Best Dispersed Camping near Salt Flat, TX
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Best Dispersed Sites Near Salt Flat, TX (3)
1. Chosa Campground
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico50 Reviews•103 Photos•370 SavesChosa Campground consists of a 3.5-acre, pipe-rail fenced pad that offers a trash container and a safe parking space for your Recreational Vehicle plus a protected area to set tents, whatever your camping style. Chosa campground provides visitors a fee free location strategically located between two national parks with Carlsbad Caverns a short 11-mile drive north and Guadalupe Mountains National Park 27 miles south on highway 62.
- Dispersed
- Trash
- Alcohol
2. Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Whites City, New Mexico30 Reviews•77 Photos•364 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- ADA Access
- Dispersed
- Alcohol
3. Wilderness Ridge Wilderness Campground — Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Be the first to review!Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas•1 SaveA Wilderness Use Permit is required for all use of these campsites. An interesting hike along the Permian Reef Trail meanders up 2,000 feet to Wilderness Ridge where the sudden transition from rock to trees is refreshing. Once on top, the trail is level through forested and open areas and takes you to the edge of the escarpment where the view is outstanding. Wilderness Ridge Campground is in the trees, and worth the extra distance to save the resource from unnecessary damage.
- Tents
$6 - $48 / night
Recent Dispersed Reviews in Salt Flat
81 Reviews of 3 Salt Flat Campgrounds
- T
Tony
Scout
Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Trailer camping
Two 40 ft toy haulers fit great place
Cari E.
GuideMile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Magical sunsets, horrible wind
The proximity to both Guadalupe Mountains NP and Carlsbad Caverns NP are unbeatable and the sunsets over the mountains are truly phenomenal. I even got a kick out of the cows.
Spacious with fire rings, and a thousand times better than Sunset Reef (they were packed in like sardines with zero privacy) but beware of the winds! I was caught in a two day dust storm with 70mph winds and it was admittedly miserable, as was the amount of dirt inside my van.
Overall I would recommend staying here, but don’t rely too heavily on the weather forecast—it drastically changed every hour I was there over 4 days. Cell service was also phenomenal for working remotely.
Crista G.
TravelerMile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Quiet, spacious, great location
Really nice place to stop. Impeccable cell service, lots of space with any neighbors far away, and location 20 minutes away from Carlsbad Caverns can't be beat. No sun or wind protection though!
Rachel S.
RangerMile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Does the job
Coming from Carlsbad the GPS may have you get off at Chosa Campground and there’s a dirt road connecting that to this site, but recommend you turn around to get back on the highway going north and then exit at this marker. Even camped right off the highway the noise didn’t bother us, but a few people continued down the roads going further away. Windy and hot until the sun went down!
- CCypressTraveler
Sitting Bull Falls Dispersed
Lovely dispersed spots
Multiple pull offs along the paved road to sitting Bull Falls. The road follows a winding canyon up to a natural spring and waterfalls. There's a picnic area at the falls and trailhead to loads of hiking into Lincoln National Forest. No facilities at the campsites but there is water, trash, and bathrooms at the end of the road at the bottom of the falls. Well with the visit!!
- AArtTraveler
Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping
First time boondocking
Like others have said. Easy to find and access road is doable for almost any rig. Sunrise and sunsets are amazing. Cows can be persistent and if you have a dog be careful it doesn’t get trampled. Loved the spot and would definitely return
Robbie T.TravelerMile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Open air and cows!
Lots of room! Nobody around. Right off the main HWY.. kind of a hidden gem! Not so bad if you don't mind cows or cow poop! Lol! Nice little spot.. easy for my truck and trailer to get in here! Plus room for others!
- DDoug H.Guide
Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Good dry camping area
This is a good place for dry camping. Right off the road. GPS takes you straight there. 6 or 7 miles from Carlsbad Caverns. Not far from Carlsbad, NM. Very few people came through. I went past the first two sites on down a short distance to a great spot on the left. There was a rock fire ring there. Another big spot on down a little on the right. Great view of the mountains. No services, but not far from Carlsbad. Cell service is full 5G!
Can't beat it for free campsite.
