Best Dispersed Camping near Erie, CO

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.

We drove our BRAND NEW 4x4 Revel and were nervous the entire trip up and back.  We are a high profile vehicle, luckily we had plenty of clearance but it was very nerve wracking both up and back.  It is about 7 miles of dirt road, and 4 miles of very challenging (for me) driving.

Be sure to follow the sign LEFT to Chinns Lake.  When you arrive, there are several dispersed campsites around the lake.  All the spots have beautiful views and tons of space between other campers.  There are firepits (even though CO is on a fire ban) that  will be nice for future visits.  We visited on Sept 17-19, 2020, so the evenings are cold and the days short.  Additionally, the water level was very low.  

The area is nice for hiking and exploring, and especially to get away from it all.  No cell phone service.

As the weekend approached, there were several ATV's heading up for the day.  While we were there, only 3 other groups camping on the weekend.

You will be at 11,000 feet looking at the Continental Divide!  THIS is Colorado camping!  Enjoy and please remember to leave no trace!

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!

Campground Review

This dispersed camping area allows for a more secluded, private camping experience for those willing to venture off the beaten path a little with their (recommended, certainly not required) 4 x 4 vehicles. While this review applies for the specific campground area on the map, readers should know there are many access points along this road for camping. This place is also very difficult to find at night, so plan your trip with enough day light to find these not-so-well marked turn offs and fire pits.

In general, you're "roughing it" here for the views and hikes. There's no water or facilities or garbage receptacles - so leave no trace is in place to ensure these primitive sites stay open. There's lot of brush and spots are dispersed well enough for privacy. Elevation in these parts is near +9,000 ft, so be aware nights are still cold even in summer. Camp here for closer access to various hiking and exploring, or find some streams nearby for fly fishing, but not for those used to creature comforts typically found at designated campsites.

Gear Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products from time to time - today I am testing the Primus ONJA camping stove. As far as portable camp stoves go, this is a fantastic purchase if you're looking to cook at camp and stay within a respectable budget. The price tag may seem a bit high for camp stoves, but not based on the quality. The value is here. In my experience you get what you pay for when it comes to camping gear, and this is such a versatile, well made and compact design it has allowed me to expand my cooking options on so many activities. Before I was limited to carrying the backpacker, single-serving, water-boiling stoves for day hikes and road trips to keep my stove from becoming a huge space waster in the car. That meant freeze dried, basic meals. Now I have an actual stove that is relatively lightweight and very portable. Pro Tip: Take this thing with you when you wake up early to get parking spots at your favorite ski hill and with your parking now secured, bust this out and make some breakfast while you wait for the lifts to open. Watch how many new friends you make thanks to warm breakfast burritos.

The burners themselves are very easy to control with the adjustment knobs, and the temperatures are easy to control. The gas canister connections to the burners are well threaded to securely handle your gas bottle - something pretty important if your putting this over your shoulder as you walk. May want to keep them disconnected during transport in a car though, just for the peace of mind. The pot supporter is durable and I was able to put two medium-sized pots on without any worry. I made a pretty basic spaghetti one night, and to have the assurance to let the water boil and the sauce simmer while I used the included wooden cutting board to prepare the sauce. You usually need a cutting board when camping anyway, so to have this included and not add to my footprint of supplies was convenient. It also protects the burners and port supporter when not in use, which I thought was pretty clever.

I would have liked to have seen a self-ignition or Piezo iginiter-type offering with this product. Having to carry a BBQ lighter just to light the thing isn't inconvenient for car camping, but it's a nuisance for a day hike when you're trying to carry as little as possible to save weight. I also wish the cutting board was a better piece of wood. I've used the stove on three tips and I've had to oil the board twice. Not a huge time or expense, just something to remember to do to extend the life of the board. Wish I didn't have to do it as often though.

Overall, solid piece of gear. Great solution for those looking for home stove top-quality stoves to take outdoors without the price tag, weight or footprint issues of conventional camping stoves.

My son and I joined a friend from Longmont and headed to this trail to camp for a couple days. Very accessible road, lots of spots to choose from (we showed up on Thursday, it did get a little busier on Friday and Saturday). Our spot was set back from the trail, right next to the stream. Just an amazing view, ample room for lots of tents, nice fire rings and huge logs around them for sitting. Fire wood abounds but it was all a little wet still from the rains they've been getting. Some folks didn't seem to be aware of the "leave no trace" rule when it comes to going to the bathroom, which was a little gross. Overall, great experience, pretty trail views, caught lots of trout (none big enough to keep). A great getaway.

(Camped 09/18-09/20) This was a little tricky to get to but totally worth the trip. Just outside of Idaho Springs, take the exit for Co Rd 275 off of I-70. It's a scenic drive up a curvy paved road for about 15 minutes. Once you get to the "Invincible Lodge" entrance there is a dirt path off to the left. It has a sign at the entrance stating the drive up goes through about 3 miles of private property before reaching the dispersed camping area. It also says the route is for "high clearance vehicles"....and it isn't joking. The first mile isn't too bad...just mostly gravel. The next couple miles though get really rocky with some spots that have large dips and narrow paths. The route is ideal for Jeeps and offroad type vehicles, but it is still manageable in a small SUV or truck. Just have to really know what youre doing. Even in our Silverado, my brother had to drive very slowly and maneuver around large rocks sticking up otherwise we would have bottomed out. It took over an hour to get up to the camping area. There is a split in the road at one point and we continued to the left toward the Chinns Lake Reservoir.

Once finally at the top there were plenty of spots to choose from. Gorgeous views and lots of wooded area around both reservoirs. There is a nice hiking trail that goes up the mountain side between the two reservoirs as well. We got a little lost and ventured off the path to go higher on the rocks, and the view was worth it. Was a little bit of an adventure to find our way back down though.

Since it was mid-Sept it got pretty cold at night. Elevation was around 11,000 ft where we camped. We were in a fire ban as well so that didn't help. Probably got into the high 30s the one night. Beautiful view of the stars though, and plenty of small wildlife to see.

Highly recommend staying in this area!