San Juan County — near Recapture Reservoir — San Juan County, San Juan County

How we know thisCONFIDENCE · LIKELY

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World-class recommendation
GPS and field notes from veteran overlanders Dave vouches for. The source
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Researched
Checked and detailed by Dave — five decades in the field. Public data — no copyright on coordinates
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Verified on the ground
No dated visit here yet. Stays Likely until Dave's stood on it — or the crowd confirms

A world-class recommendation — GPS and notes from veteran overlanders Dave vouches for, carried and detailed across his five decades in the field. Coordinates and facts are public. Confidence stays Likely until Dave's been there or the crowd confirms — then real field notes replace this.

From the field

A free dispersed camping area on the shore of Recapture Reservoir. There are a number of primitive sites on this shore, some with fire ring. No other amenities. Convenient to highway. The reservoir is suited for a refreshing dip in warm season. Some cell service and enough room for a few vehicles. Other campers likely nearby. Recommended.

— field note from a world-class overlander Dave vouches for. Verdict: Recommended. Confidence stays Likely until Dave stands on it or the crowd confirms.

At this pin

A dispersed site on public land, San Juan County. The facts below are structured data from Dave's list; the write-up is being rebuilt from real field notes, so it's held at Likely until it's confirmed on the ground.

Aerial view of the land around San Juan County — near Recapture Reservoir — Aerial view — USGS NAIP (public-domain, flown in summer), about 660 m across. The pin is the logged GPS, which often sits on the access road you drove in on — the actual dispersed sites are the open clearings on and just off the tracks you can see. Terrain and roads only; not a claim about who owns or manages the exact spot.

✓ Free — no fee

✓ Tent-friendly

✓ Fire ring

✓ Primitive

– No 4×4 required

? Cell signal — reports differ list and field disagree · verify it

Stay limits vary by unit — many USFS/BLM areas cap dispersed camping around 14 days, but not all. Confirm the current rule and road status with the managing office before you commit.

Dave was here

Not logged yet. This site is on Dave's list, but there's no dated personal visit for this exact spot. When there is, his notes and photos land here — and confidence moves toward Verified.

What we don't know

Road surface & last-mile access
How many rigs fit
Cell coverage by carrier
Seasonal / winter access
Current fire restrictions
Water access from the pin
Shade & wind exposure
Noise / neighbors

Everything you need — measured from camp

Nearest: Water 5 mi · Dump 59 mi · Fuel 3 mi · Grocery 3 mi · Mechanic 16 mi · Pharmacy 15 mi

Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.

A rough supply run — closest of each, nearest first

1 Fuel3 mi
2 Grocery3 mi
3 Water5 mi
4 Dump59 mi

Ordered by straight-line distance, not a routed loop — real drive-time is the refinement coming.

Straight-line miles from camp — real roads run longer; drive-time is the refinement coming. Nearest few per category, from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Treat all natural water. Open in Google Maps ↗

Been here? Help the next rig.