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The Washington Gulch Trail #403 begins a quarter mile north of the Gothic Campground and ends when it intersects the Washington Gulch Road, FSR #811. The heads southeast with a few switchbacks and then parallels Rock Creek for approximately 1.5 miles. It then crosses the creek, turns south, and begins to climb in elevation. It comes to an end at Washington Gulch Road. This is a very scenic trail and makes a great day hike. It is also very popular with mountain bikers and campers.
All roadside vehicle and tent campers are required to camp ONLY in designated sites:
Sites are designated by the presence of a 6in X 6in wooden post with a site number and camping symbol along with a permanent metal fire ring. All sites are first come first serve, if a site is occupied please look for another site.
Fires are only permitted in the established metal fire rings. Extinguish all fires so they are cold to the touch.
Sites are limited to two vehicles only per site.
There are 22 dispersed campsites for car camping along Lincoln Creek Road. High Clearance required and 4x4 recommended to access all campsites. All sites are first come first serve. No facilities such as toilets or water are available. Maximum 5 day stay limit.
Remember your OUTDOOR ETHICS when enjoying your public lands. Please RECREATE RESPONSIBLY. Overview Hartman Rocks Recreation Area includes over 14,000 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and 160 acres (The Base Area) owned and managed by The City of Gunnison, and Gunnison County. Hartman Rocks has 45 miles of singletrack trail, 45 miles of roads, 50 designated dispersed campsites, and countless climbing crags. Singletrack trails are perfect for mountain biking, dirt biking, hiking, and trail running. Roads are often traveled by 4x4 trucks, ROVs and ATVs. In the winter months, 16 miles of roads are groomed as cross-country ski trails for classic and skate skiing; and some single-track trails are groomed as winter singletrack for fat biking. For more information, please contact the Gunnison Field Office. Know Before You Go Camping There are 50 dry/primitive campsites available. All sites are first come, first serve. No fees. No hookups! No potable water or developed facilities. Need a Map? Hartman Rocks Recreation Area Map- Climbing, Bouldering, and Rock Climbing Areas Hartman Rocks Trail__Map Helpful Links Visit: Gunnison Field Office ADA Access: Sea of Sage, Lost Dog and Broken Shovel Trails are wide trails used by hand cycles. Accessible restrooms are located at The Base Area and at the intersection of BLM Roads 3505 and 3500.
Setting up your own campsite away from developed fee sites, also known as dispersed camping, is allowed on the GMUG National Forests. Please observe the guidelines on selecting a dispersed camping site on our forest. For comprehensive information on dispersed camping opportunities refer to the dispersed camping guidelines for the GMUG National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd576017.pdf
Don't want to camp in a developed campground? There are many places on the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands where you can pitch a tent and practice low impact camping techniques. Dispersed camping is primitive, undevleoped, frontcountry "car camping".
Remember: when dispersed camping, no toilets, trash service, or potable water, are available. Store all food and trash securely, and pack out what you pack in. Practice Leave No Trace.
Ranger
Coordinates: 38.702830,-106.160280
This dispersed camping area offers stunning mountain views, spacious sites perfect for large groups, and easy access to excellent hiking trails. The September weather was ideal—cool and crisp without being too cold. While the site feels fairly secluded, beware of grazing cows from local ranches that wander through; be sure to secure food and belongings you don’t want damaged. Dog owners should be mindful of cleanup, as cow and dog waste can be an issue. There are two porta-potties onsite that are cleaned weekly, but campers must pack out all their trash to maintain the area’s natural beauty. Overall, it’s a fantastic spot for those looking for a peaceful escape with plenty of room to spread out.
Traveler
Originally quite nice, tent camping, clean area, nice sites, water available, bathrooms, and access to fishing. Weekends tend now to religious services... :( Been 4 times but now prefer less commercial/church interuptions. RV crud makes for noisy generators, bouncy houses, karaoke... :( Some people swim. Boating. Good perimeter trail, biking allowed.
Traveler
Drove straight to the back, not many others camping. Can hear a few cars passing in the distance and not a ton of tree coverage but a great spot nonetheless
Traveler
I stayed here for 1 night of car camping and will definitely go back. I only went about 4 miles in on the rocky/rutted road (vs the 5 miles that the directions say) and thought the sites were great. I stayed at a big site on the right with beautiful views and a fire ring. Aside from hearing some (maybe - not sure) coyotes at night, I wasn't aware of any other wildlife. I was in a 4Runner and my friend that I was with was driving a Highlander. As another poster commented, I saw a small sedan in one of the sites but wouldn't drive way out in anything but an SUV or truck. I have AT&T and had 2 bars of service.
Traveler
This was a great camping spot. There are several campsites by the water and other campsites, not by the water. The campsites are kind of close together, but not terrible. I went early on a Friday and got a beautiful spot by the water. By the end of the day, all the sites around the water were full. So if that's important to you, be sure to get there early. There were still plenty of other gorgeous campsites, not by the water available all weekend. There are also hiking trails located here. One of which is called "Interlaken Trail." It's about a 5 mile hike total and takes you to a "Ghost Resort" called "Inter-Laken" that was abandoned around WW1. You can even go inside one of the buildings, and there are Historical Marker plaques that talk about the abandoned resort. The signal is great so I had cell service and data the entire time. Highly recommend!
