Cibola National Forest — Mount Taylor Campground

Mount Taylor rises to 11,301 feet above Grants, and this USFS campground on its lower slopes puts you deep in ponderosa and fir at around 8,000 feet. It’s a proper forest camp — shaded, cooler than the desert floor, with fire rings and vault toilets. The road up FR-193 is graded gravel, manageable in a high-clearance 2WD when dry. Summer weekends attract locals from Grants and Albuquerque, but it quiets down mid-week. Fire restrictions apply in dry years; check ahead with Cibola’s Mount Taylor Ranger District before you roll in with a grate full of green mesquite.

From Grants take NM-547 north, then FR-193 — about 13 miles total from town, last several miles on forest road. No drinking water on-site; Grants is your last water fill. This is a solid staging camp if you’re running the Zuni-Acoma Trail and want altitude relief from the desert heat. Snow can close access above 7,500 feet October through April.

Ponderosa base camp on New Mexico's sacred peak.