🇺🇸 United States

If you're in northern New Mexico, the northern drive across the Carson National Forest on highway 64 is gorgeous!! It's a high-altitude drive, with pine and fir forests interspersed with brilliant green valleys.

And for a free (and super scenic) place to spend the night ...

When I'm looking for a good boondocking campsite, I usually research it beforehand. I have some standard information sources, that usually turn up a few good alternatives.

But sometimes I come up empty. Some parts of the country just haven't been traveled that much, or at least not by people who write about it! So what's a person to do? ...

Ojo Caliente is a famous hot springs resort west of Taos, and quite a luxurious place to stay. But if you don't feel like paying the big bucks they ask for a room there, there is free camping nearby.

Just boondock at Taos Junction (about 10 miles north), and you can use the resort's facilities - soak in the hot springs, hike the trails, or get a spa treatment. And think about how much money you're saving while you do it! ;) ...

Chimayo is a small town along the High Road between Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico. It's famous for its miraculous church, and people from all over come to see it.

I've visited Chimayo a dozen times in the past. But I never even knew about the lovely lake campground just a few miles away... until now! ...

Dawson is a ghost town in northeastern New Mexico. Like so many abandoned places, it was a mining town whose fortunes rose and fell with the mine itself.

But this isn't just any old ghost town. No, this one is special, with a unique family connection so that I had to visit it. You see, for a brief moment in time, my grandpa owned the old Dawson Hotel. ...

Who knew New Mexico was so green? This isn't just photoshop, either! ;)

If you're looking for a camping spot with cool mountain air, beautiful scenery, lush green meadows, plenty of shady trees, and a creek running right by, then this could be the spot for you. And did I mention it's free? ...

I hadn't really intended to go to the Taos Pueblo Powwow. In fact, I didn't know anything about it until we saw a sign while wandering around town.

So it was sheer luck that I was there at the right time for the Powwow, and I'm sure glad that I was! It was very cool to see, and there's a lot more to it... ...

If you're looking for a place to go camping and/or hiking in northern New Mexico, go to Rio Grande del Norte, aka Wild Rivers. Just do it! You won't regret it. :)

* You've got the spectacular Rio Grande Gorge, with the mighty river swirling and tumbling over rapids far below... ...

It was the 4th of July holiday weekend, and the Jemez area was packed! Every scenic stop was crawling with people, and every trailhead had a half mile of overflow parking along the road. Valles Caldera was impossible!

Do you ever get that feeling "Get me out of here!" I abandoned the Jemez, blew by Valles Caldera, and headed towards Los Alamos. My destination was a boondocking spot in the Santa Fe National Forest. ...

There's nothing like some big old ponderosa pines to make it feel like mountain living! :)

Apache Creek campground is one of those places that without being spectacular, is exceedingly pleasant. ...