Reserve Ranger District
Learn about camping and boondocking on lands managed by Reserve, Ranger District, Gila National Forest, New Mexico
Dispersed Camping Near Reserve, NM
There are several free camping areas operated by Gila National Forest within a short drive to Reserve, NM and nearby attractions. These camping areas offer some modern amenities, including restrooms, picnic tables, fire rings, and trash cans. All are "first-come, first-serve", with no fees and no permits required. They also allow you to remain camped there up to 14 days.
Ben Lilly Campground, Glenwood, NM
This is a small, free, developed campground offered by Gila National Forest. There are only five campsites here, a few of them are suitable for small to medium-sized trailers. However, the road in along State Route 159 (Bursum Road) is rough gravel after leaving the town of Mogollon, and 4WD is required especially in wet weather.
Willow Creek Campground, Glenwood, NM
This is free, small, developed campground offered by Gila National Forest. There are only four campsites here, though only the first three are open, with the fourth being washed out. These are tent sites only, and only small vehicles, cars, vans, and pickup trucks are allowed. RVs are too big to fit here.
Aeroplane Mesa Campground, Glenwood, NM
This is free, developed campground offered by Gila National Forest. Even though it's small with only six campsites, these campsites are still large enough for full-sized RVs, with at least one of the sites being a pull-through. The campground sits on the northern border of Gila Wilderness.
Gwynn Tank Campground, Reserve, NM
Gwynn Tank Campground is a free, developed campground offered by Gila National Forest. There are seven marked campsites, three of which are large, pull-through sites for full-sized RVs, the others are back-in sites for cars, vans, pickup trucks, or small RVs. The campground largely serves Gwynn Tank Pond, a popular fishing hole.
Apache Creek Campground, Reserve, NM
This is a free, developed campground offered by Gila National Forest. While the Forest Service describes this as a dispersed camping area, there are at least ten sites with picnic tables and fire rings, and three of these sites have shade structures. There are perhaps five more previously-used campsites with no amenities.
