Looking for the best options for tent camping near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests? The Dyrt is an easy way to find tent camping spots near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Colorado camping adventure.
Alta Lakes is a popular dispersed camping area that offers fishing and camping in a spectacular alpine setting. There are 20 designated campsites that are completely undeveloped. The access road to the area is narrow and rough, requiring a high clearance vehicle. Trailers and RV's are not reccomended.
Our 45 acre, COMPLETELY SMOKE/PET FREE, Ranch sits on the Uncompahgre Plateau at 7,500 ft. above sea level in the Rocky Mountains, 30 minutes’ drive from Montrose, Colorado. We offer panoramic views of the San Juan Mountains, 2 million acres of magnificent national + state forest + BLM land within walking distance so activities like trial bike / horse back riding, fishing, hunting, white water rafting etc. are available! USA's best ski resort, "Telluride" is within 90 mins drive. Locals call this area "Paradise! "
Our COMPLETELY SMOKE FREE secluded and remote campsite offers 1 new 12ft X 20ft wooden level platform on which you pitch your own tent for $45 per night. It includes 1 table, 2 or more complimentary chairs, fire ring and free firewood for up to 2 nights. We suggest you bring liquid firelighter and paper to start your fire. Thereafter, firewood is $1 per log for which you pay me cash on arrival because Airbnb does not provide this option. You’ll probably need around 9 logs per night.
You may have up to 3 tents on 1 platform. We have a limit of 6 people
( including babies and children ) on 1 platform due to weight restrictions. However, after the 2nd person in any tent or platform on our Ranch, we charge $10 per 4yrs old and over person, per night. This covers the extra peoples’ use of our amenities such as shower and toilet etc.
All accommodation includes your shared use of a 20ft bathroom facility, located approximately 300ft from your platform, which has 1 toilet, 2 showers and 3 hand sinks with running hot and cold water. A separately located compost toilet is also provided within approximately 60ft from your platform. Please refer to pictures.
No power, WIFI or bedding is supplied. You can access the internet on our Ranch via your personal hotspot. Verizon provides the best phone connection. Other providers are unreliable.
Horse petting any of our 11 horses is available by appointment.
National / State forest and BLM land surround our ranch… I trailered 10 mins to a trail head yesterday and enjoyed a 3 hour horseback ride with spectacular views.
Wildlife you may see or hear includes deer, elk, coyote, chipmunks and eagles. Although it is unlikely you will encounter a bear or cougar, we recommend you bring bear spray.
After your reservation is confirmed, I will provide you our address and convenient information.
Since my husband Monty is a professional horseman and hunting guide, please don’t hesitate to ask to speak with him if you have questions.
Thank you,
Susan Moss.
$45 / night
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads.
This is a staging area for OHVs no more than 50" in width. Site amenities include loading ramps, shade structures, picnic tables, trailer parking, training area, beginner loop, skills course, and vault toilets. The site is within the 900-acre Peach Valley OHV Open Play Area. Outside of open play areas all vehicles are required to stay on designated routes. For more information, please contact the Gunnison Gorge NCA or Uncompahgre Field Office.
Angel Creek Campground is a primitive campground requiring high clearance vehicles. There are 8 designated camp sites with tent pads and fire rings/grills. Port-a-potties are available.
Thistledown Campground is adjacent to the historic site of Thistledown and the Weehawken Trailhead in Canyon Creek near Ouray, CO. There are 9 designated campsites with tent pads and fire rings/grills. A vault restroom and trash service is available. There is no water. This campground is heavily used by people planning to hike into Mount Sneffles & on other nearby trails, enjoying the wildflowers in Yankee Boy Basin or driving on the local jeep trails. Tent camping is recommended.
Traveler
Stayed for 4 nights in early Oct 2024. Nice little campground with large bear boxes for food storage. I felt it's at a good location to venture off each day from.
Not too many sites, had leveled tent areas, pit toilets, deer went through the campground adding to the nice views there and a river by it.
The cons were there's no trash disposal there you need to go up the road to the other campground to get rid of it, cars were constantly going by looking for a campsite which was constant noise into the evening and they went really fast making the campground road not feel very safe to walk along, not the flattest of parking spots if using a rooftop tent or car camping without anything to level with
Enjoyed the place.
