Best Dispersed Camping near Manitou Springs, CO

Initially looked for camping along the South Platte at Happy Meadows but with a 1 year old, we figured campers wouldn't want to hear him screaming in the middle of the night or the cries of my wife as she struggles with her sanity. We pushed a little further north and took the right hand turn onto Matukat road. We drove a couple of miles up the decently maintained dirt road and found the second dispersed camping spot and decided to set up our roof top tent for the night. 

Looking at a map, it looks like the road goes on for quite a ways but we never explored past the spot we stayed in. Up to the point where we camped, 2-wheel drive was more than enough to get us to our spot nestled in the rocks. The dispersed camping spots we saw seemed very easy to get to and we never needed to put our truck in 4WD. 

Since these sites are dispersed camping, don't expect any toilets or amenities. Some spots did have pre-made (from campers before) fire pits and there seemed to be an abundance of dead wood but actual wood cutting in the Pike National Forest needs to have a permit so keep that in mind. We dealt with some crazy wind so a fire wasn't even in question. Be sure to check with the local ranger station before starting a fire in the area, especially since this is a burn area.

These are blm campsites. There are pit toilets right when you cross into blm land and a sign that explains that you have to camp in designated areas. Like most blm locations there is a 14 day max.

We got our 19 foot travel trailer into a spot with icy conditions, but the road does get quite a bit rougher if you keep going in. Great T-Mobile and Verizon service (2+ bars of 5g)

PROS: It's FREE, as the great outdoors should be. Gravel roads are well maintained. Spots are far enough off the road w/o being too far from your car (~250 ft). Easy to access for any mobility-level or age. Peaceful and quiet except for the occasional passing car which is to be expected. Spots are relatively well spaced apart. Fire-pits galore! And our spot came w/ wood the last people left - thank you whoever you are! There's also plenty of other wood to gather if you aren't so lucky/didn't bring any. Absolutely gorgeous views - mountains, aspen, pine, wildflowers, etc.

CONS: We got there later in the evening and didn't have any issues with bugs but the next day the bees were out in full force for our lunch. There were some ants but they never really crawled on us or our stuff. Did see one tiny spider on the ground but otherwise didn’t seem like a very spider-ey place.

NOTES: Parking is only along the right side of the road so heads up. No restrooms. No water/stream access from the sites which is always nice to have but still. Farish Recreation Area is right down the street (although military only) and Rampart Reservoir is open to the public for $7/car in the same general area. 

Overall, cannot complain especially given that it's free! It's a gorgeous spot right outside of Woodland Park and only 35 minutes from Manitou Springs.

This was our first ever boondock spot on National Forest land. Most of the sites were inaccessible in our 33 foot travel trailer but we found one last minutes. We were right on the road in and OHV traffic was common along with the noise and dust. Still, it wasn't bad and the price was good. There are better places nearby if you're not into OHV riding. Early July 2022

Rampart Range Road is the main dirt road that has plenty of smaller trails branching off of it to keep you busy exploring all summer. Rampart Range Road is accessible by 2wd vehicles while some of the smaller trails that branch off of Rampart Range Rd do better with a 4wd with high clearance. The southern portion of the road (south of Devils Head Trail) is open year around while the northern half of the road is closed seasonally during winter. Easily accessible outside of Woodland Park on the south end of the road and west through Sedalia. Lots of dispersed camping sites along the road, some are very large and could easily accommodate a large RV or large groups. Other campsites are tucked away off the road a little which is great because this road can be very busy & dusty in the summer. All in all, this place makes for a fun and easy weekend getaway as long as some ohv traffic doesn’t bother you too much. The best part of Rampart Range Road is the several forest service roads that branch off with dispersed camping. These smaller trails and dispersed camping make for a much more relaxing and peaceful weekend, I highly recommend if you have a 4x4. Find the right forest service road and you’ll feel like you are a million miles from it all.

Free area, lots of dispersed camping areas, but the main roads in is scored with ripples the whole way so it's gonna take a toll on your suspension. Definitely lots of wind up here both at night and in the day. Cell service works well out in the open. Great view of pike's peak.

It took us a bit to find a spot that worked for 4 hammocks. It was busier than we had thought on a Sunday evening. The park staff helped us out and were very helpful. In this dispersed camping area there were some good established campsite to use. The only down side was that the people before us had left a mess of trash behind. Other than that it turned out to be a great area to camp. 

This dispersed camp site has numerous spots with rock fire pits. There are a lot of dirt bikes and atvs driving during the day however I didn’t find it overly disruptive. The dirt road to get there can be tricky, but I witnessed multiple sedans driving by without issue. We had a moose and deer at our campsite during the mornings so I suggest being weary of wildlife.

Lots of places to walk and explore and there was still phone signal! Each spot is far away from another, especially if you drive further down. We didn’t hear anyone late into the night due to the distance.

