Camp May

Only a few sites but clean pit toilets, water, and trash. Each site has a fire ring and new picnic table. Listened to Aspen leaves rustling all night. Lots of trails nearby for hiking and mountain biking.

Camp May is a small and seasonal campground located at the base of Pajarito Ski Hill. It is wooded with aspens, ponderosas and more. The temperatures are pleasant throughout the hot summer months, and the nights may be rather cold. There is hiking nearby, mountain biking, and the campground itself is situated near Los Alamos, Valles Caldera National Park, and Bandelier National Monument. Pajarito Mountain occasionally opens up their chair lifts to mountain bikes.

There is no staff onsite. Campsite fees must be paid in town at the aquatic center, and campers can reserve a space in advance. However, the campsites are not numbered, and specific sites are not reservable. If campers want to set up outside of pool hours, they can usually call the county (311) or the non-emergency number to let the county know about camping plans and the plan to pay fees in the morning. There is one group site at the top of the loop and a handful of individual sites; the campground itself is very small and has no more than 10 sites. Camping rings are available at all sites, however it would be wise to check on a fire restrictions before lighting any fires. Los Alamos County typically follows suite with the Santa Fe National Forest Restrictions and takes fire very seriously. The Cerro Grande Fire burned thousands of acres along with around 300 homes in town, and campers will drive past the devastating Las Conchas Fire Scar on their way to Camp May.

Although there is no host, typical camp rules are still enforceable by law enforcement and include quiet hours after 10 p.m., fire restriction adherence, etc. There are vault toilets, which are rather not-smelly, considering. Camp May is situated in bear and mountain lion country; if that isn't enough to keep your idle food in your car, then the super friendly but tenacious golden mantle ground squirrels, and chipmunks should be.

There is a steep dirt road upon accessing the camp. Depending on how recently the dirt road has been groomed will determine the vehicles that can climb into camp. Only smaller pop-ups and trailers would be recommended.