Live Simple Live Free: Boondocking in New Mexico 4 x 2 months

This trip is through the higher elevation of Northern New Mexico and the Santa Fe area. A cool place to sty on the way to the southern areas of Arizona for the winter. In this series of free camping spots, I selected 4 places you can stay for 14 days each. After each 14 day stay, visit a low cost campground with full services to take that long hot shower and recharge your batteries. After your water tank is full, you can travel along to the next boondocking adventure. Two months and you only have to pay for for those 4 nights camping.

This excursion bridges the gap between the trip across the panhandle of Texas from Oklahoma and the middle of New Mexico to the edge of Arizona.

The aspen, fir, pine and spruce forest is home to large and small game and many trout streams. Sloping gradually southward, the Pecos Division is some 50 miles long and 25 miles wide. You will find several Indian pueblos and Bandelier National Monument. NM 475 is also designated as the Santa Fe Scenic Byway drawing crowds to see the aspens during the fall season. Many hiking trails are in the area along with lots of places to go biking. The campground is at 10,000 ft.

Fifteen miles from downtown Santa Fe on NM 475. Take Bishop’s Lodge Road to Artist Road, which will turn into NM 475, also known as Hyde Park Road. Near Las Vegas, New Mexico

Check out the story of gold buried by a French priest in the 1800s that hasn't been found in all these years. They left stone markers in groups of three to mark the trail as the legend goes. The Bandelier National Monument is also in the area. It preserves the ancestral home of the Pueblo Indians. As you hike in the area, there will be mountain lions and bears but hikers rarely see them. However, you will see deer, wild turkeys and vultures. As with most of the forest, you will find many opportunities for hiking and fishing.

Forest Service boondocking located near intersection of Highway 285 and Highway 64 in north central New Mexico, 1 hour south of Antonito, CO.

There are many trails to hike in the area as well as plenty of places to go fishing. If you travel 18 miles south from Forest Road 103 from Highway 96, you will find Teakettle rock. The McCauley Warm Springs area is just the ticket to take a warm soothing dip. Check out San Pedro Parks Wilderness where  the elevation averages 10,000 feet above sea level and is known for high, moist, rolling mountaintops with numerous meadows and large grassy "parks." Dense stands of Engelmann spruce and mixed conifers compete for space with small stands of aspen. Clear streams wander through the forest openings and are usually abundant with trout.

From highway 96 take Forest Road 316 south for seven miles. Area is located at at the junction of Forest Roads 316 and 317.

The Angel Peak Scenic Area offers more than 10,000 acres of rugged terrain recognized for its scenic and scientific wonders. The panoramic view of the canyon offers the visitor a spectacular glimpse into the earth’s past. This landscape etched by time, has been more than 60 million years in the making, and the geology of the area is as important to understanding the evolution of mammals, as it is spectacular to view. The area is rugged and well a few days to explore.

19-20 miles north of Nageezi on Highway 44 (US-550) on right side. 6 miles east on gravel road to campground loop (0.6 miles around loop).