Searching for a dispersed campsite near Rio Grande National Forest? Find everything from dispersed backcountry camping to boondocking with The Dyrt. From secluded to easily reachable, we offer dispersed campsites near Rio Grande National Forest just for you.
Dispersed sites do not have many of the same rules of a traditional campground which places a greater responsibility on the users to protect our natural resources.
Camp at already used dispersed camping sites. Camp at least 150 feet from water sources. All vehicles must stay within 300 feet of the center line of a designated road. Pack out all of your trash and dispose of it properly. Dig a pit for your toilet needs at least 150 feet from water and cover the pit before you leave. Always dump sewage from trailers and motor homes at designated dump stations. Do not leave campfires unattended. Fires must be extinguished before you go to bed and before you leave. Drown, Stir, Feel! Check with the local Forest Service office for current fire restrictions. Motorized travel is allowed only on authorized roads and trails. Obtain a Motor Vehicle Use Map from any of the offices or online. Camping is limited to 14 days in any 30 day period on the Rio Grande National Forest. All hay must be certified weed free. A Rio Grande National Forest visitor map can be useful for information regarding the main roads, private land, trails, landmarks, and other features. Maps may be purchased at sjma.org/shop or at district offices.
Setting up your own campsite away from developed fee sites, also known as dispersed camping, is allowed on most of the Forest for a maximum of 14 days in any 30-day period. Check with the district office for detailed information. https://www.fs.usda.gov/contactus/riogrande/about-forest/contactus
Open all year but normally snowed in from Dec 1 through May 15.
Elevation: 10,800' This small, isolated dispersed (HORSE FRIENDLY) campground is located 16.8 miles east of Creede on Forest Road 600. Campers will find this to be a good vantage point for viewing vistas of distant mountains. There are 3 camping units at this site with picnic tables and fire rings. There is a vault-type toilet, but no water or refuse receptacles. A small stream can provide emergency drinking water only if it is treated or boiled. Trails and 4 WD roads are nearby, as well as fishing in East Bellows Creek. There is lots of room here to accommodate large groups (family reunions, etc.). This is a very Horse Friendly campground with plenty of nearby grazing and room for trucks/trailers. The 4x4 road takes off here for the Wheeler Geological Area attraction. East Bellows trail #790 goes into the Wilderness Area from here to Wheeler Geologic Area and is a foot or horse trail only, no motorized vehicles or mountain bikes allowed. Call 719-658-2556 for "real time" conditions. 14 DAY CAMPING LIMIT.
Scout
Excellent official dispersed camping area in the Conejos river valley. Entrance is marked with a USFS sign. Very large area for camping spread across multiple meadows. Access is a dirt road in poor condition, high clearance recommended but 4WD is only necessary in wet conditions. Fantastic views of the river valley and surrounding mountains. The area itself is perched on a dry hill well above the river, do not plan to walk or drive down to the river at this location. Very clean and trash-free, help keep it that way!
Legend
Quick stop while traveling. Several established dispersed camp sites nearby. Rock fire pit at this site doesn't appear to been used in awhile
Guide
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 .
Legend
Road closed to dispersed camping is closed
Ranger
This BLM at San Juan National Forest is gorgeous! (Se pics) the spots are kinda leveled, the road to get there is a dirt road but not that bad (I have a converted sprinter full of sh$&@$ and I did it great) it is primitive so no hook ups, restrooms nor trash cans, so PLEASE Leave no Trace! Everything was super clean so I guess people is finally getting it. Te river passes right next to you and the views are amazing! There are a few trails next (like the Rainbow trail). Awesome place to stargaze!
TravelerGreat spot! Lots of dispersed camping along the river. Fishing, hiking and swimming all right there. Great views of the Mountains. The star gazing at night was amazing. Great to see everyone packing out there trash. One of the cleaner and quieter camp areas I’ve been too in a while.
Scout
This site is not for those who need amenities. But for those who come prepared with whatever they need, it is a great spot to camp close to Pagosa Springs, CO in the national forest.
