Best Dispersed Camping near La Jara, CO

Recent Dispersed Reviews in La Jara

155 Reviews of 48 La Jara Campgrounds

• 

  Paulina B.

  Ranger

  

  Dec. 15, 2024

  The Dunefield — Great Sand Dunes National Park

  Wild and Untamed

  Backcountry dispersed camping in Great Sand Dunes National Park offers an unforgettable and truly unique wilderness experience. If you’re seeking solitude and raw, untamed landscapes, this is the perfect spot to pitch your tent. With no designated sites, you have the freedom to find your ideal spot beyond the busy dunes and under an expansive star-filled sky.

  The journey begins with a hike deep into the park’s rugged terrain, where you’re surrounded by towering sand dunes, alpine forests, and sweeping views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The lack of light pollution makes stargazing an absolute highlight—this is one of the best places to witness the Milky Way.

  Keep in mind, this is true backcountry camping: no facilities, no water sources, and you must pack out all waste. Permits are required, so be sure to plan ahead. The environment can be challenging, with extreme temperature swings and strong winds that shift the sand beneath your feet. Good preparation and Leave No Trace practices are a must.

  The rewards are well worth the effort. From sunrise hikes to the serene sound of nothing but wind across the dunes, this camping experience immerses you in nature’s raw beauty like few others can. It’s an adventure you’ll carry with you long after you’ve left the dunes behind.

  Highly recommend skipping the tent and sleeping under the stars!

• 

  Rick T.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 18, 2024

  Beaver Creek Site 4

  Nice

  This spot is pretty open with room for a small rv or tent camping. Area Code It's a short drive up to Poage Lake at the top of the mountain and also a short drive to Beaver Creek Reservoir down the mountain.

• C

  Caitlin C.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 13, 2024

  BLM Mt. Blanca Rd. Dispersed

  Great Spot

  Was able to find a really nice open spot with amazing views of the mountains. Was big and spacious enough for me and my friend to camp in our vans. No one around for miles!

• 

  Grace R.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  BLM Near Great Sand Dunes Hwy 150

  Not accessible

  Gated off. Not accessible

• J

  Jason R.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  Elk Creek Trail

  spacious creekside hiking area

  Parked on edge of flat in trees close to creek. Nice ambient noise. Fire rings, metal and stone. Plenty of room. Two vault toilets were clean plenty if TP. Lots of trails, bridge over creek, lakes are near by foot.

• 

  Mark B.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 1, 2024

  Pass Creek

  Over night sleep stop.

  Stop here just for and sleep stop overnight. Road is well maintained. Several places to pull off the side of the road or actual sites too. We have a 35' 5th wheel and had no problems menivering the area. Nice lake with a parking lot at the end the turn around at if you wish to take the road all the way to the end.

• 

  Levi S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 23, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Mountain

  Easy free camping

  Got here on a Saturday night in September and found a spot right away. It had been raining for awhile too. No issue on the road with a kia sorento.

• 

  Kevin M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 13, 2024

  BLM Near Great Sand Dunes Hwy 150

  Area Gated; No Access

  Locked gate at indicated entry point.

• J

  Jason

  Legend

  

  Sep. 12, 2024

  Pass Creek Road Dispersed Camping

  Pass creek rd camping

  Quick stop while traveling. Several established dispersed camp sites nearby. Rock fire pit at this site doesn't appear to been used in awhile

• D

  Deitz B.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 11, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Mountain

  Wide Open Spaces

  Not much tree cover at a lot of these spots. Great location to be close enough to the dunes.

  Was pretty windy and sandy while we were there

• S

  Stephen

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 3, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Mountain

  Good dispersed sites

  Dispersed sites start about 1 mile east of Hwy 150. Very quiet! T-Mobile 5G at 4 bars.

• J

  Jason

  Legend

  

  Sep. 2, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Dispersed Camping

  Peaceful BLM camping

  Very easy access to several spots in the area. Can hike up the mountain.

• K

  Kelly

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 1, 2024

  East Fork San Juan River, USFS Road 667 - Dispersed Camping

  Fun location

  There are 20+ campsites along FR667. Some can accommodate RVs, some only tents. We parked a popup at the 1st campsite past the bridge near the trailhead. 2 waterfalls are close, Pagosa Springs is 30ish mins away. Our kids tubed down the creek. Lots of ATV traffic, some bikes, but overall quiet.

• 

  Timothy N.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 29, 2024

  Dispersed Camping Near Hopewell Lake

  Plentiful dispersed options

  We spent a few nights in the dispersed area near Hopewell .  We rolled in at 5 and had plenty of sites to choose from.  We chose one of the lower areas, with one large open space surrounded by smaller sites.  There were many more up the road, and there was constant traffic headed uphill until about 9PM.   Once the traffic stopped it was very quiet, only the cattle calling through the trees.  It rained for several hours and our spot stayed solid.  Some offshoot roads were rutted out. The main road had minimal rocks and holes, didn't get very muddy.  TMobile\Google mobile service worked well enough.  Verizon did not work.

