Best Dispersed Camping near Calhan, CO

This was our first ever boondock spot on National Forest land. Most of the sites were inaccessible in our 33 foot travel trailer but we found one last minutes. We were right on the road in and OHV traffic was common along with the noise and dust. Still, it wasn't bad and the price was good. There are better places nearby if you're not into OHV riding. Early July 2022

Rampart Range Road is the main dirt road that has plenty of smaller trails branching off of it to keep you busy exploring all summer. Rampart Range Road is accessible by 2wd vehicles while some of the smaller trails that branch off of Rampart Range Rd do better with a 4wd with high clearance. The southern portion of the road (south of Devils Head Trail) is open year around while the northern half of the road is closed seasonally during winter. Easily accessible outside of Woodland Park on the south end of the road and west through Sedalia. Lots of dispersed camping sites along the road, some are very large and could easily accommodate a large RV or large groups. Other campsites are tucked away off the road a little which is great because this road can be very busy & dusty in the summer. All in all, this place makes for a fun and easy weekend getaway as long as some ohv traffic doesn’t bother you too much. The best part of Rampart Range Road is the several forest service roads that branch off with dispersed camping. These smaller trails and dispersed camping make for a much more relaxing and peaceful weekend, I highly recommend if you have a 4x4. Find the right forest service road and you’ll feel like you are a million miles from it all.

Free area, lots of dispersed camping areas, but the main roads in is scored with ripples the whole way so it's gonna take a toll on your suspension. Definitely lots of wind up here both at night and in the day. Cell service works well out in the open. Great view of pike's peak.

It took us a bit to find a spot that worked for 4 hammocks. It was busier than we had thought on a Sunday evening. The park staff helped us out and were very helpful. In this dispersed camping area there were some good established campsite to use. The only down side was that the people before us had left a mess of trash behind. Other than that it turned out to be a great area to camp. 

This dispersed camp site has numerous spots with rock fire pits. There are a lot of dirt bikes and atvs driving during the day however I didn’t find it overly disruptive. The dirt road to get there can be tricky, but I witnessed multiple sedans driving by without issue. We had a moose and deer at our campsite during the mornings so I suggest being weary of wildlife.

Lots of places to walk and explore and there was still phone signal! Each spot is far away from another, especially if you drive further down. We didn’t hear anyone late into the night due to the distance.

Great dispersed camping here and relatively unknown, I was here for 3 days and didn’t see a single person.

I noticed on here that it says there's water hookups and electric and Sewer excetera however this is dispersed camping and does not have any type of amenities at all. if you go up to the Meadows or thunder ridge it is a pay campgrounds and they do not have electrical water are sewer but they do have restrooms if I am remembering correctly. It's been 15 years since I've been up there to camp. Now if you're talking about the dispersed camping this is where all the kids from Monument and the areas go up to party on the weekends and it can get pretty Rowdy from what I understand. It's a beautiful area up there I could have it that but you need to be careful and Camp away from the kids.

If you like dispersed camping with 360 views this is the place for you. This was our second time dispersed camping and off-roading here. Depending on which site you pick, you can get amazing views of Pikes Peak. The higher up you go, the more confident of a driver you will want to be as it can be tricky especially with trailers/campers. It’s fun to watch other ITV’s and dirt bikes drive past occasionally, but not enough to be annoying. Lots of dead/fallen trees for firewood. Many spots to choose from. Just look for spots with rock fire pits. Plus was we got cell service at our spot this time. It just depends how high up you are and what side of the mountain. For more photos and video visit @boldtexplorations on tiktok and Instagram

Decent number of sites with fire rings on Long hollow road in the ATV use area. My site was great great for the roof top tent, fenced in mini spur with fire ring. Downsides were the family group camped nearby riding ATVs and playing music into the night, and a rifle range to the west. Shooting went on into the night. Also spent about 10 minutes picking up trash in the campsite area. Overall, close to the pike national forest entrance, decent spots if you don't mind the drawbacks.

I camped here for a little over a week. There is plenty of dispersed camping along the mountainous Road. Four wheel drive is required. There is also some dispersed camping allowed at the parking lot at the bottom of the mountain. However it is common for homeless people to be there and or larger size vehicles to be camping there. There is good Verizon signal for a while going up the mountain. It does go away once you get closer to the top. The larger camping sites are located closer to the top. With great views. Lower down on the mountain there are some spots to pull off on the side of the road. I camped like this for a while and walked a short distance to a pre-made camp fire. This is a popular place to camp especially over the weekends. So the road is a bit busy and narrow at some points

A Long rocky and dirt road lays ahead of these dispersed camping areas. This park has set up campgrounds, but we chose to drive off road a bit and set up camp on the edge of a rocky overlook. Given we went in October, but we were the only campers around our area. No trash or restroom facilities so be prepared to pack it out. Great views!

Only 18 minutes from Woodland Park, but you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. Tucked back in National Forest land.

If you enjoy panoramic views of the Rockies, drive in dispersed camping and putting your off-roading skills to the test, this dispersed campsite is a must visit! My 9 yr old son and I happened upon this mountain top paradise somewhat by accident. We were looking for a less challenging day hike with low traffic and decided to try the Mt. Herman trailhead. My ever burning desire for a view and solitude lead us up Mt. Herman rd to the location I marked on the map for this listing. Access was challenging, even with our 4x4 Jeep seeing as there was pretty deep snowfall accumulation, steep grades, and hairpin switchbacks heading up. However in warmer seasons this would be easy access for most stock 4x4 vehicles. No lift necessary, just a desire for the boundless views afforded at the summit. There are multiple pull offs, relatively low traffic aside from the occasional off-roading convoy passing through spreading merriment and good cheer. There are some really cool fire ring setups and plenty of epic views to make your own. If Colorado’s what you want, here’s a great place to experience the back country without having to drive for hours to access it. We had a blast! Please ALWAYS remember, be Kind & rewind!! Wait... wrong slogan😅 LEAVE NO TRACE & PACK IT OUT! Thanks & have fun! Photos are in my phone, I’ll update with photos... sure to amaze! 😉✌🏾

We drove out here based on the good reviews, but were very disappointed. The roads getting here are not very good and especially if you are hauling an RV. We like to boondock off the grid, but unfortunately this is not the place for us.

