Telluride is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Telluride is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Telluride. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
"Beautiful camping spot high in the San Juan’s about 25 minutes from Telluride. Access via rugged dirt road."
"Perfect lake views, snow capped mountain tops, and wildflowers for days."
"We had plenty of room on our site to set up camp around the picnic table and fire ring.
We snagged the last site with a picnic table and fire ring around 10AM on a Friday morning."
"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."
"Nice little campground with large bear boxes for food storage. I felt it's at a good location to venture off each day from."
"Primitive camping right outside outside Ouray Colorado. Imogene pass trail ends at the campground entrance. Trail into campground is a little rough but that's primitive camping."
"Spaces were tight and very close to others. A bit noisy with the ATVs and motorcycles all around, but not too bad."
"This campground is ideal: close to town, backcountry seclusion. The hike is steep, but manageable."
"Dispersed camping, no amenities, but beautiful location. Little streams running nearby, wildlife viewing, the drive up the slope is beautiful as well"
"There is also a decommissioned forest service campsite on the north side about halfway in with tables and fire rings still. Creek was a bit high but not bad."
"This road is hard to turn around on, or let others pass. This spot was the furthest we ended up going. This is a secluded area with no bathroom, campground, electric, or water."
"We stayed here for a long weekend to go see Telluride and the surrounding area. The directions led us to the campground, would be easy to miss otherwise."
"Once up the hill you will find three somewhat unlevel sites that are close to one another. We camped here two nights and both nights there was only one other vehicle."
"Make sure you enter from CO 52 then turn right onto 20A, if you enter 20A near the Silverton Lakes RV resort you will climb for a couple miles on a 4X4 trail with switchbacks and see nothing but private"
"Definitely need 4 wheel drive to get up to sites, had to build our own fire pit but that was ok! The views were phenomenal."
GuideThis campground was just taken over by the forest service. It used to be dispersed camping, but now it is $14 per site. Picnic table provided at every site and large fire ring at most sites. Bring your own fire wood or buy a bundle for $10. One portable toilet near the entrance. Campground host is super friendly!! The campsites are a little close, so not a ton of privacy, but a beautiful river flows right through the campground. Easy to access, about 25 minutes from Telluride.
ScoutThis was a great site for our group of 3 couples. We had plenty of room on our site to set up camp around the picnic table and fire ring.
We snagged the last site with a picnic table and fire ring around 10AM on a Friday morning. Throughout the weekend more people showed up and there seemed to be a bit more space to camp throughout.
The sites vary from right out in the open to being completely tree covered. Ours was right near a stream and had good shade during the day.
There's nothing but a vault toilet here so be sure to bring lots of water. If you're in need of a shower, head down to Trout Lake for a quick dip.
TravelerSunshine is a first come-first serve campground with 15 sites. There are several sites with beautiful views and full sun, but those were taken when we arrived. We stayed in site #8 which was quite lovely, tucked in the aspen trees with a picnic table and fire ring. The small pond behind our site was dried up, probably due to the ongoing drought. There is a short viewing trail just off site #9 that provided spectacular views of the mountains. We set up a couple of chairs on the trail and watched the fabulous sunset. The vault toilets were closed and the sign said they’d be closed through the ‘22 season. Portable toilets were provided in their place. The camp hosts, Don & Linda were super helpful by providing us with info about the adjacent bike trails and a short cut to get to Telluride. The campground was very quiet and while we heard some road traffic when we first arrived we never heard any during the night. I got 2 bars of AT&T cell service, enough to stream a movie on my iPad!
Camp fees are $20/day or $10/day with a Senior America the Beautiful Pass. We’ll definitely stay at this gem again!
GuideNice campground if you can get a spot, we've stayed at several different sites. The hosts are nice and will let you know the best one available. No running water or electricity or anything fancy. It's quiet, the stars are amazing, and there are good hikes in the area. Downsides are that it fills up fast (I think just 25 sites) and there can be a lot of mosquitoes. Bears may wander through too.
Vault toilets, bear boxes, picnic table, fire ring.
You can walk to the lake from the campground.
RangerThe walk to the river was short and there even is a parking area for those who are not camping but want to fish.
Sites were well maintained, restroom and showers were as well.
Picnic tables, fire ring and grill at all sites. Deer wandered around freely and was an extremely restful night.
They offer pull in sites or walk in tent sites. I chose a pull in even though I was tent camping. Had to check out a few sites to be sure there was level/cactus free spot to pitch the tent.
LegendDeluxe Camping in Telluride, and by that I mean that they have flush and vault toilets, showers, drinking water, trash collection and hook ups for your RV or tent. If you have no “roughing it” bone in your body this is the campground for you!
I went here to check out the site since I had heard it was so improved and yes indeed I was impressed by the amenities.
Each site had the typical fire ring and picnic table and with two loops you can choose from either a more wooded feel or more open feel depending on your preference.
Tent sites here have a nice even feel to them clear of obstructions and sharp rocks which for me meant an easy 5 minute set up of my camp. That to me means that I can immediately start enjoying my stay without having to work hard to just prepare my site.
I chose site #12 which was an unimproved tent site, one of only a few they have. I didn’t feel just because I was at a campground that had electricity I needed to pay for it since I didn’t need it. There is a cost of $8 just for electricity. I paid $18 for my site.
My views here were nice and there were not a lot of people at the site mid week, however when I spoke to someone in town (only about 10 minutes away) they said this campground is the weekenders destination during September before it closes and during summer is busy throughout the week with vacationers.
At night this place was a little chilly in September but during the day the weather was ideal. I had a light jacket I carried with me for hiking and I made sure to have my 40 degree sleeping bag for night when temps dropped.
The views here area spectacular much like all of those in Telluride area. In the distance you always will see a snow capped mountain and in September you start to see the fall leaves emerge with their golden tones.
The only negative I could see from this campground was in cell signal for those looking to not be “roughing it” being plugged in with AT&T was a little tough. I had to leave the camp and go toward town before I picked up on signal and even then it was a bit spotty at times.
ScoutNestled in pine trees alongside the lake fork of the Gunnison river. Most sites have tons of privacy. All have picnic tables and bear boxes. First-come first-serve. Very clean vault toilet restrooms. Camped here solo and felt very safe. Great access to fishing, hiking, and ATV trails.
GuideWe camped here in the canyon one night in September and it was the best experience. Beautiful scenery, great neighbors, clean toilets. There are only a few drive in campsites available, with several more hike in spots below. Bear boxes, fire rings (if there’s no burn ban), and picnic tables available, along with water and facilities.
GuideStayed 2 nights in July 2024. The campsites are well spaced apart with a variety of sizes for just about anyone except large Class As and long toy haulers. Most sites were occupied. You can reserve sites in advance. I would recommend booking at least a month out. Most sites were densely shaded. Not much option for solar. Quiet hours 10pm-6am. Generators allowed. Sites in the E loop have electricity. Restrooms were well maintained vault toilets. No showers anywhere in campground. Park host live on-site. Firewood for sale at host sites. Potable water is available. The gravel road leading to the campground is VERY rough wash-board. Secure your stuff and be ready for the bumpy ride.
Tent camping near Telluride, Colorado offers a stunning backdrop of mountains and lakes, perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Telluride, CO is Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed) with a 4.4-star rating from 38 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 48 tent camping locations near Telluride, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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