Chaffee County Road 390 Dispersed

This Campsite was beautiful, nestled behind the trees and a bit off the road down a hill. Lots of activities from exploring the several mining towns, hikes (including several fourteeners), day camping by the lake, and exploring Buena Vista/Salida. We even made a quick trip into St. Elmo to make it a ghost town weekend. 

The Milkyway was incredible at night even with the smoke and can't even imagine how beautiful this road would be covered in yellow at peak leaf peeping season. 

However, we wouldn't camp here again unless they instated quiet hours or we opted to buy a lifted Jeep and went past Winnipeg (mile 12) down the 4x4 road to the right to escape some of the noise. It's not other campers, because our sites were pretty far off from any others but other sites weren't so lucky with group camping.

 It was the fact the road was active ALL night and day. And I mean, be prepared for it to start before 4:30 AM. The Hikers start pouring down the road at this time, some even before to hit all three fourteeners in one day. It is rocky so it makes it even louder than a normal drive by and is almost impossible to sleep through even after the 3rd night when you are used to it and we are all heavy sleepers. If this road was paved it might not be that big of an issue. It does not quiet down in the evening either, with some explorers returning to camp at midnight if not later - we woke up to a stream of vehicles coming in at 2:30 a.m. one night.

It's unfortunate because without this, I would rate it 5 stars and want to come back every weekend. With it, good luck getting a good nights sleep and not being annoyed. If you are going to test it, I would recommend going as far down the road as you can. We were around mile 7/8 of 12.

Located near the town of Granite, this forest service road is host to trailheads and lots of dispersed camping. Off of highway 24 you will find Clear Creek Reservoir, this is a great spot to do some fishing form the shore or in a boat. There is also an established campground beyond the lake that is forest service run and does cost money. However if you keep driving for a few miles the road will open up to free dispersed camping. 

We showed up on friday at around 4 pm and it was packed! Spots range in size from one care to huge areas big enough for 20 cars and we saw just that. Lots of big camp trips happening. That being said, the camping was still pretty good despite all the people. We managed to find a spot next to another couple in a little turn off. Some groups were parked on the road and walked into the trees to set up a spot. It was kind of a free for all back there. 

With all those people and trailheads to several 14ers on the road, there ware many cars driving by. It did stay pretty active until later in the night. 

Campsites: Dispersed with no amenities. No metal fire rings, picnic tables, restrooms or trash bins. Restrooms were located at a trail head but on one set. 

We enjoyed the spot, it was a little dusty but not terrible. Perfect spot if you are trying to hike Belford, Oxford, Missouri or Huron. Road was in good condition, any car will make it.

Take County Road past the campground into the valley and you’ll find plenty of roadside sites. They vary in size, distance from the road, access to the creek, privacy, etc, so its worth a scout to find one that best suits your needs! 

It was Saturday night when we arrived, and many were taken, but we found one just before the hairpin turns in the road before the Missouri Gulch trailhead, about 5-6 miles in. The road is VERY bumpy. We parked on the side of the road, and the site is about 50 feet down the hill and mostly hidden from the traffic. You could see the roaring Creek, and walk down to it in 30 seconds. Mountains tower over both sides of this site. There were pines everywhere and aspens down by the water. I saw a couple hummingbirds and one small snake in the bushes. The mountain scenery is just incredibly breathtaking, as is the altitude. We attempted a hike up Mt Belford (a 14er) but only made it around 12k feet before turning back as it was too cold and windy (and difficult!). Pace yourself and drink A LOT of water if you’re not accustomed to the altitude; I was prepared but it still caught me off guard. Bring your poop shovel.