El Malpais National Conservation Area

Latitude, Longitude: 34.735, -107.930 Elevation: ~7100 ft
Weather Forecast:  http://tinyurl.com/malpaisNCA
Fire Restrictions: http://firerestrictions.us/nm/nm-blm/rio-puerco-field-office/

One of our leaders recommended we go down to El Malpais for a campout in November 2015.  We'd been in the Malpais before, but we had usually gone down highway 53 to the Ramah, NM area, or the Lava Tubes.  This time, we went down highway 117 and hit some highlights of the Malpais National Conservation Area.  It was a great trip.

BLM Page for El Malpais National Conservation Area

Map of El Malpais National Monument and El Malpais National Conservation Area

Being November, it was dark before we got down there, as it is a good 2 hour drive from Albuquerque.  We hadn't identified an exact camping spot, but went to look for something decent.  There is an established campsite on the east side of 117 just a bit south of the BLM Malpai Ranger Station.  There is no fee, and there is a vault toilet.  We checked it out, but the site we saw didn't have a ton of flat space, and it had a *lot* of cactus.  Not a good pick for tent camping; at least as much as we could tell in the dark.  So, we kept driving further south until we got past the Natural Arch and Narrows Picnic area, down into a BLM area open to dispersed camping.  The general area was flat, with lots of open area in soft dirt to put down tents just off the road.  There were periodic Mountain Juniper, and a few scragly Pines - with interesting rocky cliffs a quarter mile away.  It was a fine campsite.

Climbing the cliffs near the campsite

The next morning, we waited for it to warm up a bit (it was near 20F that morning!), then some of the adults went exploring the cliffs while the boys cleaned up their area.  Once we were packed up, we headed out to explore other areas.

We drove to La Ventana Natural Arch.  I loved the hues of tan, red, and white cliffs, topped with green Juniper, contrasting against the deep blue New Mexico sky.  It was wonderful.  It was only a short hike, and while they don't let you go all the way up to the Arch anymore, it was still a good stop.

La Ventana Natural Arch

Then, we really had a heyday at the Sandstone Bluffs.  It overlooks the lava field, so you can see for quite a ways, and the boys (and adults!) really enjoyed bouldering and just general scampering around the cliffs and exploring the rock formations.  It was a beautiful place.  All in all, a very successful campout.  I think we'll go here again.  I'll label this with "winter camping", because sometimes you want something in the November-February timeframe that is good for camping, but won't be a snow campout.  I think this fits the bill for that type of winter camping.  In general, I think Spring or Fall would be a good time to visit; I think it will likely be fairly hot in the summer.

The map below (as well as the GPS coordinates at the top of the page) show the location we camped at.

Cowles Campground (Pecos)

Latitude, Longitude: 35.812683, -105.6643532 Elevation: 8250 ft
Weather Forecast:  http://tinyurl.com/cowlesWeather
Fire Restrictions: http://firerestrictions.us/nm/nm-usfs/santa-fe-nf--pecos-las-vegas-district/

So, it came time to look for another snow campout spot.  Because we like to go in December over the Christmas break, we couldn't go into the Jemez, as they don't usually have a lot of snow that early in the season.  But, we didn't want a 3-hr drive into the far regions of northern New Mexico, either.  I must admit, I am in some ways fairly picky about snow camping.  I'd like lots of snow, but I don't want to have to drive 3-4 hours to get it.  Then I also have a mild preference for an established campsite, if only for the reason that if I have to get up in the middle of the night when the wind is howling and it's -5F outside, I really want the shelter of an outhouse to do my business.  I also prefer to get away (as with any campout), to where there are not a lot of people around.  And, finally, given that we tend to bring a lot of gear when doing winter car campouts, I really don't want to have to hike in 200 yards from the car multiple times to get all the gear to the camp site.

Everywhere we've gone so far for winter campouts has failed one of those preferences - mostly the one about having to haul in your gear a long ways.

After some investigations and several calls to various National Forest Ranger Districts, we decided to try something along the Pecos Canyon.  There are multiple campsites north of the town of Pecos.  We figured we'd just drive until we found enough snow.  We were a little worried, as over the 2014 Christmas break, there wasn't a ton of snow.  Almost none in the town of Pecos.  We kept driving up the canyon, and after a while, we saw a *little* snow.  But, then the further we drove, the worse it got.  I almost thought we'd have to turn around and go back to Big Tesuque again up by Santa Fe.  Finally, we turned the corner, and hit the Cowles campground, part of Santa Fe National Forest.  It was great!

