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Winter Van Life: Pajarito Mountain

Trip Report: February 2020

New Mexico mountains weren’t a priority for us during the 2019/20 ski season. We wanted to end our winter in Canada, then travel to Alaska for summer. Heading to the Southwest would take us pretty far out of the way, but in January, we ended up in Arizona unexpectedly.

After Arizona, our intention was to head to Purgatory in Southwest Colorado. But while we were in Arizona, Kyle landed a job interview and needed to fly. Albuquerque’s international airport wasn’t far away, and last-minute flights were inexpensive. So, we ended up in New Mexico and rode Pajarito, Sipapu, and Angel Fire using our Loveland season passes. It was easy enough to resume our Purgatory plans from there.

Pajarito was uncrowded, and they have reasonably steep runs that I wasn’t expecting. The double blacks accessible from the Mother chair were our favorite.

The view beyond Pajarito’s boundary from the Rim Run (February 2020)

Mountain Information

pajarito.ski
397 Camp May Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
(505) 662-5725

Pass affiliations: Power Pass 2023/24, Loveland 2023/24, Monarch Mountain 2023/24

Hours of Operation – Pajarito does not operate all days of the week, so check their hours during the time you plan to visit.

Mountain Stats

Driving to Pajarito

From Los Alamos, it’s a 4-mile drive up two-lane Camp May Road to Pajarito. It’s windy and steep, but since Pajarito only gets 125 inches of snow on average, I don’t imagine road conditions to get too messy.

Parking at Pajarito

When you arrive at the ski area, you’ll notice an upper parking lot and a lower one. We preferred the lower parking lot as it was less crowded and still close enough to the lifts. We parked closest to the stairs that take you to the main lodge and base area.

Cell Service

AT&T cell service worked well for us in the parking lot back in 2020. However, we didn’t try anything like a video call. Just texting, emailing, and online browsing. The town of White Rock had a stronger signal.

Overnight Camping in Your Van/RV

Ski Area Overnight RV Camping Guide

You might be able to sleep in Pajarito’s parking lot. When we arrived at Pajarito on the last day of January in 2020, employees seemed caught off guard when we inquired about sleeping in their parking lot. It was as though nobody had ever asked. They allowed us to stay in the lowest parking lot in the farthest corner from the base area. We had it all to ourselves. If you go, I’d contact Pajarito ahead of time.

Our camping spot at Pajarito (January 2020)
So much space to ourselves! (January 2020)

Juniper Family Campground – 20 minutes in Bandelier National Monument – We highly recommend this campground if you’re going to Pajarito. The views aren’t anything spectacular. However, immediate access to Bandelier’s hiking trails is what makes this camping location special.

More on Bandelier National Monument below under “Sightseeing Near Pajarito”.

We last paid $20 per night to stay at Juniper Family Campground in January 2024. Sites can be reserved ahead of time online. Otherwise, first come, first served sites are available, and it’s easy to pay at the information kiosk with a credit card. We only saw evidence of one other camper last time we were there, so you likely won’t have issues getting a site during winter months.

Many amenities are unavailable between October and mid-April so it’s more like dry camping at Juniper.

Bathrooms are closed for the season, there is no running water, and the dump station is shut down. Campground roads and campsites, including their driveways, might not be snow free. However, dumpsters are available.

AT&T cell service worked decently well for us, but you might find cell service is insufficient for working.

Dogs are allowed in the campground, but they are not allowed on Bandelier hiking trails.

Our campsite at Juniper Family Campground (January 2024)

Main Gate RV Park – 20 minutes in Los Alamos – You must go to the Walkup Aquatic Center in Los Alamos to pay for a permit. Showers are available at the aquatic center for a separate admission fee. There are no RV hookups but a dump station is available.

I’m having a hard time figuring out where this RV park is actually located. However, I think it’s located at the Los Alamos Project Main Gate. We’ll have to check it out next time we are in New Mexico.

White Rock Visitor Center RV Park – 25 minutes in White Rock – We did not stay here, but we drove by it. It’s more like a parking lot with electrical hookups, but we would consider staying here in the future. The town of White Rock had a strong AT&T signal so I assume it will work well at the visitor center also.

Conveniences Near Pajarito

Los Alamos (15 minutes) and White Rock (25 minutes) are the closest towns to Pajarito. They are pretty small but there are two grocery stores – Smith’s Marketplace in Los Alamos and Smith’s Marketplace in White Rock.

In addition to the Walkup Aquatic Center mentioned above, there is an Anytime Fitness in Los Alamos that appears to have showers.

If you need to do laundry, check out Film Festival At Home in Los Alamos, which is also a coffee shop serving pastries and a video store.

If you’re looking for more options, Santa Fe is a one-hour drive.

If you need service for your Mercedes Sprinter van, contact Mercedes-Benz of Santa Fe.

Sightseeing Near Pajarito

Bandelier National Monument – 30 minutes to the Visitor Center in Frijoles Canyon – Bandelier is one of the most memorable national monuments that we’ve visited. It shares significant evidence of Ancestral Pueblo people, including cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, and other sites.

If you’re staying at Juniper Family Campground, it’s an easy 10-minute drive to the Visitor Center at the bottom of Frijoles Canyon.

Alternately, from the campground, you can hike the Frey Trail that descends 550 feet over 1.5 miles to the canyon floor and meets up with the 1.4-mile Main Pueblo Loop Trail.

Intersection of the Frey Trail and Main Pueblo Loop Trail (January 2024)

The hiking option is significantly more difficult because the shuttle that normally takes hikers back to the campground does not run during winter. You need enough energy to hike up and out of the canyon after a day of exploration.

Since we had never been to the main part of Bandelier, we chose to drive and park at the Visitor Center to make sure we had all of the information needed to make the most of our day. A ranger was also able to give us a better idea of trail conditions.

Starting at the Visitor Center, we hiked close to 4 miles which included the following trails:

​Here is a basic map that shows all 3 trails.​

I loved climbing stairs and ladders into cliff dwellings and imagining what it was like to live there so long ago.

If you’re staying at Juniper Family Campground, another hiking trail is the 2.2-mile Tyuonyi Overlook Trail​. The loop travels around the mesa with a spur to an overlook of Frijoles Canyon. Across the canyon you can see the San Miguel Mountains, and I think you can see Ski Santa Fe much farther away looking east.

Tyuonyi Overlook (January 2024)

Note: Trails in Bandelier can be very snowy, muddy, and icy in the winter, so go prepared. If there is a lot of snow, don’t hike past the point where the trail is no longer obvious to you. Turn around!

Also, the canyon walls limit the amount of direct sun you get within Frijoles Canyon. For the warmest experience, it seemed like 10 am to 3 pm was the best time to stay out of the shade.

Don’t forget your ​America the Beautiful Pass​ or be ready to pay ​an entrance fee​.

Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway – 90 minutes if you start in Taos – The Enchanted Circle in New Mexico is a scenic byway that creates a circle around Wheeler Peak using a series of highways, including Highways 64, 522, and 38. For a visual, ​check out the driving tour​.

Wheeler Peak is the tallest in the entire state at 13,161 feet.

The Enchanted Circle is a worthy scenic drive, but my favorite part is that it connects three ski areas – Angel Fire, Red River, and TAOS.

Closest Ski Areas to Pajarito

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