Agency-listedNPSFeeOpen today
Ponderosa Group Campground
Drive-up · public land · NM · 35.83286, -106.35676
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 →The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
Can I go now? — Ponderosa Group Campground · public land · NM
Open today Year-round per the agency record.
public land record: “Year-round” Read against the calendar on 2026-09-17; with JavaScript your browser re-checks it against today.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Ponderosa Group Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,591 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Ponderosa Group CampgroundNIFC · 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 Ponderosa Group Campground · public land · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- +Urgent care3 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- MMechanic4 mi
- WWater4 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- RxPharmacy5 mi
- HHardware5 mi
- @Mail5 mi
- EVEV fast charger5 mi
- DDump5 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- ShShower22 mi
- AAir-up24 mi
- OOutfitter25 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 4 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 — Ponderosa Group Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
7,591 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
35.83286, -106.35676
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Ponderosa Group Campground · public land · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townLos Alamos · ~5.6 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~4.5 mi
- FuelShell · ~4.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationJuniper Campground Dump Station · ~5.1 mi
- GroceriesLA Market · ~4.6 mi
- PharmacyNambe Drugs · ~4.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicOccupational Medical Facility · ~3.1 mi
- HardwareMetzger's Do It Best · ~4.6 mi
EV charging — from Ponderosa Group Campground · public land · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger4.8 mi straight-line NE — LAC DPU LOS ALAMOS MUNI · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach18 within 25 mi · 45 within 50 · 100 within 100 · 149 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)23.4 mi — Santa Fe, NM - Cerrillos Road - Tesla Supercharger, Santa Fe
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)4.3 mi — PONDEROSA PINES STATION 01, Los Alamos, 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 347121 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Ponderosa Group Campground · public land · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomB-39 Ponderosa comfort station · at this camp · NPS
- RestroomB-38 Ponderosa comfort station · at this camp · NPS
- RestroomB-37 Ponderosa Comfort Station · at this camp · NPS
- RestroomLA - Los Alamos Visitor Center · ~4.5 mi NE · NPS
Open Ponderosa Group Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Ponderosa Group Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Juniper Family Campground~5.1 mi · fee
- Diablo Canyon Recreation Area Camping and Parking~12.6 mi
- Jemez Falls Campground~14.0 mi · fee
- Redondo Campground~15.3 mi
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Quemazon at 9,500 ft, about 6 miles away. It sits about 1,909 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 — Ponderosa Group Campground
Open season
Year-round
Source
public land records
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
Bandelier National Monument, west of the main entrance along NM-4 near Upper Crossing. GROUPS ONLY -- the park says the sites "can accommodate groups of 10-50 people each", so this is not a solo or couple's pull-in. FEE: "Group campsites are $50/night". RESERVATION REQUIRED: the park is explicit -- sites "are available by advanced reservation only. Same day reservations are not permitted." WATER: drinking water is provided, but "Water is not available mid-October through mid-May." SEASON: "open year-round (water is only available from mid-May to mid-October)". STAY LIMIT: not stated on the park's page; not guessed here. NEAREST TOWN: Los Alamos, NM. Coordinate is the NPS Public POIs national dataset pin named "Ponderosa Reservation Group Campground" (mapservices.nps.gov, read 2026-08-17). SOURCE: https://www.nps.gov/band/planyourvisit/ponderosa-group-campground.htm | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.
Season
Read from the agency's own season / closure text in this record (data/conditions.py) and checked against the calendar. The words we read are printed under the verdict at the top of the page.
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 Ponderosa Group Campground
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
- 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 — Ponderosa Group Campground
When the high country opens →Camping near a reservoir →Fire rules & restrictions →How to read this page →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 →