Agency-listedUSFSFree
Cabresto Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NM · 36.74728, -105.49969
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Cabresto Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,216 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Cabresto LakeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Cabresto Lake · Carson National Forest · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- EVEV fast charger6 mi
- OOutfitter6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- LLaundry7 mi
- RxPharmacy7 mi
- WWater11 mi
- ShShower19 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 5 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Dump, Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Cabresto Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,216 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
36.74728, -105.49969
Cost
Free · dispersed public land, no fee in any source
Nearby & resupply — around Cabresto Lake · Carson National Forest · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLake Fork (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townMoly · ~3.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.4 mi
- Propane / LPGKit Carson Propane · ~5.4 mi
- GroceriesJ. Griffin Co · ~5.5 mi
- PharmacyBestCare Pharmacy · ~6.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicQuesta Health Center · ~5.5 mi
- HardwareQuesta Lumber · ~6.9 mi
EV charging — from Cabresto Lake · Carson National Forest · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger5.8 mi straight-line SE — Red River Conference Center (at a public site) · RED_E · J1772, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach9 within 25 mi · 17 within 50 · 83 within 100 · 184 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)24.1 mi — Taos, NM - Tesla Supercharger, Taos
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO16.4 mi — TAOS COUNTY EV NORTH DC 1, Arroyo Seco
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)5.8 mi — Red River Conference Center (at a public site) · RED_E · J1772, CCS · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 250706 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cabresto Lake · Carson National Forest · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCabresto Lake · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomLa Bobita · ~3.5 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletElephant Rock · ~3.7 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFawn Lakes · ~4.0 mi SE · USFS
Open Cabresto Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Cabresto Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- La Bobita Campground~3.5 mi
- Elephant Rock Campground~3.7 mi
- Fawn Lakes Campground~4.0 mi
- Junebug Campground~4.4 mi
The unit that manages Cabresto Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cabresto Lake are set by Carson National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Red River Pass #2 at 9,840 ft, about 9 miles away. It sits about 624 ft higher than this camp, so treat it as a guide rather than a reading for this spot. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this — Cabresto Lake
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
Agency page
fs.usda.gov — the land manager's own page for this site. Fees, seasons and closures are stated there first; if it disagrees with this page, it wins.
How it was placed
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Cabresto Lake
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Cabresto Lake
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Camping near a reservoir →Getting unstuck →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →