Best Dispersed Camping near Rye, CO

Recent Dispersed Reviews in Rye

132 Reviews of 38 Rye Campgrounds

• 

  Elias M.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 23, 2025

  Penrose BLM sites

  Beautiful views of the mountains and the town

  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)

• d

  danny H.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 27, 2024

  Oil Well Flats

  Great views

  Did the shelf trail from cripple creek to canon city. Was good place to camp for the night quite a few spots, flat, big. Amazing views! Incline getting up to isn’t bad, TT’s might have some trouble. Everyone else should be fine.

• 

  Paulina B.

  Ranger

  

  Dec. 15, 2024

  The Dunefield — Great Sand Dunes National Park

  Wild and Untamed

  Backcountry dispersed camping in Great Sand Dunes National Park offers an unforgettable and truly unique wilderness experience. If you’re seeking solitude and raw, untamed landscapes, this is the perfect spot to pitch your tent. With no designated sites, you have the freedom to find your ideal spot beyond the busy dunes and under an expansive star-filled sky.

  The journey begins with a hike deep into the park’s rugged terrain, where you’re surrounded by towering sand dunes, alpine forests, and sweeping views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The lack of light pollution makes stargazing an absolute highlight—this is one of the best places to witness the Milky Way.

  Keep in mind, this is true backcountry camping: no facilities, no water sources, and you must pack out all waste. Permits are required, so be sure to plan ahead. The environment can be challenging, with extreme temperature swings and strong winds that shift the sand beneath your feet. Good preparation and Leave No Trace practices are a must.

  The rewards are well worth the effort. From sunrise hikes to the serene sound of nothing but wind across the dunes, this camping experience immerses you in nature’s raw beauty like few others can. It’s an adventure you’ll carry with you long after you’ve left the dunes behind.

  Highly recommend skipping the tent and sleeping under the stars!

• C

  Caitlin C.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 13, 2024

  BLM Mt. Blanca Rd. Dispersed

  Great Spot

  Was able to find a really nice open spot with amazing views of the mountains. Was big and spacious enough for me and my friend to camp in our vans. No one around for miles!

• 

  Grace R.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  BLM Near Great Sand Dunes Hwy 150

  Not accessible

  Gated off. Not accessible

• 

  Angela E.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 7, 2024

  Cotton Creek Trailhead

  Beautiful and peaceful 💚

  The sky is GORGEOUS. The road is very rocky & very rough, so you'll want to have decent clearance and be prepared to take it slow. I've never seen so many stars!

• P

  Peter

  Scout

  

  Sep. 26, 2024

  Wild Cherry Creek Trailhead

  Blocked off by private gate

  Couldn’t get to trail head due to private gate blocking the road.

• 

  Levi S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 23, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Mountain

  Easy free camping

  Got here on a Saturday night in September and found a spot right away. It had been raining for awhile too. No issue on the road with a kia sorento.

• 

  Kevin M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 13, 2024

  BLM Near Great Sand Dunes Hwy 150

  Area Gated; No Access

  Locked gate at indicated entry point.

• D

  Deitz B.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 11, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Mountain

  Wide Open Spaces

  Not much tree cover at a lot of these spots. Great location to be close enough to the dunes.

  Was pretty windy and sandy while we were there

• S

  Stephen

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 3, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Mountain

  Good dispersed sites

  Dispersed sites start about 1 mile east of Hwy 150. Very quiet! T-Mobile 5G at 4 bars.

• J

  Jason

  Legend

  

  Sep. 2, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Dispersed Camping

  Peaceful BLM camping

  Very easy access to several spots in the area. Can hike up the mountain.

• 

  W D.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 27, 2024

  Wild Cherry Creek Trailhead

  Quiet camping and stars

  Several good spots with fire pits right near the trailhead. A few bugs in late August but nothing terrible. Very quiet except for the sound of the rushing creek. Verizon cell service was between 1 and 3 bars LTE depending on your line of sight to the tower. Road in is rougher towards the end but definitely doable in any SUV

• 

  Amy L.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 25, 2024

  Lake Deweese state wildlife area

  Fine for a night

  The directions from this app didn’t exactly take me to the campsites. The campsites are along Lake Deweese Rd at the NE end of the reservoir. There are several sites all in very close proximity. There is virtually no privacy from neighbors but it worked from me for a night. It looked like some campers may be permanently occupying the sites.

• A

  Ashley W.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 22, 2024

  Great Sand Dunes Dispersed

  Good spot if you get there early

  There’s plenty of spots off the main road, but seems like you need to get there early. We showed up around 6 pm. The road does get pretty rough eventually, and we didn’t trust our minivan going through the “unmaintained” section, we turned around and were able to find a connecting side road that had plenty of open space out there. When entering the road initially, the side road would be about half way up to your left. Pretty close to Great Sand Dunes National Park, so we were happy with this location! Nice mountain view.

• 

  Edward P.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 18, 2024

  Sacred White Shell Mountain

  Free- bumpy road, windy, and lots of sand

  It's a nice spot with a spectacular view but it's very windy and there's a lot of sand.

