The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Parachute. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Parachute is surrounded by family-friendly activities. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Colorado camping adventure.
"If you have ATVs, dirt bikes, horses, etc. this is a great place for you. It’s just 4 miles off of I-70 but still secluded."
"Nothing extreme or crazy with this site, you get privacy, open space and 360 views of the surrounding scenery and free range cows. Road relatively easy to pass through"
"To start, we camped with a teardrop trailer, but once you pass the White River National Forest sign and parking lot for the babbish trail head, it’s not easy to turn around unless you find a campsite."
"My first winter camping trip in Colorado."
"Our site was hidden by trees off a short dirt drive which wasn’t too bad."
"We spent two weeks near vela resevoir. No fish but lots of mushrooms. The first trees are inoxicating. We are disappointed in the virtual take over by atvs."
"For those without AWD/4WD vehicles I would use caution/advise against since the drive to get into the actual grounds requires a bit of off roading including crossing a creek."
"Awesome valley with access to the creek. There is also a nice trail up the mountain that forks into two other trails."
$20 / night
"The campground is next to a trailhead. We stopped at the cave, but didn’t go in and then took the Cliff Lake Trail up a couple of miles. Beautiful views."
"There is a bathroom nearby with vault toilets. It was self-pay, cash only, $27. It was very secluded and peaceful. No WiFi service. This became our favorite campsite of our trip."
"Entrance is via 139 just before the 8 mile marker, you have to drive over a cattle grate and road is gravel."
"Near town and close to i70.
Note: there are several coyotes in the area. Be sure to keep an eye on your pets."
GuideIf you have ATVs, dirt bikes, horses, etc. this is a great place for you. It’s just 4 miles off of I-70 but still secluded. It is a designated OHV area so no worries about people stopping you from ripping around and exploring.
That said - I’m a quiet camper and prefer to avoid OHV areas calling them Obnoxiously High-noise Vehicle areas. I’m kidding, obviously. Seriously, everyone enjoys the outdoors in their own way and I don’t begrudge anyone their enjoyment. I took the chance and it was very quiet while I was there. Only one couple other than me that I’m aware of.
The weather was mild in mid-April during my stay - got to about 70 during the day and around 40 at night. It was windy during the day but it is a very open space and it is western Colorado. When the wind died down, the mosquitoes came out and they were persistent. I hiked around and they weren’t just at my campsite. There is a water treatment facility in the area and just down from the main camping is a treatment pond so I’m guessing that’s the culprit.
The road in is unpaved once you leave the small town but very easy. I base those sorts of claims off of the VW Jetta Scale - the vehicle I had for 8 years before my current vehicle. There are a few low creeks crossings but the beds are small and both were dry when I came through. Even if they had water, I still would have crossed if I were still in my Jetta. The roads were washboarded so don’t bring the nice china.
The pull offs are plentiful and large. Most could hold a few trailers or several vehicles and some have fire rings. I did not have a fire because the fire danger was too high (ALWAYS CHECK BEFORE HAVING A FIRE). The road is a loop so just follow it around until you find the spot you want.
The space is wide open and surrounded by 360 views of mountains. Sunset and Sunrise were great but - for you photographers - the light changes really fast so scout the compositions you want ahead of time.
No wildlife that I was aware of aside from birds and our mosquito friends. I didn’t hear coyotes, I didn’t even see deer tracks. Just horse and tire tracks.
Oh, on the way in there was a sign that said “Private Property, No Trespassing” and it looked like it was for the road going in; however, the other signs revealed that it was for the area around the water treatment plant. There isn’t a lot of signage, just one saying it’s an OHV area and one saying it’s a Limited Use area. Other signs are just to protect the sensitive areas.
ScoutWe 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.