• 

  Allen

  Scout

  

  Aug. 25, 2024

  Beaver Creek Site 4

  Cliff high exposure

  No water sources within walking distance. The lake is aways away. It's a pull off on the dirt road that's big enough to fit a small camper on the side of a cliff with high exposure. No cover for thunderstorms.

• A

  Ashley W.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 22, 2024

  Great Sand Dunes Dispersed

  Good spot if you get there early

  There’s plenty of spots off the main road, but seems like you need to get there early. We showed up around 6 pm. The road does get pretty rough eventually, and we didn’t trust our minivan going through the “unmaintained” section, we turned around and were able to find a connecting side road that had plenty of open space out there. When entering the road initially, the side road would be about half way up to your left. Pretty close to Great Sand Dunes National Park, so we were happy with this location! Nice mountain view.

• 

  Edward P.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 18, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Mountain

  Free- bumpy road, windy, and lots of sand

  It's a nice spot with a spectacular view but it's very windy and there's a lot of sand.

• N

  Nathan M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 14, 2024

  FR 024 Dispersed

  Nice spot on the river

  Grate spot on the river No cell service Someone has left trash

• 

  Erika L.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 14, 2024

  Mallette Creek North

  Peaceful

  Even with a couple and a new born up the hill I never heard them from our campervan! Serene surroundings and even and beautiful place to camp during a thunderstorm!

• 

  Matt B.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 10, 2024

  Lake Como Road Dispersed Colorado

  Lake Como Dispersed

  Great for a quick overnight stop. Woke up to people unloading there side by sides.

• 

  Abby H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 5, 2024

  Del Norte Dispersed Camping

  Incredible spot during the week

  Incredible spot, river is incredibly cold even in August. Most sites have river access: Wildlife is abundant. Air is cool. One of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever camped at. The only downside? The F’n ATVS. Disrespectful to other campers and stir up SO much dust, also just out right dangerous? Because of this the road is full of washboards. Folks out here apparently also do not care to pick up their trash or have any common curtesy of how to leave a campsite. Very unfortunate:( PSA: clean up your trash and pack out your used toilet paper…. 🤢 We stayed at 3 different sites. Sites get better the further along you go, road is rough but nothing a standard 4x4 vehicle can’t handle. (We have a Toyota Tacoma) There are hiking trails/ ATV trails too. We will definitely be back. Great spot during the week when there’s less traffic!

• 

  Will H.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 4, 2024

  Ventana Arch Dispersed Camp

  Dog weekend

  Overnight with One of my dogs had a great time very nice no bugs dark night

• 

  Chris E.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2024

  Dispersed Camping Near Hopewell Lake

  Lots of sites in high elevation and shaded area.

  This dispersed area is close to Hopewell Lake and Campground where there is fishing and vaulted toilets. The Continental Divide Trail goes right through this location.

• H

  Hunter L.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 28, 2024

  BLM Mt. Blanca Rd. Dispersed

  Quick Stop

  Quick and easy to find. Area was easily accessible. A great option for those on a budget and attempting to avoid paying fees for one night stays. Nice views of the valley and mountain behind. Sites were not the most level going up the mountainside and a bit rocky. Would stay there again!

• 

  Laneha E.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 27, 2024

  BLM Near Great Sand Dunes Hwy 150

  Beautiful views & Isolated

  This place is good for those who have clearance and a 4WD. Road can be rough but pretty much all pickups are good. Don’t need a jeep. If it rains, you could get in trouble. The views are beautiful. Especially higher up. Some spots, I didn’t find tons of spots. I was the only one here on a Friday night last week if July 🤷🏼‍♀️. Or if there were others I didn’t know it. You get cover of some trees quicker than the sacred mountain location farther south on same road. You have to open a gate to get in. I would recommend it, and will probably be back at some point.

• 

  Morgan E.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 23, 2024

  BLM Mt. Blanca Rd. Dispersed

  Dispersed Mountain Views !

  This campsite is very popular, I would definitely recommend arriving early morning time to secure a spot. We got in fairly late in the night from Texas and had to drive in a ways. Many people left early in the morning so sites opened up fairly quickly. The road is graded and then turns into a rocky road that is manageable in a crossover for a ways then high clearance will be needed. There was a small flooded portion that is next to the helipad but we just drove up onto the helipad to get around it as to not risk getting stuck. There are plenty of sites available and even a circle drive in the front of the road if you don’t feel like venturing in during the night. There are A TON of flies! Lots of bug spray and loose clothing to avoid those pesky biting flies. We had a beautiful view of the mountain and Great Sand dunes is a short 20 minutes away. Our pups loved the large open spaces but beware of cacti and tiny burrs.

• 

  Macy E.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 3, 2024

  Pass Creek

  Roof top tent camping

  This place was perfect for a little one night stop. I am not sure if I would stay much longer, the spots are pretty out in the open not much privacy. there was a couple of spots that are further away from others but most spots are near each other. No bugs, there was service, and saw quite a bit of wild life. It’s closer to the road so we could hear some traffic if it bothers you. roughly about 10 spots