★ Field-verified · Dave's ownUSFSFree
Harding County
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · Harding County, NM · 36.04788, -104.37602
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Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on U.S. Forest Service land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
WOW! This is a free National Forest campground in a beautiful canyon flanked by walls of sandstone. A lazy river flows through it. Enough room for one or two vehicles per site. Tent pads. Fire rings. Picnic tables. No cell service. Four-wheel drive recommended for access. Road down into canyon may be treacherous in winter. There are some lovely primitive dispersed sites nearby. Clean. Unspoiled. Might be popular in peak season. Highly recommended, but this is one of my all-time favorites. Please respect this place.
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 5,133 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
- @Mail12 mi
- FFuel19 mi
- GGrocery19 mi
- MMechanic25 mi
- WWater31 mi
- ShShower38 mi
- LLaundry43 mi
- +Urgent care43 mi
- RxPharmacy54 mi
- HHardware56 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 31-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 19 mi out.
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). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,133 ft
County
Harding County, NM
Coordinates
36.04788, -104.37602
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCanadian River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townMills · ~7.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelPhillips 66 · ~18.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationnone within 31 mi
- Groceriesnone within 30 mi
- Mapping is thin out hereAn empty row means nothing is mapped within that radius — not that nothing exists. Small stores, seasonal resorts and single fuel pumps out here often never make it onto the map. Treat these as unconfirmed and ask locally.
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
No signal
Getting there
High clearance / 4×4
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
No
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Highly recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMills Canyon · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMills Canyon Rim · ~2.2 mi NE · USFS
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop 15: Ft. Union · ~29.4 mi SW
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Mills Canyon Rim Campground~2.1 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Harding County, NM). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
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.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Picking a spot →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 →