USFS Cowles Campground Webpage

As it sits at the base of a north-facing slope, the entire campground was covered in at least 8-12" of pristine snow.  Pecos isn't a over-populated sledding area, so we practically didn't see another human the entire time we were there.  It only took about 90 minutes to get there from Albuquerque.  It was quiet, and the sky was beautiful.  And, we could drive right into a snow-covered parking lot within 50 feet of our tent area.  Additionally, because the campsite was right at the base of a snowy hill, we had decent sledding opportunities right there, without needing to go anywhere else.  It really worked out very well.

I realize the weather and snow will vary from year to year, but I will definitely keep this in mind for next year.

Winter Camping Gear

I love winter camping! Snow. Quiet beauty. More solitude. Snow. Then, there is always the fun of comparing stories: "Last year where we camped, it was 5 degrees below zero with 20mph winds!"

Partially because of the serenity of the wilderness in the winter, and because so few people go into the winter wilderness, I really love winter camping. I know, I know - you may ask if there is really any serenity when I bring the boy scouts along - but I enjoy it nonetheless. Many people cringe when you mention camping in the cold, but it can be a lot of fun. For those that bring the right gear and proper clothing layers, it will be a lot of fun. You do, however, have to have the right gear. It isn't necessarily expensive, but if you don't bring the right stuff (or enough of it) to keep you warm, you will have a miserable time.
I certainly recommend 2 or more sleeping bags, blankets, and some type of sleeping pad to help insulate you from the ground (but a conventional air mattress or cot is a VERY bad idea).  And remember, cotton kills.  If it gets wet (and it will), it loses all capacity for warmth.  Wool or synthetic fibers are best.  No cotton socks, at all.  Wool socks.  Multiple pairs; I’d recommend bringing enough for 2 new (dry) pairs each day.  Denim jeans are probably only acceptable if they have waterproof snow pants over them and the discipline to keep moisture away from the denim. But, if you take the snow pants off during the warmth of the early afternoon and then get the denim wet in the snow, you will have difficulty getting warm again.

This is what I typically take take on a winter campout:

• 2 pairs of gloves: 
• 1 pair non-snow gloves (easier to handle gear with, more dexterity); not for playing in the snow or getting wet; use for dry work or sitting around the fire, and for backup gloves
• 1 pair snow gloves (water resistant)
• thermal long johns (top and bottom; I *really* love my merino wool base layers from LL Bean)
• warm long-sleeve/long-leg pajamas (only put on at night, to sleep in fresh, dry clothes)
• insulated, waterproof snow boots
• multiple pairs of wool socks (I wear two pair wool socks at a time, plus some spares, and then additional pairs to put on fresh dry socks each day)
• balaclava (ski-mask looking thing)
• knit wool hat
• 2 long-sleeve shirts
• 1 insulated long-sleeve shirt
• 1 pair fleece-lined pants
• 1 pair waterproof snow pants
• water-resistant winter outer coat
• thick wool army blanket (from military surplus)
• 3" thick closed-cell foam sleeping pad (Therm-a-Rest type, not an air mattress)
• 2 (or 3) sleeping bags:  
• The one you sleep directly in should be mummy-style and rated to a minimum of 15F or lower (for Northern New Mexico winters).  
• The other, that you either nest your first sleeping bag inside of, or that you lay on top of your sleeping bag, can be mummy or rectangular, and doesn't have to be as high quality.
• tent with rain fly (keeping off snow) - note that a standard 3-season tent seems to be fine in my part of the country; I've never needed the added structural integrity of a 4-season tent
• camp stool for dry place to sit

What are your favorite winter camping equipment choices?  Comment below.

Big Tesuque Campground

Latitude/Longitude: 35.7692, -105.8086 Elevation: 9675 ft
Weather Forecast:  http://tinyurl.com/BigTesuqueWeather
Fire Restrictions: http://firerestrictions.us/nm/nm-usfs/santa-fe-nf--espanola-district/

We went to Big Tesuque Campground for our winter campout this year.  It was pretty nice, and is just a few miles further up the ski road past Hyde Memorial State Park.  This winter (2013-2014) has been pretty dry so far, and if we had gone to Hyde Park there would have been very little snow.  But, by the time we got further up the mountain to Big Tesuque, there was somewhere around 6-8" of snow all over the campground.  Much of it was fairly hard-packed and icy down near the parking lot, so we chose to walk in perhaps 100-200 yards from the parking lot to get to a spot with better snow for tent camping.  But, it didn't seem like quite so much of a hike as when we had to do this at Hyde Park.

Santa Fe National Forest Website for Big Tesuque Campground

Big Tesuque is covered in aspen and conifers

Big Tesuque is apparently a very popular place for daytime sledding, so it was crawling with people when we got there on a Friday in the early afternoon.  But, very few people went up as far as we did, so we had our camp site and sledding location mostly to ourselves.