GuideIt’s not the best dirt road getting in but I was able to make it quite a ways up in my Nissan Altima. The sites are scattered along the road that follows the river. Beautiful views and great trails to hike. I found a spot that was a peninsula, surrounded by the river. Very primitive camping. No facilities, so bring water and be prepared to take your trash out with you.
Scout
There are several established camping spots along the first mile or so of this road, heading south from Turkey Springs Road. Plenty of room for travel trailers or tents. There was almost no vehicle traffic past our camp site, so it was nice and quiet. There’s a ton of hiking and mountain biking trails in close proximity.
Traveler
Pulled the teardrop into a site almost all the way down the road (a spot at very end was already taken). Tons of privacy though we are right on the road so the little bit of traffic that did drive past - folks camping nearby or looking to boondock - we'd wave and say hi. Biggest surprise was all the cows that would go up & down the road throughout the day. Free rang'in the mountain. So cute but a bit loud. They apparently loved my partner's guitar playing as you can see in the pic. They loved it so much they stayed the whole night and next day. Did smell a bit but then again, after a few days, I guess we probably did too. :) We'd stay here again. (No hike down to water - need to be at very end of road to get even close. This was just a homebase; we unhitched and drove to other sites for hikes & fishing)
Guide
There only seemed to be about 2 camping spots. However there is area to just pull off and park. I stayed here 1 night no issues. There is no Verizon phone signal. Stayed at the first large pull off with a stone circle fireplace. It was nice and quite, not a busy road.
Traveler
4.5-5 mile hike in on the West Fork Trail in the Weminuche wilderness. Some ups and downs along the trail with some river crossings - great man made bridges. Severa great camping spots along the trail closer to the hot springs, with access to 3 pools. Bring a water filter and access water from the San Juan River. Can get stormy in the afternoons so make sure to bring rain gear!
TravelerDrove to end of FS 633 to find an unoccupied clean, dispersed campsite with plenty of room. From there, hiked along the adjoining irrigation ditch to Piedra River Falls trailhead for breathtaking views of the multi-tiered waterfalls.
GuideHad a great experience with this dispersed area. Campsite was close to the river. Able to find it easily. Lots of road traffic with UTV’s and vehicles. Which was a bit annoying, but overall I’d still give it a 5 Star
Guide
Not a ton of dispersed campsites but the one at the corral is super great! Huge area. Plenty of hiking, and somewhat near to the creek. Which is pretty big!
There is a vault toilet at the trailhead
TravelerThere are 20+ campsites along FR667. Some can accommodate RVs, some only tents. We parked a popup at the 1st campsite past the bridge near the trailhead. 2 waterfalls are close, Pagosa Springs is 30ish mins away. Our kids tubed down the creek. Lots of ATV traffic, some bikes, but overall quiet.
GuideThis truck camper and a van went past the West Fork campground and the whole mile up to the bridge and the other side of the bridge was dispersed. The road was nice. After the bridge a little, turns into private and you can go to the Rainbow hot springs trailhead and hike to that also. Lots of mosquito this June day. No Verizon WiFi
GuideWaterfalls, atv trails for miles some novice some very experienced trails, hiking, creeks, fishing. Hands down my favorite CO spot. With kids or wanting some beauty this is hands down the best! We did camp passed the east fork campgrounds. All the way down to the beginning of the ranch road way you have plenty of dispersed tent areas and rv areas (no electric).
GuideFirst, access. From the road the 2nd bridge (start of dispersed) is 2.2 miles. This is the same road to rainbow hot springs trail. I camped 5 nights. The river was incredible. Had my dog with me, no problems with pets. Abundant chipmunks and hummingbirds. Don’t be confused by the West Fork campground operated by the forest service (they have potable water and vault toilets). Lows in 50’s and highs in the low 80’s. South wind until dusk, then north every night. Mosquitoes were manageable, flies were pretty bad
Ranger
Road up is a bit rough but easy. We camped down the road from natural arch. Huge campsite, multiple fire pits. Low traffic on the road. Would camp here again.
