Aldo Leopold House
1Heads up1 fire 22 mi away
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 21 of the next 25 nights read 15:36 UTC
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
On February 2, 1912, Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) wrote to his fiancée, Estella Bergère, in Santa Fe that the Forest Service had appropriated $650 to build a new supervisor’s quarters he had designed at Tres Piedras, New Mexico, northwest of Taos. At the time, Leopold was about to become the new Forest Supervisor of the Carson National Forest in Tres Piedras. Later that year, he built the house, which the newly married couple decided to call “Mi Casita”. Leopold was transferred to Tres Piedras from the Apache National Forest in Arizona in 1911. Keep reading
It was here that he started to formulate his land ethic that would find its way into his classic, Sand County Almanac. He started to see land holistically and to recognize that this perspective was essential to its wise management. Today we call this ecosystem management. Aldo Leopold is considered by many to be the father of wildlife ecology. The Aldo Leopold House offers exceptional three-season access and opportunities in this historic home only ½ hr. west of Taos, New Mexico. The home is a Craftsman Style Bungalow and was restored by Historicorps and the Carson NF in 2005. This full-amenity house accommodates up to 8 people: two queen beds and 6 twins. Guests are responsible for their own safety and certain necessities (see below). The house is located in a rural area of Northern New Mexico. There is very limited cell phone service and the nearest gas station is located in Antonito, Colorado. (30 miles north). What should we bring? Potable water Bedding--sheets, blankets, sleeping bags, etc. Bath towels Kitchen towels Toilet paper Paper towels Soap Trash bags Personal items Take all trash with you at the end of your stay. There is no trash service at the House. Check-in: 3:00 PM and Check-out: 11:00 AM Recreation The cabin is adjacent to one of the Tres Piedras (three rocks, aka the TP Rocks), which are composed of “excellent granite” and offer great non-technical hiking and scrambling opportunities as well as difficult technical climbing routes. One can access the Carson NF directly behind the house. The Aldo Leopold Trail can be accessed proximate the Tres Piedras RD just to the north off Hwy 64. Surrounded by pine trees, a stay at the Aldo Leopold House will take you back to a simpler time.
Facilities
The Leopold house is approximately 1300 Sq. Ft. There is a dining room with a large table and chairs. The home has four bedrooms with beds for up to 8 people. The house has a fully equipped kitchen, and a large covered front porch, and a back porch with a picnic table. There is a gas range, oven, microwave, fully equipped kitchen, indoor plumbing, flush toilet, and claw foot bathtub/shower. There is only one bathroom in the home and is on the first floor. The fireplace is not for use. Parking is available on site and can accommodate approximately 8 vehicles. No RVs or tent camping is allowed. Guests will need to provide sleeping bags/linens, towels, toilet paper, paper towels, coffee, hand soap, and dish soap, etc. This is a non-smoking facility. Grills, campfires, and any outdoor cooking are NOT allowed on the back and front porches, nor within the area surrounding the house. Fire danger is always a concern in the Southwest.
Natural Features
The cabin was built in the shadow of one the “TP Rocks” and the front porch faces eastward across the great sage plain and the Rio Grande Gorge toward Wheeler Peak (New Mexico’s highest) and the Sangre de Christo Range. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (575) 779-1895.
Nearby Attractions
The Leopold House is located on the Tres Piedras Ranger District office compound. From the house visitors have access to a variety of activities on the forest. Hopewell Lake campground and day use area is approximately 30 miles from the house (north on Hwy 64) and offers opportunities for fishing, hiking on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, or exploring many roads in the San Juan Mountains. The Cruces Basin wilderness is approximately 25 miles west of the house and has amazing opportunities for solitude. The town of Taos is 30 miles to the east. Taos Pueblo National Heritage site is located a few miles north of the Town of Taos. Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs is located 60 miles south of the house. Between the house and the Town of Taos lies the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. There are opportunities to ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, riders can board the train in Chama NM or Antonito CO.
What the agency tells you
Items to bring with you: potable water, bedding (sheets, blankets, sleeping bags, etc.), bath towels, kitchen towels, soap, toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, and personal items.
