Best Equestrian Camping near Parachute, CO

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. 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.

My 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.

This site is well trafficked but cozy with great views. There were people traveling down the dirt road in the late evening in vehicles and sport vehicles but they were quiet. I think this might be a local hangout area but the site I stayed at was clean and mostly quiet.

This was a beautiful place to camp. There were a few places along the road you could stop and camp. We stayed at the farthest site out because there were other campers at the other sites. All sites could fit more that one camper if needed.

Beautiful sunsets and sunrises at this location. The road leaving up was doable for our low clearance Winnebago solis.

Apple map directions are spot on. Lots of room - I chose to go up a rutted road a ways, for privacy. There was one camper at the flat bottom. Check weather for rain chance if you don’t have 4x4.

Easy to find with Google maps. Plenty of open space. 15min off 70.
Dirt road, a bit bumpy, but we easily pulled our 21ft Micro Minnie and it was doable for almost any vehicle. We didn't go to far up into the sites so I can't speak to further in. Rolled in at midnight and was still simple to find in the dark.

Camped here 6/26/21 and had an awesome time. No campfires allowed. I am not convinced the coordinates were accurate, navigate to 4 mile road near glenwood springs and continue until you see Sunlight ski resort. Bear right towards 4 mile park. After about a 25 minute drive up that road, there are plenty of awesome spots for tents or RVs. They are quite spread out and appears to be plenty of them, even for arriving on a Saturday afternoon!

Beautiful spot and very few other people around. Cute river running throughout.

The four mile road itself is a pretty well maintained dirt road that's wide enough for trailers and two cars parallel.

The camp sites are the definition of dispersed as they are quite far from each other and seemingly minimal if you're driving in. We saw three viable sites and was able to camp at the third one about 3 Miles down the road.

Really enjoyed this spot. Quick drive from Glenwood. Beautiful location.

Beautiful spots but we didn’t get there early enough! Long road, some parts were pretty bumpy. We ended up at a campsite next to an electricity pole but there were plenty of other spots if you come early.

Do not attempt to go to the location specified in winter. Instead, van camping is allowed overnight in the Sunlight Mountain Resort parking lot.

There are many sites all over the place up there. Some are big enough for groups of RV's some are small, private tent spots. Some offer magicians views others are in dense vegetation along water. We found no cell reception for miles. There are easy sites next to the main gravel roads and more secluded sites off of many various "Jeep trails". No services, no running water, no electric, no cable TV, no bathrooms, no showers, no dump stations, no picnic tables, etc. It's the forest.

We 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.

Showed up late on a Saturday evening, so no surprise that a majority of the sites were full. Ended up camping at the very first turn off after the parking lot. The sites were beautiful and well separated. Would highly recommend.

Additionally, I left my dogs collar and name tag on the ground at my campsite by mistake. If you end up finding it, please give me a call. Phone number is on the tag. I would happily pay shipping to have it returned. Thank you!!

Easy drive in my sprinter van and beautiful in the fall! Highly recommend. I didn’t have cell service so just prepare for that

Great views, plenty of space between sites, tons of firewood. We even heard turkeys in the morning. There were about 4 spots before the road was closed. Recommend having an suv or Truck as the road gets pretty bumpy the further up you go but we made it just fine in a Dodge Durango.

The road up to the campsites is pretty well maintained but you do gain a good amount of elevation. The scenery is beautiful with lot of wild flowers and tall, towering trees. It rained before we got there and there was some moisture on the tent the morning after. Make sure to follow the road to Four Mile Park and continue up the road for another 20 minutes or so. You will see a pull off to the right with a sign for the White River National Forest. Continue on to find some more campsites

Had a quick stop over here on the way to Dinosaur National Monument. No ATT phone service beyond a certain point. This is all primitive camping and heavily used by 4x4 ATVs. There are no facilities ie: Toilets, power, water or fire pits. The road was easy no need for high clearance or 4wheel drive. Heavy wildlife area, had a fox come right up to my car as I was making coffee. Only 30 minutes from Glenwood Springs. Would stay again 9/10 would recommend.

Remember to pack in pack out.