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Setting up your own campsite away from developed fee sites, also known as dispersed camping, is allowed in most places. From getting away from it all to just enjoying a weekend with friends, dispersed camping can make for a great story.
Dispersed Camping outside of Steamboat Springs.
Please honor any signs that mention "private land" or "no camping" when in a dispersed area. Please practice Leave No Trace.
Setting up your own campsite away from developed fee sites, also known as dispersed camping, is allowed in most places. From getting away from it all to just enjoying a weekend with friends, dispersed camping can make for a great story.
The Steamboat Springs area is east and north of Steamboat Springs, Colo. It is managed by the Hahns Peak/Bears Ears Ranger District with a Ranger Station/Visitor Center in the town of Steamboat Springs. Recreation sites along Buffalo Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass are located within this area to include the popular waterfall hike, Fish Creek Falls. The area lies against the western ridge of the Continental Divide and the Routt National Forest. Multiple wilderness areas are nearby. The area is bountiful with recreation opportunities such as mountain biking, hiking, camping, and fishing, as well as winter sports such as skiing and snowmobiling, just to name a few. Setting up your own campsite away from developed fee sites, also known as dispersed camping, is allowed on most of the national forests. From getting away from it all to just enjoying a weekend with friends, dispersed camping can make for a great story. Across the forests, opportunities range from dispersed camping miles into wilderness or just off a forest road in designated dispersed areas. Make sure to bring everything you need when dispersed camping, as water, restrooms, and fire rings may not be available nearby, and always remember to follow Leave No Trace principles.
Guide
Discovered an excellent dispersed site on 64 going east from Glen Eden. As soon as you reach BLM land there is a sign indicating Dispersed Camping on both sides of road. The south side has excellent sites along the fast paced Elk River and views of Mt. Zirkel. Ou site was nestled in the spruce and fur with small game chattering often.
Guide
Allen Basin Reservoir is roughly 1 mile from Crosho Lake. The only way to access this reservoir is by using trail #1181 and either hiking in, or using an ATV/dirtbike. You can not drive back to this reservoir.
There are roughly 6-8 dispersed camp spots on the road towards Allen Basin Reservoir. We camped at this spot for 3 days, and 2 nights and loved it! Plenty of coverage from the close by trees, access to the trail directly behind our camp spot, and there was a make shift bench made from a fallen tree! We highly recommend this spot, but do recommend driving a 4x4 vehicle to get here, and don't forget the bug spray!
GuideDONT FORGET TO VISIT CLARK STORE, its very close
drove here in toyota prius. There is a parking lot at the entrance to the dispersed camping where it forks into two roads to access parking spots. The forest service road was in amazing condition to access it.
I decided to hike up ontop a large rock formation because i wanted the killer views. Just enough dirt up there to pitch a tent.
There is dispersed camping along the river where a lot of rv’s were pitched up. I didnt want to be near any of them cause im tent camping
Legend
We stumbled upon this campground by chance, and what a wonderful chance it was! After deciding to take a weekend rafting trip along the Wyoming/Colorado section of the Platte River, we planned to just find dispersed camping options within the surrounding National Forest area. We initially put our boats in at the Routt Access Trailhead which is where we were able to find this amazing group of campsites (see directions below). There are plenty of campsites designated by fire rings along the road that are well spread out and offer plenty of seclusion. We were surprised to not encounter any other campers despite it being a beautiful summer weekend. The campsite we used offered much appreciated shade from the June sun with plenty of big trees. The ground is relatively flat on top of the hill so we had quite a few options to spread out with our group pf 3 tents. Another huge plus of this area is how pristine it is, not a piece of trash to be found. If camping here, please continue that by following Leave No Trace principles.
Camping in this area is complimented by tons of nearby activities including hiking, backpacking, and horseback riding trails, class I-IV white water rafting opportunities, rock climbing, fishing and wildlife viewing. On our weekend adventure we went on a 4-hour boat trip from the Routt Access boat put-in to the Six-Mile Gap take-out point, the river felt like a private get away and we didn’t see any other people except for a few fly fishermen at the access points. The wildlife we encountered was the highlight of our trip, we saw moose, a golden eagle, foxes, pronghorns, and marmots.
