Camping in New Mexico

Camping rules worth knowing in New Mexico

Camping on trust land needs the lessee’s written permission

A recreational access permit lets you onto state trust land, and it is not a camping permit. The State Land Office states that camping is allowed on trust land only with the written permission of the surface lessee, and that it is the permittee’s own responsibility to know which lands are open and which are closed. Nine million surface acres sit under that rule, which is why trust land is best treated as somebody’s ranch that you may be allowed to walk on. Source 53

What a Stage I fire restriction actually forbids

Stage I prohibits building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal or wood stove except within a developed or improved recreation site; smoking except inside a vehicle or building, in a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet across that is barren or cleared of flammable material; and possessing, discharging or using any firework or pyrotechnic device. Petroleum-fuelled stoves and lanterns stay legal, which is the practical reason to carry one. Source 55

Fire orders are published district by district

The BLM posts its New Mexico fire restrictions and prevention orders by district rather than statewide, which means two pieces of public land an hour apart can be under different rules on the same day. Check the district that manages the ground you will sleep on, not the one you started the morning in. Source 25

Nine million acres of trust land, and 35 state parks

The State Land Office manages nine million surface acres and 13 million mineral acres of trust land, which exists to earn money for schools rather than to host visitors. The state park system, a separate department, runs 35 parks. Between them they explain why the public land you can plan a trip around in New Mexico is federal, and why the state’s own ground needs a permit and a landowner’s permission. Source 52

State trust land is not open ground

The State Land Office manages nine million surface acres of state trust land in every county of New Mexico, and it says recreational users must hold a recreational access permit to be on it. The permit costs $35, runs a year from the day it is issued, covers up to ten family members with the holder, and allows hiking, sightseeing, picnicking, wildlife watching, photography, horseback riding and cross country skiing. It does not cover land the Commissioner has withdrawn from recreational access or land leased for oil, gas and mining, and the office says it is the permittee’s responsibility to know which parcels are open and which are closed. Camping is separate again: it is allowed on trust land only with the written permission of the surface lessee. Source 51

Fire restrictions come in stages, and are posted by area

Under Stage I restrictions in New Mexico you may not build, maintain, attend or use a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal or wood stove except inside a developed recreation site or improved site; you may not smoke except in an enclosed vehicle or building, in a developed recreation site, or while stopped in a cleared area at least three feet across; and fireworks and other pyrotechnics are banned outright. Stoves and lanterns that burn petroleum fuel stay legal. Stage II tightens all of it further. Restrictions are posted area by area at NM Fire Info and on the Southwest Area dashboard, and the BLM issues its own prevention orders by district. Check what is in force for the specific ground you are heading to, not for the state. Source 54

The full guide to overlanding New Mexico