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Camping

Free Camping Collection

Dispersed Camping

Hell Canyon Dispersed

Hell Canyon Dispersed, near Estes Park, Colorado, is a rugged spot for those who crave a bit of adventure and solitude. This area offers a chance to camp in a more natural setting, with no designated sites, allowing you to find your own perfect spot among the trees.

The access road can be steep and challenging, so a 4WD vehicle is highly recommended. Visitors have noted that while the views are stunning, the journey to get there can be a bit rough, with some saying, “The road to get there was BAD!!!” Once you arrive, you’ll find beautiful mountain vistas and plenty of space for your furry friends to roam.

While amenities are minimal—there’s no drinking water or toilets—campers appreciate the freedom to have fires and the chance to disconnect from the hustle and bustle. Some reviewers enjoyed the seclusion, stating, “You’ll probably see people during the day, but still have lots of privacy.” If you’re looking for a place to escape and enjoy nature, Hell Canyon Dispersed might just be the right fit for you.

Description

National Forest

Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland

Free camping (dispersed) is allowed on most national forest lands except in highly developed areas - such as trailheads, campgrounds and picnic sites - and in some of our most visited places. Be sure to check for regulations in advance and look for signs in the area to indicate if camping is allowed.

Some areas allow camping in designated sites only.

Know Before You Go

Check the weather and road closures before heading up. Follow Leave No Trace principles. There are no facilities or trash receptacles. Pack out what you pack in. Make sure camping is allowed. Many lands within the national forest boundary are private or otherwise owned. Check that you’re on National Forest lands: maps. Don't stay too long. Camping is limited to 14 days within any continuous 30-day period at any location within the same 20-mile radius. See Order Plan on building a campfire? Campfire restrictions can occur any time of year. Check for fire restrictions and if you build a campfire, know how to extinguish it.

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Location

Hell Canyon Dispersed is located in Colorado

Detail location of campground

Coordinates

40.34050717373409 N
105.42396892978621 W

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Get reservations at sold-out campgrounds.

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Available
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Dispersed

Features

For Campers

  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

DISPERSED CAMPING

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

We curate permit requirements across the US for our PRO members. Try PRO to see if Hell Canyon Dispersed needs a permit.


Reviews

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5 Stars

4 Stars

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1 Star

24%
18%
36%
10%
18%

3.0

out of 5

17 Reviews

Reviewed Aug. 25, 2024

Good experience

Great Verizon signal.

Windy but we more could hear the winds than feel them.

Bugs weren’t too bad. No animal (bear/moose) encounters or sightings, just lots of squirrels.

You can hear road noise from 36.

Driving down to town during the day, there were some people (probably from the adjacent campground) hiking the road.

Overall quiet at night (other than some road noise from 36). Not a bad spot!

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Stephany P., August 25, 2024
Reviewed Aug. 25, 2024

Great views - 4wd required

Came up just before the sunset to the campsite and there were 3 other cars near to us. For a Saturday night it was no problem for us to find a site.

Sitenext to main road
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Simon K., August 25, 2024
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Simon K., August 25, 2024
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Simon K., August 25, 2024
  • (8) View All
Reviewed Aug. 10, 2024

Narrow road

4x4 drive is a requirement. Good Verizon signal. Narrow road, however not busy at all. Stayed here for 4 days, no issue. The Google Maps directions is slightly wrong. There is a paid camping ground at the entrance that Google Maps attempts to make you drive through. Do not follow this direction. Instead take the road directly next to the campground. Google Maps incorrectly mistakes a hiking path that connects with this dirt road.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Ben H., August 10, 2024
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Ben H., August 10, 2024
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Ben H., August 10, 2024
Reviewed Jul. 27, 2024

Need 4wd

My 2wd van made it up a little but I couldn’t get passed one of the big hills. Not very many sites.

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jul. 27, 2024

Crowded, not many spots

Seems like some long term campers take up the couple of open spots that exist here. Good if you can snag the spot. Signs were posted about no fires

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Zack L., July 27, 2024
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  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Zack L., July 27, 2024
Reviewed Jul. 16, 2024

Not many spots but off the beaten path

The road is steep, but nothing crazy. Our RAV4 has no issues at all. After the yogi bear campground the turn is on the right, kind of hidden. Head up until you see some campfire rings on the left. If you go a little off to the left on the first big turnoff, there are several good spots further from the road.