LegendJust past West Fork Campground are some dispersed sites on 648. Look for the stone fire rings. Some sites are a bit bigger than others, no amenities other than the fire rings. Close to the SanJuan River. Choose carefully as some sites are more level than others and sites vary in size. This seems to be a well known spot as there were quiet a few spots taken. Just keep going, sites can be found for about a mile or so before the land becomes private. Please respect the private landowners. And pack in pack out. There are no services here, so if we want the sites to remain available, we have to be good stewards of the land.
ScoutThere were plenty of available campsites the majority of which had access to the river. It was relaxing with the exception of the occasional can am with music blaring. The road is rough in some spots but I never saw a section a car wouldn’t be able to do.
TravelerAfter crossing the bridge there are 4 sites, 2 on the left 2 on the right. Left 2 sites are blocked by fallen trees but can be crawled over with the right rig. First campsite on the right is the best one. Several fire pits, river access and wide area for big rigs. Enjoy!
TravelerGreat spot not too far from Williams Creek Reservoir ir from the town of Pagosa Springs! Drove up here on a Thursday night and it was so great to have a campsite all to ourselves. Some designated fire pits for use. Road wasn’t pretty well packed down so you could access with 2WD if needed. There are ranches nearby so you may hear some cattle but it was a great spot to be off the grid. Some trees nearby for cover and for hanging hammocks.
TravelerWe drove past the reservable campground and found the second spot on the left empty (it has a sign that says “god bless”). Site was perfect by all accounts except for being mosquito-y. Great access to the trailhead for rainbow hot springs, which we hiked the next day. It was a long hard hike that we made longer by missing the sign for site 7 to veer off for the hot springs. Even still, worth the 12 miles of hiking! At the campsite itself, the creek is a perfect source of white noise at night. The ground is flat for a tent, but hard!
LegendWe had no problem getting to these sites with our Chevy camper van. Road is bumpy and rutted but nothing your average passenger car couldn’t get to (IMO). There are about 4-5 sites right at this pin for Del Norte dispersed. Most were filled when we got here on a Tuesday afternoon in May. They were also pretty close together and not too private. We continued on for prob less than a mile and there were LOTS of private, beautiful sites right on the river, starting just after the coal creek trailhead turn off. So so beautiful and peaceful. We camped right after the Coal Creek Trailhead turn off and it was one of the best sites in our opinion. You could continue about another mile beyond that and find lots of sites. You will then come to a “high clearance vehicle” needed sign and the road does get a bit more rough but not considerably and we felt it was still very passable in a car. Another mile beyond the high clearance sign you come to an East Fork Ranch sign denoting private property for the next five miles, so prob best to find your spot before here. River was cold and rushing with snow melt but lovely to camp by! We would for sure come back again.
ScoutIncredible spot, river is incredibly cold even in August. Most sites have river access: Wildlife is abundant. Air is cool. One of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever camped at. The only downside? The F’n ATVS. Disrespectful to other campers and stir up SO much dust, also just out right dangerous? Because of this the road is full of washboards. Folks out here apparently also do not care to pick up their trash or have any common curtesy of how to leave a campsite. Very unfortunate:( PSA: clean up your trash and pack out your used toilet paper…. 🤢 We stayed at 3 different sites. Sites get better the further along you go, road is rough but nothing a standard 4x4 vehicle can’t handle. (We have a Toyota Tacoma) There are hiking trails/ ATV trails too. We will definitely be back. Great spot during the week when there’s less traffic!
Dispersed camping near Rio Grande National Forest in Colorado offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in nature without the constraints of traditional campgrounds. With stunning landscapes and a variety of outdoor activities, this area is perfect for adventurers seeking solitude and beauty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Rio Grande National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Rio Grande National Forest is West Fork Dispersed with a 4.6-star rating from 16 reviews.
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