Beautiful sunsets and great views

Big Tesuque is a Santa Fe National Forest campground, but it is a no-fee, no reservation, first-come-first-served camping spot.  There is no potable water, but as you can see in one of the images below, there is a stream (North Fork Tesuque Creek) running through the campsite that even when half-frozen would have still provided water for filtering if necessary.

There are two vault toilets right at the parking lot.  We were told they would be locked during the winter, but one of them was open while we were there.

I'm told that this place is very popular in the fall due to the aspen foliage.  I'm sure it would be very pretty, if you are willing to deal with the crowds.

Stream flowing right by our campsite.  

Abundant sledding was found immediately
surrounding the campsite

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San Lorenzo Canyon (Socorro area)

Latitude/Longitude: 34.24012, -107.00507 Elevation: 5293 ft
Weather Forecast:  http://tinyurl.com/SanLorenzoWeather

San Lorenzo Canyon is a fun little BLM area just a little north of Socorro. I've only ever gone in the spring, either February or March. Due to the lower elevation and desert terrain, I expect it would be fairly hot in the summer. When I've been there, there has always been at least some minor trickle of water through parts of the canyon, so I suppose you could filter if you wanted to wait forever. I choose to just pack in my water. I've been told to call the BLM ahead of time to check road conditions, as the roads are sandy and can be impassible without 4WD. But, that's never been my experience. They were always perfectly fine, and I always see plenty of other people driving tiny little ultra-compact 2WD vehicles with no problems.

San Lorenzo is a great place to go, because it is close to Albuquerque (maybe 1.25 hrs to get there), it's an easy hike, and it is good for an easy backpacking trip to get younger boys used to backpacking. There is no elevation gain, and the amount of hiking you do is entirely dependent on you. You could just camp near where you park, but you will likely have a lot of company. Or, you just hike in until you find a decent place to camp. It's an awesome place to do Capture the Flag. And, there are several geocache sites nearby that are fun to find.

The coordinates above are where we usually park. It's as far as you can drive in, because there are boulders blocking the way just past this. We then backpack in until we find a spot we like.

When we went in February, it was a little colder than we expected, but not bad. It got down to maybe the high 20s at night. During the day it was in the 50-60F range. When we went later in March, the spring winds were pretty blustery in the early evening right when we were trying to setup tents, but other than that, it was a great time. Due to the close proximity to Albuquerque, the interesting terrain, and the multitude of geocache sites, this could also make a good day hike spot. And, because you could park any number of places and find decent camping spots, I suppose this could be a good car camping destination, as well. Additionally, due to the dry terrain and lower elevation, this would be a decent winter camping spot, if you were looking for someplace without snow. There's something for everyone!

We keep coming back because it is close, the terrain is interesting and beautiful, and I like to take the scouts backpacking as much as possible, even if its only for half a mile. It's one of our annual favorites.

BLM Webpage for San Lorenzo Canyon

The Explore NM site has a great write-up on this place, and has excellent instructions for finding it. It isn't the easiest to find, but the directions are good.

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Hyde Memorial State Park (Santa Fe)

Latitude/Longitude: 35.7367, -105.8361 Elevation: 8500 ft

We've been to Hyde Park both as a winter camping destination for Boy Scouts, and as a summer car-camping spot for a family campout. Given that we live in Albuquerque, finding a place to go camping in the winter that will reliably have snow, but is still accessible by 2WD vehicles and doesn't require more than perhaps 2 hours to get to, can be challenging. We went to Hyde Park one year. When we called ahead one year to find out about snow possibilities, the ranger said that if they didn't get snow by Christmas, it would be the first time in 15 years. They had 4-8 inches when we got there after Christmas that year, and it snowed several more inches while we were there. It was very nice. They still allow camping (and will still charge the fees), but as the sites are officially closed in the winter, you can't get any closer to the campsites than the main road. So, we had to haul our gear in several hundred yards. They have an "official" sledding area up there, but it has been closed even when it was actively snowing - so we just found our own place to sled near our campsite.

New Mexico State Parks Hyde Memorial Park Website

The surrounding area in winter.
A trail wandering by the campground leads to a ‘waterfall’ about 1/2-3/4 miles away. It was just a trickle down the rock face when we went.	The waterfall area was a snow and ice-covered slope in the winter. Great place for fun!

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Winter Camping

What are your favorite spots to go winter camping in New Mexico?

We've taken our troop to Mount Taylor for the Sandia District Klondike Derby. We've gone camping on some private land in the East Mountains just north of Paako Ridge. We've camped up the east side of the Sandia Mountains, back in 2011 when there was a ton of snow. And, we've done Hyde Park in Santa Fe. There is always lots of snow there late in December.