Lizard Head Pass Dispersed Camping

There’s a handful of camping spots available, some more in the open than others. There’s a lovely little spot in the trees that we found, and it was perfectly secluded.

Right off the highway at the pass. Lots of highway noise. No verizon cell. Bathroom across the highway at rest stop. The road is rough but cars can do it, just go slow. This place looked like a festival spot on July 4th weekend. Pass

Beautiful views and a good camp ground. Was raining the two day6and one night that we stayed, best to have 4wd when wet, no problems otherwise. Only one other camper pulled in while we were there.

Great spot that is convenient to the road, set up well with a few fire pits already. Convenient access to Telluride. Pretty bare bones though, but that’s to be expected in a dispersed spot.

Convenient location to stay overnight near Telluride. Close to the road, but also close to a vault toilet across the road at lizard head pass trailhead. Nice views and plenty of room to spread out from other overnighters.

When you first pull in you will see several dispersed sites up and to your right. These are nice, but they fill up quickly. Instead, take a left onto Galloping Goose Trailhead road and pick one of the sites that back up to trees and have gray Mountain View’s. Be careful though as further down the road it becomes private property with no camping. Also, watch for winds if you want a fire. This is dispersed, so no toilet (tho there is one across the highway at the entrance) and no picnic tables. Fire rings made of stacked rocks mark sites. Also, be bear aware and keep your food inside your locked car.

I'm sure I will get a bunch of laughs for considering the fact I could camp around Telluride in March.. after hours of driving I get to the location and there's 2-3 ft of snow everywhere and people are riding on their snow machines.

This entire area is quite beautiful and stunning, especially with the snow capped peaks. I would definitely like to return again in the future.

I wouldn't consider camping here unless you like camping in 2-3 feet of snow. It would probably melt by end of May and beginning of June.

Nice simple site. Road is a touch rough watch dropping off the pavement with an RV. I have Verizon and didn’t have service. Bathrooms a crossed 145 at the lizard head trailhead. Not much level ground so bring things to get creative. Picture is from the top of the ridge a crossed the street looking down.

Nice spot off the road to boondock, with great views both directions. We pulled in on a Thursday afternoon and didn’t have any problems finding a good spot (make sure you have your levelers packed!) But it did get VERY crowded on Friday night. Lots of tent campers as well. We drove down “Galloping Goose” road/trail (turn off to the left after you turn into the Lizard Head Pass camping area) on the way to hike to Lake Hope (highly recommend!) and there were some great pull offs on this road as well. Some will accommodate a trailer, but I wouldn’t recommend pulling anything really large back there.

Lodging isn’t always easy to find in the Telluride area especially if you find yourself passing through as we were but this is an absolutely amazing free camp spot 11 miles out of town. If you want a no frills but off the grid easy in and easy out spot fine for a tent or a trailer this place is an amazing option. Beautiful views at 10k+ feet. Fires are allowed in the fire rings as long as you stay at a previously disturbed spot you are good. There are toilets across the road at the trailhead. The road in is a bit rough but if you’ve got a high clearance vehicle you should be fine. If your pulling a trailer this is perfect. The night views are stellar. Like I said, this is a no frills spot but we loved it. I’ll probably stop here again if I’m in this area and thankful it is available and free. Had a great night here. Check it out

This is a great dispersed camping option near Telluride. It’s an open grass area surrounded by trees and views of the mountains. There are no designated sites but there are a few fire rings and it is pretty easy to see where others have camped in the past. Access is right off the highway with a bit of a lumpy road but you really don’t notice the highway noise. There were tents, motor homes, trailers, etc. It can accommodate some small groups of tents but really only solo or maybe groups of two RV’s due to the changes in the elevation. There was a 40’ 5th wheel, a bike packer, and everything in between. There are a few tucked away sites if you are lucky enough to get one otherwise you will be more in the open but the views are still amazing. The trail head to Lizard head pass is across the highway and there is a vault toilet and dumpster there. Your only 20ish minutes to Telluride so it’s a great option if you plan to spend some time there.