Free camping near Mescalero, NM
Within 25 straight-line miles of Mescalero, NM there are 27 camps: 6 free, 8 fee, 13 unpriced. The closest is Otero County, 10 miles south of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Otero County, 10 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 25 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name; 1 on the BLM.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otero CountyDave slept here | 10 | Free | Salado Canyon (stream) | 2.5 mi to Mountain Park | — |
| Silver Overflow | 12 | Fee | — | 1.7 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Silver Campground | 12 | Unpriced | — | 1.5 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Lower Fir Group Campground | 12 | Unpriced | Fresnal Canyon (stream) | 1.0 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Saddle Campground | 12 | Unpriced | — | 1.3 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Pines | 12 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Apache Campground | 12 | Unpriced | — | 1.0 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Deerhead Campground | 14 | Unpriced | — | 1.0 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Lincoln National ForestDave slept here | 14 | Free | — | 2.7 mi to La Luz | — |
| Aspen Group Campground | 14 | Unpriced | — | 1.2 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Sleepy Grass Campground | 14 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Slide Group Campground | 14 | Unpriced | — | 1.5 mi to Cloudcroft | — |
| Lower Karr Canyon Campground | 16 | Unpriced | — | 3.6 mi to Mountain Park | — |
| Karr Canyon Lower | 16 | Free | — | 3.8 mi to Mountain Park | — |
| Sam Tobias Memorial Group Campground | 17 | Unpriced | — | 1.0 mi to Alpine Cellars Village | — |
| Karr Canyon Upper | 18 | Free | — | 3.7 mi to Marcia | — |
| Oak Grove | 18 | Fee | — | 5.5 mi to Ruidoso | — |
| Oak Grove Campground | 18 | Unpriced | Eagle Lake (water) | 2.3 mi to Villa Madonna | — |
| Three Rivers Petroglyph Site | 19 | Fee | Three Rivers (stream) | 4.3 mi to Three Rivers | — |
| Three Rivers Campground | 19 | Fee | Three Rivers (stream) | 5.3 mi to Apache | — |
| Three Rivers | 19 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Ruidoso | — |
| Skyline Campground | 20 | Unpriced | — | 0.6 mi to Villa Madonna | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Lincoln County, NM | 20 | Free | — | 0.6 mi to Villa Madonna | — |
| Monjeau Campground | 21 | Unpriced | Rio Bonito (stream) | 0.7 mi to Villa Madonna | — |
| South Fork | 22 | Fee | — | 6.4 mi to Nogal | — |
| Bonito Creek | 23 | Free | Bonito Creek (stream) | 5.1 mi to Bonito | — |
| James Canyon Campground | 23 | Unpriced | — | 1.8 mi to Hortonville | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Mescalero, NM, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.