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Camper submitted image from Madden Peak Road - Dispersed - 1

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Dispersed Camping

Madden Peak Road - Dispersed

23 Reviews

About

National Forest

San Juan National Forest

Dispersed camping along Forest Service Road 316

San Juan National Forest encompasses about 1.8 million acres in the southwestern corner of Colorado. From high-desert mesas to alpine peaks, these federal lands are managed for multiple uses and visitors are asked to respect each other and the natural resources. The San Juan National Forest Headquarters is located in Durango, Colorado, with district offices in Bayfield, Dolores and Pagosa Springs.

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Location

Madden Peak Road - Dispersed is located in Colorado

Coordinates

37.35876367591093 N
108.15970944376134 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Dispersed
Group

Features

For Campers

Phone Service
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Pull-Through Sites

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.

PERMIT might be REQUIRED

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Contact

General Info

Visit Website

Tracy T.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 22, 2023

October Week

I stayed about 5.5 miles up, the road is bumpy, but not horrible. I didn’t see many cars come up, maybe 1 a day. There’s a couple of trails you can do while here. . I used AllTrails..(I know people say things, but coming from someone who hiked and found trails Pre-apps, I find it amazing, even when it glitches sometimes. I saw deer around sunset and birds through the day.

Sitelast site going up

Month of VisitNovember

(9) View All

Amy L.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2023

Lots of sites but not very scenic

I stayed about 2.5 miles up the road. My site was small but it at least overlooked a hillside. A lot of the sites at the beginning of the road are huge but offer little to no shade and no view whatsoever. But there are a lot of sites so you could probably find something that works

Month of VisitJuly

Troy S.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 9, 2022

Great spot

Quiet and easy to access.

Month of VisitAugust

Michael N.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 3, 2022

Fantastic camping site

This camping site offered great peace, quiet and comfort. The sites are far enough from the main road to feel at peace. The site offered a great escape and is highly recommended for the the dispersed camping type.

Month of VisitAugust

Lyds F.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2022

Free camping near Mesa Verde

There are lots of spaces on this road and we stayed here two nights while visiting Mesa Verde NP. The gps coordinated lead you a couple miles down the road. The first available spot was only 0.6 miles in. We stayed here the first night. The second night we went a little further, passed some taken spots and stopped 1.3 miles in. So there is lots of available space!! Saw two large rigs. Not far from Durango either so a good location for boondocking or a base camp for Mesa Verde. Pleasant tree cover with some peaks to look at.

Month of VisitJuly

Taylor S.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 19, 2022

Great Spot

This was a great location with lots of available camping areas right off of the highway. There where a lot of cattle in the area, however once I pulled into my camp site they vacated and left the camp site alone.

SiteN/A

Month of VisitJuly

Nicholas H.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 16, 2022

Great little spot

Easy to access - right off the road between Mancos and Durango.

Quite a few spots, good shade from the scrub oak.

Siteunnumbered, about a mile in

Month of VisitJuly

Joshua W.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 3, 2022

Busy Weekend on the Mountain

After hearing about how many spots there are here we thought this would be a great camp site but because it was memorial day weekend we found ourselves driving fairly far up the mountain before we finally found a spot. That being said on a normal weekend there should be no problem since there were 30+ spots in this area

Month of VisitJune

noah

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 8, 2021

Spacious but busy

I stayed here two nights, very beautiful fall colors at this time and some insane sunsets. Driving up the road there are spaces on either side of the road. When I came I saw at least 30 people and I didn't go too far. There was still plenty of places though. If you're in a tent be prepared for RV generators and dogs barking.

Month of VisitNovember

(4) View All

Sara S.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 10, 2021

Stayed here for two weeks!

I loved camping here! The spots are spacious and clean, and there is cell reception. There are plenty of spots along the first mile or two of the road, and even on weekends I would always find a spot. When you start driving higher up towards Madden Peak, you’ll find more spots, including some for bigger rigs, but there is usually really no need to go this far, unless you want more privacy. I am actually writing this review from a place higher up the mountain, and I did see a bear this morning! (I don’t think they’re as present on the lower part of the road...) It walked away when I opened my trunk, but it looked like it was walking over to check out my camp, so just saying: they are here :-) All the more reason to keep a clean camp and not leave anything behind!

Month of VisitSeptember

David

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 16, 2021

Good spot for a quick stay

Spent one night here. It's a decent dispersed site - right off CO 316. The sites are spread out on both sides of the road. I stayed there on a Thursday and there were quite a few folks there - mostly RVs - good pull through options. These sites ended as the road started to climb. I drove up a couple more miles to see if there were any spots higher up - there were not so I turned around and found a spot a near the others.

