Best Equestrian Camping near Buena Vista, CO

Located in the middle of Salida and Buena Vista, there are a lot of spots in this area. Most of them are very large and can accommodate RVs and trailers. I loved this spot, they are spaced out from each other which makes it quiet and there is plenty of room for multiple cars, trailers and tents. 

This is dispersed camping, no facilities, tables or fire pits but free. Spots are managed by the forest service and follow all NFS rules, keep a look out for fire bans as this area is prone to dry spells. Camp spots are easily accessible via a dirt from off of the main highway. Road is in great shape and any car can make it. 

Close by you will find great hiking trails and mountain biking and not far from the spots are some 14ers to hike. Browns Creek trail is right off of the road and a very pretty hike. Salida and Buena Vista are about 20 minutes away if you need to go into town for food or to check out some great breweries.

Bare bones but beautiful camping opportunity conveniently located near the trailhead to the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area in Colorado

Campground Review:

Needing a spot to serve as a staging area for a planned backpacking trip into the Collegiate Peak Wilderness Area of Colorado, my group discovered this gem. County roads (CR) that access national forests in Colorado often have primitive but established camping spots. Since we were going to start our backpacking trip from the North Cottonwood Trailhead, we searched online to make sure that the access road, CR 365 offered dispersed camping.

After a nice meal in nearby Buena Vista, Co, we headed out on the 7-8 mile drive to the trailhead. Now 7-8 miles on a CR isn’t always the same as a similar distance on a paved road. The first 3 miles on the drive from town center were paved and were navigated quickly and easily. The next few miles were not and driving became more of an adventure and slowed dramatically. While in the end we saw 2 WD vehicles at the trailhead, I would suggest that at a minimum you should have a high clearance FWD vehicle. Our Subaru Outback AWD served us well. The drive took us around 30 minutes.

2 miles away from the trailhead, you pass a Colorado Trail access point with parking and vault toilets. IMPORTANT: there are no toilets past this point on CR 365 and no facilities at the North Cottonwood Trailhead.

We ended up driving all the way up to the trailhead to know what to expect for the next morning when we would start the hike. We then headed back down CR 365 about a mile to some of the more attractive looking camping sites along the road. In all, I would suspect you pass 15-20 opportunities along the road. Some of them are small, single vehicle, single tent areas and others could handle multiple groups.

We ended up finding a pull off point that had a gravel road that accessed several campsites. You are encouraged to find sites that have been used in the past and most will have a fire pit. Always check with the ranger stations to see if fires are allowed in the area at the time.

Since this site had a gravel road that took you 50-100 yards off the CR, you really felt the seclusion. The CR is not heavily traveled (maybe 6 cars used it from 7pm to 6am the next morning while we were there), being off the road really made this a nice site. The sites that are accessed via side gravel roads do have road designations. The one we chose was 365B and was clearly marked with a reflective post sign.

The sites are adorned with pines and aspens. We were also near a stream that provided us beautiful sounds to fall asleep to. Spacing between sites is significant so you do feel remote and won’t hear much if anything from other campers. Our site had a rock fire ring but firewood is scarce so if you want a campfire, you will need to bring some with you. There is no running water at these sites but the stream is flowing and with a filtration system, you can easily fill up. No tables or benches are in the area.

Does a bear … in the woods? Well yes and you will need to as well. This area’s minimum suggested practice was to dig your “cat hole” at least 6 inches deep, 100 feet or more away from water, camping and trail locations. Degradable toilet paper, no wipes, was suggested.

The site was beautiful, primitive, remote, and convenient. Everything we were looking for. We experienced temperatures of 70’s during the day and mid 40’s at night. We did have the typical misty rain in the evening but it didn’t last long and the ground absorbed it well. You are at around 9500 feet above sea level so you may feel the effects of the altitude. It served as a great place for this “flatlander” to get acclimated.

Not a site for someone that needs amenities. But if you love the thought of a controlled, primitive site, this will be right up your alley!

