Matukat Road Dispersed Camping

We spent 10 days at the top of the mountain. There were a few people that came in for a night or so, but not even close enough to hear them or see lights. The views are breathtaking! I am from NY. Drove all the way here just too camp. Was not disappointed!!! Can not wait to come back.

Amazing backdrop, plenty of space, we took one of the first camp spots and it still wowed. Here's a video from our stay:

https://youtu.be/CG1RBU54GxQ?si=-LWu2F2MVLXXqXAE

These sites are very easy to access from the dirt road. No need for 4x4, a sedan could make it in if you don’t mind a few bumps.

The area is surrounded by young aspens, mountain flowers, and rock outcroppings. The sites are open and spaced out from one another. We only saw a few cars pass by but otherwise no other signs of humans around. There is also an ample amount of firewood from the dead, fallen trees. The only thing missing here is a water feature.

We took a short trip to the Happy Meadows campground for some time in the river. It’s close enough that it doesn’t warrant staying at Happy Meadows. There are few sites, they’re really close together, and the road is very busy. Matukat is undoubtedly the better choice in my opinion.

Overall a great camping area. We’ll be back for sure.

Matukat rd dispersed - nr Lake George. People seem to really like it yet it’s incredibly quiet. No OHVs, no gunfire - so refreshing. There are some cows as evidenced by dried cow pats but we didn’t see any. Someone reported they saw moose but again, we saw none. Directions using Google maps were perfect. Got you into the area. Once you reach the coordinates I suggest you keep going up the road for better sites. We found a spot on one of the turn offs and had some of the best views we’ve had while camping this year. See the photos for the views. So the trick is to go up Matukat Road and then start taking the little side roads once you get about 4 miles in. We had between two and three bars of Verizon service at the site but no Verizon service at the main road so it is spotty. We came in on a Tuesday and it looks like we’re just about the only ones out here. There’s one other trailer that we’ve seen near us and there are other campers in bigger rigs right at the very beginning of Matukat road, but you’ve got to stay on the road and just keep going further back to get the absolute best sites and views. The views are incredible. The rocks behind us are absolutely outrageous. There’s good hiking the area as well. The road getting in was doable. We didn’t need to engage the four-wheel-drive so the only thing I would advise is you need some reasonable clearance to get all the way back in here. Other than that this is definitely a site that will be coming back to the many years to come.

Had lots of fun camping this past weekend with a group of friends (7 total).  We stayed in I think the 5th spot which was marked by a firepit and driveway.  It was secluded but didn’t feel isolating since we saw a bunch of campers at the prev. sites.   This space also gets 5g (super great connection).    

It takes a little bit after driving down Makutat from the West maybe like 20 min. before you start seeing open sites.  Some washboarding but my friend had a kia sedan and made his way up and down fine.    

Unfortunately, not a lot in the near vicinity to hike to. Cheesman was too far from us but hiking up the nearby mountain was great although strenuous.  Beautiful sights.   

BEST PART was the cow herd that would casually walk by our campsite every now and then.

The Matukat area has mostly recovered from a wild fire and the dispersed camping here is beautiful now. Great views and a views spots of water. The only drawback is there are a lot of cow patties everywhere thanks to the herd the grazes here.

This is a great spot not to far off of Matukat. Sits back off of main dirt road for good privacy. Would be a good group spot if needed.

Great site for camping. Lots of spots to choose from- many are very secluded. Not too busy and a lot of activities to enjoy in the area.

Campsite was visited by moose, free range cows, and coyotes (not to mention the chipmunks and plethora of birds.)

Campsites went back far from main road you turn on to. Took my Nissan Altima back nice and slow and couldn't access certain paths back to site without 4wd. Many fire pits laid throughout the grounds. Cattle roam freely throughout the property and you can hear coyotes at dusk and dawn. Plenty of exploring and climbing around. Although, pretty sure we encountered a side quest up on top of one of the mountains. Had my camera and was approached by a polite guy who said we were fine as long as we didnt take any minerals (quarts) since he owns rights to them. Then after a long chat he must of deemed us worthy since he gave us permission to pick up a rock or two on the way down and tip us a secret way to the tippy top. Was absolutely beautiful and peaceful out there. Had minimal ATV activities, I think I heard rifle shots once that week. One of my favorite primitive sites by far. Such a gem.

Found a nice spot just off the road. Saw a few cars & mountain bikers on the road each day but nothing too noisy. Had some nice rocks to explore and well built fire rings. Do not forget bug repellent! Intermittent AT&T service.

AT&T between 1-3 5G in certain camp spots. Rock fire pits, wood around. No water, garbage, nor toilets. Cool temps, road in is rough go slow. Nice shady trees. First few spots you encounter left, then right seem ok. If you go back on road about 1/2 mile or so you come to a right turnoff. If you go down the road there preferably 4x4 a nice hidden secluded spot up hill. Continue down road only saw 1 more on left, not too hidden next to road. Overall a good 3-5 day stay I would say. Check out rock hiking mountains nearby. Bring water.

• Plenty of campsites to choose from and accessible with 2WD (at least during the summer).  Arrived mid-afternoon on a Friday and had our pick of the sites, only saw one other group setup ahead of us.
• Most sites appeared to be just off the road so you will see others driving by, and some sites have close by neighbors so keep that in mind if you're looking for something more private.
• Livestock do graze in the area, we saw a herd of cows that initially we thought were bears so we had a split second of worry before realizing what they were. 
• Some great views on the drive but not much from our campsite.

Would definitely stay here again.

We drove here from Texas and loved it at first sight. Camped right underneath a few rocks and kid absolutely loved to climb rocks even with thin air in high altitude. Friday night, the site welcomed a bunch of noisy and I respectful neighbors with loud music all day. But other than that we totally would be back for another trip. I was able to get good night sleep before and after solo climbing Mt. Democrat.

We loved this place! It was a great stop over. Driving the road was gorgeous. There are plenty of spots with in 20 min of the start of the road. Here are some photos!

Initially looked for camping along the South Platte at Happy Meadows but with a 1 year old, we figured campers wouldn't want to hear him screaming in the middle of the night or the cries of my wife as she struggles with her sanity. We pushed a little further north and took the right hand turn onto Matukat road. We drove a couple of miles up the decently maintained dirt road and found the second dispersed camping spot and decided to set up our roof top tent for the night. 

Looking at a map, it looks like the road goes on for quite a ways but we never explored past the spot we stayed in. Up to the point where we camped, 2-wheel drive was more than enough to get us to our spot nestled in the rocks. The dispersed camping spots we saw seemed very easy to get to and we never needed to put our truck in 4WD. 

Since these sites are dispersed camping, don't expect any toilets or amenities. Some spots did have pre-made (from campers before) fire pits and there seemed to be an abundance of dead wood but actual wood cutting in the Pike National Forest needs to have a permit so keep that in mind. We dealt with some crazy wind so a fire wasn't even in question. Be sure to check with the local ranger station before starting a fire in the area, especially since this is a burn area.