Agency-listedUSFSUnpriced · confirm
Upper La Junta Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NM · 36.14870, -105.45440
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 Upper La Junta Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,123 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Upper La Junta 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 Upper La Junta Campground · Carson National Forest · NM
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail5 mi
- +Urgent care11 mi
- FFuel13 mi
- GGrocery13 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- WWater19 mi
- OOutfitter19 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- AAir-up44 mi
- DDump52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 13 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 — Upper La Junta Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,123 ft
State
NM
Coordinates
36.14870, -105.45440
Cost
Unpriced — no source gives a price; assume it may cost something and confirm before you go
Nearby & resupply — around Upper La Junta Campground · Carson National Forest · NM (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townPolicarpo Canyon · ~0.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~13.7 mi
- Propane / LPGZia Propane · ~12.8 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~13.7 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~14.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicMora Valley Clinic · ~11.0 mi
- HardwareRio Grande Ace Hardware · ~17.3 mi
EV charging — from Upper La Junta Campground · Carson National Forest · NM — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.7 mi straight-line SE — MSMEC MORA EV#1 · 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 reach11 within 25 mi · 51 within 50 · 101 within 100 · 134 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)18.5 mi — TAOS COUNTY EV DC STATION 2, Taos
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.4 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, 16.8 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 357781 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Upper La Junta Campground · Carson National Forest · NM — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletUpper La Junta · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDuran · ~1.6 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLa Junta Canyon · ~2.4 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAgua Piedra Cg · ~4.3 mi W · USFS
Open Upper La Junta Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Upper La Junta Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Duran Canyon~1.6 mi
- La Junta Canyon~2.4 mi
- Agua Piedra Campground~4.2 mi
- Agua Piedra Group Area~4.2 mi · fee
The unit that manages Upper La Junta Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Upper La Junta Campground 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 4 miles away. It sits about 383 ft lower 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 — Upper La Junta Campground
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
no road or trail found nearby — check manually
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 Upper La Junta 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
- 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 — Upper La Junta Campground
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Water on public land →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 →