Gear Review: Wild Zora Foods

See a quick video summary of the product HERE.

As a Dyrt Ranger gear tester, I often get opportunities to evaluate camping related products during my outdoor adventures. On this outing, I was able to pack a variety of Wild Zora snacks and meals to help fuel this physically demanding trip.

The genesis for Wild Zora began in 2011 with a family that discovered the benefits of Gluten-Free, Paleo, and Primal foods. After developing their own, sharing with friends and family, the founders decided to package and offer their creations to the public. They offer meat and veggie bars, paleo meals to go, soups and teas. All are claimed to be prepared with minimally processed, high quality ingredients. The company states that it is mindful of diet restrictions and allergies.

Testing conditions:

I tested the product over several weeks under somewhat adverse but consistent conditions. The food was used to fuel a physically demanding trip where calorie dense foods were needed. I needed to be able to consume around 4000 calories a day to be able to backpack for miles and to climb 14,000 foot Colorado peaks. Space and weight were taken into consideration as well. We would be preparing the meals at high elevation which would affect how long and effective reconstitution of the dehydrated food would take. During most of the cooking times, temperatures were between 40-60 degrees.

Things that stood out:

· Conveniently packaged. Durable with no excessive packaging.

· Shelf life was way longer than what I needed for this trip so if any was left over, it would keep for my next trip.

· The meals and flavors offered are not limited to your common camping meals offered by others. CHECK OUT SOME OF THESE FLAVORS!

· There is no shortage of flavor in the meals. Nothing bland about them.

· Ingredients are top shelf and the meals and snacks have such a short but impressive ingredient list, you know you are doing your body good.

My preferences for improvement:

· Adjustment needed in how I ate it because of the dimensions of the meal packages. Narrow and tall vs short and wide made me adjust how I consumed the meal.

Summary of experience with Wild Zora:

These meals are POPPING with flavor! Since what we like in our meals is a personal preference, some may not like the strong flavors but I loved them. I am a little adventurous with my food and the flavors in all the meals I tried were distinct and pleasing – think gourmet vs fast food.

The food is packaged with the outdoor enthusiast in mind. Easy to tuck away in my backpack without being a space or weight hog and the snacks were perfect when I went “peakbagging” with a smaller daypack. Calorie dense. I was able to easily take 4 meat/veggie bars with my on mountain climbs and averaged 120 calories a bar. The bars provided satisfying protein and fat calories that complimented my quick carb foods I packed.

Will absolutely be a part of my meals on future adventures. See a quick summary of the product HERE.

CLICK HERE for FULL video about Clear Creek Reservoir and Wenzel Ridgeline Tent!!

Nothing in this world can beat an amazing campsite in a picturesque location, but how often can you luck into one of those right?? When traveling it is few and far between than you are fortunate enough to find these types of locations but I wanted to find my own oasis while traveling though Colorado and managed to do just that at Clear Creek Reservoir located just north of Buena Vista. 

Campground Review:

When searching in the area just beyond the frozen slopes of Aspen and Leadville, I found a series of listed campsites all located on lands which allow free camping.  I am not one to pass up a good free campsite or at least a good look at one, so I made the trip and found as the snow subsided and the grounds became increasingly more green that the weather was shaping up to be very pleasant for tent camping.    

As I finally turned onto the unpaved road I cringed in fear of the road condition in my small car but also was optimistic based on what I had seen from other campers.     The road a mixture of clay and old gravel turned out to be a little bumpy but nothing major and after passing the lake and wrapping back toward the backside of the water I noticed the small sign for dispersed camping.

I had found the location from a person who is a full time RVer and so I knew the sites would be large enough for a decent sized rig, but I was so surprised how much room really was there!  Wrapping alongside the shoreline of the creek are campsites scattered at various distances.     The campground on a Wednesday had a handful of campers, of which I couldn’t even find them til I really started driving through the far side of the campground and they all seem to have collected along that bank due to large shade trees.   

