Agency-listedUSFSFee
South Fork
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NM · 33.45202, -105.75302
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 South Fork
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,488 ft.
Fire & smoke — around South ForkNIFC · 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 South Fork · Lincoln National Forest · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- RxPharmacy11 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- AAir-up12 mi
- DDump19 mi
- ShShower19 mi
- +Urgent care20 mi
- LLaundry39 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Water, 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 — South Fork
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,488 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
33.45202, -105.75302
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around South Fork · Lincoln National Forest · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townNogal · ~6.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelChisum · ~5.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationRV Dump Station · ~18.7 mi
- GroceriesChisum · ~5.5 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~11.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicFour Directions Treatment and Recovery Center of Mescalero · ~20.2 mi
- HardwareHardware · ~8.3 mi
EV charging — from South Fork · Lincoln National Forest · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger9.4 mi straight-line SE — Hotel Ruidoso · 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 reach4 within 25 mi · 7 within 50 · 25 within 100 · 103 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)39.9 mi — Alamogordo, NM - Tesla Supercharger, Alamogordo
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.3 mi — Benlyn Construction, Ruidoso, NM (at a retail) · TURNONGREEN · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-12-12 · 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 373010 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around South Fork · Lincoln National Forest · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomSouth Fork · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSchoolhouse · ~1.9 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSkyline · ~2.6 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletArgentina/Bonito · ~3.1 mi W · USFS
Open South Fork elsewhere
Other camps near South Fork
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Monjeau Campground~2.0 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — Lincoln County, NM~2.4 mi
- Skyline Campground~2.5 mi
- Bonito Creek~2.6 mi
The unit that manages South Fork
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at South Fork are set by Lincoln National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Sierra Blanca at 10,250 ft, about 4 miles away. It sits about 2,762 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 — South Fork
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 South Fork
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 — South Fork
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Camping with a dog →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 →