Gila Nat'l Forest Campgrounds and
Dispersed CampingIn the Gila Nat'l Forest (on the edge of the Gila Wilderness),
Dipping Vat Campground is adjacent to the west side of Snow Lake. Snow Lake is approximately 52 miles southeast of Reserve, New Mexico.
Willow Creek Campground is near by as well; approximately 55 miles from the town of Reserve. But from over by Glenwood, from US 180 to Mogollon on NM 159, then FR 142 & FM 1421, it is only about 36 miles. Maybe a little less than two hours to drive.
I have camped at Willow Creek in a small TC. Should be cool, I believe, weather wise. No a bad road into there, kind of long. But haven't been there in many, many years.
We have always enjoyed the Uniqueness of camping close or in the rocks at
City of Rocks State Park. Very Unique Place about 30 miles from Deming, NM just off US 180. About 30 miles south of Silver City. Could be very warm in daytime, maybe cools off at night. We lucked out a few years ago, stopped & it rained near by & cooled off nicely for the night. We use AC (generator) until then. They have a few electric sites, but not in the rocks.
CampsitePhotos- City of RocksNorth of Silver City, just off US 180 at Glenwood,
The CatWalk Trail is very neat to see. The Ghost Town of
Mogollon is not far from there as well. The proper Spanish pronunciation is moh-goh-YOHN, but the locals say muggy-YOHN. The Mogollon Rim is over by Pinetop/Lakeside Arizona.
Gila Clift Dwelling Nat'l Mon't is out from Silver. Back in a ways, surrounded by Gila Wilderness. Camping by the Mon't, also by Gila Hot Springs area. Couple Forest CG by Lake Roberts are nice.
Mesa CG and
Upper End CGThe Gila Clift Dwellings is about 22 miles from Mesa CG.
Gila is pronounce He-La, means Spider in Spanish.
Heron Lake State Park has a nice lake and hiking trails and creek fishing. The state park is about 20 miles from Chama, about 30 minutes. Heron Lake is an anglers delight, stocked with Rainbow Trout and Kokanee Salmon. *Heron lake has 6,000-acre normal surface acres. The lake has approximately 35 miles of shoreline. Maximum depth at the dam is 215 feet when full and 142 feet at minimum storage level (7,186 feet elevation). Lake is restricted to sailing and no-wake speed operation of motorboats. Coldwater fishery. Rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, carp, and kokanee salmon. Optimum fishing levels around 7,170' Ice fishing depending on conditions. One can will find good lake kayak/canoe exploration above the Narrows up Willow Creek and along the west side from the West Side Primitive Camping area. Another day can be spent exploring some of the Rio Chama Canyon with water backed up the Canyon where it enters El Vado Lake. North Ramp Access point for that paddle is just 2 miles west of Heron Lake on the way to the Stone House Lodge on NM 95.
We have spent a bit of time at Heron Lake State Park near Chama, NM going back several years in the summers. But have not been there in some time. We did have a canoe and enjoyed canoeing on it. Chama is a neat place with a very nice steam train ride up into Colorado. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. They fish the Chama River as well as the creek leading from Heron Lake to El Vado Lake.
Rail RoadHeron Lake State Park: One can drive, bike or walk to a section of Vado Lake State Park, but Vado Lake allows speed boats, canoed a lot on *Heron, even canoed on the section of Vado by Heron up the Rio Chama which is "flooded" or backed up by Vado Lake water for some distance until it became two shallow to canoe easily). One can hike down from the Dam Area to the Rio Chama at Heron. As we were canoeing back from the flooded Rio Chama a speed boad up on plane came charging at us. But it turned before getting very close. Close enough at the time. Didn't know if he could see us or not. We were waving our paddles. We entered Vado at the North Boat Ramp. We were just getting back close to the Boat Ramp site.
If time allows check out the wool weavers workshop Tierra Wools in Los Ojos near the turn off to Heron Lake SP.
Clicky The first part of this 2012 Trip Report has info & Photos the
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad & a little on Heron Lake SP.
Two neat stops, north of Abiquiu, worth a see would be the Echo Amphitheater, a Natural rock formation, and the Ghost Ranch Piedra Lumbre Education and Visitor Center, located on U.S. Highway 84 just one mile north of the main Ghost Ranch entrance, has exhibits and a gift shop. A very nice museum in "O´Keefe Country." The Echo Amphitheater is past the visitor center some miles.
But the ones up by Heron Lake & Abiquiu ^ are north of I-40 (forgot about that), but could be considered West of I-25. But not south of ABQ. Although about 1/4 of ABQ would be south of I-40 & West of I-25. Ha! The Jemez Mts would also be north of I-40, but West of I-25. But you kind of change your mind anyway.
For some Sights & Sites in
Flagstaff - Gallup - Grants- to Santa Fe Plus an old post some links may not be working anymore.
This was a neat place to camp and visit (have not been to in it many years), even with a museum nearby, all close to Gallup at Red Rock/Churchrock just off of I-40 east of town.
http://www.campingroadtrip.com/campgrounds/campground/campground/11212/new-mexico/red-rock-state-parkBlue Water Lake State Park, by Grants, west of Albu'que on I-40. Bluewater not a bad area, but more of a fishing site. But not at all bad for an overnight, even some hiking trails.
http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/bluewaterlakestatepark.htmlEl Morro National Monument is neat to see & has a small campground; there is a private campgound near by as well. Near Grants or can be reached from Gallup. We went from Gallup to Zuni Pueblo then to El Morro (we lingered too long at the Pueblo and didn't get to hike the trial at El Morro, got there too late in the day; its a neat trail too, we had hiked it before). Of course one could go to it from Grants as well.
http://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htmOver by Pie Town: A neat little
BLM CG - Datil Wells on US 60. East of Datil is
the VLA (Very Large Array) between Datil & Magdalena. There is a nice shady pull out rest stop (no facilities) just before the VLA or maybe just past it. Not sure how warm it will be now.
