Redondo

This ponderosa-forest campground in the Jemez offers a less-crowded alternative to the nearby Jemez Falls campground, but still offers much of the benefits. Additionally, it is less crowded than the more popular neighbor. However for the same fee as at Jemez Falls, you get less for your money, as this campground is less well maintained and has no water.

Campground data:

Controlling agency:	Santa Fe National Forest; Jemez Ranger District; campground web site
Location in the state:	North-central; Jemez Mountains
Waypoint(s):	REDONDOCG
Elevation:	8134ft; 2479m
Number of campsites:	59. in three loops.
When we visited it:	2005-09-18. 2003-07-20
Cleanliness:	9/10. 2-9 small pieces of litter in the sites I checked.
Fee:	$10.00. per vehicle per night. Given the state of this campground, this fee seems high.
Water:	No. When we visited in 2005, a sign said the well was dry. When were there in 2003, it was temporarily out of service. I guess two years is less than temporarily.
Garbage cans:	Yes. A centrally-located dumpster.
Fire pits:	Yes. A few had cooking grates. This campground has a high diversity in firepit styles.
Cooking grills:	No.
Toilets:	Vault. Toilets were smelly, both inside and out.
Showers:	No.
Handicapped accessible:	No.
RV info:	No electrical hookups. No water hookups. No sewer hookups. Park on asphalt, no pull-through sites. The forest service says RVs to 30 ft.
When to camp:	May--Sep. The season may be modified by snow conditions.
General comments:	Some sites are reservable; call 877-444-6777. Many sites have two parking spots. It appears that each campsite gets a fixed amount of asphalt, and some sites have it as two separate parking spots, others have it as one long parking area. The longer areas would be best for larger RVs. This campground has an ampitheater, but it has no seats, making for an odd sight. Several good tent sites exist, but not all sites would be good for tents. The higher-numbered sites (go left at the entrance) have better tent locations.

Maps:

USGS 1:24000 Jemez Springs
USGS 1:100000 Los Alamos
USGS 1:250000 Albuquerque
Santa Fe National Forest Map

Getting to the campground:

From Los Alamos, take 501 west. Starting the odometer at the stoplight after the bridge, at 4.2 miles, you reach the junction with NM 4. Turn right (west). At 25.0 miles, the turnoff is indicated by a sign for the campground on the right.

Or, if you are coming from the other direction, start at the junction of NM 4 and NM 126 in La Cueva. Head east on 4 (toward Los Alamos) about 2.2 miles. You sill see the sign indicating the campground turnoff on your left.

The campground:

	This shot of site 2 shows the long version of the parking area.
This shot of site 8 shows the contrasting two shorter parking spot version.
	Many of the sites are relatively close, as sites 20 and 21 are.
Site 52 is one of the more isolated sites.
	Site 46 (pictured here) is more physically isolated, as is 49.

Plants we saw in the campground:

Aster family (Asteraceae)
Harebell or Bluefell bellflower (Campanulaceae Campanula rotundifolia)
Juniper (Cupressaceae Juniperus)
No common name available (Fabaceae Melilotus albus)
Wrinkled globemallow or Spear globemallow (Malvaceae Sphaeralcea hastulata)
Ponderosa pine (Pinaceae Pinus ponderosa)
Douglas fir (Pinaceae Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Woolly cinquefoil (Rosaceae Potentilla hippiana)
Wood's rose (Rosaceae Rosa woodsii)
Aspen or Quaking Aspen (Salicaceae Populus tremuloides)

Reader comments about this campground:

On Tue Aug 8 14:10:27 2006 Anonymous from Albuquerque, NM said:
My family loves this campground. The campground is paved allowing the kids to ride their bikes, it is in close proximity to great hiking (East Forks and Jemez Falls,) and is close to fishing. This campground also allows reservations which is nice and is also only about 1.5 hours from ABQ.

On Mon Aug 21 09:08:23 2006 Anonymous from Somewhere said:
Just came back from camping in Redondo 8/20. Campsite were really clean. The camp host was great. We did have a problem with rowdy behavior which the camp host quickly squashed bringing things to a more serene state.

Their well has gone dry and there is no expectation of renewing the well. I would definitely return.

On Wed May 30 08:36:19 2007 ET from Los Alamos NM said:
Hi:

Camp last visited 5/24 - 5/28/07

Just an update of some of your information:

Seats have been added to the amphitheater as well as a podium.

Well is still dry...write to your congressional representative and senatorial representatives to get funding. Lack of water impacts fire safety and personal health.

Jemez Ranger Staff has told us that recreational budget was cut for 2007, so more work will be done by volunteer hosts. Again, write. Lack of permanent staff degrades quality of campground. Also, help the hosts by keeping your camp site clean and pick up any "micro trash" as they call it.

Since there is no water, you should be prepared and bring at least 5 gallons of water to put your campfire out, as well as having a shovel to stir your ashes. This will help the hosts who are now required to clean out the fire pits, a job previously done by USFS staff.

Water can be obtained at Jemez Falls Campground, 2.5 miles to the left from Redondo.

Agreed, site 52 is fantastic and our favorite, especially since the tree next to the site has been aged at over 75 years. Have visited every site in the camp, and stayed at 50% of the sites. 57 sites are useable. 4 and 5 do not exist, but may be associated with 3 which has a very tiny parking area.

Noisy neighbors? Definitely talk to the host at any hour. They will call the Sheriff if needed. Amphitheater effect of the campground carries night noise. One host heard a conversation held at site 49 up at the entrance one night. He still did not get to hear the punch line....

Become "Bear Aware." There is a local bear in the La Cueva area that has visited the campgrounds. The camp has been visited by Puma, Bobcat, Elk and has several varieties of birds and "Hummers" as well.

Fishing is nearby in La Cueva for the youngsters. I like travelling to above the state Fish Hatchery.

Last year, a geology professor from Washington state stayed an entire month studyig the Valles Caldera. Definitely an interesting conversation. Hopefully he will return for 2007.

Can you tell I like the place?

ETH

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