We took Highway 180 from Reserve, New Mexico, heading south in a heavy summer downpour, in search of a dispersed camping spot in the Gila National Forest to spend the night before heading on to Mogollon ghost town. Dispersed camping is allowed within the Gila National Forest, but you must be within 300 feet of forestry roads and no less than about a mile from established campgrounds. When we saw the signs for the Cosmic Campground, we decided to check out the Sanctuary. Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary (CCIDSS) is the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary located on National Forest System lands and also the first of its kind in North America.
The First International Dark Sky Sanctuary
The Dark Sky designation means the area offers very limited light pollution and unobstructed views of the night skies. Fortunately, by the time we arrived, the rain had stopped, but it was overcast and remained cloudy, which didn’t bode well for star-gazing. Much of the haze was caused by a forest fire that was burning in the Gila Wilderness Area, just to the east of us.
About a mile from the main road, CCIDSS is a primitive campground with minimal site amenities including an information kiosk, a pit toilet, and four concrete telescope/observation pads.
There are eight sites in this campground, designed for either tent camping or RVs with a maximum length of 32′. There are no reservations needed, and sites are first come, first served. Driving into the campground, we saw that it was nice and open, with flat sites for pitching a tent.
Nice Campground – But There’s Also Dispersed Camping In The Gila Forest Nearby
The sites were spaced a little close together and lacking privacy for us, so we decided to ease back along the camp road toward 180. On the north side of the access road, widely spaced and separated by brush and low trees, are several established dispersed sites marked by fire rings. Another access road branches off from the road into the campground, leading to a few more dispersed sites.
To be certain, we called the Glenwood Ranger Station to confirm the rules for the area, as they do vary slightly from place to place with regard to the specifics. In particular, we asked about the “one mile from campground” rule. The Ranger we spoke to indicated that it’s okay if the dispersed sites are a little less than a mile away as long as they aren’t right outside the campground, and greenlighted the area we’d chosen, especially as there were cleared spaces and established fire rings present. We needed a fairly level spot for the rooftop tent set-up so chose the third site off the road, which was on a little hill and offered some brush cover for privacy.
Dispersed Camping Close To The Road – But Very Little Noise
Surprisingly, even though we were close to a highway, because the access road itself is up on a bluff, there was only minimal road noise when we were there in early June. To the south, the bluish spread of sagebrush-covered hills stretches into the distance, making for beautiful views. To the north, are the big piney forests and rugged mountains. This dispersed camping location was peaceful and serene and felt “woof the beaten path” – even though it’s only about eight miles north of Alma, New Mexico. We experienced some traffic coming in and out of the campsite, but by and large, we were pretty undisturbed – especially in the evening and early morning hours.
We were glad that we had brought a tarp to put under the rooftop tent’s ladder, as well as dog camping beds for the pups, as there were quite a few red ant mounds, and roaming (biting) ants. Thankfully, there weren’t a lot of mosquitos or gnats and we had a peaceful night with rain-scented desert air and the occasional howl of a coyote to lull us to sleep.
It was pleasantly surprising how clean this Gila National Forest dispersed camping area was when we visited – and appreciated how other campers had tried hard to leave no trace. We would definitely recommend either the Cosmic campground – or the dispersed camping down the road from it – as a great stopover on your journey through the Gila Forest – or as a destination for dark sky viewing on a clear night.
Some Tips For Camping In This Area
- Be sure to limit the use of any kind of lights after dark, especially here, as it can impact telescope viewing in the sanctuary. This applies to all of the Gila Wilderness Area as well. If your vehicle is like ours – and you can’t stop your lights from coming on when you open doors, consider putting a couple layers of blue 2″ painters tape over them.
- There are lots of red harvester ants here. Choose your tent location very carefully! Don’t bother them (this is Their home) and they won’t bother you.
- Leave No Trace. Pack out what you brought in.
- No water is available at the Cosmic Campground – only pit toilets – so bring plenty.
- Check with the Ranger District first before camping – to make sure your dispersed campsite is far enough away from the Cosmic Campground. See their website for info.
- Only Verizon cell phone service is available here, (2 bars) no AT&T
The next day we drove on to the Mogollon Ghost Town in the Gila National Forest. You can see a video of that drive below, as well as an article about the ghost town here.