Not super scenic - but pretty private & did the job for one night. Had a bunch of cows meander through in the morning.

I have AT&T and had good coverage here.

Month of VisitSeptember

(4) View All

Chris C.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 7, 2021

Great dispersed camping

Very private primitive camping. Find a place in the first couple miles before the road starts to incline if you have an RV. Tents can go higher.

SiteI was the 7th place on the right just off the road

Month of VisitJuly

(6) View All

Caden D.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 17, 2021

Beautiful, secluded camping

Beautiful area, open space, and fire rings. Great cell service, and tons of free campsites.

Month of VisitJuly

Jeanie P.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 4, 2021

Quiet, convenient, and beautiful

Stayed here 1 night in early June. Super easy access to dispersed camping, dirt road that is well maintained, no problem for 2wd and spaces large enough to accommodate big rigs. The camping starts about a half mile up the road. Most sites are just right off the road but there are some short dead end roads that offer a little more privacy off the main drag. Lots of trees that help with noise and block sites from each other. We got in at 5pm on a Thursday and all the spots along the first mile were taken but were able to find several good open sites. Good reception with Verizon.

Month of VisitJuly

Lauren N.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 28, 2021

Great Camping near Mesa Verde

To get here you turn down service road 315 and take the first right in the road that you can drive down. The roads a bit bumpy but our 2WD car made it down fine. We took the second campground on the left. There was already a fire pit and plenty of space to put up a camp or just hang out camping out of your car!

I would recommend getting here earlier rather than later as the spots seemed to fill up and people kept driving in later in the night only to drive right back out as there were no spots.

It might be a bit rocky trying to get your RV or anything large towed in. So beware.

Plenty of places to go to the bathroom!

My friend and I both (young females) slept in our car and felt completely safe.

It’s right near Mesa verde national park so you can get up early and it’s only right down the road.

Perfect place to set up camp for free by Mesa verde!

Sitesite 2

Month of VisitJune

JPMC A.

Guide

Reviewed May. 28, 2021

Nice, convenient, easy

This was our first time using dispersed camping and it was so easy. Easy location just outside Durango. Large spaces. The road was fine. Very quiet. The views are limited by the trees around. There were plenty of campers around but we had no trouble finding a spot.

Month of VisitJune

Josh

Traveler

Reviewed May. 3, 2021

Great dispersed camping!

Great location with multiple sites. The "fire rings" aren't established and there are no facilities here. That being said it's beautiful and secluded from the road and other campers. Great spot if you're spending time in Durango or Mesa Verde NP. Get here before sunset to get a good spot and take in the views.

Pros -Easy access -Proximity to Durango and Mesa Verde NP -Privacy

Cons -No established fire rings -No facilities of any kind

Month of VisitJune

Sebastian

Guide

Reviewed Mar. 7, 2021

Never Got Inside

Closed from November to May 31st

Abby M.

Legend

Reviewed Nov. 21, 2020

Nice camping off the highway

Nice places to stay for a night. Several places to park but the road seems to get rougher as you go. Each spot can easily fit multiple campers or vehicles. Flags in rock pits stating no fires at this time but other campers were having them. Arrived around 3pm on Friday and only saw 2 other campers.

Sofia A.

Ranger

Reviewed Oct. 4, 2020

Nice and clean

Very nice BLM (Free), pretty leveled, easy acces and easy out. Most of the spots are big and can be shared with more than 2 RVs while keeping distance and privacy. I’m a solo female VanLifer and I felt secure, unlike the other BLM (BLM National Park Boundary) 10 miles back.

Jeni N.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 26, 2020

Definitely worth driving a little further

We arrived to the area with plenty of time to explore our options. We decided to drive further up the mountain, gaining some elevation but it was much more secluded. The dirt road wasn’t terrible, just needed to be careful because the road is skinny and sometimes rocky. We snagged a tiny spot which is all that we needed for our tent and an area to make food. There was also some walking paths behind our campsite which helped us get to know the vegetation and animals in the area.

Bfree

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 20, 2020

Easy spot

Easy to get to spot with dispersed camping. Road is easily accessed with a low clearance car (Jetta in my case). Added bonus is good Verizon coverage.

Bryson D.

Scout

Reviewed Apr. 24, 2020

Great dispersed camping

If you’re looking for a great area to camp near Durango and Mesa Verde, this is one of the best. Great seclusion, location, and the sites and clean and level. Stayed her for three days and never had a problem