Rio Chama Campground, Coyote Ranger District, Santa Fe National Forest

Awesome campsite. Quiet, by the river, in a stunning place - the Rio chama valley. The road to reach this campsite is a dirt road for 12miles, but totally doable if dry with a regular car, and a load of patience, about 15-20mph, i.e. almost 1h drive since when you leave the paved road. The campsites are not huge, but excellent for a tent, lots of shade, one nice table fire pit per site, even if not all fire pits have the grill on top. Absolutely no cell service around there.

Great little campground with beautiful views on the way in! Our 2WD rental car did fine on the dry road, although wet conditions would probably alter our choices. No water, but the pit toilets and trash receptacles were very well maintained. We lucked out and saw some of the Northern Lights, which was an unexpected bonus.

A no-fee camping area right next to the Rio Chama. Sites are close together by modern standards and half the sites butt up against the river the other half are one row back. Be choosy because the amount of shade you get will vary greatly from site to site. Sites have a picnic table and fire pit. There are pit toilets, but no water available. Access to this is a 12 mile dirt road. There's three cattle grates and a little bit of washboard, but passable by passenger vehicles... unless there has been monsoons in the past days. The upper part of this 12 mi can wash out and or become so full of mud that you will need 4WD and good tires to pass it. Even with heavy rainfall, The road is usually good up to Chavez Boat Launch. After that is where things can get dicey.

Fairly rough road to the campground. Great, rustic setting next to the river. No fee. First come, first serve. Picnic tables, fire pits, clear spaces. Clean outhouses. Found a few rattlesnakes hanging out next to the women's toilet, so bring a headlamp and pee with your eyes open!

Amazing location! Easy put-ins for rafts, kayaks, paddle boards. Exceptionally clean vault toilets. Campsites with shade. Unbeatable views!!