Agency-listedUSFSFee
Rio De Las Vacas
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NM · 35.99697, -106.80671
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 Rio De Las Vacas
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,237 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Rio De Las VacasNIFC · 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 Rio De Las Vacas · Santa Fe National Forest · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- HHardware9 mi
- MMechanic9 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- LLaundry9 mi
- @Mail9 mi
- RxPharmacy29 mi
- DDump33 mi
- ShShower50 mi
- AAir-up52 mi
- OOutfitter52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 9 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 — Rio De Las Vacas
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,237 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
35.99697, -106.80671
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Rio De Las Vacas · Santa Fe National Forest · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townCuba · ~9.1 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~0.2 mi
- FuelPhillips 66 · ~8.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~8.7 mi
- PharmacyNambe Drugs · ~29.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicCuba School Based Health Center · ~8.0 mi
- HardwareTrue Value · ~8.7 mi
EV charging — from Rio De Las Vacas · Santa Fe National Forest · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.8 mi straight-line W — Mel's Drive Thru Chicken and BBQ, Cuba, NM · FCN · CHAdeMO, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 11 within 50 · 109 within 100 · 154 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)50.6 mi — Santa Fe, NM - Cerrillos Road - Tesla Supercharger, Santa Fe
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)28.9 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 371957 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Rio De Las Vacas · Santa Fe National Forest · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomRio De Las Vacas · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletClear Creek · ~1.1 mi W · USFS
- RestroomClear Creek · ~1.1 mi W · USFS
- RestroomClear Creek · ~1.2 mi W · USFS
Open Rio De Las Vacas elsewhere
Other camps near Rio De Las Vacas
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Clear Creek Campground Group Area~1.1 mi
- Rio Puerco Campground~8.5 mi
- Resumidero Camping Area~8.8 mi
- Coyote Canyon Camping Area~11.1 mi
The unit that manages Rio De Las Vacas
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Rio De Las Vacas are set by Santa Fe National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Senorita Divide #2 at 8,560 ft, about 2 miles away. It sits about 323 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 — Rio De Las Vacas
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 Rio De Las Vacas
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 — Rio De Las Vacas
When the high country opens →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Getting unstuck →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 →