Several dispersed tent camping areas surround the Monarch area in central Colorado, with notable options including Road 240 Dispersed and Fooses Creek Dispersed Camping within the San Isabel and Gunnison National Forests. Browns Creek South Dispersed Camping and Browns Canyon Dispersed sites offer additional primitive tent camping options within reasonable driving distance of Monarch Pass. These undeveloped sites provide direct access to mountain trails, creeks, and alpine environments without formal campground infrastructure.
Most dispersed camping sites require visitors to bring all necessary supplies, as facilities are virtually nonexistent. Campers should prepare for rocky access roads that often require high-clearance vehicles, especially at Road 240 and Fooses Creek. Tent sites typically feature natural, ungraded surfaces with occasional fire rings, though fire bans may be in effect seasonally. Water must be carried in or filtered from nearby streams, and proper waste disposal means packing out all trash. The majority of these areas operate under a 14-day stay limit typical of National Forest dispersed camping regulations.
Terrain at these tent sites varies from wooded areas along creeks to more exposed sites with mountain views. Many locations offer the sound of running water as background ambiance, particularly at Fooses Creek where campsites border the stream. Sites are generally most accessible from late spring through early fall, with higher elevations often snow-covered until June. Visitors seeking more facilities can consider established campgrounds like Pitkin Campground, which offers toilets and drinking water. A camper described Fooses Creek as "serene" with "massive" camping spots that easily accommodate large tents, noting "the creek was directly behind us and made beautiful sounds all night."
"This spot is one of the best kept secrets for dispersed camping in Colorado. The road has plenty of camping spots all the way up to the lake. Most spots are wooded and offer plenty of shade."
"There are a few tent camping spots at the bottom right before you cross the bridge."
"Big wide dispersed camping spaces. Plenty of nice hiking - especially Brown's Creek area. Great location with easy drive to Buena Vista & Salida & Mt. Princeton."
"Stayed near the browns creek trail head. Restrooms there, along with a few temp toilets around."
"The creek was directly behind us and made beautiful sounds all night. There were a ton of mosquitos, but I never saw any animals or signs of animals."
"There’s a nice little trailhead and hike nearby from the site. Keep going down the road to find sites, you’ll know you reached the end if you hit the trailhead."
"Awesome location, beautiful views of the collegiate peaks and about 20 minutes away from Salida. There are lot of spots in this area (some side roads lead you to 360 views)."
"Propane for pits were allowed but while on Colorado please don’t start a wildfire. Close driving distance to Nathrop and Buena Vista."
"The drive up access roads from the east is easy with a truck or all wheel drive after snow melt and it's not long before you're up in the gorgeous meadows with great views."
"Walking distance to town of Pitkin. Definitely will be back. No phone service unless you have satellite service"
"Its proximity to Pitkin was ideal. We would stay here again. Well worth stopping in."
$10 / night
"Slept perfectly on a sandy tent pad listening to the river flow. This site has an in-tact bear safe, picnic tables and designated campfire ring. Will go back."
"Right off the highway so a little noisy at night but calms down. The river runs right by spots, relaxing sound and plenty of water. Even surface and easy to set up."
"An easy to find camp right off the road with a few different entrances and a creek running alongside."
"After a nice meal in nearby Buena Vista, Co, we headed out on the 7-8 mile drive to the trailhead. Now 7-8 miles on a CR isn’t always the same as a similar distance on a paved road."
"A lot of spots the further up you drive towards trailhead. Found a spot right next to the creek with room for several cars and framed in by trees. Sounds of water is awesome."
RangerQuiet campground, off grid, no cell signal, no wi-fi. Busy campground due to proximity to Aspen. Adequate space between sites. Pit toilets, dumpsters available. May pose access challenges for larger rigs. Each site has picnic table, fire ring, bear box. No amenities, no laundry, no showers, no electricity. Smallest amount of road noise, depending on what site you are in. Day use parking lot available.
GuideReally gorgeous camping spot with easy access to tons of different outdoor activities. Tent sites are very well maintained and very beautiful. Walk-in sites are very close to parking, I would barely consider them walk-in sites. My only complaint is that the tent pads are made of gravel and therefore extremely hard to properly stake down tents.
