Best Dispersed Camping near Telluride, CO

Good free dispersed camping.

This spot is a little tough to find but can be worth it if you need a good free camp for the night. Located off Hwy 160, about 14 miles from Durango you will find BLM land. After crossing a cattle guard and a building you will then enter into BLM land and can camp wherever you need. There are about 10 spots already created with rock fire pits but that is about it here. It is very dispersed and there are no facilities. 

We stayed out here during the off season and had no problem getting a spot but during the high season it can get pretty busy here. The views are just OK, you are treated to an over view of the plains. You may also have some visitors in the night, Cattle. We had many of them around us all night and we even heard a pack of coyotes in the distance. 

Overall good spot not far from town. Free really helps.

The coordinates listed here are wrong. It will navigate you to. A residential area with no access to BLM land. Instead, search for Durfield dispersed camping nearby and it will take you to the correct place.

Located about 20 minutes from the town of Crested Butte, Slate River Road is home to a bunch of campgrounds. Note: These areas differ from the BLM section you will drive through. After the Oh Be Joyful BLM land, you will then make your way into Forest Service operated areas where there is tons of dispersed camping and it is free. 

We spent some time here around 4th of July and all the spots were filled as expected. Camp grounds are all dispersed, free and have no amenities at the site except some areas have vault toilets. There are a few campgrounds on the left side of the road and if those are all full there are many other spots just along the sides of the roads. The spot where the pin is for this site is one of the few “Camp grounds” where there is a small parking lot built and spots are somewhat defined. 

Most of them were big enough for multiple cars and tents as well as full sized RV’s. The forest service does patrol this area and we saw them writing tickets for people who were parked in areas they should not be in. It seems they used rocks to define camping areas and people were parked beyond them. Keep that in mind when selecting a spot. 

If you cannot find a spot in one of these campgrounds, keep driving. A good portion of the road is Forest Service and camping is allowed on the sides of the road. We saw people camping for miles up the road. 

As is with most of Crested Butte, there is tons to do in this area. Drives, hikes, mountain biking, fishing…the list goes on. We spent a long weekend here, it was a great base camp spot however our spot was pretty exposed to the sun. 

Bonus: We saw tons of wildlife every day right across the river from our camp chairs. Deer. Moose and a Bear!

BLM land just outside the south (main) entrance to Black Canyon National Park. Road can be rough, especially slippery mud after rain. Many dispersed sites with cleared space and fire rings along the road, which goes for miles. Reserved campsites within the National Park can be difficult to get ... there's no shortage of sites here, just outside. There's a small store at the junction of the Park access road with US 50, selling firewood, ice, and necessities. Montrose is a short 15 miles away for more substantial needs (gasoline, repairs, shopping).

Dispersed camping along the South Mineral Creek. This is dry camping with a vault toilet- no hook ups. This is popular with RV’ers and OHV’ers as it is free. The limit is the usual fourteen days. Some “sites” have fire pits, and there are a few picnic tables scattered about. There are a few sites right on the water. Further back in at some larger sites that could accommodate small rvs. The plus is the free camping right on the “river”. The minus is that the road to the forest service campground and the Ice Lake trailhead is very close, very busy, and very dusty.

Camped here a few weeks ago on our cross-country trek from Utah back to the east coast. Easy to find but as others noted use the coordinates. There is signage for BLM land right as you pull up.

We got to our spot a little before sunset but noticed that most spots were filled (late july, midweek) so keep that in mind.

Overall a nice spot, bug free for the most part and accessible with a stock truck.

Easy to find BLM land with decent roads and lots of spots. I stayed here 3 days and never saw or heard another person. It’s only 5 miles from the North Rim of Black Canyon National Park. Crawford is about 8 miles away and has some restaurants with good home cooking.

