Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed)

An adventure getting to this location that pays with quiet, beautiful camp area.

Tried to stay here 6/19/2025 but the road to the lake is closed, the sign said it was due to deteriorating conditions.

The off road trail it get to Alta lakes took us about 40-50 minutes in my boyfriends F-150. The views were amazing so neither of us really minded. We enjoyed our 1 night stay and did not struggle to find a spot

Amazing views and a heck of a ride in describe this place well. We came on Labor Day weekend and somehow managed a spot at the campsites; only 20 available sites at the lakes so get there early.

The road to get to the site is rough. You need 4x4 and high clearance vehicle and good tires. I saw a sedan with a flat tire trying to make its way up.. while the campground had stunning views and a nice fire pit, most sites didn’t have a flat spot for a tent or multiple tents.

With that being said, if rain is in the forecast, your site will flood. We were site 6 and our tent was underwater. Same with the site next to us and across from us and the fire pit was a cauldron of water.

AVOID THE BOULDERS IN THE ROAD, will scratch car, do a diagonal dance up the path and you’ll be fine.

I drive up in a sedan and almost made all the way to the lake. Ended up parking half a milf from the lake and hiked the rest of the way. Good think I have a backpack and just couple luxury items.

The campsites were way too close together. I don’t know why ??? It’s not necessary. Everyone came out and just hung out at the lake anyways . I would have ratheres a more private site where I can play music and let me cat roam more

The lake was beautiful and the sunset hits it so hard it glows. Also that crazy mountain village that collapsed and is now rubble is trippy unique

i absolutely loved my stay here. i got a spot right on the lake. driving up was a bit scary considering it was my first time “off roading”, but i enjoyed the way down! definitely do not attempt the drive if you do not have good clearance and 4WD, once you begin the drive you sort of have to commit.

there was a bit of snow on the ground but not enough to make the experience difficult in any way!

I love Alta lakes campground! It’s so beautiful out there the scenery is amazing and it’s secluded, I love the spacing between camp sites!, trees everywhere and the lakes are very nice and super clear!, Verizon wireless is extremely spotty at this place! Campsite 13 gets a signal but only in the spot I had my tent lol, I did try other campsites but this was it, the only one that worked for me! I’ll return to Alta many times.

Loved the scenery and met some nice neighbors next to our spot.

Port o potties were almost full - eek!

Got there Friday afternoon around 5pm it was almost completely full. Finally found a small spot but was very close to other campers. Beautiful lake in the middle and nice scenery.

Great spot just outside of Telluride to camp and enjoy the high alpine lakes.

20 spots to camp and first come first serve no reservations. Recommended to take a 4x4 vehicle up here. Beautiful views of surrounding mountains and Alta lakes as well as access to the ghost town of Alta. Must pack in and pack out, no trash cans or running water but they do have portable toilets close to camping areas.

Me mate and I went up yonder on Oct. 12, 21. There were snow erwhere and it was snowing too. The road to get up yonder was uphill and pert near steep. Me mate had a Subaru Crosstrek going uphill. The trail were also narrow. We made it up to the campgrounds near the lake up yonder with no problem despite the terrain and snow with me mate's Crosstrek. BUT, YOU be careful going up ya?! I'd recommend ye to have AWD or 4WD vehicle. We also have chains and traction pads for backup.

Camping, When Me mate and I were there it was at night a round 22:45. Temp. was a round 11-27° F, and thick snow was on the ground. In the morning it was real cold. Me and me mate were cold, but we already expected that. All the toilets were clean. The campsites were also clean. In the morning the views were majestic. The lake was close by and the mountain view was just right next by ye. Keep the place clean will ya? Hava a great trip up yonder! Cheers mate!

Off road trail will take you to a campground, but there are many dispersed sites throughout the trail. We found a beautiful small lake on our way up. Some fire rings made out of rocks, but fires were not allowed. Beautiful and quiet, no amenities as usual with dispersed camping. Only complaint was the swarms of mosquitoes. Get here early on weekends, sites fill quickly!

This was probably my favorite campsite I’ve ever stayed at. It had spectacular views and while it was on a rougher road, it wasn’t that hard to get to. I stayed at campsite 20 at the end of the road and I felt I was far enough away from everyone that it was almost like we were alone. I will definitely be coming back!

Probably the best campsite I’ve been at. Views are surreal. The road up took about 20 minutes in my Tacoma (not 4x4 and a bitch of an engine but I did totally fine). I got there around 4pm on a Wednesday and there was still quite a few sites to choose from.