TravelerI gave this a 4 star because of the crowds.I backpacked to a high alpine lake called Kroenke Lake in the Collegiate Peaks wilderness area near Buena Vista, CO in August to catch some high country Cutthroats. This is a very popular hike during the summer. Camping can be congested but there are enough trees in between spots for some privacy. The designated camp sites we kept very clean by the previous visitors. There was not any trash in or around the fire ring that I often come across in other areas. The people that have previously visited, practiced leave no trace with the exception of the designated fire ring. The scenery was beautiful with a gorgeous lake with peaks of granite in the background. All of the people on the trail were friendly and courteous. It does get congested on the weekend being so close to Buena Vista and Salida. If you go little further, you can escape the congestion. I would highly recommend this hike to anyone looking for a weekend backpack trip.
LegendThis is one of the smaller sites alongside the main road you will find just a short distance outside of Aspen. I was passing through late in the season, technically during "closure" but was able to snag a site because it had not yet been closed due to unusually warmer fall. There had been some snowfall higher up but where I was there had not so the camp had not been closed. They had however turned off the potable water source but vault toilets and sites remained open.
I was located in site 5 which had a small back in area, a picnic table and fire ring. There were also bear boxes throughout camp, which you need to use if you are here because there is a population of bears that will raid camp. I made sure to keep any food in the car behind doors and cleaned up away from camp with my own water source so as to not attract anything to come near. Bears do scare me a bit!!
The site for my tent was lush and grassy, it had not yet frozen or died for the season so it felt very fluffy underneath my tent.
Temperatures dropped dramatically at night and I was happy there was no fire ban when I visited because I used my fire for a heat source in the evening and then hand warmers inside extra socks at night. It was pretty peaceful at the camp as a whole.
While there I enjoyed hiking on the Weller Trail which heads directly out from the parking area near the camp and treks a short distance with some amazing views. I was so happy to have found this site for only $21.
TIPS:
Typical season is May to the end of September if it is before or after this time check with the Forest Service to see if they have opened camp for season.
Bring a flashlight there is no external light at the campground so you will not be able to see anything without one.
TravelerI travelled to Twin Lakes the weekend after Memorial Day weekend to explore more of Colorado. The drive from Denver was beautiful and the Twin Lakes topped it all. Sitting at the base of several 14'ers this campground featured dispersed camping with options for walk-in, drive-in, and drive-in 4x4 camping. We found ourselves on the North side of the upper side of the neighboring lake since we arrived late Friday afternoon. We found 4-5 sites without anyone around, a quiet spot nestled in the trees for shade.
Bears were reported to be active in the area but we didn't see any. Some camp sites, as we walked around, were littered with people's waste and trash. Sad to see but not everyone follows the leave no trace attitude.
RangerOne of my favorite campsites! We pulled in late night and were able to find a site(it was a thursday). The self pay system was easy and convenient. the campsite was small but nice with a great picnic table and fire ring. The current fire ban in that area meant no campfire, but the stars were amazing. You have a great view of Mt elbert and the twin lakes. There are also hiking trails down to the lake and vault toilets dispersed throughout the campground.
LegendSo much of Colorado is impressive, let me just start with that. I wanted to swing through Aspen to check out the John Denver Sanctuary before heading to Denver and found the Difficult Campground on a listing for the area.
Like many campgrounds in Colorado, facilities are limited in fall and winter as they prepare for cold weather. The campground itself was no exception. CLOSED! I was so upset, however I stumbled upon a ranger in the area and he said I could stay if I parked and walked in from the entrance and would not have access to toilets.
Seemed fair, backcountry style camping with some amenities like a fire ring and table. I thought Indeed it would be a winning experience!! Boy was a right!!
The river flows alongside the campground and makes for such a relaxing sound throughout the evening. I saw several small animals as I hiked in, mostly squirrels, birds and a small fox.
The tree coverage of the area cut the wind in the evening just enough. I had the campground to myself and it was one of the coolest feelings ever!
There was no cell service at the campground.
I had to bring in my own small firewood because they discourage you from foraging for fallen branches at the campgrounds typically. I have seen that during the regular season there is a small store that has firewood available near the entrance area.
I look forward to getting back to this site during the summer season!!
TIPS:
Bring your own firewood. While sometimes it is available in the area, you will want to bring your own just in case to make sure you are keeping it in the fire ring.
Check the website first. I was looking online at this campsite and discovered if they have weather related closings or fire bans they list them very vividly on their site which can be very helpful in helping you determine if you would like to stay here.