Scout
Tent camping is pricey but the amenities r almost with it. Close to black canyon and in town food and booze with in walking distance. What more could u ask for. A pool, they got that.
Traveler
We loved our stay at the South Rim Campground. It was the perfect spot to explore the national park and take in its stunning views. The drive down towards the East Portal Campground was amazing and led us right to the beautiful Gunnison River, where we enjoyed some great fly fishing. Highly recommend
Traveler
Great campground just 10 minutes from Silverton. Several spots are right next to a small stream, creating a peaceful atmosphere. The vault toilet helped us conserve water, and we used the public shower/bathroom in Silverton, which was very convenient. It's also close to many hiking trails, making it a great base for outdoor activities.
Scout
This is my second time here and it is always such a great experience. I don’t even want to brag about it because I want to keep it to myself.
Scout
As locals, we love the North Rim of BCNP. It's closed from November through April/May. Can be surprisingly cold in May with temps below freezing. Lots of interesting fellow campers as many are big wall climbers from all over the globe. The nature trail in the campground offers nice viewpoints. The trail to Explanation Point is a level and very beautiful 5k hike, BUT no dogs. Same goes for Green Mountain trail past the point. The SOB trail starts from the road near the campground and is a difficult route dropping a few thousand feet, rocky, and steep with poison ivy to greet you near the bottom. Rewards are in store for the hearty hikers with great trout fishing a super river access. Campground is tight for spaces, some are not pull through. Gravel biking during winter closures on the roads in BCNP is full of wildlife and wonder.
ScoutAs part of Crawford Lake State Park, this campground offers great water access to a small reservoir for SUPs, motorboats and sailing. Decent fishing in the spring with some northerns, bass, and crappie. Excellent walking trails and a sandy swimming beach plus two boat ramps nearby. Rarely full capacity, it's a nice relaxing place to hang. The town of Crawford is right over the hill with a great coffee shop, ice cream parlor, and restaurants. Good jumping off spot to visit the North Rim of the Black Canyon NP (one of the gems of Western Colorado and much less visited than the South Rim near Montrose).
Scout
This campground is a gem as other reviewers have cited, BUT the road in is dangerous when wet as there is a lot of exposure off the edge. An AWD would be ok but still dicey on the downhills. The fishing platform is really a good addition for those physically compromised. Brown and rainbow fishing (rainbows should be immediately returned to the river). Very peaceful and out of the way. Can be used all seasons as it rarely gets snow.
Ranger
Stayed in spot 18 which was close to vault toilets, but they were stinky and full of bugs. Very buggy in general, not all are mosquitos but there are some of those too. Sites 1, 2, 4, 18, 21, 23 were all decent looking with some shade in the afternoon and relatively level pads. Lakes in area, one adjacent to campground and one that is down a trail to a day use area that is covered by the camp fee. Good spacing between sites. Some have electric. A little warm for July, probably 80 degrees in afternoon. Lots of aspen trees in the area might be good for a fall visit. Bear cans available for trash.
Scout
It is a little bit of a maze of roads, some are gonna need vehicles with higher clearance, careful not to commit too much on a road if you're unsure about your vehicle's offroading capability. If you get to a site, most have room for 1/2 vehicles and tents. Beautiful trees, each spot feels pretty secluded from others. Plenty of downed trees for firewood if fire danger is low. Will definitely come back.
Traveler
Found this spot and was very happy with the setup. Like other reviews, the highway noise was a bit loud but nothing too crazy, especially really late. There were other campers spread out nicely, you wouldn’t even know they were there. The road is a bit iffy so snagging a spot at the front would be best if you don’t have 4WD (my Nissan car struggled, we had to back up & turn around). Overall great spot for tent camping! Remember to leave no trace 🫶🏼🏕️🌎
Guide
Some of the roads were really rutted out, but we were lucky and everything was dry so we were able to get thru in my forester. There are some spots at the beginning of the property but there are more if you follow the dirt road back another two miles or so. Beautiful views, quiet and secluded. We did find a few deer legs left behind, so keep an eye out for Mountain Lion
Scout
The off road trail it get to Alta lakes took us about 40-50 minutes in my boyfriends F-150. The views were amazing so neither of us really minded. We enjoyed our 1 night stay and did not struggle to find a spot
Guide
We arrived at a Saturday around 3 pm and still had many opportunities to find a place. Lovley place to stay. As a toilet. I can recomment to stay there in fall.
