Taos Junction Dispersed Camping
Carson National Forest
Write a Review NF-557 Ojo Caliente, NM 87549 575-758-6200 Official WebsiteGPS: 36.3604, -105.894
Overview of Taos Junction Dispersed Camping
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by trvlinga on 10/10/2020
Longest RV Reported: 36 feet
Reported by Life Among Pines on 6/22/2018
Pad Type dirt
Open Seasonally May - December
Elevation 7,283 ft / 2,219 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 575-758-6200
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Reviews of Taos Junction Dispersed Camping 7 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 1 User
Last reported 10/18/2019
Confirmed by 4 Users
Last reported 10/10/2020
Confirmed by 2 Users
Last reported 6/13/2020
“Last resort”
Reviewed 10/10/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
Not a fan of this dispersed camping ground. It’ll do if you’re in a bind and need something, but like all the other posts, people DO NOT PICK UP AFTER THEMSELVES. There was toilet wipes, empty beer cans and paper towels at the site we had ended up going to, which was relatively clean... There was one site with toilet paper, water bo... more
Not a fan of this dispersed camping ground. It’ll do if you’re in a bind and need something, but like all the other posts, people DO NOT PICK UP AFTER THEMSELVES. There was toilet wipes, empty beer cans and paper towels at the site we had ended up going to, which was relatively clean...
There was one site with toilet paper, water bottles and an entire used toilet seat with basin in the middle of the road. Gross!
Always pack in and pack it out!
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AT&T 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Private”
Reviewed 10/7/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 0 |
| Site Number: | 0 |
Overall Rating
These are pull offs in the woods. There was no trash as was commented previously. We arrived at night and there wasn't anyone at any of the pull offs. The phone service was great but I left bc my camper van felt like it wanted to get stuck. I wouldnt feel comfortable staying here alone though.
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AT&T 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“OK in a pinch, or just for an overnight”
Reviewed 7/12/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| RV Length: | 21' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
Super deep, flour fine dust. Road in was dry when we stayed, but if wet it would be a nightmare of mud. There are plenty of sites here; we counted 8, and there were probably more beyond where we camped.
Sands would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“The deeper you go the better you get”
Reviewed 6/13/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 11 |
Overall Rating
First few days we stayed in a spot that turned off to the left about a 6th of a mile in. The spot is trashed and TP'ed to death. We then packed up and moved in deeper along the freshly grated road. About a half-mile in several appealing spots opened up. Many of these are gorgeous and limited in trash or disturbance. Apparently this ... more
First few days we stayed in a spot that turned off to the left about a 6th of a mile in. The spot is trashed and TP'ed to death.
We then packed up and moved in deeper along the freshly grated road. About a half-mile in several appealing spots opened up. Many of these are gorgeous and limited in trash or disturbance. Apparently this area has not been broadly used of recent.
In the deeper interior the area, weather and views are gorgeous. As this area is by a major road into and from Colorado, there is some noise that gets quieter the further in you go.
Open hiking, no established paths that are identifiable.
Purely dispersed with no amenities...come prepared with all supplies. The nearest major town is Espanola, NM. About 25 to 40 minutes south.
Notes:
Main road freshly grated and filled in, be careful of soft patches on the main road into the area. This area was accessible as of June 9th. No Covid Closure.
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AT&T 4G
T-Mobile 4G
NoMad for us would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Lots of options for smaller campers, a few for larger rigs – but what a MESS!”
Reviewed 10/18/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | N/A |
| RV Length: | 33' |
Overall Rating
We love boondocking, but after seeing the mess at Taos Junction I can’t say I’m very fond of humans. We found a lovely site not far from the entrance (turn left before the big dip in the road). Unfortunately, it had been used as a dump site too. Garbage, an old Christmas tree, and more TP than I care to think about. We walked the m... more
We love boondocking, but after seeing the mess at Taos Junction I can’t say I’m very fond of humans. We found a lovely site not far from the entrance (turn left before the big dip in the road). Unfortunately, it had been used as a dump site too. Garbage, an old Christmas tree, and more TP than I care to think about.
We walked the maze of roads and there are plenty of options for smaller rigs and a few others that would accommodate larger coaches. If you go further down the road there are some areas that you’ll need to take slow and careful. A little less garbage as you got further in, except for one area where there had to be a 100 broken jars – shooting practice?
We visited Taos from here but it was about 40 miles and given the condition of the dispersed area we would look for something else next time. The 1-star rating is for larger rigs, smaller rigs may like the area better.
We had 2 bars of Verizon 4G.
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful Forest, Incredibly Quiet, Great Location”
Reviewed 6/22/2018
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 6 |
| Site Number: | 36.359753,-105.891524 |
| RV Length: | 36' |
Overall Rating
STAYED: June 17th to June 23rd, 2018 ACCESS Forest Road 557 is right off of highway 285. The main road of 557 is in very good condition and appears to be well maintained. Access was a breeze for our gas Class A. I would suspect that most any rig would not have trouble, though use caution if the weather is wet. Sites begin less t... more
STAYED: June 17th to June 23rd, 2018
ACCESS
Forest Road 557 is right off of highway 285. The main road of 557 is in very good condition and appears to be well maintained. Access was a breeze for our gas Class A. I would suspect that most any rig would not have trouble, though use caution if the weather is wet.