Greg T.Guide
Chosa Campground
Free & Simple
It’s just a huge free dirt lot to camp in. Very close to Carlsbad caverns and Guadalupe National parks.
- RRichard T.Guide
Chosa Campground
Desert Climate. Flat, open lands.
Our first NM BLM camp was here. Literally 6 miles north of the Texas border. We got there at 5pm in 90 degree weather. Luckily we had a swamp cooler to keep us cool. I highly recommend if you camp in Summer months to get there closer to sunset. It cools down quickly when the sun is down, and gets as cold at night as it gets hot in the day. We left around noon before it got too hot.
- rryanScout
Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping
VERY EASY to find - nice and empty
About 7 miles away from Carlsbad Caverns. A half dozen spots right at the entrance. It was empty so we stayed near the front with a small rock fire pit. There are other spots deeper in the field but we didn’t go that far in. Easy to find entrance, easy to find a spot, easy to get to Carlsbad Caverns or Guadalupe Mountains NP. Great for a quick overnight spot.
- PPatrickTraveler
Chosa Campground
Spacious and fairly level
Easy access off the highway.
Toree M.GuideMile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Easy to locate, and plenty of space!
Right off of the highway, the coordinates took us right to it! The trail is bumpy but not horrible. We’re driving a 34 footer! 10 minute drive to the caverns, and pretty quiet (even considering being on the highway) not too many people have come down here. We’ve stayed 4 days with pretty little traffic!
- SShauna H.Traveler
Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Great spot for dispersed camping
Quiet place away from others, which we like. We followed the GPS coordinates and found a spot away from the freeway. It had a firepit and we weren't super close to our neighbors. We could see them, but they were a ways off. Sunrises were beautiful and the weather in April pleasant. Occasional wind gusts, but not too bad. We stayed for 4 nights.
10 minutes from the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Once you enter, you have a 15 minute drive to get to the Visitor's Center. And, this spot is only 25 minutes from Carlsbad, with Walmart, restaurants and gas stations.
First we tried Carlsbad BLM Land Dispersed, but didn't want to stay in the lot right off the freeway. And we walked the road going further up and it was too rutted for our 36 ft travel trailer. We could have done it but wanted something not so hard on our camper.
Next we tried Carlsbad Caverns Dispersed. We followed the coordinates here on Dyrt.com and it took us way out into a cow field (with very aggressive cows) and eventually a dead end. It was a bit tricky getting turned around. We never did see places off the side of the road to boondock. Right after the grates there is a dirt lot off to the left but was too close to freeway and others for us. If you do that one, just don't follow the GPS coordinates.
We needed to refill our water and use a dump station, so I called around. White City RV charges $15 for dump and refill (too much), and we found an Ice House America at the White City gas station the had water refills for $.25 a gallon (good for our drinking water bottles, but not good for filling our RV). Finally we called Greasewood RV. Neil, the owner, was super nice. He told us we could just pull up to any open spot at his park and fill our water tanks, dump our black tank and use the big trash bin. He also said he had spaces for us to stay if we wanted to. He offered $20 a night instead of his usual $30 a night which I thought was super nice of him. If we had known that, we may have stayed their instead since we calculated that it costs us $18-$20 a night to boondock. We like having electricity when possible because we have a full size fridge to keep cold.
Anyway, we really enjoyed this spot. Our kids even found a sinkhole with what looked like a small cave near our campsite.
Josh M.GuideMile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Why pay to camp?
Not sure why so many people spend $70 a night when they have the ability to go hook up free. Got free water at the local gas station pulled out here absolutely no money for the next few days
- SSharilyn K.Guide
Chosa Campground
Convenient location
It is a great location for both Guadalupe Mountains NP and Carlsbad Caverns.
Ray L.GuideChosa Campground
Little busy, but fantastic!
This is a great free area of land located conveniently between the Guadalupe mtns and The Carlsbad Caverns. It is a bit busy but all the people that park here are respectful of space and are very quiet. If you’re looking for an area to camp for free near the NPs, this is the option for sure.
