Best Dispersed Camping near Empire, CO

Free dispersed camping with zero amenities but man made fire pits. Windy and cold but beautiful!

The location for this does not take you to a campsite but rather a sign that says “NO trespassing” it’s private property now but if you drive farther on the dirt road (about 5 minutes) and take a left at the sign that says 68 you will continue for 2 miles and find a trailhead with a campsite that is very nice. I parked at the trail head but continue down the road that’s there and there are designated free dispersed camping.

Look up forsythe canyon trailhead

PS This is up a very high mountain road. I have a 91 westfalia and I do not recommend for older vehicles such as. Puts lots of wear on it going up and down that huge hill.

Initially looked for camping along the South Platte at Happy Meadows but with a 1 year old, we figured campers wouldn't want to hear him screaming in the middle of the night or the cries of my wife as she struggles with her sanity. We pushed a little further north and took the right hand turn onto Matukat road. We drove a couple of miles up the decently maintained dirt road and found the second dispersed camping spot and decided to set up our roof top tent for the night. 

Looking at a map, it looks like the road goes on for quite a ways but we never explored past the spot we stayed in. Up to the point where we camped, 2-wheel drive was more than enough to get us to our spot nestled in the rocks. The dispersed camping spots we saw seemed very easy to get to and we never needed to put our truck in 4WD. 

Since these sites are dispersed camping, don't expect any toilets or amenities. Some spots did have pre-made (from campers before) fire pits and there seemed to be an abundance of dead wood but actual wood cutting in the Pike National Forest needs to have a permit so keep that in mind. We dealt with some crazy wind so a fire wasn't even in question. Be sure to check with the local ranger station before starting a fire in the area, especially since this is a burn area.

Beautiful drive all the way up to the reservoir multiple dispersed, camping spots along the road fresh water source coming from the reservoir hundreds of feet away from camping sites. Beautiful scenery. Plenty of critters to see. Pretty cool place to explore.

WARNING: The road to the camping locations is very bumpy, narrow, and has some large rocks. AWD with high clearance or 4x4 is recommended.

This location was great! I was looking for a quick dispersed camping spot near Dillon, Co that was not to far from town. Take Rock Creek Trailhead off of country road 1350. There are roughly 4-5 large spots where an RV could be parked, and then lots of drive in, or tent spots. The best camp spots are tent locations that require you to leave your car, but I was able to find a great spot near the river with plenty of space for a full size truck with roof top tent.

Free camp sites. First come, first serve

Used an F150 with aftermarket tires pulling a 19' travel trailer with also larger tires. I think I bottomed out the tongue once on the ride up once you get past Campsite 6 or 7. 

There are some serious potholes and rocks so if you have low clearance, hit one of the early sites. They are not as secluded, but it's a great area for free camping with a town only 15-minute drive away.

I got here on a Thursday evening about 6 and saw plenty of people drive in after me only to turn around so I think the deeper spots past 10, 11, 12 area get filled much earlier.

So the Gordon Gulch dispersed camping area has around 15 numbered sites that are ok... but if you keep driving further down 233.1 you will find many more unnumbered campsites. I am reviewing one of these unnumbered campsites in particular, because this one had the best view. Before you read too far, I can't guarantee you will be able to reach this campsite without a 4X4 high clearance vehicle. We got to the site with a Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Tacoma TRD so we had no problems... I can't definitely say a Subaru would make it though. In the pictures I have included a map of the Gordon Gulch trail system. Entering through the Gordon Gulch entrance and taking 226.1 to 233.1 is the hardest route - there is one very steep and washed out spot. Entering via 120J/Switzerland Trail from the Peak to Peak Hwy and then turning right onto 233.1 is the easier option. On that map I have marked the general area of the campsite with a pink dot and here are the coordinates.

DMS: 40°01'18.5"N 105°28'37.6"W

DD: 40.021814, -105.477103 - if you type this into Google Maps it will locate it

As for the actual campsite, it is a great option for spring/fall camping in Colorado. The elevation is about 8,800 ft and it is on the south side of a hill so it gets a lot of sunlight and is protected from northern winds. In terms of privacy, there are no other campsites that can be seen from this one. However, Gordon Gulch is a popular off-roading area so dirt bikes and Jeeps pass by frequently. This campsite is set up high above and away from the road though, so it is really not that bad. Another thing to point out is that this is a popular area for shooting as well, so if you absolutely hate guns it may not be the place for you. Also, as stated before, this is a dispersed campsite the only thing it has is a fire ring. Pack it in, pack it out!

I first camped in Colorado last year with a friend and we chose this dispersed due to it being close to travel too- yet still dispersed. I’ve come back 4 other times to camp here!

This trail does require some 4x4 action to get to the top. Lots of rocks, bumps, and pools of water to travel through to get anywhere.

The trail has a decent amount of dispersed sites along the way up to the top, although you can not camp the first mile or two, they are residential.

Even at the end of the trail, next to the reservoir there are some great spots to camp at. And a hike around the reservoir would show you that you could even do a bit of backpacking if you wanted to camp by a waterfall for the night.

This place has become a favorite camping spot of mine, and a place I love to bring friends. Quite clean, very scenic, and a beautiful creek rushing by most of the camp sites. There is also a really cool teepee stand waiting to be used to camp under at the top!

Boreas Pass has great dispersed camping for different sized groups. We camped at site #5 which accodated two vehicles but if needed to could probably accomodate up to five vehicles. This campsite was about a five minute walk to Baker's Tank. You can also access Baker's Tank trailhead after walking to the actual tank from the campsite. Be mindful if you decide to hike/bike Baker's Tank loop because it will spit you out at the very bottom of Boreas Pass which you then have to hike/bike back up to your campsite.

This is a nice free camping site off of peak to peak highway. Mountain View’s and lots of wildflowers.

Several sites with rock fire pits. Close to beaver reservoir but apparently it is a private reservoir. Still great option for free camping

Drove more than 35 - 45 mins from boulder expecting a decent dispersed camping area like normal, but don’t let this fool you!! It is all residential and private land! I honestly don’t know of any dispersed camping near the city of boulder and so far this app is deceiving. Read the reviews before you head out!

Gold Lake Road is one of the best spots for dispersed camping in the area. There are a ton of spots on the way to the lake. I've been able to find a spot even on a summer Saturday, which can be hard to do in many of these dispersed camping zones outside of Boulder. Convenient access to RMNP and Indian Peaks Wilderness.

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.

Good dispersed camping. A little rough if you have a small car.

This dispersed camping area is great for western access to Rocky Mountain National Park.