Oak Tree Canyon Camping Area

Drive-by review.

I was camping at the nearby Cieneguita Camping Area in the same Las Cienegas National Conservation Area when a BLM Ranger stopped by and gave me a map of the area. I noticed the Oak Tree Canyon camping area on said map but this area wasn’t on Campendium, so I went to investigate and take pictures.

My thoughts:

* Road 6902 from the main 6901 road isn’t suitable for medium or large RVs. Not even sure I would take a small RV down it unless it was a high clearance vehicle. There are a couple of up-and-over hills on the way in that would bottom out most RVs.

* The actual camp site in Oak Tree Canyon is a largish gravel area that is comprised of loose gravel that most RVs would get stuck in. However, it’s idea for tent camping and overland-type RVs.

* A portion of the gravel camp area is under a large oak tree, which offers good shade.

* The gravel camping area is right next to a wash so I wouldn’t want to be here during monsoon season and have a flash flood come through.

* 1 bar of Verizon 1x cell service, which might be improved via a booster.

* This would be a quiet place to tent camp if you don’t need cell service.

There are a few campsites in close proximity to this camping spot which were all taken when we arrived around 4pm. We took our 22ft RV along the dirt road which was fine and camped close to an oak tree down the back which was on a dried up river bed.
If you are staying here, I would recommend checking the weather in neighboring counties for rain.

High desert grasslands and big old oak trees. Wold be busy under "normal" circumstances, especially on weekends. There are plenty of ATV's but quiet at night and campsites are well off the road..

Access isn’t a ton of fun unless you’re in the mood for washboard or have a vehicle that doesn’t feel it. This is a great spot if you have an off-road vehicle in tow — lots of families here having fun on dirt bikes and OHVs.

Great views; a bit crowded at this time of year, but you’ll never be without a spot altogether.

14-day stay limit within a six-month period.

I stayed here for several days in December ‘23 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very quiet, only saw a couple other campers, lots of hiking along cow trails, no services so pack it in/pack it out. Heard coyotes one night, didn’t see any pronghorn, but they’re around. Saw cows and that’s about it. Empire Ranch is fun to explore and their website gives in depth history so it’s worth looking at. There is a “camp host” at the Empire Ranch site, but I didn’t see anyone from the area making rounds, checking anything, etc. There’s a few pit toilets scattered around, mostly clean. The roads are variable: from well groomed gravel, to rocky and dirty pothole filled two track. I have a truck camper on a dually and ended up getting a rock lodged between my drivers side wheels. Couldn’t dislodge it and after going round and round with roadside assistance, I unlocked my bike and rode a couple miles to find a camper or two. A super nice guy helped my out and was able to dislodge it without having to go through airing it down and back up. Safe to say he saved my bacon. Thankfully, there are still some good people around. Great spot to get away, just bring what you’re going to need because there’s nothing close by.