Lincoln Creek Dispersed Campground

out of all the places I stayed this was the one I really thought I might encounter a bear but alas no bears. bear boxes & fire pits though! eerily quiet at times but overall very peaceful. struts did not love the road but very doable in my forester. there is an absolutely stunning punchbowl swimming spot right down the road heading towards Aspen. would stay here again for sure.

We stayed at campsite 6. One moderate rock climb but out 2WD rig made it no problem. Would camp here again

After the Lincoln Gulch campground there are 22 dispersed camping sites that follow the creek south of Independence Pass. The spots are far apart and have fire pits and bear boxes. We had a great time camping here in September, although it’s pretty chilly at night with the elevation! Easy access to the ghost town of Independence, the Grottos, Weller Lake all on the pass and Aspen just 30 minutes on the other side.

Lots of good level spots for dispersed camping further away from the reservoir. Please use common sense and don’t just pull on to ground cover—pick spots that more clearly have been used/designated/won’t damage small plants under your tires.

If you’re lucky enough to find a spot, this is a good place to be! Keep going around the turn when you see the sign for the actual campground. The road is a little rocky, but I didn’t have any trouble in my Promaster without 4WD. Spots are pretty far apart and each one I saw had a bear box.

This was our first real camping experience, and Lincoln Creek did not disappoint. The first 10 spots were taken when we arrived on Wednesday 6/21 around 9:30 a.m. but the remaining spots were all empty. We stayed at 12.The roads are definitely rough and thin with drop offs occasionally, but we saw plenty of 2WD vehicles navigate through. The next morning we traveled further up on the trail to Grizzly lake and had some amazing views. I would highly recommend checking this spot out!

The road was closed to get to the dispersed area so we had to camp at the campground which was actually really pretty. We went tues-Thurs and we had an easy time getting a spot arriving before noon. $25 a night with bathrooms and a ranger comes twice a day. Campsites are reallllyyy close together so no privacy but really pretty. We are hoping to go back when the road to the 22 campsites is open.

Good campsite; $25 per night; very rough and narrow entry road; I made it with a truck camper but would not recommend an RV try to get into this site.

We arrived after sunset in the rain. Other nearby campgrounds had just closed for the season, so this was a welcome option. Stayed in site 4, which had a large puddle in the most obvious parking spot, but the site was large enough to adjust ourselves out of the water. The creek nearby was soothing, and the available bear box was appreciated.

July 2020 I camped here with 3 others and was mesmerized by the beauty of this rural area. The road leading up to our campsite required patience and a reliable vehicle, but keep in mind you are driving 5 feet away from a deadly drop-off. We chose a campground nestled near a mountain and river. Perfectly secluded, relaxing, and rejuvenating. Most campgrounds here require a bit of a trek from car to fire pit. There are no restrooms in the area we camped, but that never stopped us from spending a week out there. Overall the views overpower all the negatives, take that as you will.

This area is gorgeous and there’s so much to do. Definitely need 4x4 to get here but it’s so awesome! I’ve been wanting to go back this year but just haven’t gotten the chance. Went here last year and hiked tabor creek trail just down the road. There’s a bunch of actual sites until you get farther down the road and it turns into dispersed camping. Plenty of spots so no need to be right on top of one another!

I intended to go to portal dispersed campground, but didn't want to keep going up the road, so I stopped at site 3 of Lincoln creek. Glad I did, I was right next to the creek, no sites near me, quiet and beautiful! The road is very bumpy and narrow but I saw sedans have no issues going up the road and the traverse I drove did great.

Amazing spot only accessible if Independence pass is open. Beautiful scenery and super quiet. 4wd recommended if tou go all the way back end of canyon. Amazing creeks wildlife.. It is bear country as well fyi...

I would give this 5 stars, but it is very hard to access and the road it very scary in places.  However, it is so gorgeous!! 

The road follows Lincoln Creek and the creek is indeed so beautiful.  There are many Aspen Trees in the area, so the colors are brilliant in the fall.

At the end of the road is a surprise:  there is a lake and campground with waterfront sites that you can get to and it is so pretty. 

The sites are big, but you must have a 4WD vehicle to access most.

There are bear-proof boxes, but no other amenities.

You are close to Aspen at this campground but it isn't easy to get in and out of.

