Agency-listedUSFSFee
Dipping Vat
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NM · 33.42275, -108.50341
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 Dipping Vat
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,455 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Dipping VatNIFC · 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 Dipping Vat · Gila National Forest · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- FFuel23 mi
- GGrocery23 mi
- @Mail23 mi
- +Urgent care25 mi
- OOutfitter46 mi
- HHardware46 mi
- EVEV fast charger46 mi
- MMechanic47 mi
- LLaundry47 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 23 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 46-mi run (and back).
Not within 60 mi: Dump, 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 — Dipping Vat
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,455 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
33.42275, -108.50341
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Dipping Vat · Gila National Forest · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSnow Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townWillow Creek · ~4.9 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~0.0 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~23.1 mi
- GroceriesApache Creek Store · ~29.2 mi
EV charging — from Dipping Vat · Gila National Forest · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger46.4 mi straight-line S — Western New Mexico University, Silver City, NM · VIALYNK · CCS · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 1 within 50 · 13 within 100 · 50 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)74.6 mi — Truth or Consequences, NM - Tesla Supercharger, Truth or Consequences
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO91.0 mi — Walmart 5166 (Deming, NM), Deming
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)74.2 mi — LOVES 1045 - NM # 1045 CP6K 3, Truth or Consequences, NM · ChargePoint Network · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 1 Level 2 port 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 335770 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Dipping Vat · Gila National Forest · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletDipping Vat · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSnow Lake · ~0.3 mi E · USFS
- RestroomLoco Mountain · ~2.8 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAeroplane Mesa · ~3.6 mi E · USFS
Open Dipping Vat elsewhere
Other camps near Dipping Vat
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Aeroplane Mesa Campground~3.6 mi
- Willow Creek Campground~4.6 mi
- Ben Lilly Campground~5.5 mi
- Gwynn Tank~8.1 mi
The unit that manages Dipping Vat
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Dipping Vat are set by Gila National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Silver Creek Divide at 9,080 ft, about 12 miles away. It sits about 1,625 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 — Dipping Vat
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 Dipping Vat
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 — Dipping Vat
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →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 →