Agency-listedBLM · dispersedFree
Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway
Drive-up · Bureau of Land Management · NM · 35.00110, -108.08333
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 →Bureau of Land Management 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 Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,859 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Chain Of Craters Backcountry BywayNIFC · 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 Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway · Bureau of Land Management · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery14 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- EVEV fast charger16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- WWater17 mi
- RxPharmacy17 mi
- ShShower21 mi
- DDump21 mi
- +Urgent care29 mi
- PPropane51 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 14 mi out.
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 — Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway
Access
Drive-up
Land
Bureau of Land Management · dispersed
Elevation
7,859 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
35.00110, -108.08333
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway · Bureau of Land Management · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townSan Rafael · ~12.1 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~16.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~21.0 mi
- GroceriesEl Morro Feed and Seed · ~13.7 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~16.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicThoreau Health Station · ~29.0 mi
- HardwareDiamond True Value · ~16.1 mi
EV charging — from Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway · Bureau of Land Management · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.4 mi straight-line NE — Milan, NM - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 15 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach6 within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 54 within 100 · 103 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS16.5 mi — MILAN NMDOT6 EV #1, Milan
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO16.5 mi — MILAN NMDOT6 EV #1, Milan
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)36.0 mi — PARKING L-EAST PARKING L-EAST, Paraje, NM · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 303731 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway · Bureau of Land Management · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomEl Malpais National Monument Information Center (NPS) · ~2.7 mi E · NPS
- RestroomBig Tubes · ~4.2 mi S · NPS
- RestroomEl Calderon Area · ~5.0 mi SE · NPS
- RestroomZuni-Acoma Trailhead · ~8.7 mi E · NPS
Open Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway elsewhere
Other camps near Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Ojo Redondo~10.9 mi
- Ojo Redondo Campground~11.0 mi
- El Morro Campground~14.6 mi
- Joe Skeen Malpais Campground~15.4 mi
How we know this — Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway
Source
Bureau of Land Management recreation data
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.
How it was placed
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
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 Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway
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 — Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway
When the high country opens →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →First-night troubleshooting →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 →