Best Dispersed Camping in New Mexico

Recent Dispersed Reviews in New Mexico

602 Reviews of 167 New Mexico Campgrounds

• T

  Teresa A.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 20, 2024

  Swingle Canyon

  Overnight stay

  Easily found the dispersed sights from the app. Spent a very quiet night nestled back off the highway under the stars.

• 

  Jeremy W.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 6, 2024

  Haystack Mountain OHV Area

  Convenient Gem

  After reading how the area around Roswell is tough to find BLM/ cheap overnight - i fired up the Dyrt app and found this gem.

  $3 for me and my van. Came in after dark to get some sleep before heading into Roswell proper. Only a few other vans.

  Bathroom was immaculate, views are great . Thank you to the host for keeping it this way.

• 

  Teresa T.

  Legend

  

  Dec. 5, 2024

  Desert Cove — Elephant Butte Lake State Park

  Desert Cove is actually a campground and also dispersed camping area

  This is a very nicely spaced campground. Can't really see the water from here but the sites have water and electric. The bathroom was being worked on so not open during the visit and the water level is at like 5 % capacity but there are lots of places to walk and bike and camping here in the winter provides very livable temperatures.

• J

  Josh F.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 2, 2024

  Top of New Mexico - Dispersed Site

  Great views, very isolated and quiet, wild animals

  When you first arrive to the end of the road and the beginning of the public land - you have the option to go left, straight, or right. The left turn has one semi level campsite with a homemade fire ring but not as much on that left side. The straight route has the most options I found. I drove around for 15 minutes looking for the best spot but didn't see too many  pre-cleared "camping spots" from previous travelers. Plenty of places to pull over to camp with a great view.

  Incredible scenery, overlooking the valley and mountains in the West, with great sunsets. My first morning I was surrounded by a group of 5 cows grazing. They ended up laying 30 feet from the trailer all morning. Saw one other camper about a mile away. 

  The gravel roads are really tight for my 27" trailer, manageable but did rub on a couple of trees and shrubs on the drive in. Don't necessarily need a 4WD unless there is bad weather, but a few spots where ground clearance of a regular truck or SUV is important. Pretty isolated from supplies, which is the charm, but come prepared. 

  Great Starlink location and pretty good cell service (3/4 bars)

• F

  Frances L.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 1, 2024

  Top of New Mexico - Dispersed Site

  Meh

  Don’t arrive when it’s dark. Not much going on, no fire rings, no wild horses to wake up to. Maybe it was too cold for the horses. No fire rings I saw nonetheless.

• T

  Tessa T.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 30, 2024

  Oregan Wilderness Dispersed

  Lots of dispersed sites Mountain View’s

  Lots of dispersed sites but looks like a very popular area we passed over 20 campers before finding a spot. Spots are pretty well spaced out with lots of vegetation inbetween. Road is a little rough 4x4 definitely recommended.

• 

  Vivian H.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 28, 2024

  Sante Fe National Forest BLM-Road 62 Dispersed

  Decent dispersed camping

  Area is open. There’s some trash right as you come in, but there’s plenty of clean spots not too much further in. Decent spot, though also popular.

• J

  Josh M.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 27, 2024

  FR376 Dispersed

  Amazing !

  There was a decent amount of snow but the road was easy enough to navigate. I came in from Las Alamos and went in about 7-8 miles. The site I found was amazing. There was a site available right as you pulled in and about 3-4 more half developed sites (fire rings) within a quarter mile walk in. It looks like there’s a bit of an OHV trail leading up the mountain, halfway. From there if you want to reach a peak you do have to bushwhack a bit. This was easily by top 10 dispersed campsites I’ve even been to and will definitely be coming back. Little to no service, roughly an hour 45 minutes from Albuquerque stayed 2 nights.

• J

  Josh M.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 27, 2024

  Pajarito Springs (Dispersed)

  Nice place for a night

  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.

• C

  Chris S.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 27, 2024

  Top of New Mexico - Dispersed Site

  Lovely

  Mostly residential area until you get to the open space.  I didn't make it to the actual coordinates as I took a wrong turn near the end, but there is a ton of open space out here.   Easy to get to in 25' RV.   Recommend.

• J

  Jack

  Scout

  

  Nov. 26, 2024

  Raptor Lake Dispersed / Holloman Lake

  Windy at night, but lots of room and views

  The road is a bit lumpy getting in, so bigger rigs will have to take their time. But once you’re in, there’s good spacing so you’re not on top of everyone. Lake is very peaceful in the morning and evening, but wouldn’t swim in it.

• 

  Mark D.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 25, 2024

  FR376 Dispersed

  Temporary Closure

  After a long drive I found this site to be posted and closed. I’m a newbie so I could be incorrect but check USFS closures.

  https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/santafe/alerts-notices/?aid=88339

• 

  Lauren I.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 24, 2024

  Top of New Mexico - Dispersed Site

  Dark Sky Sanctuary

  This is my second time camping here and it is a perfect hidden gem for campervanning. Road gets a little sketchy at the end but you don’t have to go all the way to the coordinates. Beautiful sunrise and sunset. Wild horses in the area. And, you can clearly see the Milky Way. No light pollution except the beautiful view of the city far away.

