Tajique Campground, Estancia, NM
This is a developed campground offered for free by Cibola National Forest. It's a small unit with six sites intended for cars, trucks, and vans. Small RVs can get in, along with teardrop trailers. Anything larger won't be able to get in. It's intended for tent camping, but sleeping in your vehicle is course, fine.
Red Cloud Campground, Corona, NM
This is a developed campground offered for free by Cibola National Forest. It has five sites, most of which are long back-in sites suitable for full sized RVs. There are also a few make-shift campsites that could serve as overflow sites. Elevation here is at 7,600 feet. The area is a an old mining district.
Baca Campground, Lincoln, NM
This is a free camping area designated by Lincoln National Forest officials. It's an undeveloped area in that there are no designated campsites, and no amenities aside from a vault toilet and an information kiosk. There is also a free-standing brick chimney; evidence of a home that once stood here.
Monjeau Campground, Ruidoso, NM
This is a free, developed campground operated by Lincoln National Forest. It's effectively two camping areas. both small. The more popular is the gravel parking lot where there are two tent sites with picnic tables and fire rings, and the other is a dirt area, used as an overflow campground, about a mile before the parking lot.
Bluewater Lookout Tower, New Mexico
Bluewater Lookout Tower is an old structure built in 1917 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It's approached by Forest Road 85. The motor vehicle use map of this area shows that dispersed camping is allowed all along this road, up until the last 1,000 feet of roadway.
James Canyon Campground, Mayhill, NM
This is a free developed campground offered by Lincoln National Forest. There are only two sites that you can park you vehicle next to, the other campsites are approached by foot walking across a small bridge. The two sites for vehicles are small, suitable only for cars, vans, motorcycles, or small RVs.
Avalon Lake, Carlsbad, NM
Avalon Lake is open to dispersed camping and fishing along its shoreline, particularly on the south end of the lake at Avalon Road (County road 602). There are no permits or reservations required. It's not exactly clear what the maximum camping limit is, but it's likely 14 days.
Sitting Bull Falls Road, Queens, NM
Sitting Bull Falls Road, also known as Forest Road 276, and County Road 409, runs into Lincoln National Forest. Dispersed camping is allowed all along the first 2.8 miles of this road beginning at the forest's eastern border where the road changes designation from County Road 409 to Forest Road 276.
Dark Canyon Road, Carlsbad, NM
Also known as County Road 408, this road runs through patches of BLM land and private land. There are a few previously-used campsites along this road and one spur road that are frequently used by visitors to Carlsbad Caverns and the City of Carlsbad. Dark Canyon Road itself is paved.
Goat Corral Canyon, Carlsbad, NM
Goat Corral Canyon is the name of the small canyon that runs just above the dirt road winding through BLM Land. The road itself has no name. There is a previously-used campsite right where this road intersects with US-62, then there are further sites as the road ascends elevation from there.