Warm in Las Cruces today, a warm west wind.
West of Pie Town Quemado Lake Area (South of Quemado)
Juniper Campground
Pinon Campground
Quemado Lakeshore Trail - #144
As well as Dispersed Camping beyond the campgrounds.
See Gila Na'l Forest web page above for detail.
The is a ranger station in Glenwood as well as one in Quemado. To get maps & detail for camping.
Lake Roberts is on the way to the Gila Clift Dwelling Nat'l Mon't (out from Silver City). Back in a ways, surrounded by Gila Wilderness. Camping by the Mon't, also by Gila Hot Springs area. Couple Forest CGs by Lake Roberts are nice.
Mesa CG and
Upper End CG On one of the Forks of the Gila River on the way to the Cliff Dwellings is the very neat Grapevine Campground & the nearby Forks Campground both just short of Doc Campbell's Trading Post & Gila Hot Springs.
Grapevine __________
Forks & GrapevineSouth of the Lake Roberts, Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway or NM Rte. 152 - Into Silver City is a neat drive, with a nice viewing area into an open pit copper mine. The other direction is the road to Emory Pass with great vistias at the top. On the east side of Emory Pass there is Kingston; a neat ghost town, but one which still has people living in it and building new homes as well. Hillsboro is just down the mountain from Kingston as well. It is one of New Mexico's Ghost Towns with people still living there. But Lake Valley is not too far from and south of Hillsboro and it has almost no one living there anymore. On the western side of Emory Pass down at the "bottom" of the decent is a neat distinctive ridge with a very western descriptive metaphor of a name, the Devil's Backbone. A few campgrounds and areas to hike down in the "valley" along with a stream. Such as Lower Gallinas Campground, Upper Gallinas Campground, Wright's Cabin Campground and Iron Creek Campground which is in the middle of this recreational corridor spanning from the Mimbres Valley to Hillsboro, along NM Hwy 152 a great drive, very scenic.
East of Silver City, East of San Lorenzo, in the Black Range on
NM Hwy 152 a neat drive:
Gallinas Campground - Lower
Gallinas Campground - Upper
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gila/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=1973&actid=29Just beyond the camping sites, one drives through the area called the Devils Backbone. A neat geological rock formations.
NM Hwy 152Bandelier (north of I-40 for sure, but kind of West of I-25), might be cool enough, it was for us last Aug. But did use the generator some, mainly to recharge my battery...can't remember if I ran the AC or not, but had rain in the area, even at camp:
Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't -A Trip Report last summer.
More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded & ABQ.
More on the
Sante Fe Area Plus. And
Campgrounds in Santa Fe.
In the Farmington Area:
Not too far South of Bloomfield, There is BLM Camping at the Angel Peak Area.
Part Two describes this area.
NM State Parks are a good bargain. $10 without electric, $4 more for electric. Most have nice showers (no extra cost) & no entry fee or day fee on top of camping fee as in TX & CO.
Navajo Lake State Park is East of Bloomfield.
Our
Chaco Canyon Trip Part One in 2012. A somewhat hard one to get back into at times.
Between Cuba & Bloomfield (US 550); There seems to be a new Apache Nugget Travel Center & Casino at the junction of US 550 & NM 537. The gas prices were the best we saw up in the area. In 2012 when we made a trip to Chaco Canyon.
Just in case you get to Las Cruces. Here's some info on the
Las Cruces Area & Southern NM Mexican Food plus camping and attractions in the area. At least try a Green Chile Cheese Burger.
VideoTaste of NM Pecans:
Stahmanns or
Salopek Off I-10/I-25 on US 70 between Las Cruces & Alamogordo,
White Sands Nat'l Monument & Alamogordo Area. This site also has info on Carlsbad......I believe I would stay at Brantley State Park to base to see the area by Carlsbad.
:C Can be hot for sure, but a neat place. Valley of Fires BLM Campground (near Carrizozo) is a first rate campground with electric & water hookups, good dump station and a fine shower house. Pics & description can be found:
Campground . . and . .
Cloudcroft, Lincoln/Capitan, Carrizozo/White Oaks.
PS: one can reach Carrizozo (from Santa Fe) via I-25 N to US 285 S to NM 3 to US 54 to Carrizozo. Or US 380 from San Antonio, NM (I-25).
US 54 will also take one to Alamogordo.
US 380 East:
:C West of Roswell US 70/US 380 to US 54 - - - - - -> US 380 runs from Roswell to Carrizozo to San Antonio, between Carrizozo & US 70 one passes
Billy the Kid Country &
Lincoln &
Smokey Bear in
Capitan all in
Lincoln County & the neat
Valley of Fire BLM Campground is near Carrizozo, then take US 54 south to Alamogordo. Or US 380 to San Antonio, NM & I-25. Or US 54 N to Santa Fe.
From Alamorgordo take US 82 through Cloudcroft to Artesia. It is another neat drive. At Artesia take US 285 S toCarlsbad & on to Texas. To I-20 at Pecos or I-10 at Fort Stockton or on to US 90 E to San Antonio.