To get there: The GPS coordinates entered on this page are for the Routt Access Trailhead. Following these directions from there is the easiest way to find the campsites. I have also included a screenshot of google maps in this review. When approaching the trailhead from the main road, just a few hundred yards before the trailhead/river access parking area, the road forks. To the right is the trailhead, and to the left is FS 939.1 (Mahogany Road). With a normal clearance vehicle and 2wd, you should be able to easily reach the first campsite along this road, marked by a well-appointed fire ring. For those with slightly higher clearance cars (my friends had a Subaru Forester and did just fine) I would highly recommend continuing along the road a bit higher and up the hill. 4wd is probably not necessary unless the road is muddy, but some large holes and rocks will be problematic for very low clearance vehicles. From up here, you will have amazing views of the grasslands, mountains and river.
Legend
Only dispersed camping I found from here to Trappers Lake. 4 sites, only the one in open area is suitable for TTs. Rest are more overland spots. No tables, no toilet, no wayer, no trash. No Cell signal.
Guide
Very nice spot close to Steamboat Springs. (Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest) We arrived a little before noon on a Saturday in July. The road in was fine and very manageable with the OP 15 and a 1/2 ton truck. We found a beautiful spot 1.9 miles in on the East (left) side of the road. We saw 6-7 other campers set up on the way in… Mostly tent campers and a van or two. (Later in the weekend we did see some fairly sizable rigs occupying some “spots” along the 1.9 mile route to our spot) There may have been a place or two open that we could have chosen on the way in, but I’m glad that we kept going and settled in this spot. We had a beautiful view and the weather was perfect. Only downfall was the mosquitos. They were pretty bad this time of the year. Bring bug spray, or better yet, a misquote tent. We bought one in Steamboat Springs on our second day here and it was well worth the money! Verizon service was good and we had 2-3 bars all of the time. There was a little traffic on FR 302 but only about 1 car every 4-6 hours or so. Overall… Highly recommend!
Traveler
Just to update this since the last review had it closed. The road leading up to the summit is back open, but it is ROUGH. I had just done Rock Creek's drive up to dispersed near Dillon and thought that was bad, but this was worse.
You will not be able to get anything low clearance or anything you're towing that does not have independent suspension + high clearance (I dropped my 18' TT at Walmart and went to scout - glad I did) While I was 1/4 up into the climb, a Sprinter Van was stopped at what is probably the worst portion of the road. If you can make it past that first choke point, you'll pass a park then walk-in camp site on the left and then shortly after another camp spot on the right that is more van friendly. Both are not good for trailers. It is after those two sites the road goes from bad to worse.
If you have a Camper on a F350 or high clearance + tent, it has some of the best views I've seen at a park spot. It's worth the drive up there for pictures if you're curious, but I would unhook anything you're carrying before doing so.
RangerGreat free spot if you’re looking for somewhere not too far from the town. Awesome bike trails not very far. No bathroom or water it is dispersed. Not too hard of a road to get up either got up in a RWD Tacoma no problem.
TravelerI wanted to do a quick getaway out to Steamboat Springs and this fit the bill. The road is rough, but there are a bunch of dispersed campsites along the roads. I went on July 4-5 and it was pretty busy, but the sites are far enough away that I didn’t hear/see my neighbors. Fire pits are provided at each site. My dog and I hiked just a bit up a trail connected to our site and had gorgeous sunset views of the mountains. If I’m ever out that way again, I’ll definitely be staying here.
Guide
A dirt road about 1.25 miles leading to a boat ramp, with parking for cars/ trailers. There is a bridge with a 12ton limit per vehicle. more allowed if you are towing. peaceful and quiet at night with a very nice trail and bridge over the river . This is not really a campsite, just a nice free place to spend the night and then move on, but you can stay up to 5 days. had dirty bathrooms, no toilet paper.
GuideGood camping right close to the road. Secluded and private with beautiful views. Currently a stage 2 fire ban so no campfires allowed.
Guide
If you have low clearance, you will definitely have to be careful and take the road slow. The sites are secluded, and wildlife is prevalent!
Scout
secluded and quiet, sites have mountain grass. creek runs next to sites on west side. #5 is my favorite. fishing, wildflowers, hiking.. love.
