Best Dispersed Camping near Glenwood Springs, CO

My girlfriend and I drove in late to the dispersed camping on Lincoln Creek Road off of 82 (Independence Pass) towards Aspen. We set up at campsite 18 and highly recommend that site or traveling up past Grizzly Resevoir for primitive camping. The site goes about 100 yards back and has area for multiple vehicles or tents and is completely wooded. There's a path that walks back to the creek and if you follow it in either direction you have incredible views of waterfalls, Aspens, and Truro Peak.

This BLM land is well trafficked, the sizes are big and there are 5-6 in the first few miles of the road. They sit right along the river slow flowing. There is ZERO cell service or gas for 15+ miles. So pack accordingly. Great to unplug and explore.

Lincoln Creek is an absolutely incredible dispersed camping spot! there are 22 total spots up until the reservoir (about an hour to an hour and a half in) and after that, everything is a campsite! Very bumpy and rock filled road, but with any 4wd you should be fine! Beautiful views and lots of places to hike and play in the river! (It does get buggy when you are close to the water...)

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!

Spent three nights here (5/13 - 5/16). To start, we camped with a teardrop trailer, but once you pass the White River National Forest sign and parking lot for the babbish trail head, it’s not easy to turn around unless you find a campsite. Once you pass this you’ll see the first two campsites after about 4 bends in the road, both are walking distance to the trailhead. The first is a larger open space right off the road and the second is a much more private spot. The road to access this is just beyond the first campsite, which is where we stayed (see photos). We loved this spot!

If you continue up the road you’ll eventually reach a fork, if you hang right and continue up there are 4 more dispersed sites. These would not work for trailers but are great tent spots. We had a very hard time trying to turn around.

There are no services (no bins, no toilets, no cell service) and these sites are super clean so let’s keep it that way. The aspens hadn’t bloomed quite yet but in a few weeks it’ll be pretty spectacular.

Additionally the main trailhead with access to beaver creek trail is not open until June 14th so most other dispersed sites won’t be accessible until then.

You can camp at a designated campground right on the lake, or you drive up 24 and find a lot of dispersed camping available - all the way up to the little lakes (great for fishing too). The dispersed camping is above the lakes which offers incredible views but is first come, first serve. Definitely bring your paddle boards, kayaks, etc.

This is one of my favorite places in Colorado - but beware of the altitude! Drink lots of water, you will forget how high you are and a little altitude sickness might creep up on you, even if you've been here before without issues. It's also very close to Mt. Elbert and you should take Independence Pass to Aspen for a gorgeous drive and lots of wildlife!

Lots of good level spots for dispersed camping further away from the reservoir. Please use common sense and don’t just pull on to ground cover—pick spots that more clearly have been used/designated/won’t damage small plants under your tires.

Stocked reservoir with rainbow and brook trout. Smaller fish but fun fishing. 

The dispersed camping is located on the east side of the reservoir. Vault toilets located here and no water(except the reservoir). All camping is first-come, first-serve. Bring bug spray as the mosquitoes are pretty bad here.

There are significantly less spots here than there could be, which leads to amazing dispersed camping. The wildlife here is unbeatable and the flowers are breathtaking. Unfortunately I was not able to spend the night because there were no spots available but so imagine that waking up there would be the best day of my life

After the Lincoln Gulch campground there are 22 dispersed camping sites that follow the creek south of Independence Pass. The spots are far apart and have fire pits and bear boxes. We had a great time camping here in September, although it’s pretty chilly at night with the elevation! Easy access to the ghost town of Independence, the Grottos, Weller Lake all on the pass and Aspen just 30 minutes on the other side.

This area is gorgeous and there’s so much to do. Definitely need 4x4 to get here but it’s so awesome! I’ve been wanting to go back this year but just haven’t gotten the chance. Went here last year and hiked tabor creek trail just down the road. There’s a bunch of actual sites until you get farther down the road and it turns into dispersed camping. Plenty of spots so no need to be right on top of one another!

This location is absolutely breathtaking but I worried about getting towed and getting in trouble for camping here. It dropped me off in a location you weren’t allowed to walk on much less camp on so I kept driving until I entered the national forest. I was only there for about 5 hours, so I’m not sure if I was allowed to be there or not.

The Good:

Gorgeous landscape and views. The wildflowers were beautiful. The sites are big and spacious. Each site has a metal fire ring. Free camping! Only 15+ minutes to town. 

The Good To Know:

No water. No trash. Very limited cell reception -- one bar, but no data. 4WD and higher clearance are necessary for any sites beyond the first handful. The bathrooms are only at the entry and are more than a mile from most campsites up the road. Some sites are in meadows with limited shade, and some are nestled in trees. 

The Bad:

BUGS. It might just be the season's moisture and the two very close ponds, but the bugs were terrible. I can't remember the last time I had this many bug bites from a CO camping trip. 

There were some funky things happening with sites up there. The site across from us had a tent, chair, and hammock set up. We were there for 3 nights and only saw the person there once. It felt strange the site was being held like that, but not sure of the story behind it. 

When we got there, I walked up the road after we found an open site to see what else might be open. I came across a person who was also "holding" the space across from them and would be willing to let us stay if we wanted. We didn't end up needing it. 

For better or worse, this campground has no enforcement or oversight. However, enjoyed having the dog off leash!

This was a cute spot! Although it’s settled right next to the highway right above, it’s pretty quiet from 7-8pm, and even with the small amount of traffic it was really quiet. It’s nestled right at the bottom of a ridge, with streams all around good for fishing and taking a dip. There’s bear boxes on each site, as well as bathrooms. If you keep going down Lincoln creek road, there are more dispersed camping sites, and the road is pretty rough, but doable with 2wd, but you’ll need a little clearance. The tabor creek trailhead is up the road about 6miles, and makes for a 3200ft elevation climb, rates moderate, but took us about 4hrs back and forth.

This is in my top 5 most beautiful places I've ever camped. The roads leading up to it are definitely most manageable in a vehicle with 4x4 or good clearance and there are some very exposed, narrow sections to be wary of depending on the route you choose. There are a handful of marked sites up at Paradise Divide (as all dispersed camping is now regulated and marked in Crested Butte area). If you are arriving on a weekday you shouldn't have too much trouble nabbing a site, but weekends in the summer may not be easy to get a spot. These sites are located very close to some of the best mountain biking trails, the 401 and 404, as well as a wealth of high mountain hiking.

Dispersed camping just past gothic campground, to the north. Sign posted “GC1” where we turned off. There were 5 well spaced fire rings. Most spots had tree cover and some protection. Would easily be able to get a small/medium camper in. We liked the balance of tree cover, yet wide open spaces, meadows, and epic views of the canyon all around. It did rain while we camped which made the road extremely muddy. 4x4 and decent clearance recommended, saw a few cars get stuck in the mud. We hiked nearby Judd falls, and had plans to hike Washington Gulch (trailhead was within walking distance). If you can make it, the drive north to emerald lake has amazing views. Signs posted in the canyon indicated that camping was only allowed in the established gothic campground June 15th through August 15th.