Featured amenities
About Ponderosa Group Campground (NM)
Number of accommodations: 2
Campground Amenities
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Pet Friendly
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Open year round
This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.
Sites & Availability
2 Sites Available
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No available sites
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Site Details
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2 Sites Available
No available sites
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Reviews (3)
What Guests Are Saying
Ponderosa Group Campground is an excellent choice for groups, featuring a beautiful open meadow that provides stunning views. It includes picnic tables and a pavilion, making it ideal for shared meals. Overall, it offers a great camping experience.
What Guests Are Saying
Ponderosa Group Campground is an excellent choice for groups, featuring a beautiful open meadow that provides stunning views. It includes picnic tables and a pavilion, making it ideal for shared meals. Overall, it offers a great camping experience.
Review Summary
Lily B
VerifiedApril 6, 2025 • Stayed at: Group A, Loop: PONDEROSA CAMPGROUND (NM)
This is a great campsite. Perfect for a group. Right against an open meadow that offers amazing sites. Picnic tables and pavilion for meals together.
Nichole R
VerifiedMarch 27, 2023 • Stayed at: Group B, Loop: PONDEROSA CAMPGROUND (NM)
Unfortunately, due to the snowstorm we could only go to the site for one day to visit. not the parks' fault nor the reason for my rating. While there for a day to at least spend a day at the site, there were so many vehicles in our way at the site and many people using the benches of Site A and B. Ours was B. We couldn't ask them to leave. Also, the gate code did not work and when I called no one answered. I called 2x but didn't get to speak to anyone. So, had we even been able to stay what recourse do we have if the code doesn't work or to tell people to leave our site?
Elizabeth K
VerifiedApril 22, 2022 • Stayed at: Group B, Loop: PONDEROSA CAMPGROUND (NM)
We had a great experience here, great location for trips to the Pueblos and Santa Fe. We booked our trip for spring break on New Years Day. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and it was unseasonably windy and cold. But when we arrived at the campground, it was well-maintained, loose branches and weak trees had been cleared in advance of the wind, the campsite was swept and tidy, the bathrooms were stocked, and there was firewood available. When we had a fire (winds were lower) the campground staff came by and they helped us put it out before we left for the day.
Advice to future campers:
1) Check your route! Google maps will take you through unpaved areas. We had to go like 4 miles per hour to protect our car.
2) Check the calendar! Water isn't available until later in the spring, not a huge issue for some campers but if you're looking for traditional car camping choose your dates wisely.
Location Ponderosa Group Campground (NM)
Address:
15 Entrance Road
Los Alamos, NM, 87544
United States
From Santa Fe (appx 1 hour travel time):
- Take Highway 84/285 (Saint Francis Drive) north toward Los Alamos.
- Merge right onto NM 502 to Los Alamos.
- Exit onto NM 4 toward White Rock.
- Continue for 12 miles (19 km), passing through White Rock.
- Bandelier's entrance is on the left. Enter here and purchase entrance pass(es) at the automated fee machine or continue on Entrance Rd for 3 miles (4.8 km) to the Visitor Center.
- Ponderosa Group Campground is 6 miles (9.7 km) past the park entrance on NM 4.
From Taos (appx. 1.5 hours travel time):
- Take NM 68 (Paseo del Pueblo Sur) south.
- In Espanola, turn right onto Fairway.
- Turn left on Highway 84/285.
- Turn right on NM 30.
- Merge right onto NM 502 to Los Alamos.
- Exit onto NM 4 toward White Rock.
- Continue for 12 miles (19 km), passing through White Rock.
- Bandelier's entrance is on the left. Enter here and purchase entrance pass(es) or continue on Entrance Rd for 3 miles (4.8 km) to the Visitor Center.
- Ponderosa Group Campground is 6 miles (9.7 km) past the park entrance on NM 4.
Visit the Directions page on the park website for detailed directions from other areas.
Latitude & Longitude: 35.8328 / -106.357
Elevation: 2314 feet
Policies & Rules
| Category | About |
|---|---|
| General |
Ponderosa Group Campground is available by reservation only. You may book reservations up to 12 months in advance until the day before arrival (subject to availability). There are no first-come, first-serve sites or same day reservations. |
| General |
Entrance Fees. Bandelier National Monument charges an entrance fee separate from camping fees. You may pay the fee upon arrival at the automated fee machine at the Bandelier Entrance Station, at the Bandelier Visitor Center during business hours or purchase in advance. The park also honors Federal interagency passes (e.g., annual, senior, access, 4th grade, Golden Age pass etc.). For more information visit the park's Fees & Passes web page. |
| General |
Check-in Time. Check-in time for group campsites is 4:00 p.m. |
| General |
Check-out time. Check-out time for the campground is 11:30 a.m. |
| General |
Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and will be strictly enforced. All areas beyond campsites are closed after dusk to all public use. Generators may be used only from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM |
| General |
Tents only. Ponderosa Group Campground is for tent camping only, but you may park one RV per site in the parking area. |
| General |
Parking. The use of all vehicles (including bicycles and trailers) is restricted to the parking area. All vehicles belonging to campers must be parked in the campground parking area – NOT in the trailhead parking area. Vehicles parked in the trailhead parking area after dark without a backcountry permit will be ticketed. |
| General |
Food Lockers. Bears are known to be active in Bandelier National Monument. Please keep food, garbage and scented items locked up and unavailable to wildlife. Bear lockers are provided in the campground for storage of these items. |
| General |
Pets. Pets are permitted in the campground, picnic area, and parking lot only and must be leashed at all times. Pets are not allowed on any hiking trails within the park. |
| General |
Water Availability. Water is not available during months with freezing temperatures (potentially mid- October to mid-May). There are no shower or laundry facilities in the campground or in the park. |
| General |
Minimum and Maximum Group Size. Camping at Ponderosa Group Campground is for groups of 10 to 50 persons per site. Camping is permitted only in the campsite for which campers have a reservation. |
| General |
Prohibited activities. Group sports (volleyball, horseshoes, etc) are prohibited at campsites. Possession and/or use of fireworks or metal detectors is prohibited. Use of firearms is strictly prohibited and they may not be carried inside of government buildings. Digging or any other soil disturbance at campsites prohibited. |
| General |
Firewood and Campfires. Gathering firewood is prohibited. During hot and dry summer months, fire restrictions are common and campfires and charcoal fires may be prohibited. Check the Alerts & Conditions page on the park website or call the Visitor Center for information on current fire restrictions. |
| General |
Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more. |
| General |
Special Use Permits for Special Events. Public events are prohibited at Ponderosa Campground. Private events that adhere to campsite capacity limits, may be permitted after obtaining a special use permit. Visit the park's Permits & Reservations page or call (505) 672-3861 ext. 1102. |
