Best Equestrian Camping near Gunnison National Forest

Lost Lake Campground near Crested Butte, Colorado, is a hidden gem that combines serene alpine beauty with a peaceful camping experience. Tucked away in the Gunnison National Forest, this campground offers stunning views of wildflower-filled meadows, dense forests, and the pristine Lost Lake itself, which mirrors the surrounding peaks.

The campsites are well-maintained, spacious, and thoughtfully spaced for privacy, with some offering lakefront views. There’s a charming rustic vibe, with basic amenities like vault toilets and picnic tables, but no hookups. The nearby trails, including the popular Three Lakes Loop, are perfect for hiking, fishing, and soaking in the mountain scenery.

What sets Lost Lake apart is its tranquil atmosphere—especially if you’re visiting during the off-season. It’s the ideal spot to disconnect and enjoy Colorado’s natural beauty, whether you’re kayaking on the lake or simply relaxing by the campfire.

Be aware that the road to the campground is a bit rough and narrow, so it’s best suited for smaller campers or tents. Also, temperatures can drop quickly at night, so pack warm gear even in summer.

If you’re looking for a quiet retreat near Crested Butte with postcard-worthy scenery, Lost Lake Campground is hard to beat. It’s the perfect blend of solitude, recreation, and breathtaking views.

This 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.

Stumbled upon this place accidentally one weekend. There are some reserve able sites near the lake, and some first come/first serve sites as well. Also dispersed camping on the way up to the campground. Place for your horses, group sites, small sites, lakeside site, trailer sites, this place has it all! Great fishing on the lower lake, hike up to the pass or upper lakes. Great trails surround this campground . Spectacular fall foliage! Camp host you can get wood from. Bathrooms and great hammock spots, nice pull in spots for your car, accessible in any vehicle! Fire rings and picnic tables, everything in great shape.

Road was very easy to find and was very smooth. The first couple sites on the water were already taken so we headed up further. Found a steep, secluded pull-off just past marker #6 that looked like an old off road trailhead or access road that didn't seem to be in use anymore.

The site was a good size but there wasn't a great flat option for the tent but it would be great for a van or small trailer and could easily fit 2-3.

The views were absolutely amazing which is why I'm giving 3 stars. The mosquitos and thunderstorms were insane. Shout out to the REI base camp tent holding dry and not too many bugs in the tent.

We also had the pleasure of a bunch of night riders on the first night traversing up and down the road all night which was incredibly loud. 2nd night was much quieter. I also moved the car to block the entrance to the site so people could see it was taken instead of driving up right next to us just to turn around the first night.

Overall, easy access to the site, views were stunning, easy to get to Glenwood Springs.

Edited to add that this site did have cell service

Hartman’s is MASSIVE and has tons of sites! It’s all dispersed camping. There are smaller more remote sites, big sites, as well as areas where there are a few sites in clusters. There are shady areas, non-shady areas, spots with views, and more hidden spots. There really is something for everyone. I live here in Gunnison, and it’s a great last minute spot if you want to get out for the night. There are no water sources, as the area is just rocks and dirt. There are many different ways to explore the array of trails, so you can bike, take a four-wheeler, horse-back ride, hike, or just drive your car. There are about 3 toilets (nothing fancy). It’s an overall great area if you don’t want to get too far out of town!

We 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!

We 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.