Agency-listedUSFSFree
Cruces Basin Th
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NM · 36.92501, -106.28601
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 Cruces Basin Th
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,810 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Cruces Basin ThNIFC · 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 Cruces Basin Th · Carson National Forest · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- DDump16 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- @Mail16 mi
- EVEV fast charger16 mi
- FFuel17 mi
- GGrocery17 mi
- RxPharmacy17 mi
- HHardware17 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- MMechanic22 mi
- WWater38 mi
- OOutfitter44 mi
- AAir-up55 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 38-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 17 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 — Cruces Basin Th
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,810 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
36.92501, -106.28601
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Cruces Basin Th · Carson National Forest · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townChama · ~16.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSpeedway · ~16.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~16.1 mi
- GroceriesSpeedway · ~16.7 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~16.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~16.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~16.8 mi
EV charging — from Cruces Basin Th · Carson National Forest · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.3 mi straight-line W — Chama · 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 reach2 within 25 mi · 19 within 50 · 81 within 100 · 174 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)44.0 mi — Alamosa, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Alamosa
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)43.8 mi — Hampton Inn - Alamosa (at a parking lot) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, no confirmation date on the record · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 348900 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cruces Basin Th · Carson National Forest · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLagunitas · ~3.4 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRio De Los Pinos Cg · ~6.3 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMogote · ~10.1 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAspen Glade · ~10.3 mi N · USFS
Open Cruces Basin Th elsewhere
Other camps near Cruces Basin Th
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Cruces Basin Campground~1.5 mi
- Lagunitas~3.4 mi
- Rio De Los Pinos Cg~6.3 mi
- Los Pinos~6.5 mi
The unit that manages Cruces Basin Th
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cruces Basin Th 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 San Antonio Sink at 9,120 ft, about 6 miles away. It sits about 690 ft lower 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 — Cruces Basin Th
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Cruces Basin Th
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 — Cruces Basin Th
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Water on public land →Camping with a dog →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 →