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Silver Jack Campground has 60 campsites around three loops - Chipeta, Ouray and Sapinero. Each loop is heavily wooded with Aspen and a few spruce trees and an understory of tall grass and wildflowers. The campground is convenient to the Silver Jack Reservoir and a network of trails around the Cimarron Ridge. One of the three loops is often used for groups while the other two are for individual campers. Drinking water is available. There are no close communities to get provisions so visitors need to bring everything they need. This is bear country; practice safe food storage techniques.
There are OHV trails nearby
$175 - $275 / night
$5 - $10 / night
Various recreation sites in the Soap Creek Area
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
Guide
We had this campground all too our selves in late May as it was still rather cold out in the area but it was a great spot for tent camping. Lots of trails near by to explore.
ScoutWe towed a 35 FT 5th wheel heading west on 105 until we discovered the perfect campsite by turning south at the intersection with 108. The road was very rough but doable by moving along very slowly.
Our site was hidden by trees off a short dirt drive which wasn’t too bad. There was plenty of space for us to turn around, and a fire pit had been constructed of large rocks (with a resident chipmunk hanging out among them).
We loved being surrounded by tall trees on one side and having a long distance view across the meadow on the other side, watching storm clouds approaching every day. We were far enough from the road that we barely heard any traffic passing. However, the sound of cattle lowing was frequent, and there was evidence of their presence all over the ground! One bull approached and stood there bellowing at the camper before finally moving along, and another morning we looked outside to see several cows munching on the remains of our campfire. Apparently they like to eat ashes and charcoal for the minerals because it happened twice!
We camped there 6 nights and hated to leave. Our only reservations were driving on the long bumpy roads and cattle manure being everywhere. Otherwise, it was the best boondocking place we’ve stayed because of the scenery and remoteness. It was very quiet except for the cattle lowing.
We rode our bikes down 108 one day and discovered that it was way too rough to drive with our dually pickup. Another day we rode all the way down 105 and then back on 100 which is Land’s End Road. There are lots more dispersed campsites further down 105, but many have huge potholes turning into them. Some are located next to reservoirs and have lovely views, but we were happy with our site because we didn’t have to drive that far to reach it. If you had a smaller rig, it would be worth trying those places.
GuideOne of our best campsites so far. It’s a bit of a long road in and first come first serve sites. Nice tree shaded spots
Guide
This is a great spot tucked away behind the reservoir and along a sweet little creek. I didn’t stay because no one was there this time of year and I had no cell service. Good to know about and will be back!
GuideWe spent two weeks near vela resevoir. No fish but lots of mushrooms. The first trees are inoxicating. We are disappointed in the virtual take over by atvs. There are only 4 hiking trails dedicated for hiking. The atvs are allowed everywhere and even sig s stating no motor vehicles are ignored. They ruin meadows, roads, boat ramps. Noisy and stinky. We had to Bushwack to get quiet. It rained alot but we love rain.
Guide
We stayed here the first day it opened in June of 2022. Only the middle loop of the campground was open at that time. Big sites, lots of pull through options. Very clean bathrooms. The hosts were friendly and informative. The short hike out to the overlook is worth the stroll. The views are amazing. Closest store is 45 min away so come prepared with everything you’ll need.
GuideThis is for "Soap Creek Corral/ Coal Mesa Horse Camp" dispersed camping not the actual Soap Creek Campground. There were spots at the formal campground but they were small, unconcealed, and within close proximity to all other sites. However, there were true dispersed spots near the horse corrals where lots of horse trailers and off roaders park to ride the trails.
Off of HWY 50, we turned on to HWY 92 and then took FR 721 to FR 721 E where we turned and went right down to the proper campground before looping back out. We went out the same way in (FR 721) but split off onto the side road to find the horse corral area. Bear country. Pros/Cons: no mobile service, primitive, right next to a creek, lots of OHVs, milky way visible, mountain views, shade, creek sounds at night.
Legend
Great BLM campground at higher cool elevation, 8400 elv. 2.8 miles of graded washboard gravel County road from end of pavement. Lots of aspen trees here. Friendly Host on site. Clean vault toilets, 13 sites, $10/$5 senior, 14d limit. All sites are first come, no reservations. Sites are mostly back in and not real big for larger TTs or RVs. Two group sites and a nice large picnic area loop sometimes used for overflow camping. Limited cell signal for Verizon, Att, but no TMobile. No trash and although normally water is available, it was not working in Aug 2021 due to drought. Update Aug 2024 visit..water system is working.
GuideSilver Lake July 4th holiday What a great campground! There are three loops with one dedicated to group camping. Lots of great views and decent site separation. The elevation is 9,100 feet. There are trails to an overlook of the reservoir and down around the reservoir. The entire campground (except groups) is all first come first served. It’s posted to select your site and the host will find you... eventually. It’s not like you are leaving anytime soon. The hosts Kathy and Jeneen are awesome. Very laidback and easygoing, creating a relaxed and stress free environment while staying on top of their campground tasks as needed. If they don’t catch up to you by dinner time, they will the next morning... relax! Interesting not to see a single chipmunk the entire week. Saw deer and a fox, lots of Monarch butterflies, but no chipmunks. No one has seen a bear this
ScoutBeautiful area around Silver Jack Reservoir with scrub brush low turning to pine forest and huge aspen glades as you climb. Highly suggest taking 858/Cimarron road over the pass to highway 50/Cimarron Colorado in the fall due to the extensive Aspen population. This is where I grew up so camped in the area dozens of times at least.
