr. 2, 2022

Free and Pretty

Pros - Free camping, gorgeous sunsets. Plenty of available spots.

Cons - the lake is sewage from the Air Force base. It’s stinks here, badly.

We stayed here for one night. I think that’s all we could take. We got out of here as soon as we could. We love free camping as much as the next person, but we were kind of disgusted that we were sleeping next to a lake of pee and poo.

Stay here if you must, if you can find another campsite, do it.

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Aidan M., April 2, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Aidan M., April 2, 2022
Reviewed Mar. 9, 2022

Plenty of sites and Beautiful Views

This area is very easy to access and has plenty of RV sites all with great views of the lake and surrounding mountains. ATT and Verizon service are both very good here, and White Sands NP is only a few minutes down the road. There is the occasional fly over from the nearby Air Force base, but other than that, very peaceful. We stayed here for just under a week and have worked remote full time from our location without any issues.

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Joseph H., March 9, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Joseph H., March 9, 2022
  • Review photo of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake by Joseph H., March 9, 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the elevation of Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake?

    Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake is located at 4024 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake?

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