Mt. Shavano Wildlife Area, near Salida, Colorado, is a sprawling location perfect for those who enjoy a bit of solitude and the beauty of nature. This area offers a rugged experience with plenty of room to set up camp, making it a popular choice for campers looking to escape the hustle and bustle.

The scenery here is stunning, with mountain views that will take your breath away. Visitors have noted the peaceful atmosphere, especially if you find a spot away from the busier areas. As one camper mentioned, “We literally didn't hear a beep from anybody on Wednesday night,” highlighting the tranquility that can be found here.

While the road leading in can be rocky and bumpy, many have managed to navigate it with various types of vehicles, including trailers. Just take it slow, and you’ll be fine. The area is also known for its starry nights, with campers enjoying clear views of the Milky Way overhead.

Keep in mind that this location is dry, so be prepared to bring your own water. There are no amenities like bathrooms or trash services, so plan accordingly. If you’re up for some adventure, the nearby trails offer great opportunities for biking and exploring the beautiful Colorado wilderness. Whether you're here for a night or a few days, Mt. Shavano Wildlife Area is a solid choice for those looking to connect with nature.

Mt. Shavano Wildlife Area

Are you in need of a campground near Poncha Springs, CO? Poncha Springs is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Poncha Springs and user-submitted reviews.

Poncha Springs

The Best Camping Near Poncha Springs, Colorado

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. 

Beautiful Wildlife Camping Area

The road starts as tar and converts to gravel.  It is a maintained road but is loaded with washboard so you may just have to take it easy if you have a motor home or trailer.  The road is pretty wide, we have a 30’ trailer and had no problems getting by oncoming vehicles if everyone gives a little.  There is one cattle crossing but it is plenty wide.  You can take just about anything up there, we saw a large diesel pusher all the way down to a 1 person tent and several in-between.  Some extra clearance is nice but probably not mandatory, I’d avoid it with low clearance.

Nothing is officially marked but you can tell where others have camped and many sites have a fire ring.  Shortly after you enter the Wildlife Area if your driving an RV or trailer you may want to take a right and explore that area.  We went just a little way in and found a great site.  There are some really nice sites on the main road as well but there is more traffic there from people coming and going.

Overall it’s a great area with lots of options and easy access to Salida, I’ll be camping here again.

Great dispersed camping close to Salida

If you ever been to any of the BLM camping locations around Salida, Mt. Shavano is not anything different. Some long dirt roads will lead you to multiple sites, though some of them are closer to people than I would want to be..

There is no water source, no trash, bathrooms, and it would be difficult to get a spot with an RV or trailer at this location. I did have decent cell service (AT&amp;T).

One unfortunate thing I've noticed there was that it could be used as a dumpsite for illegal poachers. I saw numerous locations which had deer bones left but no head, as well as the area where presence of the animals sex was missing. I am debating reporting this to Colorado Parks and Wildlife as well as BLM to investigate.

Overall my stay was pleasant. There was still snow in the forecast at the end of the month of April when I was there. There was quite a few people there for a Tuesday, which was quite odd but I guess it's a popular area. Some of the residents looked more permanent, but I couldn't tell since I was just there for one night. 
 

Lots of sites and beautiful mountain views. 

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. 


Great dispersed camping 

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.

Solitude if you wish

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

Beautiful views all around mountains.   

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!

Dry and Dusty but close to a lot of action

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. 

First BLM experience.

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

HUGE dispersed area

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.

Not as Impressed as Others

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!

Fairly Large Area with Plenty of Options

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.

Lots of options

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. 

Lots of Options

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&amp;C. 

Photos of Mt. Shavano Wildlife Area

Real photos from real campers