Santa Fe National Forest: Boondocking in New Mexico
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Santa Fe National Forest was our first weeklong boondocking adventure when we hit the road full-time.
We were still in our Rockwood Roo hybrid travel trailer and towing with our 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. Our rig had no generator, but we did have our portable solar panel and Li Battery that gave us enough power to charge devices and run lights when needed. Our tanks were smaller than we have now which is why we had to be extremely careful about water conservation and usage. Showers weren’t really possible (yay for venture wipes!) and the boys did a lot of peeing outside. Don’t worry, we were in the middle of nowhere and the boys didn’t mind. We did carry a 5 gallon water jug that we filled up once during the week to have extra drinking water. The truth is we probably could have made it another 2 days or so, but we had no cell service in our location and we were almost an hour drive from civilization, so we were concerned about not having contact with family, as well as, pushing our luck with emergencies. Since, then we have bought a GPS Walkie (see it here) that allows us to text location and messages as needed in an emergency. This makes us feel safer when we are off the grid. That being said, we LOVED our time here!
We were able to find a beautiful secluded spot in the middle of a wooded grove. There were rocks to climb, places to explore and lots of open space to watch sunsets and wildlife. It was peaceful and just what our family needed at the time. Camping is free in the Santa Fe National Forest if you stay in one of their primitive campsite. (dedicated sites tended to be flat with a pre-made fire ring.) Getting to these primitive sites could be a challenge if you have a big rig as the roads leading into the forest are narrow and winding. There is a paved portion of the road, but also several miles of unpaved dirt road. We had to take the unpaved roads to get to our spot and it was quite bumpy. The day after we left, they were expecting heavy rains. This was also an incentive to leave, as we did not want to find ourselves stuck in mud!
The Highlights of Boondocking in San Fe National Forest:
Clear, open skies for star gazing!
Trees for climbing and hammock lounging.
Trails to hike and explore.
Rocks to climb.
Campfires. And Campfire battles!! See the video and see the fire starting competition we had during out time.
Space for target shooting. Being isolated in an open space makes it a perfect place to teach the kids some gun safety and practice target shooting. See our epic target shooting session in the video as well!
Peace and quiet.
Wildlife.
No internet and cell service. Although this is not how we like to spend most of our time, it is always refreshing when we have time away from the hustle and bustle and constant pull of technology.
And the biggest highlight…. Uninterrupted family time!
Have you ever been camping in Santa Fe National Forest? What was your favorite thing? The midwest is full of great boon-docking spots. What are your favorite boon-docking spots in the US? We would love to here them so we can add them to our list for future travel.
If you would like to see more of our adventures, follow us on YouTube!
Other great resources to check out!
Camping at Caprock Canyon State Park in Texas