Ranger
Stopped for the night for a quick eat and sleep. Road was wet in places. Some areas I wouldn’t pull a trailer too far in. A Mercedes van was 200 yards down from me, so not horrible. In the trees, lots of firewood available, and very pretty. No facilities. Completely dispersed. Pack in and out.
GuideAbsolutely stunning secluded spots. Some are more accessible than others, but main road is well maintained. Definitely buggy during the summer, buy manageable. Most if not all sites are right next to the creek.
TravelerRecommend 4x4 high clearance to get to the campsites. If you have low clearance, there are a couple right at the start but they don't have much tree clearance.
We drove about a quarter mile down the road and got a campsite that was lush with a ton of tree coverage. It felt like we were alone in the world, no other campsites in site. We even saw elk walking around the mossy ground. Bring bug spray!
Dog friendly, no amenities.
Guide
Unfortunately the road is closed right now, I’m not even supposed to be here idt but I foraged through the woods from the campsites further back north on the dirt road. But I figured I’d at least let yall know there is a campsite here.
Ranger
I wouldn’t bring anything back here towing behind me except an overland trailer, personally. It’s rocky a good most of the way, but high clearance isn’t needed. A few off camber spots, but nothing horrible. I passed a Subaru Crosstrack coming in. Once you get back it is beautiful with great views. There is a creek below the spot with crystal clear water. You have to hike to Fishhook Lake from here on the Basecamp Trail (Wyoming Trail). It’s very secluded and quiet. Mosquitoes were very bad, be aware.
TravelerCamp sites were plenty when I visited on a Thursday. Only people I saw were the forest service workers who were friendly and just out reminding people of the fire ban.
ScoutBuff pass gate is open and you can mob over it if you have high clearance, 4wd, and definitely winter tires. It gets sketchy at some points, but you have your pick of camp sites.
ScoutThe forest road was a bit washed out in some places and required decent clearance but outside of a few big bumps the road was a fun ride! Campsites were many but pretty full upon my late arrival. Would recommend daylight arrival if possible as many spots didn’t appear obvious in the night!
Traveler
The camping is directly off is route 40, a minute or two drive until campsites. Decided to park in the asphalt/gravel lot. There is camping directly behind this in the grass land though. Easy road to access camping. Staying for 2 nights and continuing on. Seems to be fairly rig friendly, as it was easy for my 25ft travel trailer
Scout
However what I found was designated site only camping mostly on the side of the road and they were not free. $10/night
Scout
The sign says that state trust land closed March 1-Aug 31, unfortunate bc the app says that this is a free place to camp or hike
Ranger
Beautiful Aspen groves surround you as you roll on endlessly down well maintained dirt roads. I've put in specific coordinates, but you can follow any of these FS roads after you pass through the "town" of Columbine. I prefer to go up to the right along 550. But you can't go wrong.
Free range sheep are being guarded by Great Pyreneese dogs, Moose and Pronghorn are all abundant. Bears too, so lock it all up.
Great easy MTB on the roads and some smaller trails.
Leave no trace.
GuideThis was our first stop on a week long road trip from Colorado Springs to the Oregon Coast and, honestly, we could have just hung out there and saved all the miles.
It was a such a beautiful area mid September. All the leaves were changing, it was cool and misty, the view was spectacular, yes it was rough as hell to get there, but totally worth it if you’ve got the rig for it.
My only note for the area was that there were a lot hunters walking through and around our camp, but everyone was polite and respectful.
RangerHeading north out of Steamboat towards Strawberry Park, you can peel off on to 38 and start heading up. Lots of opportunities to find a spot far from everyone else. It takes quite a bit of time to get to town or Strawberry Park, so the lower you are the better for that. At the top of Buffalo Pass are a number of good little lakes. They were quite buggy when I was there. Good hiking and mountain biking throughout the forest. A few motorcycles to watch for.
The road up got rough and really did a number on my top mounted bike racks. I wouldn't take anything more than a teardrop or Airstream Basecamp up.
Leave no trace.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Clark, Colorado, where nature's tranquility meets the thrill of adventure. With stunning landscapes and a variety of outdoor activities, this area is perfect for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Clark, CO is Buffalo Pass Dispersed with a 4.3-star rating from 16 reviews.
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