The sites are plentiful large, but you’ll require a decent 4x4 vehicle to get you there. The further along the path you travel, the more rugged it becomes; so most people seemingly settled for the first few spots. Personally, site 5, 8, and 11 are best. Almost every site has a bear-proof box you can store food (or hide?) within, which is nice. Sites are also far enough apart to mitigate any privacy concerns, and albeit the current fire ban - come equipped with existing fire pits.

The dispersed sites of Lincoln Creek are magnificent. The road is very rough but it's so worth it.

Overall, a fantastic campground near the top of Independence Pass.  We stayed in the developed campground, not one of the 22 dispersed sites that line the road down towards Grizzly Creek Lake.  This is small campground with 7 sites, we stayed in site #6. All sites are first come, first serve.   A big avalanche took out the trees at sites 1-4 so they don't have much cover currently, though a stream runs behind every site.  At the end of July, temps got down into the 30s at night so you may not miss the trees as much as you'd think.  There is about a half mile of gravel road to get here.  Not too difficult, but going further down the road to the primitive sites and lake is helped with high-clearance.

Our site was very large with plenty of choice spots for tents.  Our two big tents took up only a small part of the space.  Plenty of trees for hammocks as well.  Firepit, bear box and picnic table rounded out the amenities.  You can also set up down by the river and listen to the river all night, although during the day you'll get the occasional people fishing along the bank.  We never saw bears, but often woke to new claw marks on the trees so make sure to keep a clean campsite!

Campground had a daily ranger visit (very friendly) to maintain the bathrooms and garbage cans.  Everything was clean and orderly while we were there.  Pit toilets were well-kept and had good ventilation during our COVID-summer visit.  The Grottos and Devil's Punchbown were in easy walk of the camp along the river. This did seem to draw some day parkers in the center circle of the sites but everyone was polite about sharing. At night, campground was silent with the few sites separated so far apart.

Overall, an excellent place to stay!

Small campground down a very rocky road off Independence Pass. Would definitely recommend only bringing a truck or SUV with 4x4 here as the road to the campground is steep, narrow and rocky. There are only 7 sites at this campground, but it looked like there was more camping further down Lincoln creek road. It’s $25 per night and sites are available first come, first serve only. We got here in the early afternoon on a Sunday and were there first ones here, but the campground filled up by 6pm. Each site has at least one table, fire ring/grate and bear box. We picked site #5, it was huge and right on the water. Even though this campground is right below the highway, we still felt very secluded. We spent 6 nights camping all over Colorado and this was definitely the most beautiful spot we found.

This was a cute spot! Although it’s settled right next to the highway right above, it’s pretty quiet from 7-8pm, and even with the small amount of traffic it was really quiet. It’s nestled right at the bottom of a ridge, with streams all around good for fishing and taking a dip. There’s bear boxes on each site, as well as bathrooms. If you keep going down Lincoln creek road, there are more dispersed camping sites, and the road is pretty rough, but doable with 2wd, but you’ll need a little clearance. The tabor creek trailhead is up the road about 6miles, and makes for a 3200ft elevation climb, rates moderate, but took us about 4hrs back and forth.

Lincoln Creek is an absolutely incredible dispersed camping spot! there are 22 total spots up until the reservoir (about an hour to an hour and a half in) and after that, everything is a campsite! Very bumpy and rock filled road, but with any 4wd you should be fine! Beautiful views and lots of places to hike and play in the river! (It does get buggy when you are close to the water...)

We initially tried to get one of the spots along the creek before the reservoir but had no success (late on a Friday afternoon, to be expected!). So we kept driving past the Portal Campground where the road turned rough and ended up with a GORGEOUS camp site! You will need a high clearance vehicle to drive the road past Portal, but if you can make it, there are plenty of dispersed sites with incredible views.

This was a hidden gem. Was supposed to camp on Lincoln creek when someone recommended we drive down the road to free dispersed spots. This was the greatest surprise as it was free and the spots were huge and beautiful! The road is a bit rough. I got my BMW X3 through but it was tough and a bit stressful driving. Still a success! There are bear boxes, no cell service and there is a beautiful river close by. I would recommend if you are looking for a free spot.

