Whistling Pine Campground Taos National Forest

Tucked at 8,400 feet in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, this 23-site USFS campground delivers serious altitude and solitude. The towering ponderosa pines create natural privacy between sites, each equipped with fire rings and picnic tables. Vault toilets scattered throughout, but no water — haul your own or filter from the creek below. Sites accommodate rigs up to 22 feet, though the access road has some tight switchbacks that’ll test your backing skills.

Open May through September, depending on snowpack. The gravel access road can get washboarded by mid-summer, but any vehicle can make it. Cell service is nonexistent, which is exactly the point. Reserve ahead for summer weekends — this place fills with locals escaping the desert heat below.

High-altitude forest escape with zero light pollution