Ever wondered how to camp for free near National Parks? If you read my last blog post, you know that we went to New Mexico recently to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. What I realized upon doing research was that there weren’t really any nice scenic RV campgrounds available in that area. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, about 30 minutes down the road, has some spots but we didn’t want to drive that far. So I started doing some research on primitive camping.
I found several articles and forum entries mentioning that New Mexico has BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land that you can camp/ boondock on. Not really knowing what boondocking or BLM land was, I decided to find out.
What is boondocking?
Lets start with the basics my friends – what the heck is boondocking? Boondocking is essentially camping without hookups. But more so, it’s RVing without being connected to water, electric, or sewer or a campground of any kind. After reading that, I started ferociously googling if there was a known spot near the caverns that was considered BLM land. We have a generator, so I knew we could easily boondock if we could find a spot!
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Now being from Texas where there is no BLM land, this was not something I was familiar with! The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering public lands. So here’s what you can do on BLM land:
Dispersed camping, the technical term for camping outside of a campground or designated area on public lands, is allowed without a permit on most BLM land for up to 14 days. After 14 days, you are required to move at least 25 miles from your original spot and cannot return within 28 days. The BLM also asks that you camp at least 200 feet away from water and use sites that are already established, if possible.
Other things you can do on BLM land include hunting (with a permit), hiking, off-highway driving, horseback riding, and swimming. In fact, most outdoor recreational activities are allowed on BLM land, with the stipulation that you leave the land the way you found it. BLM land is a great place to go hiking with your pet; according to Go Pet Friendly, BLM managed lands allow “dogs on nearly all trails, many times allowing them to be off-leash.” Generally speaking, dogs are allowed to be off-leash in undeveloped areas. – The Clymb
Where to boondock?
For us, the ideal place for boondocking is out in the wilderness on public land. Boondocking can offer incredible views, serene surroundings, and time to reconnect with nature.
Parks Ranch Primitive Campground
Sounds awesome right?? So after digging my way through some forums, I found an amazing spot very close to Carlsbad Caverns. On many websites, it was just labeled as “Mile 10 Dispersed”. I was finally able to find the GPS coordinates through campendium.com. The reviews were super helpful. Particularly this one: You can access the site from Mile marker 10. There are signs saying “No Camping past this sign” just don’t go past the sign. You can go left down a dirt road about 1 mile over a cow grate and then turn right. There is a nice quiet spot with a small fire ring. Dirt rode has lots of ruts but can easy be straddled or camp right off the highway (Highway noise).
We arrived on a super rainy day, with no other RVers or campers in sight but we followed those directions to a T and eventually got to the area that said Parks Ranch Primitive Campground and knew we had made it. We lucked out and even had a little fire ring to use at night.
We spent 3 days of solitude here exploring and enjoying the outdoors. Carlsbad Caverns is only a 20 minute drive up the road amd. Guadalupe Mountains about 30 minutes. The most amazing thing about this BLM campsite was the Parks Ranch cave system. I had read this in the reviews as well but I had no idea how huge this cave system actually is. Parks Ranch Cave, which at 4.3 miles in length is the second longest gypsum cave in the Western hemisphere! We were able to explore the gypsum caves in the middle of nowhere! What an adventure. And the best part? It was a nice 70-80 degrees underground while it was in the 40s and rainy outside.
Final Thoughts?
My final thoughts on boondocking? I highly recommend it. Especially if you are looking to get away from the crowds, there is no better way to camp. Going forward, I’m always going to do research to see what dispersed camping options are available because I feel like it’s so much easier to enjoy the outdoors and explore away from an established RV park!
How about you guys? Ever gone boondocking??