Scout
Friendly staff. Clean restrooms and showers
ScoutVery friendly staff. Easy access
TravelerVisited the first week of October 2024. Had beautiful weather, no bugs and few campers. Sites are dirt so I can see it be being messy when wet. Only few sites at entrance for larger campers. We got into with a Bean teardrop np.
Traveler
We stated here one night arriving without a reservation. The office was closed and no one was answering the phone but we were able to register for a site online. That worked reasonably well and we had a quiet relaxing evening. The RV sites are all on gravel but there is a large grassy area near the office. The site is on the edge of town but was fairly quiet.
Nice clean laundry and restrooms. Good base for exploring Black Canyon NP.
GuideKathy (the owner) was awesome. Cedaredge is a great little spot, really quiet. Not a big RV park, don’t bring truckloads of kids and your off road vehicles. Really happy with what we had here.
Traveler
We went to Buckeye with six families and somewhere between 10 and 12 kids(The oldest being Nine years old) to celebrate one of the kiddo's 7th birthday. We camped at the group site, which was a big enough place for all of us. We had a mix of camp setups- including a Class B RV, a pop, a hybrid travel trailer, and three or four tents. There was a large common area with plenty of built-in picnic tables and a very large fire pit. All for only$50 a night! The lake was beautiful, and we fished, Sup’d, and swam in the refreshingly cold water.
There are some monster Rainbow Trout in the lake, and we had fun catching a few with the kids on fly rods, but there were a lot of other campers having good luck with spinner rods. The area also has a good mountain bike trail that us adults enjoyed. The Mtn bike ride starts and ends from the campground, taking you across the border into Utah and then swings back towards CO on a ridge that offers an incredible panorama of the lake and red rock cliffs. The trail is primarily double-track, and we bumped into a few ATVs along the way.
Overall, if you’re going with a large group, you 100% should book the group site, which is also separated from all the other single campsites.
We’ll be back! Buckeye is about a 2.5-hour drive from Telluride, where our group lives, and a 1.5-hour drive from Moab, UT.
Lastly, if you're looking to stay connected, there is no cell service or wifi(I have Verizon), although when we rode our bikes to the top of the ridge, I got two bars. You can also drive to the top of the hill in an offroad-capable vehicle if you need to make a call.
TravelerGot in pretty easy on a Tuesday at noon. The place was full by the evening. Access to a nice trail just under 4 miles. No cell service.
Guide
Location is all I can Say. Every direction you look is beautiful, onsite restaurant is great, drinks are good, sites level, might need a little updated showers and bathroom to match price. While area is a 10 of 10. Wish we would’ve stayed much longer.
TravelerStayed one night on the way to Colorado. Super easy to find right off the highway and plenty of spots. I was the only one there when I stayed. Highway noise isn’t too much of an issue but I did have some loud and strong winds all night.
Ranger
We got a FCFS campsite here around noon on a Tuesday. The campground was full by late afternoon. We did a quick loop behind the campground on some harder trails. There are many more trails nearby. We had a lovely view site with views of the valley and mountains. Would stay here again. Very clean vault toilets. Steve, the camp host, was super nice and helpful.
Traveler
We stayed here for 1 night after visiting Orvis Hot Springs and it was perfect for what we needed. We camped on a flat pull off right after the bridge about 2 minutes before the pin. Great sounds from the flowing river. We arrived at the 10p so just went for something easy. On our way out we saw some cool spots down below by the river.
Traveler
Beautiful campsite surrounded by aspens and views of Wilson and Sunshine peaks nearby. Clean, quiet, right off of highway 145 but little road noise at the campground.
Traveler
Made camp here for 1 night traveling west. Many sites available both by the highway and down in the canyon. Canyon road was in good shape and even the largest RV could go down it. Sites were pretty level. No toilets, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests is Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed) with a 4.4-star rating from 38 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests?
TheDyrt.com has all 41 tent camping locations near Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, with real photos and reviews from campers.
