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New Mexico Free Camping Rank and Rules

New Mexico ranks #41 of 50 for free camping

New Mexico ranks #41 of 50 for free camping, with 1.9 known dispersed sites per 1,000 sq mi.

Data as of

New Mexico free camping in numbers

New Mexico ranks #41 of 50 for free camping, with 1.9 known dispersed sites per 1,000 sq mi.

Rank
#41
Known dispersed sites per 1,000 sq mi
1.9
Known dispersed sites
234
Land area
121,298 sq mi
Developed campgrounds
2,310
State-land rule
Not confirmed
Forest restrictions tracked
0

Dispersed camping in New Mexico

Can you camp on New Mexico state land?

Not confirmed. We could not confirm the rules for state trust or state forest land. The option we did check here is federal National Forest and BLM land. Every state, with the rule behind each answer: dispersed camping on state land, state by state.

Where is dispersed camping restricted in New Mexico?

Our records hold no National Forest restriction on dispersed camping in New Mexico. That is not the same as having none, so check the forest's own alerts page before you camp.

How far from a forest road can you camp in New Mexico?

  • Southwestern Region forests, including the Coconino (Marked routes only). Here the map marks individual roads with a camping symbol, so a road being open does not mean you may camp beside it. On the Coconino you may drive up to 300 ft off the road to camp only where that symbol appears, and the printed map is the version that counts.
  • White River, Rio Grande, San Juan, Apache-Sitgreaves, and Custer Gallatin (About 300 ft, confirmed). Each of these prints roughly 300 ft on its own pages. That is the best kind of evidence we have, because the forest says the number itself instead of leaving you to assume the national one.

Each restriction, cited and dated: where dispersed camping is restricted.

How the rank works

We divide the known dispersed campsites in a state by its land area, in square miles, and multiply by 1,000. The rules above sit beside the rank but never change it. The count includes only sites that public sources map, so mapping effort affects the result. Roadside camping corridors and the points we place inside state wildlife and forest areas are not counted.