• 

  Erika L.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 14, 2024

  Dispersed Sand Area 1

  Door and peaceful

  Loved hearing the creek roaring in the background and feeling the sun on my skin surrounded by cactus - an I in Texas!?

• 

  Matt B.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 10, 2024

  Lake Como Road Dispersed Colorado

  Lake Como Dispersed

  Great for a quick overnight stop. Woke up to people unloading there side by sides.

• M

  Mark P.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 30, 2024

  Crestone Needle Trail

  I stayed for days. Really liked the location.

  There are more than one listing for places to camp along FS 949. I stayed on a pad that was build along with the road. Loved the views, The area is very interesting. Crestone is a tiny town with just about anything you might want within a walk from where I parked. Plenty of camping spots all the way up to the end of the road where there is a fairly busy trailhead.

• C

  Colyer D.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 30, 2024

  Phantom Canyon

  Beautiful, but Far from Pristine.

  Absolutely beautiful area! We pulled in on a Friday evening with thunderstorms all around. There were plenty of sites available when we showed up, but they were all full by Saturday morning. We weren’t able to get one of the spots near the creek, but had our own hidden ravine tucked away on the left side of the road. I believe it was the 3rd to last pull out and the last one on the left side of the road. Stunning… but the smell from previous campers unsuccessfully trying to burn their trash in the fire rings (thankfully we brought our solo stove to cook on) and all the litter was a bit overwhelming. Broken glass, toilet paper/feces not buried, cigarette butts, and just trash everywhere. Unfortunate for the area, our spot was the cleanest one we came across. We took some walks past others near the creek that looked like they had just hosted full on frat parties.

  It was just super unfortunate and disgusting to go to such a beautiful area and have previous campers all but ruin it for us.

• H

  Hunter L.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 28, 2024

  BLM Mt. Blanca Rd. Dispersed

  Quick Stop

  Quick and easy to find. Area was easily accessible. A great option for those on a budget and attempting to avoid paying fees for one night stays. Nice views of the valley and mountain behind. Sites were not the most level going up the mountainside and a bit rocky. Would stay there again!

• 

  Laneha E.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 27, 2024

  BLM Near Great Sand Dunes Hwy 150

  Beautiful views & Isolated

  This place is good for those who have clearance and a 4WD. Road can be rough but pretty much all pickups are good. Don’t need a jeep. If it rains, you could get in trouble. The views are beautiful. Especially higher up. Some spots, I didn’t find tons of spots. I was the only one here on a Friday night last week if July 🤷🏼‍♀️. Or if there were others I didn’t know it. You get cover of some trees quicker than the sacred mountain location farther south on same road. You have to open a gate to get in. I would recommend it, and will probably be back at some point.

• 

  Morgan E.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 23, 2024

  BLM Mt. Blanca Rd. Dispersed

  Dispersed Mountain Views !

  This campsite is very popular, I would definitely recommend arriving early morning time to secure a spot. We got in fairly late in the night from Texas and had to drive in a ways. Many people left early in the morning so sites opened up fairly quickly. The road is graded and then turns into a rocky road that is manageable in a crossover for a ways then high clearance will be needed. There was a small flooded portion that is next to the helipad but we just drove up onto the helipad to get around it as to not risk getting stuck. There are plenty of sites available and even a circle drive in the front of the road if you don’t feel like venturing in during the night. There are A TON of flies! Lots of bug spray and loose clothing to avoid those pesky biting flies. We had a beautiful view of the mountain and Great Sand dunes is a short 20 minutes away. Our pups loved the large open spaces but beware of cacti and tiny burrs.

• 

  Charles L.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Phantom Canyon

  Late July camping trip

  I’m a rooftop tent camper and the views are amazing but was hoping to be close to the water and isolated from other campers. Definitely was isolated and found one spot that worked out well for rooftop camper. Like 14 miles on dirt road, on the right, 20 feet before a sign that reads “leaving public land.” Had fire ring and more than enough room. About 20 yards away from creek. Quiet. No Att cell service but don’t expect anyone can get service in that canyon.

• 

  Carissa G.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 4, 2024

  Hermit Pass OHV

  VERY ROUGH ROAD

  Your vehicle will prob need new brakes after this trip. Super beautiful but the road never eases up.

• 

  Macy E.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 2, 2024

  Phantom Canyon

  Great Spot

  It was absolutely beautiful! Upwards of 20 spots to park. There is no service which is fine but something to leave in a review. It is a very populated area so if you plan to go on a holiday weekend plan accordingly. We showed up around 10 at night on a Monday night of the fourth week and found lots of open spots. they were all very secluded away from everyone else Over all great spot!

• 

  phil G.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 30, 2024

  Dispersed Sand Area 1

  Beautiful views, remote feeling, near town

  There are about 10-15 dispersed camping spots along the dirt road that leads up to trailheads at the end. The spots are spread out enough to where I did not see or hear a soul while camping 2 nights. A large gathering of mountain goats hanging out along the road was a fun surprise! Gorgeous views of Crestone peak and other neighboring mountains. The only negative was the mosquitos. They are horrendous. If you can’t handle it or find a way to keep them away it could ruin someone’s ability to enjoy the beauty.