LegendSites: 17
Fee: $22.00 per night $7.00 day use
Reservations: 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov
Open: Mid May- Mid Sep
Check out 12 PM Prior to Memorial Day, sites may be FCFS but water and host might not be available.
Fire ring, picnic table, tent pad, pit toilets, doggie poo bags, bear box, no showers, electric hookups This is a beautiful campground and you just can't go wrong on this mountain. The surrounding mountain views are just amazing. The creek is cascading along the rocky creek bed and is the perfect way to zen out. The ghost town of St Elmos intriguing so make sure you head up to the top of the mountain to check out a Colorado ghost town.
LNT
BTWYFI
Safe travels
LegendFee: $22.00 Day use fee $7.00 There is a self service tube available
Check out 12:00 noon Quiet time 10:00 pm to 6:00 am
Fire ring/grill, picnic table, tent sites, pit toilets, doggie poo bags, some bear boxes Pads and road have a base of gravel
Before Memorial Day weekend the sites may be FCFS, but host and water may not be available.
During peak season you may reserve by calling 800-444-6777 or on line at recreation.gov No showers or electrical hookups are available. There are two handicapped-accessible toilets. Water is by way of a handpump
Mt. Princeton Campground is located in the Chalk Creek Canyon and not only is it a beautiful drive but you have St Elmo to look forward to. St Elmo is a ghost town from the 1800's. The mountains are just beautiful.
Directions: From Buena Vista travel south on Highway 285 for 7 miles then turn right on County Road 162 and travel west, passing the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort then 8.5 miles to campground
LNT
Better than when you found it
Stay safe Happy travels
Dispersed camping opportunities near Monarch, Colorado sit between 8,000-10,000 feet elevation in the San Isabel and Gunnison National Forests. Summer temperatures typically range from 40°F at night to 75°F during daytime hours. Many sites experience afternoon thunderstorms from July through August, with rapid weather changes common due to the alpine environment.
Alpine lake hikes: Road 240 Dispersed Camping provides direct access to Billings Lake. As one camper notes, "if you continue driving up the rocky road, you'll get to billings lake which was gorgeous." The trail is moderate but rewarding for day hikers.
Mountain biking: North Cottonwood Trailhead Dispersed Camping connects to several mountain biking routes. A visitor shared, "There a lot of really good options you can just park your car at. You can also get pretty far up the trail in a standard car."
Wildlife viewing: Early mornings offer opportunities to spot local wildlife. One camper at North Cottonwood reported, "Seen a Moose and her baby. Nice large camping spots next to the creek the further to the trailhead you go."
OHV trails: Multiple forest roads permit OHV use throughout summer months. According to a Pitkin Campground visitor, "Lots of OHVS use campground. Walking distance to town of Pitkin. Definitely will be back."
Creek-side campsites: Water access ranks highly among camper preferences. A visitor to Fooses Creek Dispersed Camping mentioned, "Stayed right by the creek which was serene and relaxing to sleep to. We easily found a site that fit two tents."
Privacy between sites: Many campers value separation from neighbors. At Browns Creek South Dispersed, a reviewer noted, "Comfortable distance between campsites, yet still many to choose from! Convenient hiking just down the road as well."
Spacious tent areas: Larger groups appreciate ample camping space. One Fooses Creek camper explained, "The camping spots are massive. We had room for our 10 person tent, mini van, and PLENTY of room to spare."
Cell service availability: Service varies by location and carrier. A Browns Creek South visitor mentioned, "Verizon worked fine," while another camper at Browns Canyon Dispersed noted, "Decent T-Mobile and AT&T."
Road conditions: Forest roads deteriorate throughout the season. A visitor to Road 240 warned, "believe the reviews when they say the road to get to these campsites are ROCKY. i was able to get there in my hyundai santa fe but got nervous a couple of times."
Site availability patterns: Weekends fill quickly from June through August. One Browns Creek camper advised, "Make sure you get here early in the weekends. There are many sites if you keep driving, but some better than others."
Seasonal closures: Snow impacts accessibility well into late spring. According to a Road 240 Dispersed visitor, "Tried to reach the site but got only to the road bifurcation where is a ramp. Local informed us it is closed due to snow, yet to be melted. This was on April 10."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Monarch, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Monarch, CO is Road 240 - Dispersed with a 4.8-star rating from 11 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 46 tent camping locations near Monarch, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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