Beautiful camping spot high in the San Juan’s about 25 minutes from Telluride. Access via rugged dirt road. Saw some stock SUVs (CRVs, Subaru’s, etc.) but questionable to get there without higher clearance and 4WD. There are only 20 designated camping spots with fire rings (portapotties nearby). Sites fill by about noon every day of the week and all sites are walk in. Of the 20 sites, most are shady and have views of the lakes. 3-4 sites are pretty bad, have no views, limited areas for tents, etc. This is an incredible camping spot if you get a good site.

Great dispersed camping! Spots were clearly marked and had easy access. The views were fantastic! We would definitely go back. Some of the spots are more exposed and offer less privacy than others. Our spot felt very secluded even though it was right by the road.

One negative was the dust/dirt. The dirt here is very fine and sticks to everything, so be prepared to get dusty/dirty, especially if you have kids.

Popular dispersed camping spot close to silverton. Took our pups on a walk to the beautiful creek, mountains view all around. Bathroom pit toilet, clean but may run out of toilet paper semi frequently. Stayed two nights, wonderful time!

Reach this BLM dispersed about 9 miles on route 90 from the center of Montrose, good paved until the last mile good graveled.  IMMEDIATELY after hairpin switchback, turn left and you'll find a 2 acre mesa with junipers and views, probably can fit 5 camps in there with elbow room.  I had 2 neighbors.  Shade is limited so it'll be hot in the summer.  Only good legal free camping near town!

Blue lakes is one of the most vibrant colored lakes in Colorado and you can camp right at its shores! This is dispersed/backcountry camping only. Spots can be found right before the lake, look for a clearing and setup. This area can get really busy with day hikers and campers so go early and try for a weekday. We went up there on a weekday and saw about 10 other tents. Camping is free, make sure to pack it out there. 

Great jump off point to hike Mt Sneffles or up to the other lakes. The hike is around 3.2 miles one way but worth every step.

Lodging isn’t always easy to find in the Telluride area especially if you find yourself passing through as we were but this is an absolutely amazing free camp spot 11 miles out of town. If you want a no frills but off the grid easy in and easy out spot fine for a tent or a trailer this place is an amazing option. Beautiful views at 10k+ feet. Fires are allowed in the fire rings as long as you stay at a previously disturbed spot you are good. There are toilets across the road at the trailhead. The road in is a bit rough but if you’ve got a high clearance vehicle you should be fine. If your pulling a trailer this is perfect. The night views are stellar. Like I said, this is a no frills spot but we loved it. I’ll probably stop here again if I’m in this area and thankful it is available and free. Had a great night here. Check it out

We were passing through town, and and all campgrounds in the area were packed out...on a Thursday. The actual lakes dispersed camping were full too, so we ended up parking on the side of the road going up to the lakes. It was a bit freaky just because it felt so isolating. I’m sure it would be fun if you’re fully prepared for bear prevention and enjoy that kind of isolation.

Came across this in June 2020 on a late Friday night about 10pm and saw a ton of people camping on top of each other so we left and camped elsewhere. FF a year (Father's Day weekend), we stopped by to check capacity on a Saturday night at 6pm and found the opposite with only 4 of 6 tent sites taken and plenty of parking for small RV/van camping. Tent sites were pretty spread out so we didn't see the 2 empty sites available down the hill until early the next morning. We just ended up taking a parking space, instead, and set up our SUV tent. Sunday morning, the entire campground was cleared by 10am except for 1 other vehicle so we were easily able to take a tent site. By noon, a few new campers showed. We left our camp for the day to explore and it was fine all day. A couple other campers did the same and were fine, too. A picnic table and fire ring are provided at all sites, if not all. Toilet is also provided which is always a huge plus for dispersed camping. TP ran out once so BYO. Not a lot of camp shade except for the one site on the north side of parking. Several trailheads are nearby. Scenery is absolutely gorgeous and is situated at 10k feet next to Priest Lake which is just a big pond. Fishers were present but Trout Lake may be your better option which is just down by the main entrance. For showers, just head to the next campground (Matterhorn?) and freshen up for $8. They also sell firewood for $10 if you forget to grab a bundle from Telluride. Only downside, no Verizon service. Oh! And don't freak out on the crazy howling screams from humans at 8pm. It's a Coloradan ritual which I was not aware of. Hope this helps!

