Best Dispersed Camping near Edwards, CO

Kirby Gulch is a fantastic spot for anyone seeking a peaceful, off-the-grid camping experience near Grant, Colorado. Situated off Route 1038, this dispersed camping area offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains and easy access to outdoor activities like hiking and wildlife watching.

The campsites are well-spaced, providing plenty of privacy, and the area is generally clean, thanks to considerate campers. Since it’s a dispersed site, there are no amenities like water or toilets, so make sure to come prepared. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended for accessing some of the sites, especially after rain or snow.

What makes Kirby Gulch truly special is its tranquility. You can enjoy the sound of the wind through the trees, the crisp mountain air, and dazzling stargazing at night. It’s also a great starting point for exploring nearby trails or simply soaking in the serene environment.

If you’re comfortable with primitive camping and leave-no-trace principles, Kirby Gulch is a hidden gem worth checking out.

Stevens Gulch Road (321) is a dirt road off of I-70 west of Denver in the Arapaho & Rosevelt National Forests and the Pawnee National Grasslands. It has amazing scenery and access to gorgeous hiking trails to summit Gray’s, Torrey’s and Kelso Peaks. It is a fairly mellow SUV road with plenty of space to pass other vehicles and you will occasionally see passenger cars as well. The road leads to a large parking lot that fills up fast with car overflow parking spilling down both sides of the road. There are pit toilets and bear proof trash cans at the parking lot. The road continues past the parking lot a very short ways to some dispersed campsites by a river that have stone campfire rings. Definitely filter this water as there are uphill toilet paper gardens along the climb to summit.

Stunningly beautiful dispersed camping at its best. To find the most precious spot you need to get to Forest service Road 130 S as in South. There is a forest service ranger station on the south side of Leadville where you can get a motor vehicle use map MVUM. But even without a map the roads are marked. 130 starts near Highway 24 on the west side across from massive lakes, near a large bank of mailboxes. You'll see a sign asking you to respect the private property owners rights. Just keep going up the hill and you will find the forest service signage indicating the public lands. Many people don't go much further. But the truly spectacular sites are a couple miles further. The roads are narrow and steep but manageable. Keep going down 130 until you reach an intersection with 130A and 130 B, A goes north and B goes south. But keep going till you reach a T intersection. 160 goes north and 130 S goes south. Go left, south till you reach a slightly challenging switch back. Just on the other side of the switchback is a wide open space with room for many rigs including good size trailers. Very quiet with very little traffic of any kind. The Leadville 100 foot race goes right by every August.