Beautiful site! Rough road coming up would recommend not trying it without a 4wheel drive vehicle. Awesome easy trips leading to the second lake. Had a bit of rain and small but never lasted long.

The road to the campsite is rough but very doable by 4wd. The road in the campsite is narrow and some spots have very deep ruts. We snagged a spot in the back which was nice. The only annoyance was not being able to park close to our camp spot, so hauling our stuff to our spot got old. The lakes themselves are gorgeous but very busy. Close to lots of hiking and the town of Telluride. The ghost town on the way is really cool. As a local, I probably won't come back, but I'm glad I did stay 4 nights!

We were passing through town, and and all campgrounds in the area were packed out...on a Thursday. The actual lakes dispersed camping were full too, so we ended up parking on the side of the road going up to the lakes. It was a bit freaky just because it felt so isolating. I’m sure it would be fun if you’re fully prepared for bear prevention and enjoy that kind of isolation.

So we headed up to Alta Lakes later than planned and it was pretty dark - the winding and seriously bumpy road felt like it went on for ages. We finally stopped in the parking lot by the ghost town and it was stunning. We didn’t make it up to the top so I can’t speak to that but I imagine it was amazing. It had just snowed and it got pretty cold but our van stayed warm enough. Made for an incredible sunrise too.

This campsite fills up quite quickly. We arrived relatively early, but were unable to find a site and it was just as well because we would have been hard pressed to find level ground for our overland tents without putting blocks on the ground. It’s a beautiful place with amazing spots for ground tents. I will say this, a LOT of different sources state that you need high clearance to get up here...not the case as we passed a few Prius’ making the climb up the road to this site. Get there early and you may get lucky!!

Beautiful camping spot high in the San Juan’s about 25 minutes from Telluride. Access via rugged dirt road. Saw some stock SUVs (CRVs, Subaru’s, etc.) but questionable to get there without higher clearance and 4WD. There are only 20 designated camping spots with fire rings (portapotties nearby). Sites fill by about noon every day of the week and all sites are walk in. Of the 20 sites, most are shady and have views of the lakes. 3-4 sites are pretty bad, have no views, limited areas for tents, etc. This is an incredible camping spot if you get a good site.

There were about 20 spots at the lake area it was a pretty location. There were a few spots open on a Thursday afternoon when we arrived. Seemed to fill up by Friday. They did put in porta potties when we were there. The road up is a bit rough. We managed it barely in all wheel drive vehicles but did get stuck for a bit at one point when we had to stop for someone on their way down. There were a few spots on the drive up as well. Overall good spot, at pretty high altitude. There was a bit of snow.

Beautiful!

Half of the camping spots are kind of difficult to get to if you don’t have a Jeep/4Runner/Tacoma. Definitely worth the drive up the mountain to see these Alpine lakes. Kind of crowded when we went on Labor Day weekend, but that was to be expected. Make sure you hike up to the other two lakes, they are even more beautiful than the main lake.

I will start off by saying the trail up was unique with a lot to do, the ghost town is cool with mini waterfalls if you will. The views looking over the mountains were amazing. BUT please have a 4w drive vehicle to drive up, and this is NOT dispersed camping. Very crowded even while rainy. Alta lakes themselves were not as impressive as I hoped for but there are better lakes near it if you talk to the people who live in Telluride. Still a cool spot to go hang out but if you like to camp without neighbors around then don’t pick here.

We were able to get our popup to these sites but not necessarily recommended to even attempt to bring a trailer (ours is lifted with heavy duty tires) worth the risk because, Wow!! Perfect lake views, snow capped mountain tops, and wildflowers for days. We were sadly not allowed fires but this year we are getting tons of moisture in CO so we will head back up to Alta by summer, hopeful for fires again. Port a John's are rarely serviced, so if that's a deal breaker for you....and Please Leave No Trace!! This area is so beautiful, let's keep it that way.

There are 16 sites, rock fire pits, need a high clearance vehicle to reach the sites. Small trailers can reach half of the sites as long as you have someone directing you! Beautiful views. Telluride ski mountain is just behind this campground and for a long hike you could hike down to mountain village about 5 miles away. We were there for 2 nights and there were always sites available. This is a free campground! Portapots available.

There's not likely to be a more beautiful place than the high alpine of the San Juan Mountains. Alta Lakes boasts a series of small lakes stocked with fish annually - making for great fly fishing, naturally. Dispersed camping means pack it in, pack it out but since you can park at your site, this is never difficult. Get there early to enjoy the pick of the pack then get on the water with SUPs, kayaks, and beyond. Stunning views of the Milky Way, always!