Johnson Mesa Campground
Johnson's Mesa is a dispersed camping area located east of Las Vegas on NM 65 and FR 153. Facilities: vaulted toilets, tables and grills.
More like this: first-come in New Mexico
Season & status
| Status | Closed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date. |
| Season | Dec. 31 |
| Forest | Santa Fe National Forest |
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 35.7038° N, 105.4695° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- WildfireFrijoles
26 mi from the campground · 15,956 acres · 90% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.
Supplies & services
| Outdoor gear | REI ↗ | 26.9 mi |
| RV sales & service | Land of Enchantment RV ↗ | 33.9 mi |
Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.
No site-by-site records, no amenities, no fee schedule, no directions or photos in the Recreation.gov record. What is here comes from the agency's own listing. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the record fills in.
Explore
Worth a stop
- 2 miOak Flats Picnic Site ↗Day use
- 2.6 miBurro Basin Trailhead ↗Trailhead
- 12.2 miWindy Bridge Picnic Site ↗Day use
- 12.5 miUpper Dalton Fishing Access Fishing Site ↗Fishing site
- 12.7 miIron Gate Trailhead ↗Trailhead
Trails nearby
- 2.6 miGallinas ↗4.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 3.2 miBeaver Creek ↗13 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 3.2 miHermits Peak ↗8.9 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 4.1 miHollinger2 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 4.3 miLas Dispensas3.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 4.7 miChavez2.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
Trailheads within three miles
- 2.6 miBurro Basin Trailhead ↗Santa Fe National Forest
Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.
Public land it sits in
Pecos Wilderness begins about 5.9 miles away, and it is the closest of these.
- 5.9 miPecos Wilderness ↗Wilderness · Forest Service · 221,796 acres
Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.
Other campgrounds nearby
Historic landmarks nearby
Guidebooks for New Mexico
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
Do I need a reservation at Johnson Mesa Campground?
No. Johnson Mesa Campground is first-come, first-served. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.
Source: Forest Service
Is Johnson Mesa Campground open right now?
Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026. Season Dec. 31.
Source: Forest Service status
What if Johnson Mesa Campground is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are E.V. Long Campground (2.7 mi, first-come), El Porvenir Campground (3.2 mi, first-come), and Links Tract Campground (11.4 mi, first-come).
Source: Campgrounds nearby