Sites begin less than a quarter mile down the road if you would like to avoid going too far, but 557 continues pretty far if you are looking to get further out.
LOCATION
This site is ideally located for a number of the sights and attractions of the area.
-About 10 minutes from Ojo Caliente
-40 minutes from Taos
-1:15 from the Taos 38/64 loop
-30 minutes from the Earthship headquarters
-40 minutes from the Black Rock Hot Springs
We day tripped to each of these destinations from this site.
CLEANLINESS
When we were there in June 2018, there was a first site directly at the entrance to FR557 which was covered in trash. However, all of the other sites that we looked at were clean.
In general, there was a fair amount of regular camping trash left in the sites we looked at, and throughout the forest. Bottles, wrappers, old cans, bullet shells, etc.
As far as national forests go, this one was fairly median on cleanliness. Less clean than some, but much cleaner than others.
SITE QUALITY
The site we choose while we were there was incredible. We found a large clearing with perfect daytime shade from the tall Juniper and Pinyon pines in the area. The forest is absolutely beautiful, plus from our site, we had incredible views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the distance.
While we were there, this area was very quiet. Some days one car passed on the road, and for the rest, we didn’t see a soul. Ideal solitude. :D
NOISE
The first few spots are still close enough to the highway that there is a slight amount of road noise, however, the highway is relatively low-traffic so this is very easy to overlook.
CELL RECEPTION
We stayed at 36.359753,-105.891524 when we were there, and we enjoyed 3-4 bars of fast, AT&T 4GLTE, unboosted. No Verizon. However, for some reason, this specific spot seemed to have the only reception in the whole area. Further down 557 we couldn’t pick up any reception, nor closer to the highway.
When we would pull back into our site after being out for the day, our phones would immediately connect as soon as we pulled in. It was somewhat uncanny. lol
The reception was fast enough for all of our work needs. Calls, screen shares, uploads, downloads. We even did a Facebook live broadcast while there.
We didn’t expect anything, but this ended up being one of our top boondocking stays. Beautiful forest, great views, well located, extremely quiet. We plan to return if we’re ever in northern New Mexico again!
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AT&T 4G
Verizon
Life Among Pines would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Free, quiet boondocking spot near Ojo Caliente”
Reviewed 12/4/2017
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| RV Length: | 21' |
Overall Rating
Boondocking spot off Forest Road 557 in the Carson National Forest. If you drive along this dirt road, you'll find a number of possible sites, some with stone fire rings. It's a pinyon - juniper - sage brush area, and you can find either shade or sun. It's a boondocking spot, so there are no facilities besides those stone fire rin... more
Boondocking spot off Forest Road 557 in the Carson National Forest. If you drive along this dirt road, you'll find a number of possible sites, some with stone fire rings. It's a pinyon - juniper - sage brush area, and you can find either shade or sun.
It's a boondocking spot, so there are no facilities besides those stone fire rings. It was very quiet at night, and there was nobody else camped here while I was here in July 2017. It's easy to access, not far from the junction of 285 and 567. It's also about 10 miles north of Ojo Caliente, the famous hot springs resort. You can camp here, and easily drive down there to use their facilities for the day. There's also some pretty cool hiking around there!
The road in was fine when I drove it, and looked passable for any vehicle. But there were some ruts in places that look like it could be a problem if it's wet and muddy, so use your judgment.
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T-Mobile 4G
Zennie (Uphill Zen) would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
1 review not included in the overall rating
The reviews below are not up to Campendium's standards for quality and reliability and therefore are not counted toward the overall star rating. Please see our FAQ page for more information.
“National Forest closed - Fire - stage 3 restrictions for most of NM”
Reviewed 6/27/2018
Overall Rating
The Carson National Forest (CNF) will implement Stage 3 Restrictions, over most of the forest, effective Wednesday June 27, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. Effectively immediately the Camino Real Ranger District is closed. This immediate closure of the Camino Real District is strictly precautionary, the Sardinas Canyon Fire is not threatening struct... more
The Carson National Forest (CNF) will implement Stage 3 Restrictions, over most of the forest, effective Wednesday June 27, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. Effectively immediately the Camino Real Ranger District is closed. This immediate closure of the Camino Real District is strictly precautionary, the Sardinas Canyon Fire is not threatening structures nor is it expected to do so. The remainder of the closure, which includes the Questa, Tres Piedras, El Rito and Canjilon District goes into effect June 27, 2018 at 6:00 A.M. This partial closure will remain in effect until the forest receives significant moisture and conditions have improved.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Still a lot of garbage around”
noted 4/2/2024
AT&t and Verizon's got service
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10 reviews
Taos Junction - Free camping near Ojo Caliente, New Mexico - Uphill Zen
If you've traveled in northern New Mexico, you've probably heard about Ojo Caliente. It's a famous hot springs resort west of Taos, and quite a luxurious place to stay. But if you don't feel like...
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
Site Amenities
- fire ring
Pets
- pets
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