Free camping near Santa Cruz, NM
Within 25 straight-line miles of Santa Cruz, NM there are 20 camps: 6 free, 7 fee, 7 unpriced. The closest is Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area, 6.8 miles east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is BLM dispersed camp — Santa Fe County, NM, 6.9 miles out. Today's season read covers 2 of them: 2 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call.
Who manages them: 14 on the Forest Service; 4 on the BLM; 2 on the Park Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area | 6.8 | Fee | Santa Cruz Lake (water) | 1.2 mi to Potrero | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — Santa Fe County, NM | 6.9 | Free | Santa Cruz Lake (water) | 1.2 mi to Cundiyo | — |
| Diablo Canyon Recreation Area Camping and Parking | 14 | Unpriced | Cañada Ancha (stream) | 2.2 mi to Buckman | — |
| Borrego Mesa Campground | 15 | Free | Chupaderos Creek (stream) | 5.0 mi to Truchas | — |
| Borrego Mesa | 15 | Free | — | 4.7 mi to Truchas | — |
| Old Spanish Trail National Historic Trail | 18 | Unpriced | — | 3.0 mi to Dixon | — |
| Aspen Basin Campground | 19 | Unpriced | Rio En Medio (stream) | 5.9 mi to Rio en Medio` | — |
| Juniper Family Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 4.1 mi to White Rock | Open |
| Big Tesuque Campground | 20 | Unpriced | Tesuque Creek North Fork (stream) | 6.5 mi to Holy Ghost | — |
| Ponderosa Group Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 5.6 mi to Los Alamos | Open |
| Black Canyon Campground | 22 | Unpriced | Little Tesuque Creek (stream) | 5.9 mi to Tesuque | — |
| Panchuela | 24 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Rio en Medio | — |
| Hodges Dispersed Recreation Area | 24 | Free | Rio Santa Barbara (river) | 2.1 mi to Llano Largo | — |
| Jacks Creek (Group Cg) | 24 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Rio en Medio | — |
| Jacks Creek Campground | 24 | Unpriced | Jack's Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Geronimo | — |
| Holy Ghost (Group Campground) | 24 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Hyde Park | — |
| Jacks Creek Horse Camp | 24 | Free | Jack's Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Geronimo | — |
| Cowles Campground | 24 | Unpriced | Cowles Ponds (water) | 0.3 mi to Cowles | — |
| Holy Ghost Campground | 24 | Fee | Holy Ghost Creek (stream) | 0.8 mi to Holy Ghost | — |
| Santa Barbara | 25 | Free | Rio Santa Barbara (river) | 4.5 mi to Llano Largo | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Santa Cruz, 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.