First off, make sure you’re using the GPSing to Blue Lakes Trailhead, Telluride 81435 There are two different trailheads and there is camping at the other one (going through Ouray), but you can find that through the NPS system (Thistledown Campground and Angel Creek Campground).

The true dispersed camping is along the route to the “telluride/ Ridgway” trailhead. You should be entering the forest through route 7. This is an 8-ish mile road from the highway to the forest entrance. The camping spots will not appear until you’re actually across the forest threshold (there is a sign and a cattle guard), with only about 1.5 miles left your gps-ed route. The round is rough and long, but manageable in a 2wd car. (I have a Camry.)

I stayed here the past two nights and was lucky enough to have some campers split their space with me. We were right by the stream, maybe a half mile from the TH itself. It’s shortly after the meadow, on your left as you drive in. Cars definitely came and went throughout the evening, but the sound of the stream drowned them out. The temps are def dropping at night this time of year and it was in the 30s. There was ZERO cell service for Verizon. Would def stay here again - in warmer conditions!

You are also able to hike your gear in and camp at the Lower Blue Lake level itself, if that’s you’re thing!

All the way down Hermosa Park Road (578) it's beautiful. We probably saw upwards of 15 (Probably more) dispersed camping spots until you hit hermosa camping loup where a lot of people bike. We found a gem of a spot across from Sigs Creek (paid) camping area that has the sig creek running north to south and the Hermosa Creek running east to west. There was also an awesome small water fall next to camp you could get in. Litterally, we were surrounded by water on 3 sides. The water was about 6" to 1' deep with the occasional Colorado Brook trout showing up. With a license and barbless hooks you can catch and release.

Some spots can be close to others. But overall they are spaces far enough that nobody can be heard. Only can see them from a distance.

We had no cell service and we use t-mobile. The closest gas station is about 8-10 miles away incase you forget something, which we did. We stayed 3 days and 3 nights and had an amazing time.

This, like many of the areas around Telluride is dispersed camping. Down a winding path and into the mountains where you will have a view of some of the best vistas Telluride has to offer.

This is a smaller site perfect for tents but it is set apart from some of the other dispersed camping sites I have found in this area in that it has a vault toilet on the grounds. BIG UPGRADE!!

This site is not one of those I would want to find myself adventuring to late fall through early spring, the roads are not great for driving in during that unpredictable time of year and it is to far to hike in from the main road. Not to mention there is a requirement posted on the kiosk of the campground about storing food only in hard sided vehicles, so hiking in would be out of the question.

One of my favorite features of this site itself was that it is completely FREE!! Usually when you find any improvements at all they want to charge a small fee for use, however this site is one of the exceptions I found in this area. For this reason it is a first come first serve campground, but I cannot imagine it being so busy that you couldn’t find a space.

I loved the appearance of this site and how secluded it is. When I look at a campsite I look at it for a number of reasons based on what I enjoy and also what I believe that my blog followers might enjoy. I feel like this hits the nail on the head for me as a person who doesn’t require much in way of amenities but also suits my less adventurous followers in that they world doesn’t have to be their bathroom and they can feel like their are still camping within their comfort.

I also enjoyed that this site is a part of several small trail systems nearby and has a map located as you first enter the site so you can have an idea of the full potential of the area. I found several people were horseback riding in the area, however I never saw where they had parked their trailers so I assume there must be another area that is a bit larger and designed for that.

I love this campground. It is only 15 minute drive from Telluride, but once you are there you are immersed in wilderness. Great for car camping, solid fishing, bonfire pits and bathrooms available.