BLM Albuquerque Field Office — Cerritos de Jaspe Dispersed Camp

West of the lava field and out past the Zuni Mountains, the landscape flattens into wide mesa country dotted with low volcanic hills stained red and purple — that’s the jasper and chert country that gives this area its name. BLM land is open for dispersed camping throughout this corridor, and it’s the kind of camp that costs nothing and asks nothing in return. You’ll have long sight lines, huge skies, and minimal foot traffic. The ground is mixed desert shrub, and the nearest pavement is several miles back. This is good country for rigs that need a shakedown or a quiet night before tackling the Zuni-Acoma crossing.

Access is via Fence Lake Road (NM-36) and connecting two-tracks heading east toward the western trailhead of the Zuni-Acoma Trail. Roads here are dirt and gravel — passable for most high-clearance rigs when dry, but notorious for sticky adobe mud after summer monsoons. No water on-site. Carry all you need. Cell coverage is effectively zero out here.

Jasper mesa BLM camp, wide open and free.