Found · unverifiedBLM · dispersedFree
Chain Of Craters Backcountry Byway
Drive-up · Bureau of Land Management · NM · 35.00110, -108.08333
We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on Bureau of Land Management land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,859 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery14 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- MMechanic16 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). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
Bureau of Land Management · dispersed
Elevation
7,859 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
35.00110, -108.08333
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Resupply lookup unavailable — try the map links below.
Nearby restrooms — 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 this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Ojo Redondo~10.9 mi
- Ojo Redondo Campground~11.0 mi
- Joe Skeen Malpais Campground~15.4 mi
- El Malpais National Conservation Area~15.6 mi
How we know this
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).
Field check
Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Likely until someone does.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres 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
Before you go
Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →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 →