Scout
It is a little bit of a maze of roads, some are gonna need vehicles with higher clearance, careful not to commit too much on a road if you're unsure about your vehicle's offroading capability. If you get to a site, most have room for 1/2 vehicles and tents. Beautiful trees, each spot feels pretty secluded from others. Plenty of downed trees for firewood if fire danger is low. Will definitely come back.
Traveler
Multiple sites up here for camping. Trailer/RV friendly.
Guide
Some of the roads were really rutted out, but we were lucky and everything was dry so we were able to get thru in my forester. There are some spots at the beginning of the property but there are more if you follow the dirt road back another two miles or so. Beautiful views, quiet and secluded. We did find a few deer legs left behind, so keep an eye out for Mountain Lion
Scout
Easy to find BLM land with decent roads and lots of spots. I stayed here 3 days and never saw or heard another person. It’s only 5 miles from the North Rim of Black Canyon National Park. Crawford is about 8 miles away and has some restaurants with good home cooking.
Legend
The road up to the campground is pretty rough for the first 100 ft or so but then it gets a lot better. Quite a bit of space but no privacy. I would definitely not suggest for large rvs. I’m in a van and didn’t have much problems at all.
TravelerVisited the first week of October 2024. Had beautiful weather, no bugs and few campers. Sites are dirt so I can see it be being messy when wet. Only few sites at entrance for larger campers. We got into with a Bean teardrop np.
TravelerWe had a blast with this spot, arrived late at night and woke up inside an aspen grove. There is a lot of hiking trails and some cool spots to visit down by the lakes.
Guide
The road has been closed and there is no longer access to this camp area.
Scout
We loved this campsite — still open in late September and already had a fire ring waiting for us. There were lots of dispersed spots right off the road and it was quiet and peaceful!
Traveler
This is the go to place in this area. Just past Oh Be Joyful campground, there are a few miles of posted sites, fist come first serve.
Scout
Went here on a Saturday in Sept after reading all the great reviews. Drove for miles and every site taken. There aren't many sites like people would make you think. Have these people been to the San Jaun Mountains - so much better. Had to drive home because just nothing available.
Guide
We got a spot with amazing views just past Cottonwood Lake campground. It’s awesome here. There is a creek full of Brook Trout right across the street.
Guide
I camped for 2 nights a few days apart in different sites. The first one was WG30 and it had an amazing view. I forgot to take note of the second one, but it was a little bit more down the road. Fire pits here which is nice. There’s a few spaces in the wide open and some nestled into some trees.
Both nights that I stayed here there was a site that had a tent and table, but no one came back that night. Tuesday night and Friday night and nothing had changed. Kind of a bummer when someone snags a nice spot like that and isn’t there for multiple days.
Traveler
My sister drove up from Denver Saturday morning. My daughter and I drove from Paonia and met her there. Road was bumpy but manageable in my Outback. Drove down the road and took a hike with the dogs. Great trail. Rained a little but it was not a big deal. Decent amount of traffic on the road throughout the day and into the evening. Really cool to be able to snag a spot around lunchtime on a Saturday.
Guide
believe the reviews when they say the road to get to these campsites are ROCKY. i was able to get there in my hyundai santa fe but got nervous a couple of times. despite this, we found a campsite that had a little waterfall and fast flowing creek next to it. it was the perfect little spot. got cold at night but it was to be expected. access to a lot of hiking and if you continue driving up the rocky road, you’ll get to billings lake which was gorgeous.
ScoutToo much partying and loud music until midnight-1am.... Campsites are nice though.
GuideWe found huge spots spread far enough apart that you can’t see or hear neighbors on Labor Day weekend. Tried spots by Twin Lakes first but SO crowded. Close to Twin Lakes and Leadville. Bring your huge RVs cause this is the place for that.
GuideThis was a great stay which was close to Mt. Elbert. Many sites available as I came late around 9pm. Close to the town as well. I got there via the old trusty Honda Accord and pitched a tent.
Guide
out of all the places I stayed this was the one I really thought I might encounter a bear but alas no bears. bear boxes & fire pits though! eerily quiet at times but overall very peaceful. struts did not love the road but very doable in my forester. there is an absolutely stunning punchbowl swimming spot right down the road heading towards Aspen. would stay here again for sure.
Guide
Beautiful views, easy access with 30 ft TT. Water stream with lots of beaver dams. Great for riding our ebikes. Saw squirrels, deer, one moose, skunk (no spray), a couple prong horn sheep, eagle, endless beauty. Make sure you have full water supply Camp host Stanley is a great guy!
ScoutVery close to Black Canyon park, nice private spots, road was a little gutted out but the corolla made it through no problem 🤟. some coyotes howling at night and my site was pretty close to the road
Scout
I haven’t been here yet, but my friend has been to this spot and recommends it!
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Crested Butte, Colorado, where stunning landscapes and serene environments await outdoor enthusiasts. This area offers a variety of options for those looking to immerse themselves in nature without the constraints of traditional campgrounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Crested Butte, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Crested Butte, CO is Washington Gulch Dispersed Camping with a 4.5-star rating from 22 reviews.
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