GuideIt’s absolutely beautiful here. But don’t do what I did and go here in March. The spring must have leaked all the mud on to the road. Because it was bad. But it was great.
ScoutWe decided to try this campground out on a whim, unsure how it would turn out. I’m glad to say it blew our expectations away! The campground was very well kept and quiet which is super hard to find nowadays. Many of the sites are shaded by the trees and the nearby creek provides soothing background noise during nights. Trails near the sites are very accessible. Views are gorgeous.
One warning: the road in gets narrow at times so if you’re bringing an RV or a larger sized car be extra cautious.
This has been our favorite campground in Colorado so far. I give this a 9/10!
TravelerSo let me start by saying we had a wonderful experience here. We had two overland tents on jeeps and one ground camper in our group. As we pulled into the campsite we were greeted by the host who was more than hospitable and drove around to find our site. We chose site 19 which had a beautiful open field behind it, perfect amount of space with flat ground for our overland tent ladders, and a tent pad for the ground campers in our group. This place is kept amazingly clean and quiet off the beaten path and complete with a small little store on the way where we picked up ice for the night. If you’re in this neck of the woods camp here, you won’t be disappointed!
LegendSilver Jack Campground and reservoir are located in a beautiful setting. The reservoir isn't visible from the campground but there's a trail in the campground that leads to a scenic overlook with a great vista of the area. There are no RV hookups but plenty of sites are big enough for an RV. Motorized boats are not allowed on the reservoir.
TravelerWe stayed in a tent on a Saturday in August with no reservation. The camp host was amazing, helped us find a shady spot for our tents and hammocks. The host showed us a great hike behind campsite along a small river. Kids and dog enjoyed the river and it’s hidden swimming holes!
Bathrooms were spotless and campsites in great condition.
The campsite is up a 9 mile dirt road above Lake. We drove our kayaks and paddle boards down during day for water activities.
TravelerWell off the beaten path, about 5 miles down a dirt road off of route 92. The hosts were really nice. BEAR COUNTRY. No cell phone service. Very quiet and primitive. Right next to a creek
GuideWe arrived at Soap Creek Campground around noon on a Friday in mid-July and found several wonderful sites to choose from. We selected site 8 as it was fairly close to the restroom, had decent shade, and large enough to accommodate our large tent and two vehicles...with room enough to spare to play washers! Vault toilets only, but they were very clean...host normally sells firewood, but they were out, however they did allow us to gather our own. No water at this time as it is spring fed and was low. Mostly surrounded by tent campers, but a few RV's made it down the narrow, windy and bumpy dirt road to the campground...but for the most part they kept their generators off (no electricity at this campground) during quiet hours. We were able to walk to the creek and what a view! Would definitely recommend and can't wait to go back!
TravelerNice place to camp. Clean vault toilets, small campground, with limited space for large campers. If you’re an off grid type camper this will feel like the Hilton. Road in is long and a bit too rough for some RV’s. Camp hosts Wade and Tammy were so awesome. They give all campers a briefing on the rules and try by all means to save people money on fines that Park Rangers will no doubt issue of the rules are not followed. If you come to party and be rowdy, this isn’t the place for you. If you want good family time, and a chill environment, welcome, you’ve found a good spot.
ScoutGreat spot! Clean! Lots of room! The other sites are pretty spaced out. There are toilets and a water faucet near our site. Rained on us a bit the first day so the name definitely fits! 4x4 would help get to the sites! Especially on muddy days!
LegendMud springs is a small campground tucked away on top of a national monument. To enter the monument, there is a fee, but if you are going to mud springs you can tell them that and not pay the park entrance fee. It's up on glade park but kind of off the beat and path. The road was wet from recent rain and a small stream flowed down the washboard surface. The park itself is small but nice. Quiet. A bit muddy when it rains. We saw deer in the morning. We had a nice tent pad and firerings. Room for hammocks. It's a good place with pit toilets. But it's quiet. We did have a couple things walk through our site, we weren't sure what they were but it put our dog on high alert. One had a bell so that was strange. The other we aren't sure of but our dog watched as whatever it was walked past the tent. There weren't many people there so it probably wasn't another camper but some sort of critter. There is also a fresh spring that you can collect water from I think. We looked at it but didn't opt to collect any water. Lots of trees though which is nice. It seems to rain in July there, although they go through severe droughts and then all of a sudden, rain for two days. But both times we've gone in July, it has rained.
ScoutThis is a beautiful campground for those who like quiet and isolation..It is approximately 40 minutes west of Gunnison, CO. There are no reservations and no hook ups. There are vault toilets. What draws us to this campground is the beauty of the surrounding area. Black Canyon is close by for those who like to hike. We enjoy riding our ATV and have found some beautiful trails full of wildflowers and wildlife. It is also close enough to take day visits to Montrose or Crested Butte. Oh, and if you like star gazing this is the perfect place as their is no light pollution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests is Silver Jack Campground with a 5-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, with real photos and reviews from campers.
