Agency-listedUSFSFee
Comales
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NM · 36.16302, -105.58402
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Comales
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,028 ft.
Fire & smoke — around ComalesNIFC · 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 Comales · Carson National Forest · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail6 mi
- FFuel6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- LLaundry15 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- WWater17 mi
- ShShower24 mi
- AAir-up40 mi
- DDump46 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: 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 — Comales
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,028 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
36.16302, -105.58402
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Comales · Carson National Forest · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townVadito · ~5.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesHigh Road Market · ~5.8 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~15.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicMora Valley Clinic · ~16.1 mi
- HardwareSahds · ~5.8 mi
EV charging — from Comales · Carson National Forest · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.4 mi straight-line W — Picuris Pueblo DCFC, Peñasco, NM (at a public site) · RED_E · CHAdeMO, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach14 within 25 mi · 51 within 50 · 104 within 100 · 150 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)16.2 mi — TAOS COUNTY EV DC STATION 2, Taos
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.8 mi — PPC SOLAR EV 1, Taos, NM · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Adobe & Pines Inn - Bed & Breakfast - Tesla Destination, Ranchos de Taos, 13.4 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 347213 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Comales · Carson National Forest · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletComales · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomSipapu Ski Area · ~2.0 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAmole Group Shelter · ~2.2 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFlechado · ~2.6 mi SE · USFS
Open Comales elsewhere
Other camps near Comales
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Comales Campground~0.4 mi
- Llanito Frio Campground~0.7 mi
- Amole Group Shelter~2.2 mi · fee
- Agua Piedra Campground~3.6 mi
The unit that manages Comales
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Comales 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 Gallegos Peak at 9,460 ft, about 3 miles away. It sits about 1,432 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 — Comales
Source
U.S. Forest Service 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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
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 Comales
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 — Comales
When the high country opens →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Gear & rig loadout →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 →