I was visiting Woodland Park for about a week and happened to be there between snow storms. The days were about 60F and the nights were around 30F, mild winds. 

I found the roads to have many impassable patches unless you have 4x4 though during more mild seasons, I would think any vehicle could get around on the roads. I've posted the signs for warnings and such. 

Given that I have a capable off-road vehicle, I was able to explore a bit and found a good pull off on the crest of a hill. I arrived each day just at sunset and left each day just after sunrise so I was pretty much just there to sleep. As a result, I didn't set up a proper campsite with fire, cooking set up and what-have-you. The sunset and sunrise were beautiful and the area was quiet for the most part. 

Each night, 3-4 vehicles drove (or attempted to drive) along the road down the hill from me. It didn't disturb me, I just took notice. Most turned around as they couldn't get past the first drift. One night, 7-8 large 4x4 vehicles roared around my site and stopped on the road for about an hour around 10:30pm. They roared off and didn't return. That was the only real disturbance I had and I don't begrudge them - everyone enjoys the outdoors in their own way. Let's just try to do it during the day next time, ok guys? Cheers.

The road leading to the area is paved and just feels like a regular rural road. It forks, you take the left fork, and come to a sign that says you're entering National Forest Land. After a bit, you come to a circuit of dirt roads that have signs for the most part. The dirt roads were VERY wash boarded when I was there and slowed me down a lot. 

Anyway - it was better than paying for a campsite or $120 per night for a hotel and I enjoyed myself.

Road was very rutted and bumpy, definitely best to have 4x4.

Pretty drive with awesome boulders. Camp spots were all taken by Saturday afternoon. To be expected but was worth a try!

We decided to cross this one off our list as the drive on the road conditions is not worth the campsites in our opinion.

Campground Review: This is super primitive camping, just some pull-offs and man made fire rings, but the views are spectacular. We pulled all the way down one of the little roads and found a spot with an amazing view of Pike's Peak. The trail to Rampart Reservoir is also very close to these sites.

Gear Review: As a Dyrt Ranger, I also get gear to try out and review.

I packed my Xero sandals for this trip and I'm so glad I did. These sandals are meant to feel like you're not wearing any shoes at all and I have to say that is what it feels like. Even though they're very lightweight, they also feel durable and capable of handling just about anything. I wore them hiking, climbing around on rocks, and playing in the stream.

I would say the only downside to these is if you're not used to wearing minimalist type shoes, it could take your feet some adjusting.

I feel that these shoes are definitely Ranger worthy! Check them out at https://xeroshoes.com/shop/umara/ztrail-women/

Not enough camping spots. Incontinent parking for trailers

We had worst camping experience here this week. We initially planned to do disperse camping for 4 nights here but ended up having to leave early after 3 unbearable nights. First night, we chose to camp at first “roundabout”, ATVs and all kinds of traffic drove past every 5 mins into night and early morning. Second night, a family of 6 children parked their three cars 10 yards from our tent and unleashed hell. The place has many sites and places to BBQ and camp but they decided to disturb us as much as they can by staying 10 feet away. They arrived at around 7pm and partied and screamed thru 11pm and then happily left. The third night, a 3 car convoy of teenagers with beers came to camp right next to us, again same story partied all night long despite strong wind and rain. They laughed and smashed all beer glass bottles and that’s why you will find this place full of glasses. We left the next morning and Would never to come back to this place

Terrain was interesting on the drive in, some of the pull off camping spots are pretty steep off the road. However, the sights were beautiful and it was very quiet and peaceful when we visited :)

There were a few pull-off roads off of rampart. Each pull off had a few camping spots with a place for a tent and a fire circle. The view was great and it was a beautiful area. There was a lot of trash left behind and it was pretty busy too.

Lots of camping spots and fairly easy access. The road gets rougher the further you go in but no problem for a 4x4. Even a small car could get to some nice sites. If you don’t mind all the motorized vehicles (side by sides and bikes) it’s a great place with nice views to camp and enjoy.

While free, it does go without saying that people do leave stuff behind, mainly trash and A LOT of shell casings. Be careful for broken glass as well. But the views…the site I’m at has a beautiful view of Pikes peak! Campsite already had a fire pit built and plenty of wood cut down for a nice fire. Would have given more stars if not for the debris left by previous campers. Also, very secluded as mentioned in other reviews…hardly anyone comes this far out I guess?

Very quiet, fairly secluded. Dark skies, direct access to creek. Multiple dispersed loops off this road. Road manageable in most vehicles in decent weather.

Pretty easy road going up, you have to go past this point another 15 minutes or so and you will start coming across camp spots. Some are on some little side trails that are unmarked. I found one that was a little ore challenging to get to but well worth it, needed to use my 4x4.

GORGEOUS views! The trees were turning yellow in the Fall and the weather was perfect. You could see mountains all around and the roads were really great getting there. Pretty trashed though. We cleaned up as much as we could in our camp spot so please, do your part and leave the beautiful place better than you found it :)