FR-302 Dispersed Camping, near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is a fantastic spot for those looking to immerse themselves in nature without the frills of traditional campgrounds. This area allows campfires and welcomes pets, making it a great choice for families and friends wanting to enjoy the great outdoors together.

The sites here are spread out, providing a sense of privacy while still being close enough to other campers for a friendly atmosphere. Visitors have noted the stunning views, with one camper mentioning, “this was one of the prettiest sights I’ve ever seen!” Just be prepared for the mosquitoes; they can be relentless, so bring your bug spray and maybe even a mosquito tent.

Access to hiking trails and the surrounding Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest means you can easily explore the beautiful landscapes. The road leading in is manageable for most vehicles, but a bit of clearance is helpful if you venture further in. Many campers have shared their experiences of finding great spots along the way, with some even enjoying a peaceful night under the stars without anyone around.

If you're looking for a place to disconnect and soak in the beauty of Colorado, this location is definitely worth considering. Just remember to pack out what you pack in, and enjoy your time in this serene setting!

FR-302 Dispersed Camping - Rabbit Ears Pass

Looking for the best campgrounds near Steamboat Springs, CO? Steamboat Springs is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.

Steamboat Springs

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We are full-timers and have a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow and had scouted the area a day before arriving with the RV. There are several sites along FR-302, which is actually in pretty decent shape, one about 1/2 mile in, several about a mile in at FR-3021B, which is where we stayed(to the left), and then a few more about another mile in or so. We found a nice site(40.3749046,-106.6699622) and stayed for 5 days(late June). It took a bit of jockeying to get our motorhome into the site, but with a little perseverance, we prevailed. This site was surprisingly level too, almost didn’t need to level at all. There was one beautiful site in a meadow about 1/4 past the one we chose, but the stretch of dirt road between them was deeply rutted and potholed, with a couple of sections that were fairly steeply pitched from side to side, so we decided not to risk it. They were also predicting rain, which it did for a couple days, and didn’t want to get stuck in the mud holes. There is a nice little stream that runs from the meadow along the road. There is little traffic on FR-302, which was nice, though you could hear some traffic on US-40 when it was otherwise quiet. We walked our dog on FR-302 a fair bit and only once encountered a vehicle on the road. There are a number of hiking trails off of US-40 in the surrounding area, but due to the weather, we didn’t get to hike them as much as we would have liked. AT&amp;T coverage was poor without a booster, with 0-2 Bars of 3G service, but nearly no data throughput. With our weboost, it got a little better with 1-3 bars of 3G and speeds up to about 0.4 MB/s, but the speed varied considerably. T-Mobile service was nonexistent. We were able to get DISH coverage on all three western satellites at our site. There were also no OTA channels to be had with our fixed omni antenna.

Nice, mostly widely spaced sites off of US-40 East of Steamboat Springs

We where able to grap a spot on a overlook, with a great view. If working had excellent Verizon cell service.  The site was unleveled but not too bad for a van with rocks and firewood under wheels. Cool nights.

Some nice spots

Stopped for one night, easy drive on forest road.  Found a great spot on a rock ledge with a great view.  Nobody around on a Thursday early October.

Amazing view

It’s awesome that this exists close to steamboat. Steamboat will not let you park anywhere. They have good reason it’s cold and snowy but you also know it’s because they are capitalist buttheads. We tried to go here but the entrance was way too muddy and we were scared that my JEEEP (needs new tires ;)) wouldn’t make it through. We figure due to that it was probably snowed in as heck. Just tryna be safe. Instead we parked in the strip mall lot near the McDonald’s in steamboat ;) you can get away with it for sure. Just be careful if it’s too cold. They have signs that show that say no overnight parking; you’ll get fined. I dunno. It’s hard to be a ski bum in steamboat 

Rabbit ears!!! 

Very nice spot close to Steamboat Springs. (Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest) We arrived a little before noon on a Saturday in July. The road in was fine and very manageable with the OP 15 and a 1/2 ton truck. We found a beautiful spot 1.9 miles in on the East (left) side of the road. We saw 6-7 other campers set up on the way in… Mostly tent campers and a van or two. (Later in the weekend we did see some fairly sizable rigs occupying some “spots” along the 1.9 mile route to our spot) There may have been a place or two open that we could have chosen on the way in, but I’m glad that we kept going and settled in this spot. We had a beautiful view and the weather was perfect. Only downfall was the mosquitos. They were pretty bad this time of the year. Bring bug spray, or better yet, a misquote tent. We bought one in Steamboat Springs on our second day here and it was well worth the money! Verizon service was good and we had 2-3 bars all of the time. There was a little traffic on FR 302 but only about 1 car every 4-6 hours or so. Overall… Highly recommend! 

Great spot “in the middle of nowhere “ but  close to Steamboat Springs 

Perfect for a night. Lots of places to park/camp.  My only complaint were the mosquitos. Tons. But if you have spray you'll be fine.

Great spot close to Steamboat

Leaving this review for anyone else pulling trailer. You can get a small TT into the first 4-5 sites. I would not continue after what I think is site 5 on the right that has a fairly large rock fire pit and good loop for when leaving. Great parking area to drop and go scout with your vehicle first and I'd recommend doing so.

  

Mosquitos are definitely worse than usual, but otherwise a lovely spot. The tree coverage is affecting my solar generation enough where I may need to move sooner than I'd like

Photos of FR-302 Dispersed Camping - Rabbit Ears Pass

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