In OKC, but going to spend a week exploring New Mexico National Forests

[CLHickman]

Hey there!


Looking for recommendations.

We currently live in Oklahoma City and will be taking next week off. We were hoping to explore some amazing dispersed camping locations around New Mexico.

The plan is to hit up Carlsbad Cavern this Saturday/Sunday and move northwest to Lincoln NF, then north. We'd prefer dispersed camping, but wouldn't shrug off a really nice pay camp site. We have Saturday-Saturday to play with and can camp in any weather.

@alia176, We finally got out of North Dakota and in a better climate!

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NyNomad]

Beware of Indian land

 

[Poupon]

Hey Chris - nice to hear from you. Have fun - post up some pix.

 

[CLHickman]

Hey Chris - nice to hear from you. Have fun - post up some pix.

Doh! I realize I didn't ask, but we're looking for any spots you guys recommend.

 

[marcfj60]

I've never done any dispersed camping around Lincoln NF but I have camped at an RV Park/campground called Along the River RV Park near the intersection of HWY 37 and 48. You can stop by the NF Offices in Cloudcroft and Ruidoso to more info as well.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

@4Cruisers might have some ideas.

 

[4Cruisers]

If you head NW out of Carlsbad on US 285 for ~6 miles you can take a left and head SW on NM 137 to the Lincoln National Forest. Just after reaching the FS boundary take CR 409 to Sitting Bull Falls. If you continue SW on NM 137 past Queen you'll drop over The Rim of the Guadalupe Mountains and to the Texas border. There's a nice NP campground just inside Texas along Dog Canyon. Hardly anyone ever camps there. It may be a little early but Dog Canyon has a bunch of maples that really turn red and other fall colors. Usually the third week of October is prime color season. You should visit there too @ceylonfj40nut.

 

[lurch]

I’d check out the NMBDR and see if anything along it might fit into the trip.

 

[CLHickman]

We are going to stay there tonight and tomorrow night. Looks really good - thanks for the tip!

 

[4Cruisers]

We are going to stay there tonight and tomorrow night. Looks really good - thanks for the tip!

Where?

 

[CLHickman]

Where?

Sorry - my wife is the one replying to this thread while I drive. We are staying at Dog Canyon Campground (where you recommend). We are going to skip White Sands and go up instead through Roswell and into Bandelier/Santa Fe. Any recommendations on that area?

 

[4Cruisers]

For dispersed camping near Bandelier National Monument there are plenty of nice areas to the west, up in the Jemez Mountains, off of NM 4. While there make sure to see the Valles Caldera National Preserve, another NPS park. It adjoins Bandelier. At Bandelier there's Juniper Campground, and there's a shuttle to the canyon bottom (Visitor Center, ruins, cliff dwellings, etc.).

If you head west on NM 4 from Bandelier, you climb up high in the mountains. Just before you reach the Bandelier/Valles Caldera boundary you can take a left on FR 289. After a few miles continue to bear right on the main road (FR 36?)and you'll find a lot of nice dispersed camping just off the road. You're in the Santa Fe National Forest. If you continue on and keep bearing right (FR 268?) you can drop over Paso del Norte and down a few miles back to NM 4, pretty much opposite the turnoff to the Valles Caldera visitor center - it's less than 1/4 mile further west on NM from where you drop down off Paso del Norte.

Have fun in your explorations.

 

[marcfj60]

I would recommend the Juniper campground at Bandelier as well. It's a very nice campground and doesn't get very crowded this time of year. Weather will be really nice too.

 

[4Cruisers]

How was your trip? Did you get caught up in the rainy weather while down south?

 

[CLHickman]

Hey! The trip was amazing. Great recommendations all around. We got into Dog Canyon just as the downpour was happening. There was a break in the weather to let us setup the trailer and get some rest.

The caverns were amazing and our little girls, surprisingly, love it. That night, the rain was nonstop in that area.

So, on our way out of there, there was a lot of earth (mini land slides) covering the roads all the way to the highway. We were fearful of several spots where flash floods were possible. As we were nearing our last low land passing a lady in a Ford Explorer tried to stop us as we passed. She was pretty frantic, so I throw the truck in reverse and try to back it up to get to her. I thought I had the trailer in line and sight, but it hit a patch of that mud on the road....

So, the trailer kissed the passenger side of the truck. The lady ultimately told us that she was turned away due to a flash flood. Hmm...So we pressed forward because we had no where else to go or be. After chatting with the fire department we found that we were in the beginning phase of the water movement and that if I tossed the LX into high, we had enough weight and height to ford over. So, we did and got on our way to Sante Fe. We got setup in the middle of the night at Juniper Campground, which was PACKED....

We jumped over a parking barrier and setup in the tent area. It turned out to be one of the best spots in the area. We toured Bandelier where I was the pack mule for the girls and almost always had one of them on my shoulders.

All in all, great recommendations and we had a great week.

 

[marcfj60]

Great to hear about the good times and memories. Sorry to hear about the crunch but it looks like something a professional can fix like new.

 

[alia176]

Glad you had a great time but be sure to tell others that NM is a crap hole and shouldn't be visited.

 

[lurch]

Glad you had a great time but be sure to tell others that NM is a crap hole and shouldn't be visited.

Hmmmm YEAH!...Blame the dent on our terrible drivers!