Agency-listedUSFSFree
La Junta Canyon
OHV / 4×4 · U.S. Forest Service · NM · 36.12940, -105.49080
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 La Junta Canyon
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,706 ft.
Fire & smoke — around La Junta CanyonNIFC · 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 La Junta Canyon · Carson National Forest · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail7 mi
- +Urgent care11 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- FFuel11 mi
- EVEV fast charger13 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- MMechanic19 mi
- WWater20 mi
- OOutfitter20 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- AAir-up41 mi
- DDump50 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 11 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 — La Junta Canyon
Access
OHV / 4×4
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,706 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
36.12940, -105.49080
Cost
Free · dispersed public land, no fee in any source
Nearby & resupply — around La Junta Canyon · Carson National Forest · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureKnob Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townTres Ritos · ~1.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~12.0 mi
- Propane / LPGZia Propane · ~11.0 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~12.0 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~14.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicMora Valley Clinic · ~10.9 mi
- HardwareRio Grande Ace Hardware · ~17.7 mi
EV charging — from La Junta Canyon · Carson National Forest · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.1 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 reach12 within 25 mi · 52 within 50 · 103 within 100 · 135 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)19.2 mi — TAOS COUNTY EV DC STATION 2, Taos
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.9 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, 17.0 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 La Junta Canyon · Carson National Forest · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLa Junta Canyon · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDuran · ~0.9 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAgua Piedra Cg · ~2.1 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUpper La Junta · ~2.4 mi NE · USFS
Open La Junta Canyon elsewhere
Other camps near La Junta Canyon
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Duran Canyon~0.9 mi
- Agua Piedra Cg~2.1 mi · fee
- Agua Piedra Group Area~2.1 mi · fee
- Agua Piedra Campground~2.1 mi
The unit that manages La Junta Canyon
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at La Junta Canyon 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 Tres Ritos at 8,740 ft, about 2 miles away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. 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 — La Junta Canyon
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
likely OHV (only a rough 4wd track in) — confirm
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 La Junta Canyon
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 — La Junta Canyon
When the high country opens →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Dispersed camping tips →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 →