Best Dispersed Camping near La Jara, CO

Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is BLM land so it is all dispersed camping. You will need to make sure you aren't on someone's property or nearby any roads. There are plenty of turn offs. 

This isn't a "get away" more like a stopover spot. I stopped here on my way back North to Colorado to see the bridge over the Rio Grande and so I wasn't so high up in elevation that I would freeze. 

But if you can find a quiet place it is a beautiful dispersed spot where there is civilization nearby and toilets at local businesses  and picnic areas that you can use. See map on review. 

Be careful roaming at night. The drop into the river is quite deep so offroading isn't just ill advised for keeping the flora and fauna safe…but you as well. 

There are picnic ares around the monument too, just not established camping spots.

The gate is not locked, just open it and you've got some great campsites in BLM land!

There are three dispersed sites listed along this road with the first being flat and open, the second being slightly uphill and fairly open, and the third being higher uphill and far more private. We kept driving until we found a spot that was both uphill and private, which definitely requires a vehicle with some height to it like an SUV rather than a sedan. The road to the third and farthest site became too rocky for some cars and horses to continue on, but my AWD SUV did great.

The camping spots in this site all have fire pits, edible prickly pear cactuses, and some shrubbery and trees for privacy. Verizon and T-Mobile service worked well. When the wind was forecasted to be 7mph with 15mph gusts, it was enough to cancel the noise from a group of campers a few spots down. It’s a generally quiet area, so with the except of that group, you could only notice other campers if they walked, biked, or drove past the spot.

The views were phenomenal, and it was a 30 minute drive to the sand dunes. You could also check out Zapata Falls for the day with a short drive from this campsite.

There are no amenities other than fire pits in designated spots here. There is open BLM land on either side where many RVers chose to park down the hill. You can also split away from the designated spots in the upper rocky area for extra seclusion and privacy, but considering the amount of cactus and tall grass, that may only be good for car camping.

The temperature almost went down to freezing at night in early June, so be prepared with layers for both hot and cold desert conditions.

In our camp spot we saw mountain blue birds, tiger beetles, circus beetles, hover flies, common flies, plateau fence lizards, snake holes, pocket mice, deer droppings, prickly pear cactus (we prepared grilled nopales), and pinyon pine trees.

This is a wonderfully isolated, dispersed camping area. There are group sites and individual ones, scattered bathrooms, and a few picnic tables. Not much to do nearby, but the campsite is beautiful.

The location on Dyrt maps is wrong, forest service is NW of 285 & 64. Beautiful dispersed camping spots plentiful. Park ranger Melissa was the top notch. Couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly. Definitely stay there again.

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!

The best part about this area, aside from the views & the sunsets, is the access to the sand dunes natl park. We completely stumbled upon this area and it turned out to be one of the coolest day trips we’ve ever had. Highly highly recommend checking out the sand dunes. If you go early enough they tend to waive the entrance fee. I recommend driving up into the bushes at the camping site for more privacy, but the road is very rocky. Try and do any bathroom stuff prior to staying because digging cat holes out here is tough. It even hailed on us briefly so watch out for crazy weather! Very cool BLM land!!

There are a bunch of different roads you can turn off to camp on if you’re driving from Taos to Durango. We mapped Forest Road 578 and it took us to a dirt road with a lot of flat spots you can camp on. We spent the night there and it was very quiet and peaceful. If you keep going to Durango you’ll get to Carson National Forest, which is not too far from the coordinates on The Dyrt. That’s where more people are camping, you can pull off right before the 64H road marker. You’ll keep passing camping spots as you drive to Durango so you can really go almost anywhere!

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

Great boondocking sites about 45minues from Pagosa Springs. These sites are completely primitive. No restroom facilities, electricity, potable water or trash service.  No cell service.  Its worth it, so plan accordingly. 

Follow US160E about 10 miles, turn right onto USFS 667.  Pass by the entrance to East Fork Campground and continue on the forest service road.  This is where the road becomes fairly rough.  Dispersed sites begin about 2 miles further. Most sites are clustered together in pockets near the river.  

We arrived early in the day and found a great site near a vertical rock face.  Campsite was at 8000'.    We stayed a week and only saw other campers on the weekend.  The weather was perfect with day time temps in the 70s and overnight temps in the 50s.  Ideal hiking and fishing conditions.  

The forest road gets busy with Jeeps and UTvs during the day on weekends.  Our site was far enough away from the road that we weren't bothered. 

Access to several trails, beautiful valley views and waterfalls nearby .

A lot of area for dispersed camping on the side of the mountain. Roads get progressively more technical as you ascend. Some roads marked on the map have washed out making them impassible. The sites at the bottom are pretty flat, but the ones farther up the mountain become pretty steep, 8% grades if the inclinometer in my truck is right. There is fresh water fill and a dump station at the NP - free with entry fee (or real free if you have a pass), a small store with gas priced competitively and restaurant. The nearest cell tower is in Blanca a few miles away. Verizon signal is pretty good.

This dispersed camping is top notch. Nice sites with amazing views. A little windy but that’s to be expected near the dunes.

This is our first time dispersed camping and we like this! We were pretty nervous that we won’t find any spot, we got here at 5:30pm on 8/18 and there’s still plenty of spots left! Highly recommend.

I started off 69. I have a stock JK and made it through with no issues. Plenty of dispersed camping sites. I had plenty of room to park, set up my hammock, and have a fire. I would definitely recommend if you're looking for seclusion!

We found this place randomly. Seen all the road exits of the Carson National Forest on our way to Taos we said “let’s give it a try!” And we found apparently a fairly popular place. It may be due to available internet connection (which we greatly enjoyed it after weeks!) or just a lower altitude spot that may help with physical activity and weather temps. At any rate, easy and short access to the camp sites via gravel sandy road, some with fire rings and camp tables, leveled grounds for trailers and lots of pine trees for privacy. There are signs for trailheads and pretty rock formations that will need to be explored next time. We stayed a night and enjoyed it to the fullest. Highly recommended, especially as nights get nice and chill (vs. hot day temps) for good sleep.

FYI in the spring summer is way more fun to sleep inside the sand dunes with a parking permit you buy at that lot. The hike up into the dunes is epic but yes this is free and last minute high capacity. Sand dunes camping has a 10 or 15 person per day

The Dyrt has a weird seemingly inaccurate map however the road leading out to the dunes did in fact had a dirt road that branches right off towards the mountain.

The Dyrt map says Mt Blanco road but Apple Maps says lake Como road. They both branch off highway 150. There is obvious signs of dispersed camping used ie firepit and a randomly left behind camping item

The weather I was very skeptical about. thought i would have to book a hotel. Last time I went camping per review off of Idaho springs down Fall River road it was snowed in even tho the main road was fine. After I got through the very snowy and icy mountain pass from Walsenburg to for garland it became very dry and there was no more snow.

This region in Colorado is fair weather all year long. With the exceptions of severe winds sometimes rarely