We camped at Brown Springs Campground, New Mexico in October 2021
Our previous stop: Free Caddis Flats Campground Near Telluride Colorado
Campground Info
Location: 36.806159, -108.180818
Cost: Free (Sign Says Permit Required, Call Number To Get)
Camping Limit: 14 Day
Amenities: Vault Toilets, Shade Structure, Grill, Picnic Table, Fire Pit, Handicap Campsite
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Essentials Nearby
Town: Farmington, NM – 5 miles
Gas Station: Sinclair – 5.5 miles
Dump Station & Potable Water: Circle W Sinclair– 8 miles (Free Dump, Drinking Water Available, Propane Refill At Station)
Grocery Store: Smith’s Food and Drug – 6.5 miles
Cell Phone Service
Verizon – Excellent
AT&T – Excellent
Nearby Attractions
Glade Run Recreation Area – 0 miles
Aztec Ruins National Monument – 17 miles
Durango – 46 miles
Mesa Verde National Park – 85 miles
Brown Springs Campground, New Mexico Info
The first thing you should know about brown springs campground is it’s located about 2.5 miles down a dusty and bumpy dirt road.
There are a lot of washes that go across it and there is some scary deep sand in places you have to drive fast across to not get stuck.
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We made it in our small class c RV and there were some large 5th-wheels in the campground when we got there so the road is very doable but it’s something to know about when you go there.
If you’re not comfortable driving across washes this isn’t the free campground for you.
If you are driving in from the north on highway 170 Google maps may try and take you down some crazy weird roads before reaching Farmington, New Mexico.
Do not take any of these roads. I don’t know why they are even on google maps. The correct and most RV accessible entrance to Brown Springs Campground is from Farmington.
If you are worried about accidentally getting on the wrong road you can have google maps take you here (Glade Run Recreation Area South Parking Area click to go to on maps).
This is the correct entrance that gets you on the 2.5 mile dirt road that leads to the campground.
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Once you get to the Brown Springs Campground the circle drive around all of the sites is really nice gravel road.
It’s possible for any size of rig to drive around and there are 10 campsites in total with one of them being for handicap access use only.
At the entrance, there are some typical campground rules. For instance no running generators past 10 pm, no shooting firearms in the campground, no trash service, and no firewood collecting.
The most interesting rule is one that says you must have a permit to camp in the Glade Run Recreation Area followed by a number you can call for more information.
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We read a few reviews of the campground that said you could email the form to the local BLM office or call them.
I called the office twice and left my number for them to call me back but they never did. No one ever came to check the permit and I’m pretty sure it’s something that only matters during the high season.
If you are planning on camping there I would make sure to stop by or get ahold of the BLM office to get the permit but in October it didn’t seem like that big of a deal.
Now for information on the campsites themselves. Most look like the one in the picture above.
All of them are back in sites and most are very wide. One campsite even had two travel trailers parked side by side in it.
We chose one of the smaller campsites, number 4. It was easy to back into and there was plenty of space for a 5th-wheel or travel trailer.
None of the campsites were 100% level. Maybe the fully paved handicap site is but all of the people camping in the other campsites were up on blocks.
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Even though this is a free BLM campground every campsite is super well made with a cement pad, shade structure, fire pit, picnic table, and grill.
It’s hard to believe this place is not only free but there’s also a high 14 day camping limit.
There are no trash services at the Brown Springs Campground but there is a vault toilet. It was pretty clean but there was no toilet paper so remember to bring some with you just in case.
In the area, there are a ton of OHV trails and a lot of smaller trails that are for dirt bikes and mountain bikes only.
The best mountain bike trail follows the ridgeline above the Brown Springs Campground and you can see the snow capped mountains by Durango, CO from it.
Brown Springs Campground Review
We really enjoyed our stay at this free campground. We had great cell phone service on both Verizon and AT&T and the data speeds were surprisingly fast.
We had a campfire one night and used the grill.
We showed up on a Tuesday and even though it was during the week in October the campground filled up pretty much every night.
Nighttime temperatures were getting low at this point and if you don’t want to worry about your lines freezing I wouldn’t camp here later than October.
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Some of the campsites are right next to each other but they’re decently spread out for the most part. There are a few good sites for tent campers and the vault toilet is centrally located for everyone to use.
In the center of the campground, there are a few horseshoe pits.
Even though the road to this free campground is bumpy and sandy in places it’s still worth the drive out to it if you are planning on spending a few nights.
There are some beautiful cliffs and it’s a scenic drive the whole way.
Have any questions about the Brown Springs Campground in New Mexico? Leave a comment below.
