Lake Holloman Dispersed Camping

We stopped at Holloman Lake (in route to White Sands NP) to conduct a recon mission for a future trip. Audubon.org identifies the site as an important bird area in the state and region (https://www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas/holloman-lakes). The gate at the head of the access road was OPEN so we drove up the 1/4-mile dirt road to the Lake. We already missed the migration so there weren't birds to speak of, but there was water in the lake and plenty of room for vehicles to space themselves out if needed.

Kinda dead lake
Easy parking but scratchy driveway

Just south of Holloman Air Force Base (between the base and White Sands Ntnl Monument), are a few small lagoons which the AFB allow the public to come and bird-watch and/or camp. It is not necessarily the most scenic area, mostly sand and some small shrubs, but the birds like it enough. It has a little stink to it, similar to Mono Lake (salty water) but you grow use to it pretty quick.

If you want solitude, this is a nice place as no one else really comes around. Although, you will be visited each night by local Military Police. They are extremely courteous, but are required to check IDs. All they have asked of me (in my two stays here) is to not photograph the military base.

Quiet at night, but expect to hear the F22 Raptor's taking off each morning and the occasional distant sonic boom. If you are a guy you will like it.

There are obvious places to camp, most spread out over a nice large area. I would not attempt to go too far off those well used paths as it is possible to sink into the sand.

White Sands is right down the street, so this would be a great base camp for visits into the park.

This place shows on maps as Holloman Lake and seems to be managed more by the nearby military base than by BLM personnel. We had a great boondocking experience at this location. We had two days of very high winds during our stay, typical I guess of spring in New Mexico.
Other boondockers popped in for a night or two at a time but nobody stayed as long as we did.
Lake Holloman is man-made. Waterfowl were abundant in the lake and it was enjoyable to see.

We heard a sonic boom one day and of course heard the jets from the military base taking off in the morning and returning later. The road noise was in the distance and we didn't notice it. Other than the sounds of planes, we felt it was a quiet location. We did not see any military police patrol vehicles and no one came and checked our ID as one reviewer said happened to them. If they did patrol while we were there, we didn't see it.

I wish I could give 3.5 stars for access because it has a gate, which seems to be open all the time. There's a curve in the road while crossing a cattle guard at the gate entrance. This was not a problem for our 31' motorhome, but it could possibly be a problem for a longer rig.

This location provided quick access to our almost daily ventures into the White Sands National Monument. We also made a few trips to Alamogordo for laundry, shopping and visiting the library. They have several nice grocery stores and restaurants. The library has really good wifi. We often look for great wifi locations if we need to do some heavy downloading or to updates our apps.

We would definitely stay here next time we visit White Sands National Monument.

Campground is super close to White Sands NM. We used it as an overnight base during a two-day visit to White Sands instead of driving back to town. Camped by ourselves near a large "parking area" by the lake instead of at the designated campground further down the dirt road. Peace and quiet.

We stayed here one night after leaving the nearby Oliver Lee State Park Campground. It was just what we were hoping for in that it didn't cost a thing and was just minutes down highway 70 from White Sands National Monument, enabling us to get to the monument right as the gates opened for some prime early-morning photography opportunities.

Previous reviewers have mentioned MP's coming by and asking to check IDs, however no one bothered us during out overnight. There were two other RVs present, but the lakeside drive is big enough that we had plenty of privacy. Nothing especially scenic about the lake, but hey, you can't beat free.

I do want to note that entrance gate was a bit of a doozy to get through. It's fairly narrow (we cleared it with literally inches to spare) and follows a fairly tight turn if you're approaching from westbound 70. Smaller rigs wouldn't have a problem, but if you're close to our size (35' long school bus), it might be a challenge.

This area couldn't be much closer to White Sands NM. From our camping spot to the entrance of the park was a 5 minute drive. This area was nice, it is right on Lake Holloman which isn't the cleanest lake. No swimming or drinking it, but you can go on it in unmotorized water craft. This area can get kind of busy at times and a little noisy from generators, but everyone was polite and spaced them selves out and turned off generators at a decent time. There is a town about 10 minutes East of here where you can find what ever you need. Cell reception is good and it was easy accessible off Hwy 70, just a couple hundred yards of dirt road to where the camping areas are. Plenty of room for any size rig. Be aware the weather here can get nasty. Some folks we meet got pounded by heavy hail and damaged their rig.

So much like everyone else has said, this is a legit free camping spot on a "lake" (really a sewage pond) that is very close to White Sands National Monument. There are a lot of places to camp and get spread out, and the MP's didn't ever bother us, just gave a wave and smile as we passed them leaving as we drove in. The internet is fast, the sunsets pretty, and the camping safe. But there is road noise, a little stink from the lake, and old concrete slabs dumped everywhere. It is truly a perfect option for the weekend while visiting White Sands NM, but if you are looking for a longer stay I would highly recommend heading down US 70 to the Organ Mountains National Monument for some truly top notch BLM boondocking.

Watch the gate on the turn in, the gate post are pretty close together (maybe 9 feet) so it takes caution to slip through, but there is plenty of space to maneuver and it is nothing to worry about, just be aware of.

Sure, this spot lacks frills. There are no amenities, you won't get a lot of privacy, and the "pond" does have a slight odor.

But! It's minutes from White Sands, my neighbors were quiet, the road noise is minimal, and the sunset over the water is quite pretty.

The Military Police swung through to give a wave but didn't stop to say hello or check ID's.

I probably wouldn't stay much longer than a night or two, but it was perfect for that amount of time.

Some reviews said it was smelly but on our stay on November 13, 2017 it wasn't. We parked at the beginning since we have a 35' diesel Class A and toad. Enjoyed nice weather and a beautiful sunset.