I opted for a site on the right hand of the entry in a large open space near the base of the Colorado Trail hill which goes through camp.    There were a number of established looking campsites with river rock fire rings and large portions of the area cleared of scattered rocks or limbs.     I had very little work to do to prepare my tent site before just setting up.   

The campsite does have a single vault toilet.  It is located on the side nearer the tree line in the more open area to the right of the camp.    While this was a little far for me compared to my usual wants at a campground which offers any amenities, I was glad to give up a few hundred yards for a much better view alongside the river.    

The sites are very basic, you will have to literally bring everything you want with you, no tables or lantern hooks, no electricity, not even trashcans!  Sometimes with views like these it is all worth it.     If you enjoy a good primitive site or can be sustainable off grid in your camper this is perfect.

The waters here are icy cold from the snow melt and provide a great contrast on a warm day.  They are clear and when the occasional fish does happen to pass you see it easily, though they do say you are more likely to catch fish in the lake itself.   

I was elated to see the wildlife in the area throughout the day which included some very cute prairie dogs, a very curious humming bird who was very impressed with my pink shirt and some beautiful songbirds.   

CLICK HERE for basic fishing Information at the Clear Creek Reservoir

**TIPS:  **

• There is no cell service for AT&T at this campsite, I you are needing to make any important calls you will need to drive about 3 miles away from camp to sustain signal.   I advise dropping a pin if you have a friend of family member you check in with before you come to select your site.
• Remember your firewood if you are wanting to have a fire.    There are several sources for your fire starters but none really for your actual campfire.
• Pack Out Everything!!  There is NO trash collection at this site and since it is such a beautiful free site it is important that we remember to keep it clean and able to be used by the next person.

**Product Review:   **

As a Dyrt Ranger upon occasion I am given the opportunity to try out a new piece of camping gear and provide a little feedback on my experiences.  I was in the market for a smaller tent when I sent a Wenzel Ridgeline 3 Person Tent.    50 inches in height this would be a good solution for many small tent needs and allow comfortable sitting up and crouching while inside.     It also seemed the 7 x 7 size would easily meet the needs I might have, typically I like to use a 3 man tent for 2 people to provide some room for comfort since I travel with friends often.

Something I was most excited about with this tend is the Lite Reflect System.   This is a fancy way to say that the tent has a mesh basket which clips to the top panel inside.   You can place your headlamp of a small light inside this basket and it shines upward to create a reflection which illuminates your entire tent.    This is a ver thoughtful addition to a design to help allow more livable space in a tent at night when you need to be able to see.     This means that now instead of being stuck with your headlamp blinding another person or only being able to see a small portion of your tent without having to ransack through things, this technology would allow you to alleviate both of these issues. 

With any new tent there is a learning curve to assembly.    The poles on this tent were easy to snap together and after spreading the tent out I was able to feed them through to prepare the hoisting process within a matter or 2 minutes or less.    

 The problem for me came when the poles were such a tight fit within one of the corners that I was nervous to snap it in place.   This was not entirely the actual fits fault however, a small breeze had started to come through and pushed on the back of the tent, the only window zipped closed and not venting.   This created shifting of the tent against the pole and it made for a little tricky snap on that last corner.     Had the wind not have come along I would have had the entire tent up in less than 7 minutes.

After fully securing the tent with the tent stakes the winds continued to blow, but the tent remained in tact which allowed me to comfortably stay throughout the evening.   Sometimes I have noticed when a tent feels like it has a bit higher clearance it can get whipped around a bit, but this tent seemed very secure.

TIPS:

• On a windy day it can be a bit more difficult to assemble this tent solo. The tent can easily catch wind and make it a bit harder to set up. While it can be done, it will take a bit of patience and creativity securing the tent base. My suggestion is to place items inside the tent before erecting the poles on a windy day.

• The base of the tent is very durable but on a cold or rainy night it can still gather condensation. To prevent this lay a tarp down before placing the tent.