TravelerSpent three nights here (5/13 - 5/16). To start, we camped with a teardrop trailer, but once you pass the White River National Forest sign and parking lot for the babbish trail head, it’s not easy to turn around unless you find a campsite. Once you pass this you’ll see the first two campsites after about 4 bends in the road, both are walking distance to the trailhead. The first is a larger open space right off the road and the second is a much more private spot. The road to access this is just beyond the first campsite, which is where we stayed (see photos). We loved this spot!
If you continue up the road you’ll eventually reach a fork, if you hang right and continue up there are 4 more dispersed sites. These would not work for trailers but are great tent spots. We had a very hard time trying to turn around.
There are no services (no bins, no toilets, no cell service) and these sites are super clean so let’s keep it that way. The aspens hadn’t bloomed quite yet but in a few weeks it’ll be pretty spectacular.
Additionally the main trailhead with access to beaver creek trail is not open until June 14th so most other dispersed sites won’t be accessible until then.
RangerMy first winter camping trip in Colorado. Just south of Glenwood Springs and west of Carbondale is Sunlight Mountain Resort, an awesome little mountain with great tree skiing and untracked powder that can be found days after a storm. It sits in the western side of the White River National Forest in the Sopris Ranger District. From Glenwood or Carbondale follow directions to the resort and just about a mile before you get there you'll take a right to stay on Four Mile Rd or county road 117. Travel about 2 miles after turning and you'll come to a parking area on your left, in the winter its mainly used by cross country skiers and snowmobiles. From here we took off on foot in our winter boots down 2 miles of groomed snow covered road until you reach an intersection with a bunch of signs giving you several different options in directions and places to go. We strapped on our snow shoes and headed west up Fourmile Park- North through 16 to 24 inches of snow for an additional mile and settled at the 2nd camping spot we came to on our left. The low that night was 19 but I stayed warm most of the time until around 4 or 5 and finally had to get up and move around. The best part about the trip was we got to ski before and when we got back the bar was still open. I loved living in Glenwood Springs and choose this area for its proximity to so many awesome places, can't wait to get back.
GuideWe camped here for two nights. It’s location was perfect for our next day Hanging Lake hike followed by a soak at Iron Mountain hot springs as both are less than an hour away from here. We found a spot that was easy enough to pull into in our Nissan Rogue. Near a small meadow but also in the woods. There was a fire pit and some trash from other campers that we cleaned up before leaving but nothing too bad.
ScoutAvalanche campground is a gorgeous campground. There's no camping fee, however, the site is relatively small/has limited spaces so their first come first serve policy can be problematic in finding a spot. Bear proof storage boxes and fire pits are available for each space as well. For those without AWD/4WD vehicles I would use caution/advise against since the drive to get into the actual grounds requires a bit of off roading including crossing a creek.
GuideEntrance is via 139 just before the 8 mile marker, you have to drive over a cattle grate and road is gravel. We were in a 28ft RV and the first 3 pullouts were very accessible, last one (furthest from the 139) was a little sketchy to reach at 10pm - would recommend for a smaller rv / 4x4 as there were a couple of large pot holes. We relied on Google maps satellite view to guide parking / finding pullouts at night.
No facilities I could see but there where 5rvs & caravans parked overnight. Pretty view over distance mountains & mesas at sunrise.
One pile of illegally dumped rubbish present else fairly clean/pristine.
TravelerWe really liked this campground. Most of the campsites are shady and private. We were the only campers when we were there so we took a more exposed spot with river access. The toilets were clean and the Larry, the camp host, was so friendly!
The campground is next to a trailhead. We stopped at the cave, but didn’t go in and then took the Cliff Lake Trail up a couple of miles. Beautiful views. The trail was a little overgrown so I was glad I had on pants.
Overall, a great place to camp!
TravelerAwesome valley with access to the creek. There is also a nice trail up the mountain that forks into two other trails.
Horse camping in Colorado offers a unique opportunity to explore the stunning landscapes while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With a variety of options available, equestrian enthusiasts can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride the trails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Parachute, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Parachute, CO is Pyramid Rock Camp with a 4.5-star rating from 15 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 9 equestrian camping locations near Parachute, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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