• 

  Renee T.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 23, 2024

  San Antonio Bosque Park

  Location Location Location

  Right now, it is muddy, overgrown and we discovered only one site available that was covered in dog poo. Bad human. We cleaned it up and used site as a base for Bosque del Apache bird watching. Perfect location, but other than that, it's not a place I'd choose. Also bonus 5G T-Mobile. Oh Trains with horns every two hours.

• 

  Eliza M.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 20, 2024

  Gallinas Site

  Great Site

  Lots of dispersed camping along A027, with some being very private. The main site mentioned here also has bathroom facilities. It was a bit crowded, so I chose a private spot up the road with no issues. Beautiful area!

• 

  ron R.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 18, 2024

  Alamo Road Camp

  Very quiet out of the way and peaceful

  I stayed here for the second week of November. It rained a day or two before I got here and the mosquitoes were still a little bad but the weather was great up until my moving Day when I was leaving today November 18th. As long as it doesn't rain hard the ground should be good but if it rains really hard it gets really muddy. The cell phone signal is amazing for T-Mobile it's very quiet at night your neighbors are a couple football fields away if you have any at all. There is a target shooting range on DOD land about 2 mi away so during the day you do hear gunshots from time to time. Everyone shooting there is shooting North so stay south of the zig zag road sign.

• 

  Lily C.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 17, 2024

  Top of New Mexico - Dispersed Site

  Beautiful quiet view!

  We spent one night here in our class c while on our trip to Miami and yeah the road is to be taken slow but it was worth it! There is a tiny art gallery on the side of the road!! Check it out!

• 

  ron R.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 11, 2024

  Whites City Road Dispersed Camp

  Looks like the area is no longer available for camping

  I drove up to the area and a long the path they have put a row of rocks and gravel about a foot foot and a half tall to keep people from driving through so you can't access the dirt path to get to the area anymore. Also there was some clearing about two miles before that closer to the highway that had a sign that said area closed road closed no camping no soliciting

• S

  Steven L.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 8, 2024

  Hackberry Lake

  Beautiful nothing

  Large open area with washed out hills. Access was easy but the road back does have issues because of gully wash. It was lightly raining when I arrived and I did a bit of a walkabout before it got dark. Many flat spots to choose from. Ground is a white flaky soil. But saw no problems with sinking into it. Might be a different story if there is a hard rain.

• 

  Roy G.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 3, 2024

  Baylor Canyon Rd Dispersed Site

  Convenient

  Not bad at all. Not far off the main road. Paved road to it. Gravelled grounds. Pretty level. Quiet. This isn't a huge campground but we had no trouble finding a spot.

• 

  Naoshad Z.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 29, 2024

  Dispersed Camping off FS 542

  Easily accessible with peace and quiet. Decent views as well!

  Road is easily traversed but would be more comfortable in a truck/suv. Some rough rutted areas after rains when I went. There are plenty of spots to pull of to along the side of the road. Designated areas with fire pits are bit difficult/narrow to get to if you are towing anything.

• 2

  2335 T.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 27, 2024

  Baylor Pass West Trailhead Dispersed

  Baylor Canyon National Recreation Trail

  Parked in graded gravel parking area at base of a Organ Mountains. Fairly level.

• 

  Julie K.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 27, 2024

  Forest Road 558

  Good enough for an overnight

  We parked a little further off 285 than most people so the road noise was minimal. A car drove past us on the dirt road in the morning which was surprising but nothing more. There was a rotting animal smell once in a while but we didn’t smell once inside the van. No toilet. Someone left a small fire ring. The road was rutted, don’t go if it’s wet. Fine for overnight lodging but I wouldn’t hang out there.

• 

  Junaid A.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 22, 2024

  Top of New Mexico - Dispersed Site

  My True Review about Top of the New Mexico

  Top of New Mexico" near Albuquerque is a fantastic camping spot if you love open spaces and beautiful desert views. The sunsets here are breathtaking, and you might even spot wild horses roaming around. There's plenty of space for tents or RVs, and it's quiet and well-maintained, making it a perfect place to relax and enjoy nature. It can get a little windy, but that just adds to the experience. The road to get there winds through some houses, but once you arrive, you're surrounded by pure nature. also the food is so good, there are many food brands like subway menu who offers quality fast food services.

• 

  K&S Adventures !.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 22, 2024

  Upper Bonito Dispersed Recreation Area

  Night at Bonito Dispersed!

  We had a great night drove through the entire area and off roads to find a nice quiet area we had our son and two big doggos and had plenty of space for them to roam. Lots of trails nearby and the lake of course!

• R

  Rhys R.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 14, 2024

  Santa Fe BLM Dispersed Campsite

  Partial closure and absolute dump

  This place sufficed due to the need to have somewhere for the night, if we had the chance we’d have gone somewhere else. Massive piles of trash everywhere, sites strewn with people’s leftover garbage from camping there.

  Due to its close proximity to the landfill, it was extremely loud during the morning from around 7am onwards.

  There was a partial closure banning camping in a section of the landfill, which was incredibly difficult to figure out where we could camp, as the map is not clear at all,

  Coyotes at night were really cool.

  Overall disappointing but glad we managed somewhere to sleep for the night

• n

  nytwordlehints

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Sierra Vista - Back Side Dispersed

  Beautiful scenery

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