Trash service is not available. Please take all of your trash with you.
Smoking inside the house is prohibited
Everything else this campground posts · 12
Pets are not permitted at the cabin.
The Leopold House is located in a rural area. Emergency services are at least 45 minutes away. Cell phone service can be limited in the area.
This is a historic house; please treat the house respectfully to prevent further wear.
Keep all food inside the house enclosed in bins with lids and/or in the refrigerator. Bears and rodents are attracted to food.
DO NOT use fireplace.
See House Rules at the house for more information related to check-in, stay rules, and check-out procedures.
The Leopold House is located at an active Forest Service Administrative site. Please do not block the entrance gate or access to the barn.
Grills, campfires, and any outdoor cooking are NOT allowed on the back and front porches, nor within the area surrounding the house. Fire danger is always a concern in the Southwest.
Check-in: 3:00 PM and Check-out: 11:00 AM
This is a RUSTIC dwelling with limited amenities.
Beds and bathroom: One queen located on the first floor; one queen and six twin beds located on the second floor. There is ONE bathroom on the first floor that includes a toilet, vanity, and claw foot tub with a shower sprayer. There is no bathroom on the second floor. NOTE: The steps to the second floor are very steep and are not suitable for people with mobility issues.
After-hour emergencies: Contact Eric Garner at 907-209-1199, Richard Rubin at 575-200-4044, or Jennifer Sublett at 575-779-1895
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1 · 1 cabin
- Hookups
- 1 electric
- Longest rig
- 36 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Campfires
- Not allowed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- FLUSH TOILETS on 1 of 1 campsite records
- Showers
- Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind
- SHOWERS on 1 of 1 campsite records, Shower/Bath Type states a shower on all 1 of this campground's campsite records
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…(30 miles north). What should we bring? Potable water Bedding--sheets, blankets, sleeping bags, etc. Bath…”
- Stay limit
- 5 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake
- Biking
- Climbing
- Hiking
- Visitor center
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 41st darkest of 164 in NM
- Bortle 2
- Cell signal · Cell signal · Forest Service says
- Spotty
Something open on 15 of the next 21 bookable nightsread 15:36 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
OpenBookedNot on the booking system
The one site on offer is taken this Friday and Saturday. 1 is free on Tue, Oct 27. read 15:36 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 12
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 15:36 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
1 sites · the site map
All 1 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 1 of the 1 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| Loop A | Leopold House | cabin electric | 36 ft | 15 amp | 3,181 ft | $175 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions
Where it is
Hopewell Lake CampgroundCarson National Forest · 15 miLa Junta CampgroundRío Grande Del Norte National Monument · 16 miMontoso CampgroundRío Grande Del Norte National Monument · 16 miLittle Arsenic Springs CampgroundRío Grande Del Norte National Monument · 16 miBig Arsenic SpringsRío Grande Del Norte National Monument · 16 miEl Aguaje Campground ShelterRío Grande Del Norte National Monument · 17 miCurrent (alternate) route to Leopold House Alternate Route--2025--Use this route!! (Click on this link to see map)
Due to the ongoing highway construction on Hwy. 285, your route to the house has changed. Disregard the original address and directions to the house. On your day of arrival, please first navigate to the Tres Piedras Ranger Station (22280 Hwy. 64, Tres Piedras). (GPS coordinates at parking lot: Latitude-- 36 degrees 39' 04.1" and Longitude--105 degrees 58' 24.9"). From the parking lot in front of the ranger station, follow the signs that say 'Leopold House' with arrows. You can set your odometer to zero in the parking lot and will arrive at the green gate at 0.3 miles.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for San Cristobal, NM
Typical weather
Typical October night 30°F, day 65°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 8°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Aldo Leopold House is in New Mexico’s 3rd congressional district. Its representative, Teresa Leger Fernandez (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A. See every public-lands vote →
How we know
every fact on this page, and where it came from
“…a rural area of Northern New Mexico. There is very limited cell phone service and the nearest gas station is located in Antonito, Colorado.…”