Agency-listedUSFSUnpriced · confirm
Cowles Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NM · 35.81268, -105.66435
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 Cowles Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,217 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Cowles CampgroundNIFC · 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 Cowles Campground · Santa Fe National Forest · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater8 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- ShShower14 mi
- @Mail15 mi
- FFuel15 mi
- GGrocery15 mi
- EVEV fast charger16 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- LLaundry19 mi
- AAir-up19 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- DDump34 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 15 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 — Cowles Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,217 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
35.81268, -105.66435
Cost
Unpriced — no source gives a price; assume it may cost something and confirm before you go
Nearby & resupply — around Cowles Campground · Santa Fe National Forest · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCowles Ponds (water) · nearby
- Nearest townCowles · ~0.3 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~3.4 mi
- FuelChacon Gas · ~15.2 mi
- Propane / LPGMatheson TriGas · ~19.6 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~15.9 mi
- PharmacyNambe Drugs · ~17.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicClinic · ~14.1 mi
- Hardware1610 Hardware · ~19.9 mi
EV charging — from Cowles Campground · Santa Fe National Forest · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.5 mi straight-line S — Frankie's at the Casanova, Pecos, NM · LOOP · CHAdeMO, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach23 within 25 mi · 48 within 50 · 97 within 100 · 141 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)24.0 mi — Santa Fe, NM - Cerrillos Road - Tesla Supercharger, Santa Fe
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.7 mi — BLHV EV CHARGER LODGE 2, Santa Fe, 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 aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Tesuque Casino, Santa Fe, 16.0 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; for customers only · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast charger$1 activation fee; $0.59 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 399671 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cowles Campground · Santa Fe National Forest · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCowles · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomWinsor Ridge · ~0.3 mi E · USFS
- RestroomCowles Ponds · ~0.3 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWinsor Creek · ~0.8 mi W · USFS
Open Cowles Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Cowles Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Panchuela~1.2 mi · fee
- Jacks Creek Horse Camp~1.6 mi
- Jacks Creek Campground~1.9 mi
- Jacks Creek (Group Cg)~2.2 mi · fee
The unit that manages Cowles Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cowles Campground are set by Santa Fe National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Wesner Springs at 11,110 ft, about 7 miles away. It sits about 2,893 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 — Cowles Campground
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.
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 Cowles Campground
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 — Cowles Campground
When the high country opens →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →How to read this page →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 →