Black Canyon Dispersed Camping

This is a nice spot. Even better since the campgrounds inside the park are currently closed. But the access is bumpy. Looks like a muddy road with deep mud tracks dried up and it’s difficult to navigate. We have a travato and bounced all over but we could make it and find a level spot.

Really nice forest sites on BLM land very close to Black Canyon NP. Roads are very rutted, particularly the one straight in. I opted for the road off to the right as you pull in. Easy to navigate in my Outback but would use caution if muddy or heavy rain forecast. There were signs of a vehicle that needed to be pulled out at my site. Very quiet, very wooded. Quite a few deer bones around, so definitely predators in the area.

We enjoyed the campgrounds all to ourselves. Was quiet and snow all around, stayed near the entrance since we are solo and aren’t sure of the trails under the snow

It is a little bit of a maze of roads, some are gonna need vehicles with higher clearance, careful not to commit too much on a road if you're unsure about your vehicle's offroading capability.  If you get to a site, most have room for 1/2 vehicles and tents.  Beautiful trees, each spot feels pretty secluded from others.  Plenty of downed trees for firewood if fire danger is low.  Will definitely come back.

Some of the roads were really rutted out, but we were lucky and everything was dry so we were able to get thru in my forester. There are some spots at the beginning of the property but there are more if you follow the dirt road back another two miles or so. Beautiful views, quiet and secluded. We did find a few deer legs left behind, so keep an eye out for Mountain Lion

Visited the first week of October 2024. Had beautiful weather, no bugs and few campers. Sites are dirt so I can see it be being messy when wet. Only few sites at entrance for larger campers. We got into with a Bean teardrop np.

Very close to Black Canyon park, nice private spots, road was a little gutted out but the corolla made it through no problem 🤟. some coyotes howling at night and my site was pretty close to the road

Nestled right on the access road to Black Canyon of The Gunnison NP, camps did not require a ton of dirt driving to access. Camp sites are neatly nestled into the trees to provide a decent level of privacy, the trees also provide protection from the wind. Given that this land is adjacent to a National Park, be aware that less than friendly wildlife can be in the area. Overall the campground was easy to access, there was not trash any where in eyesight. I was also able to locate a camp site at 9:30p on a Saturday without much issue.

Drove to the end of Jones Draw. Large fire pit already established. The site I chose was large enough to handle two jeeps and two large tents. I felt there was adequate separation between sites. The trail had few spots with deep ruts, but very manageable when dry. The location of this dispersed camping area was about a mile from the entrance to Black Canyon, which made it ideal for getting into the park first thing in the morning. Only stayed for one night, but was not displeased. Met my expectations.

This was a really nice stay that was very close to Black Canyon National Park. The first few spots were easy to get to but the ones farther back you have to take a fairly rutted up road, other than that it was very nice

Great spot for an overnight visit to Black Canyon. Many spots largely inaccessible without real 4WD capability. Sites closest to road and accessible are certainly adequate and some will support a mid size camper.

This is a really pretty campground near Montrose and Black Canyon NP entrance. We are in a Honda accord and didn’t have trouble accessing the first front sites, but the dirt road is very rutted if you continue straight and I wouldn’t gamble it in a low vehicle or in rains! Great spot, simple and scenic with a lot of wildlife heard (turkeys, chickadees, woodpeckers and the like!)

This spot was easy to find, but driving was a little rough to actually find a spot. I drove around the area for about 20 minutes trying to find the spot right for me. But there are great options. Got there around 6 pm on a Saturday and found a stunning overlook. There was definitely trash from old camps around some areas. No bathrooms or amenities

Hard to get into if it rains, but a really beautiful place to camp. Lots of sites, decent roads at the top of the hill.

We arrived at 6pm on a Saturday and were able to find a spot! Super convenient to the national park. Highly recommend buying wood from corner store on the Hwy 50 turn off.

Easy to find the entry, we took the road to the right since the other option was deeply rutted.

Sites are all dirt, spaced out from each other, and nestled in the trees. Size varied but we found one large enough for our Wawona 6. Extremely quiet, only crickets and traffic/generator (until 10ish), very few signs of life otherwise, not even birdsong aside from a few crows.

Wasps a plenty! We had to bail on cooking breakfast because they were all over the cook station 5 minutes after firing up the stove.

A few minutes outside the south gate of the park. Multiple sites, most of which are on dirt. Paths to and from can be a bit rough for most passenger vehicles. But it’s quite and close to the park. If you’re lucky you can grab a site looking down onto the highway and into Montrose.

Went dispersed camping for the first time! Location is amazing and very close to the entrance of the black canyon national park.

Whilst setting up our tent we even saw a bear (really close really scary, we slept in the car)

10/10 would recommend

Amazing quiet spots! We chose the site at the very top! The only reason we didn’t give it 5 stars was the dust and damage to our paint job because of low branches!

Great view and cell reception

There are some nice spots here.  If you are in a high clearance vehicle and comfortable on bumpy roads, drive beyond the initial 10 spots or so to find some fantastic spots, including group camping locations.

Arrived at 4pm and there were only a few others there. Easy to miss the turn. I have a 2WD SUV so I was able to drive a little ways down the road to a more private spot but didn't feel comfortable going much further. RVs or trailers would have a hard time except for the first couple spots right when you turn in. Roads were dry but very very bumpy. Also tough toget a level spot if thats important to you. Unfortunately the few sites I looked at had trash leftover such as egg shells and TP in the fire pit and broken bottles. If you walk/drive further down the road there is a great view of the hills. Also saw lots of deer.

This campground is easy to miss in the dark, and once you drive in its easy to get turned around and lost trying to find the exit again.

Hammock, Chair, Axe and shovel stolen when out for a short period of time. Luckily tent was locked. Pass is narrow and is better for smaller vehicles like overlanding Jeep’s. A lot of spots are covered in trash, food, condoms, etc…. Just really sad as this place has some real potential.

No amenities

Crappy rough area a couple miles from the NP entrance. Sites are tight and tucked into the oak brush/trees. Sites are best suited for Overlander types, tenters, vans or trucks. No way for TT and RVs. Center road shows signs of huge ruts if saturated wet so beware. Abandoned trash small TT left here also. This ace was an ugh IMO, only positive is that TMobile cell signal seemed good.

Overall there are some great sites here. Plenty of space between sites for a lot of privacy. Lots of sturdy trees for good shade and hammocking. We did hear some cougar noise on our second night and found tracks very close to our site in the morning. So make sure food and trash is secured and be safe.

Good for a 1 nighter. Cell reception anywhere between 1-2 bars AT&T. Campfire rock rings, some secluded perch spots, road in is awful. Not far from Black Canyon National Park about a mile. Ranger told me in Winter vagrants, and college kids create issues. Was a little spooked here stayed 1 night. No garbage, no water, no bathrooms.

Nice area with lots of dispersed sites. Lots of good shade at the sites. Most have decent privacy from other sites. Not too crowded right now. No mosquitos. Some sites are close to the road but not too much noise. Not sure I'd take a trailer or rv down the side roads too far without scouting but if you have 4wd the roads go quite a ways and there a few sites I saw but closer to the main entrance area has better sites

There were many options and it was quiet when we were there. Some spots had fire pits made out of rocks. Really loved it here! As I had read on here, a dirt road off to the left as you head towards the entrance of the park.