Mt. Shavano Wildlife Area

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!

This is a pretty area and it does have a ton of room, great views, etc. but it wasn't the paradise we expected.  We planned to stay several nights but decided to leave after one.  First, the road in is extremely rough.  You can get to quite a few spots lower down, but if your plan is to go higher up on CR 250 or on to some of the other roads that branch off I'd recommend a 4x4 and high clearance.

We noticed on our way in some folks around a large rig with a huge campfire burning, despite a statewide fire ban and wildfires raging in the San Juans to the south.  I believe it was that same crowd who spent the better part of the afternoon firing handguns.  Another group farther down on the other side had two barking dogs and they filled in the gaps yelling at each other or the dogs...not sure.

So, relatively easy to get to and close to town means busy.  Plus, there's plenty of highway noise during the morning and afternoon commute times.  Salida/Poncha Springs is a beautiful area but in my opinion there are better places to camp.