Agency-listedBLMFree
La Junta Lower
Hike-in · Bureau of Land Management · NM · 36.65359, -105.69014
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 →Bureau of Land Management 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 Lower
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,803 ft.
Fire & smoke — around La Junta LowerNIFC · 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 Lower · Bureau of Land Management · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater1 mi
- @Mail5 mi
- LLaundry5 mi
- RxPharmacy6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- FFuel6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- +Urgent care7 mi
- OOutfitter16 mi
- ShShower28 mi
- DDump52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 6 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 Lower
Access
Hike-in
Land
Bureau of Land Management
Elevation
6,803 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
36.65359, -105.69014
Cost
Free · dispersed public land, no fee in any source
Getting in
Park at nearest parking · ~0.38 mi in a straight line (trail will be longer)
Nearby & resupply — around La Junta Lower · Bureau of Land Management · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureRed River (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townCedar Springs · ~3.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~1.4 mi
- FuelSinclair · ~5.8 mi
- Propane / LPGKit Carson Propane · ~7.7 mi
- GroceriesSangre De Cristo Valley Market · ~5.8 mi
- PharmacyBestCare Pharmacy · ~5.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicQuesta Health Center · ~7.2 mi
- HardwareQuesta Lumber · ~5.5 mi
EV charging — from La Junta Lower · Bureau of Land Management · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger6.7 mi straight-line NE — Village of Questa DCFC (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach10 within 25 mi · 22 within 50 · 79 within 100 · 168 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)18.4 mi — Taos, NM - Tesla Supercharger, Taos
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO11.6 mi — TAOS COUNTY EV NORTH DC 1, Arroyo Seco
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)11.6 mi — TAOS COUNTY EV AC STATION N 1, Arroyo Seco, NM · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports 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 347212 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around La Junta Lower · Bureau of Land Management · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletWild Rivers Rec Area La Junta Rim Campground Mens Vault Toilet · ~0.4 mi NE · BLM
- Vault / pit toiletWild Rivers Rec Area La Junta Rim Campground Womens Vault Toilet · ~0.4 mi NE · BLM
- Vault / pit toiletWild Rivers Rec Area La Junta River Campground Vault Toilet · ~0.4 mi SW · BLM
- Vault / pit toiletVault Toilet El Aguaje (River Site) - Wrra · ~0.4 mi N · BLM
Open La Junta Lower elsewhere
Other camps near La Junta Lower
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Cebolla Mesa~0.9 mi
- Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument~2.3 mi
- Bear Crossing~4.5 mi
- BLM dispersed camp #2 — Taos County, NM~7.5 mi
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Taos Powderhorn at 11,020 ft, about 14 miles away. It sits about 4,217 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 — La Junta Lower
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: hike (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 La Junta Lower
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 Lower
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Leave no trace →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 →