Haley L.GuideChosa Campground
Easy Spot, Nothing Special
Its super easy to get to if you take the route through Carlsbad. We arrived at 8:30pm on a Friday, and it was fairly full. There wasn’t an issue finding somewhere to stay though.
- CChrisGuide
Chosa Campground
Just off the road
Just off the road of Mile marker 10. A flat, dirt road brings you in and opens up to several spots in a large circle and a drive-through loop. Some road noise, depending on time of day; and distance lights from the city of Carlsbad. Convenient location.
- NNoah E.
LegendMile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Quieter than Chosa campground
Only 10 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP and about 25 minutes from Guadeloupe Mountains NP!
The area is a large gravel lot with some brush and scubs scattered about. Plenty of spots for trailers/RVs/and any other campers. Very easy to find right off the highway! There is no turn off if you are headed west. You'll have to make a Uturn about a mile up the highway. This campsite was less busy than Chosa campground, which I stayed at the night before. A few fire rings here and there.
Dispersed area, pack in pack out. Verizon service was good!
- NNoah E.Legend
Chosa Campground
Great spot for big campers
Only 10 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns NP and about 25 minutes from Guadeloupe Mountains NP!
The area is a large fenced in gravel lot. Plenty of spots for trailers/RVs/and any other campers. Very easy to find right off the highway! Pretty crowded compared to most dispersed camping areas, but still a very easy spot to get to. If you want more secluded areas, there are more campgrounds further down the gravel road. A few fire rings here and there.
Dispersed area, there is a large trash bin in the campground. Verizon service was good!
- SSweendogScout
Chosa Campground
Perfect waystation
Large level area big enough foot plenty of campers.
42’ bus with toad
Aliza N.LegendMile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Pretty standard dispersed site!
This area is v easy to find. Right off 62/180 at mile marker 10. On the right hand side of the road if heading north towards Carlsbad. The turn off isn’t marked but there are several signs right around it. Gravel/dirt road is in pretty good shape. Most any car should be able to drive down it. The sites start almost immediately and are well spaced. There were no other people around when we were here in January! Prepare yourself for the wind if you are here in winter. It was no joke! We also stayed across the street at Sunset reef for a night. Both are nice! Less privacy at Sunset reef but there’s a pit toilet if that’s important to you, as well as sun shelters and picnic tables.
- James G.Scout
Chosa Campground
Large lot
A lot not far from Carlsbad park. Not great-not bad.
- FFlavien G.Guide
Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Simple place
It was a simple place but It does the job. Very near of the freeway but it’s still kinda quiet. You can do campfire, tent and RV ok. You can go it’s safe.
- mmaliaScout
Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Good spot
Entrance was super easy to find- right off the highway next to mile marker 10. Road was good as well, our Honda Civic had no issues. Felt very safe, you can see the highway and town lights from campsite.
April S.GuideMile 10 - Dispersed Camping
Very simple but just what we needed
We were going to stay at the sunset reef camp across the street but they were totally full. So we went to the Dyrt for help. Found this on across the street. The signs were a little confusing for where to camp exactly but we found a nice spot to set up. The highway noise is pretty loud but when it gets late it’s not so bad. You have great views no bathroom, and clean. We are traveling on a budget road trip and this is just what we were looking for to call it a night!
Guide to Salt Flat
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Salt Flat, Texas, where you can immerse yourself in nature without the constraints of traditional campgrounds. With stunning landscapes and a variety of outdoor activities, this area is perfect for those seeking adventure and tranquility.
Tips for free and dispersed camping near Salt Flat, Texas
- Arrive early to secure a good spot, especially at popular locations like Chosa Campground, which is conveniently located near both Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Caverns.
Exploring the Guadalupe Mountains for dispersed campers
- The proximity of Wilderness Ridge Wilderness Campground to the Guadalupe Mountains offers a unique opportunity for hikers to experience breathtaking views and diverse wildlife.
Enjoying outdoor activities while free camping near Salt Flat
- For those who love stargazing, the clear skies at Mile 10 - Dispersed Camping provide an incredible backdrop for observing constellations and celestial events away from city lights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Salt Flat, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Salt Flat, TX is Chosa Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 50 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Salt Flat, TX?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 dispersed camping locations near Salt Flat, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.