Visited 8/2020

We really like this area! Tarryall Reservoir is an awesome location. To update from a different review; the ONLY camping is dispersed. There is a day use only area next to the reservoir with no overnight camping. Also, there is no water available, so bring plenty of water with you.

We were camped initially just off of an established 2-track road that was connected to Tucker Gulch Rd/County Rd 23. Members of our party had been camping in the exact same location for over a decade. Our campsite was consistent with every other dispersed camping I have ever done on NFS land.

After our first night, NFS staff came into our camp stating that we were camped illegally, couldn't make our own roads (again, we were off a 2-track road that was marked on maps of the area), and could not be more than 25 feet from an established and marked NFS road. After we packed up to move to another location, we noted brand new signage that was most certainly not there until after the staff members informed us of our "violation".

After relocating we parked within 25 feet of a marked NFS road. This was right next to other camps that were at least 200ft from the same road. Camping within 25 feet of the road brought with it heavy dust and noise from vehicles and UTV/ATV traffic.

With all of this said, the area is amazingly beautiful and the distance from the metro area is perfect. The area is huge with plenty of 4WD and non-4WD (one member in our group had a travel trailer) roads to find the perfect camping spot for you. We will definitely be going back even with our sour run-in with the NFS. And just to throw it out there; I love the NFS and I believe they're generally pretty awesome!

Note: After getting back in town and re-educating myself on San Isabel NF specific rules and regulations, I could not find anywhere where it states the 25 foot rule. Plus, I confirmed that we were not violating any rules.

Great dispersed camping here and relatively unknown, I was here for 3 days and didn’t see a single person.

Take County Road 77 southeast 8.3 miles to County Road 39, turn north, becomes dirt. Lots of dispersed camping in the next six miles. We even had cell service in the wilderness!

CR 290 off Tarryall Rd. Campsites are all designated on 290 but there are numerous firepits on the side roads. The road to get up is very rutted. I recommend a high clearance vehicle. Definitely four wheel drive is required. I did see a Subaru forester up near the top. The sites are wide open once you get onto the plateau at the top. Easily could accommodate a big rig, but the issue would be getting it up the road. The views from the top are really nice. It opens out and you get some spectacular views of Pike National Forest. The sites are spacious with some pine tree coverage for tent campers. This would definitely be a possible back up spot if nothing on Matukat rd was available. Because they are dispersed there is no electrical hook ups or water. There’s no Creek running through the area. I imagine it would be really quiet and remote up here because the road to get in is going to deter a lot of people. We did find some spots with fire pits, but not sure you can camp there given there is no sign post reading designated campsite but they are off the main road so give it a try.

I noticed on here that it says there's water hookups and electric and Sewer excetera however this is dispersed camping and does not have any type of amenities at all. if you go up to the Meadows or thunder ridge it is a pay campgrounds and they do not have electrical water are sewer but they do have restrooms if I am remembering correctly. It's been 15 years since I've been up there to camp. Now if you're talking about the dispersed camping this is where all the kids from Monument and the areas go up to party on the weekends and it can get pretty Rowdy from what I understand. It's a beautiful area up there I could have it that but you need to be careful and Camp away from the kids.

If you like dispersed camping with 360 views this is the place for you. This was our second time dispersed camping and off-roading here. Depending on which site you pick, you can get amazing views of Pikes Peak. The higher up you go, the more confident of a driver you will want to be as it can be tricky especially with trailers/campers. It’s fun to watch other ITV’s and dirt bikes drive past occasionally, but not enough to be annoying. Lots of dead/fallen trees for firewood. Many spots to choose from. Just look for spots with rock fire pits. Plus was we got cell service at our spot this time. It just depends how high up you are and what side of the mountain. For more photos and video visit @boldtexplorations on tiktok and Instagram

Decent number of sites with fire rings on Long hollow road in the ATV use area. My site was great great for the roof top tent, fenced in mini spur with fire ring. Downsides were the family group camped nearby riding ATVs and playing music into the night, and a rifle range to the west. Shooting went on into the night. Also spent about 10 minutes picking up trash in the campsite area. Overall, close to the pike national forest entrance, decent spots if you don't mind the drawbacks.

I camped here for a little over a week. There is plenty of dispersed camping along the mountainous Road. Four wheel drive is required. There is also some dispersed camping allowed at the parking lot at the bottom of the mountain. However it is common for homeless people to be there and or larger size vehicles to be camping there. There is good Verizon signal for a while going up the mountain. It does go away once you get closer to the top. The larger camping sites are located closer to the top. With great views. Lower down on the mountain there are some spots to pull off on the side of the road. I camped like this for a while and walked a short distance to a pre-made camp fire. This is a popular place to camp especially over the weekends. So the road is a bit busy and narrow at some points