Great campsite #10. Probably an acre in size. Couldn’t see or hear anyone for our 3 day stay. Walk down to creek. Plenty of room for tent hammock, fire area. The road in was rough for my wife. We had a CR-V and clearance was not an issue. It it was very bumpy

Lincoln Gulch is close enough to Aspen to travel to town, but far enough away that you feel secluded. The sites are tucked back from the main road and include bear bins to keep your food stored A 4x4 or high ground clearance would be recommended for Lincoln Creek Rd. We needed lots of bug spray for the mosquitos at our site, so be prepared! But having the water nearby was worth it. Lots of great trailheads in the area.

We actually enjoy the sometimes scary Independence Pass drive, but if mountain roads make you nervous, avoid this spot. There are also some technical driving skills required to get back to the spots past the general sites towards the front of Lincoln Gulch. We stayed back at site 10, and yes it's a bumpy ride back but so worth the drive!! Some sites are river front, all can access the river. Beautiful pines, mountain views, rocks for us, so no staking down our tent but no wind so that worked out fine. Bugs were minimal, did rain during 1 night in July. Great with kids because we could easily check out water, take a long walk and try fishing. Get there early on Friday if possible. All completely booked by Friday evening.

Camground Review: Not a whole lot of campsites here, but each is a decent size. So for busy weekends I'd recommend booking in advance. There's a bathroom. No water so bring in your own, or filter from the running stream/lake surrounding camp. Campsites are large enough for a few tents and cars, and about half of the 8-or-so sites had enough bush cover between plots to have some privacy. It's also great to see pantries on each site with locks for food. Then, there's bear-proof waste bins near the camp entrance. The whole Aspen area recommends bear canisters over hanging packs, so those that didn't know this ahead of time (like me) we're not reprimanded. It's a great location for accessing Aspen and in our case, Maroon Bells in the fall color time (end September). I could see the waterfall on location (I know, awesome) also being great for the summertime for swimming. We had plenty of room for 4 tents, a nice size fire, and a game of frisbee. Access: There's a marked turn off from HWY 82 to take you to the campground. You'll descend about 500 ft off the hwy along a dirt road for a quarter mile. It has some built-in dirt speed bumps. Although not required (we saw a Prius down at the campsite) in not perfect terrain due to weather I could see anything less than a AWD vehicle being a risky choice.

Gear Review: This camp lantern definitely has a lot of car camping staying power. The same can be said for it's battery life (see what I did there?). I also love the option of making the light fully illuminated or unidirectional. There are wire arms that wrap around or fold out and extend below the lantern to add lift on a table or a lashing point to hang above.

Before I took this 1.1lb guy camping I wanted to make sure it's battery life was as advertised. In a couple full drains and power cycles, broadcasting at full power (turbo), I was getting better-than advertised life. The turbo run time for both sides lit was closer to 3 hrs (vs 2.5) and for one side lit was 6 hrs (vs. 5). I could recharge the device from flat in abotu 7 hours (as advertised). I have to give this 3.5 out of 5 stars though, because I couldn't even get the lantern to do one full charge of my phone for me before dying, when it claims it will provide about 2.5 phone charges from full power before giving out. That just makes for the realization that if I use the lantern at camp for about 30 minutes on full power, I'm only going to be able to get about a 50% charge to my phone. That time will vary for others I'm sure. I am very pleased to see a hand crank, because in an emergency situation this would be a great way to help out. I just think though that due this lantern's weight, you're better off not backpacking with it and so belongs in the car camp category. The likelihood of using the crank then goes down a lot, but it's good piece of mind for the other campers in your group I guess :-). Overall the lantern is solid. It took a bit of a beating over the weekend and it kept on shining. The light isn't hard on your eyes too when at full power, so if you wanted to walk around with it holding it from it's top handle, it wouldn't blind you. I also like the red emergency light button, which when depressed and held gives a battery life indication as well as creates a red strobe effect (althgough faint) from the top of the lantern. More info from Goal Zero: http://www.goalzero.com/p/180/lighthouse-250-lantern-usb-power-hub

My girlfriend and I drove in late to the dispersed camping on Lincoln Creek Road off of 82 (Independence Pass) towards Aspen. We set up at campsite 18 and highly recommend that site or traveling up past Grizzly Resevoir for primitive camping. The site goes about 100 yards back and has area for multiple vehicles or tents and is completely wooded. There's a path that walks back to the creek and if you follow it in either direction you have incredible views of waterfalls, Aspens, and Truro Peak.