Canyon Lakes Ranger District Dispersed Camping

You may camp within 300 feet of most Forest Service roads and some Larimer County Roads as long as you are on National Forest System lands. Note that many popular locations are closed due to the Cameron Peak Fire impacts. Check the closure information here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/arp/alerts-notices/?aid=60887

Contact the Canyon Lakes Visitor Center at 970-295-6700 for a free Motor Vehicle Use Road Map (MVUM) or view it here . The MVUM shows roads where dispersed camping is allowed. Also view the CLRD Dispersed Camping map that shows areas where camping is restricted or prohibited.

Find out if there are any Forest campfire restrictions during your trip. If fires are allowed, use established fire rings where they exist. Put out your fire until it is cold to the touch.

When camping near the very popular Manhattan, Long Draw, and Peterson Lake roads, camp only at sites marked with numbered posts. These designated sites protect the roads from overuse. There is no camping within ¼ mile of Highway 14, within ¼ mile of lower Stove Prairie Road, or within ¼ mile of upper Pingree Park Road. Your vehicle must be within 300 feet of the road and at least 100 feet away from water or meadows. You may not camp at trailheads, picnic areas or day-use parking areas. Off-highway vehicles (OHVs) are limited to open Forest Service roads (no closed gates) that have numbered signs. The CLRD Dispersed Camping brochure (pdf 453KB) lists all of the guidelines and restrictions.