Mt. Shavano Wildlife Area

We ended up staying here for only one night as we were passing through but I would definitely come again. The road was a bit rough coming up but taking it slow, it was fine. Would definitely want a vehicle with clearance though. There were a lot of sites available for showing up at 3-4 pm on a Saturday afternoon. Nobody right next to us and was quiet through the night.

Great spot. Good views of the surrounding mountains. Pretty quiet and secluded with the added convenience of salida nearby

The road getting up here to this spot is easy no issues at all a car could do it. Going further up is another story this is sort of the " middle" of the 3 that are up here but you go up the same road. This is the first landing area and it has great views and some cell phone signal depending on where you pick your spot. AlOT of animal poop around this place. If you have a dog that cant stop barking at deer in the early morning this isnt a good place to stop

So this area got busy on a Friday night so we drove back pretty far to get a spot. It was also midnight so we was late. There’s three areas. A,B, and C loop. Rock fire pits and it was quiet and the stars was wild. And bugs wasn’t as bad as other places. For road conditions the farther back the more rocky but we never used 4WD once. But a higher up vehicle is definitely needed

This area used to be a hidden gem, but it’s gotten really popular. A lot of the most scenic campsites on C Loop are now blocked off, and the increased traffic has taken away some of the quiet, open feel it once had.

Lots of open spots in mid October. Slow going on rocky and bumpy dirt road but Chevy express 2wd did fine. Low clearance vehicles take extreme caution. Stayed in loop A, also a B&C.

A lot of stuff if the road. I was pulling a popup trailer so we didn’t go too far up the road just in case it got choppy. Seemed like there is quite a few spaces. Talked to a few people who had been staying there for around a week.

Rocky road but we managed it nicely with teardrop trailer. We chose one of the earlier spots on the way up and it was quiet and peaceful. We explored the road further up later on bicycles, all the way to the bridge creek crossing (few miles after bifurcation of road 250 and 252). The road seemed not change much tho. It does get windy here so make sure to tight all down to not get it blown away.

Even on a regular weekday this place was pretty busy with multi-day campers. The road is really bumpy so be prepared to drive slowly or get your teeth knocked loose. Some sites are in close proximity to each other so you might have to skip further inside for more privacy. We literally didn't hear a beep from anybody on Wednesday night but did hear the low rumble of a generator from one of our neighbors until about midnight. Just stay clear of big RVs to avoid this noise. Otherwise we couldn't have asked for a better camp site!

Stayed here before climbing Mt Shavano in the morning. Had no problem finding a spot to set up. Lots of bikers, trailers and hunters. Some cows hanging around too, but they don’t mind sharing the space. The road can be rocky in some spots but if you go slow and watch where you’re going it’s easy- saw some sedans out there just fine

Rocky road coming in, but no problem for our Chevy Express with bad tires.

Beautiful view, relatively quiet despite being a busy area. Many trees for privacy. Lots of stars in the night sky. I even saw the milky way! Would definitely stay here again.

We've stayed at this location for 2 years at a certain time of year when the weather is good. It's a large area that can accommodate 100s of rigs. The downside is that it's a dry area doesn't have any water access, and that's the only real complaint I have here... I wish there was a water feature here!

We found a place quickly. We have a big rig and was a little worried.

Very nice Boondocking spot. Nothing fancy. But from what I’ve seen it is a clean and is set up with a lot of area to camp. WiFi is pretty good with ATT. Salida is 10 miles away with everything you may need including fast food and Walmart. Temp in the 80’s in July. Falls into the high 50’s at night.

I really liked this spot. It was easy to find and close to the highway.

The road was pretty good but got a bit bumpy as we got closer but still not a problem with our trailer.

I could see a lot of people camping but we just kept driving until we found a nice spot and once we parked, it felt like we were the only ones there.

Couldn’t tell if there were any amenities but we didn’t care because we have our contained off grid trailer.

My husband and I both had full service on t-mobile and Verizon.

I wish we were staying more than a night because I really like this spot and would come back.

Some 4x4 to get in but several trailered RVs had made it. Totally Boondocking, no hookups, but close to town to refill water and such. Beautiful view of divide in one side and Arkansas Valley on the other. 14 day limit, we stayed 3 nights and it was quiet and peaceful. We saw Bats, Nighthawks, Turkey Vultures, Coyotes, and Deer. Check before assuming fires are okay as it depends on the fire danger. Will definitely be back to this beautiful area.