We got up on a Friday night and we're next to only one other couple. By Sunday all the spots were taken at some point. Dogs had plenty of space to roam. Not too crowded, and also not far from lake Estes.

Sitebig left turn off after steep washed out part
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Matthew S., July 16, 2024
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Matthew S., July 16, 2024
Reviewed Jun. 28, 2024

Amazing views and seclusion!

Turn just before or after Yogi Bear Campground and go up the decently maintained dirt road. (You will pass RVs at the beginning of the road as you head up).

Most awd vehicles can make it up to the first few sites but to get up to the top, I would suggest a true 4x4. I watched a small awd sprinter van lose traction where it gets steep and had to turn around.

Beautiful views of the mountains from my spot. Only complaint is you can hear the road below which the wind drowns out anyways.

I would come back!

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by slowicagt , June 28, 2024
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  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by slowicagt , June 28, 2024
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jun. 24, 2024

The road is not a road

The pin brings you through an actual camping and points towards an hiking trail. Maybe, and I stress the maybe, of you have a big jeep 4wd you can go up, no way with a normal car

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Oct. 21, 2023

Great firepits

Road was steep at points and loose dirt but no big rocks. 4wd was just fine. Might be tuff with just 2wd. There was nobody here. I think people live further down the road so we saw maybe 3 cars go by but not campers I don’t think. View was awesome thru the trees.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Jace R., October 21, 2023
  • Play button icon
Reviewed Sep. 3, 2023

Loved it!

The area was super beautiful. If you have a good vehicle (4WD), it’s super accessible and visitor friendly. It gets worse the further you go up. There was 3 or 4 different site areas. You’ll probably see people during the day, but still have lots of privacy. Would go again!

Sitethe meadow
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Loren F., September 3, 2023
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Loren F., September 3, 2023
Reviewed Aug. 29, 2023

Few flat spots but great views and beautiful forest

You definitely need 4 wheel drive for this area thankfully my jeep grand Cherokee had no issues :) there are few flat spots to choose from only a few dip offs where you could car camp and those spots were really only big enough for a single car. The views were great if you venture off the path and into the trees more (we found a gorgeous hammock spot near our car camp). The bugs were out but nothing too unbearable. Overall I’d give it a 6/10

Site40.34050717373409 N 105.42396892978621 W.
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Stefani B., August 29, 2023
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Stefani B., August 29, 2023
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Stefani B., August 29, 2023
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jul. 30, 2023

Minimal spots

This road was very washed out so I recommend having 4wd. There were very minimal spots and hardly any of them were level. There were a few camps set up and looked like someone’s permanent spot which was creepy. There was one nice spot with a view on a switchback that you could walk down to but not take a vehicle down.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Dalton C., July 30, 2023
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Dalton C., July 30, 2023
Reviewed Jul. 18, 2023

Definitely not for 2wd

I really tried. Tires were spinning. Had to abort mission. Only accessible for 4wd

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jun. 13, 2023

Road was closed

We arrived later in the day and started driving up the road to get to this site and part way found a gate closed and the road closed to traffic. Road was very rough as well.

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Dec. 5, 2022

What we needed

Needed a place to stay and all motels were closed. Found this place and it was a bit of a drive to get to a fairly level place to sleep but was perfect for our travel through plans. Like a said it was a bit of a drive to get to the location especially at 1am but it was good enough for a good night sleep.

Sitea make shift camp area
Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of Hell Canyon Dispersed by Carl M., December 5, 2022
Reviewed Aug. 1, 2022

Not bad

Drove up hell canyon rd about 1.5 miles. About 6 spots that I saw. Pretty good views from spot I got. Need good clearance and possibly 4 wheel drive, especially if the ground is wet. Not bad for a night or two.

Siten/a
Month of VisitJuly

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Are fires allowed at Hell Canyon Dispersed?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Hell Canyon Dispersed, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Hell Canyon Dispersed have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Hell Canyon Dispersed does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Hell Canyon Dispersed?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is good, AT&T is unknown, and T-Mobile is unknown.