228A Dispersed Campsite

Stayed on a Monday night in October and had the place all to myself. If weather is bad I could see the road being an issue but otherwise 2wd with a little clearance is fine. Enjoyed my stay but with the close proximity to other sites I could see that being an issue on a busy night.

Nice dispersed campgrounds right by the Colorado trail.  One can go for a nice hike.  Make sure to read Geoff P.'s review.  (Driving a subaru impreza hatchback with 5.1 inches ground clearance.)

The coordinates supplied take you to an ok site very close to the road. If you just go down a little farther and take a right on another dirt road to 38.554392,-106.236875 there are more dispersed sites. Not a lot of shade but a beautiful area. Plenty of room for small RVs or vans. The Colorado trail run through the camp site at the end so hiking or trail running from there.

Campground Review

As a local of the nearby town of Salida, I've seen a lot of campgrounds in Chaffee County and the San Isabel National Forest, but this one stands out for its beautiful scenery and prime location to nearby towns and the Colorado Trail.

We chose the site because it's free of charge, a good mid point between the next day's destinations, and close to where our friend would be heading out from for her week long Colorado Trail mountain sufferfest.

After a long day of driving shuttle to pickup a good friend in Durango, we drove back from Southern Colorado to spend the night at this lovely mountain spot halfway up Monarch Pass just down the road from the CT. When we arrived at night---close to midnight---we were easily able to make our way into the solo spot, find flat areas to set up three tents, and settle in for the night. While you could probably fit two groups at this site, it's definitely best as a single site. Despite the rain clouds, we could still see a smattering of stars and enjoy a night in the trees protected from the breezes.

In the morning, my roommate and I took our dogs for a short walk up the nearby county road and enjoyed sweeping views of the Collegiate Peaks, as well as some tracks from a curious bear that had wandered nearby during the night. Up the road there were a number of pull offs for other dispersed camping areas.

Once back at camp, we started to dry out our camp from the night's rain and helped our friend unload her gear for her Colorado Trail mountain biking trip for the next week. As it was drizzling most of the morning, my roommate and I opted to see our friend off for her CT ride and head to the town of Salida for breakfast, which was only about 20 minutes away down Highway 50.

Pros:

• Private, no other people
• In a gorgeous mountain alpine setting
• Easy to navigate to, even at night
• Within 30 minutes of nearby town of Salida
• Within 30 minutes of Monarch Ski Area
• Less than a mile from the Colorado Trail
• Easily fit three tents and our Subaru Outback

Cons:

• Bear activity