Red River / Angel Fire

[lefoster]

anyone have good suggestions for camping in Red River or Angel Fire NM?

[farnik78]

Carson national forest has some great boon docking. You can just pull in on a forest road and set up camp anywhere you can find a clearing.

[lefoster]

really! is that true for all state and national parks????

[farnik78]

I can’t speak as to the regulations on all state and national parks. Carson national forest is not a national park it is a national forest. And you are allowed to camp anywhere within 200 feet of an existing forest service road. Of course this is subject to common sense things like you can’t chop down trees to make room for your camper. However if you find a clearing that you can pull or back your trailer in to you can camp free of charge.

[John from Central Florida]

The Ocala National Forest is the closest to me. The last I checked, about two years ago, only tent camping was permitted if you wanted to stay outside an established forest campsite.

[farnik78]

I believe every national forest is probably different. In the Rockies all of them I know of allow disbursed camping. Tents can be set up about anywhere and trailers can be parked within a certain distance of existing roads and trails. The regulations for each national forest are posted online.

[mikefos]

Road Runner RV Park in Red River. We go every August. Very popular though. We stay at a riverside site. We went and looked at Angel Fire RV Resort last year - very pretty but out in the open. Road Runner is among the trees. The drive over from Cimmaron is fantastic!

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by lefoster

anyone have good suggestions for camping in Red River or Angel Fire NM?

Been going to this area since I was a kid. We have a trip planned for this summer to Angel Fire. Have stayed in Red River many times.

In order to help you we need to know what kind of camping your wanting. Full hookups? Boondocking? Campgrounds no hookups? It's all available.

Summers can get very busy in this area. Best to get reservations made early as possible.

There are bear in the area so just a warning if you boondock. It can get down into the 30's in the mornings but nice during the day. They have a rainy season and expect a shower here and there.

The trout fishing is big attraction if you like to fish be sure and pack your stuff.

[lefoster]

thanks y'all! great info! I will look at the site for regulations on National Forests.
I am not experienced at boondocking yet, so I would like hook-ups. We went to Red River growing up, but we always stayed in a cabin. I have just started camping about a year ago.
It is hard to tell exactly what the campground looks like on a web-site. I sure like the idea of being in trees close to the river!
thank you again everyone! I appreciate your thoughts!

[lefoster]

Originally Posted by farnik78

I believe every national forest is probably different. In the Rockies all of them I know of allow disbursed camping. Tents can be set up about anywhere and trailers can be parked within a certain distance of existing roads and trails. The regulations for each national forest are posted online.

farnik78, are you from Snyder Texas?

[farnik78]

Originally Posted by lefoster

farnik78, are you from Snyder Texas?

Colorado. Two summers ago we spent 5 days boondocking in Carson National Forest just south of Taos.

[lefoster]

Originally Posted by farnik78

Colorado. Two summers ago we spent 5 days boondocking in Carson National Forest just south of Taos.

roger that!

[Deeger]

Hey lefoster I'm from Wolfforth.

I was in Angel Fire Memorial weekend on the motorcycle just before the Ute Park fire started. The road between Cimmaron and Eagle's Nest (64) is open now, but I'd think it's a mess. You can come in from Las Vegas/Mora, but it'd be a bear to pull a trailer past Coyote Lake.
There's more to do in Red River than Angel Fire, it's quieter in AF.

[lefoster]

Originally Posted by Deeger

Hey lefoster I'm from Wolfforth.

I was in Angel Fire Memorial weekend on the motorcycle just before the Ute Park fire started. The road between Cimmaron and Eagle's Nest (64) is open now, but I'd think it's a mess. You can come in from Las Vegas/Mora, but it'd be a bear to pull a trailer past Coyote Lake.
There's more to do in Red River than Angel Fire, it's quieter in AF.

Hey Deeger! Good to know another South Plains camper is in this forum!

[Deeger]

If you are planning on going up there anytime soon, be aware that there are some pretty serious mud slides on NM 38 between Red River and Questa. They've finally had some really good rain, but they were so heavy, they started the mud slides. The pictures from local web sites and Facebook pages show a lot of mud and boulders as big as small cars on the road. This wouldn't be a complete deal breaker, but it would cause a lot of extra miles on the trip from RR to Taos if you were going up to look around.

[lefoster]

Originally Posted by Deeger

If you are planning on going up there anytime soon, be aware that there are some pretty serious mud slides on NM 38 between Red River and Questa. They've finally had some really good rain, but they were so heavy, they started the mud slides. The pictures from local web sites and Facebook pages show a lot of mud and boulders as big as small cars on the road. This wouldn't be a complete deal breaker, but it would cause a lot of extra miles on the trip from RR to Taos if you were going up to look around.

good to know! thanks!

[mikefos]

Originally Posted by Deeger

If you are planning on going up there anytime soon, be aware that there are some pretty serious mud slides on NM 38 between Red River and Questa. They've finally had some really good rain, but they were so heavy, they started the mud slides. The pictures from local web sites and Facebook pages show a lot of mud and boulders as big as small cars on the road. This wouldn't be a complete deal breaker, but it would cause a lot of extra miles on the trip from RR to Taos if you were going up to look around.

Thanks for posting. We are headed to Red River on Aug. 9. Hoping to come across from Cimarron (anybody know the state of that route currently?) to Eagle Nest and then into Red River on 38, which is the typical route we take every year. Also hope the road mentioned above is cleared by the time we get there, so we can take that shorter route to Taos, and we fish along there. There is a lot of steep parts along that route from RR to Questa.

[Deeger]

NMRoads - The official road advisory system for the State of New Mexico

Here's a handy link to the NMDoT and they normally keep it current on all issues. There's a little fire action on the Taos side of the Enchanted Circle, but not much else, so I'm assuming the mud slides are cleared. The Cimmaron/Eagle Nest ride (64) is one of my favorite on the bike. It's going to be sad to see the devastation at Ute Park. That big rig will be fun to pull over Bobcat Pass.
I've not found much decent fishing in NM. We usually go up on CO 17 between Antonito and Chama. Where on the Taos side do you fish?

[mikefos]

Originally Posted by Deeger

NMRoads - The official road advisory system for the State of New Mexico

Here's a handy link to the NMDoT and they normally keep it current on all issues. There's a little fire action on the Taos side of the Enchanted Circle, but not much else, so I'm assuming the mud slides are cleared. The Cimmaron/Eagle Nest ride (64) is one of my favorite on the bike. It's going to be sad to see the devastation at Ute Park. That big rig will be fun to pull over Bobcat Pass.
I've not found much decent fishing in NM. We usually go up on CO 17 between Antonito and Chama. Where on the Taos side do you fish?

We've gone over Bobcat Pass w/ our rig 3 times now. No problems and a very beautiful drive from Cimmarron thru Eagle Nest and over Bobcat Pass into Red River. We fish in the RV park we stay at (Road Runner) and the river further down where there's a couple of small lakes, whose names escape me right now. After watching some You Tube videos, we may try fishing in Red River proper this time too, as they were catching some nice fish.