Best Dispersed Camping near Watkins, CO

If you enjoy panoramic views of the Rockies, drive in dispersed camping and putting your off-roading skills to the test, this dispersed campsite is a must visit! My 9 yr old son and I happened upon this mountain top paradise somewhat by accident. We were looking for a less challenging day hike with low traffic and decided to try the Mt. Herman trailhead. My ever burning desire for a view and solitude lead us up Mt. Herman rd to the location I marked on the map for this listing. Access was challenging, even with our 4x4 Jeep seeing as there was pretty deep snowfall accumulation, steep grades, and hairpin switchbacks heading up. However in warmer seasons this would be easy access for most stock 4x4 vehicles. No lift necessary, just a desire for the boundless views afforded at the summit. There are multiple pull offs, relatively low traffic aside from the occasional off-roading convoy passing through spreading merriment and good cheer. There are some really cool fire ring setups and plenty of epic views to make your own. If Colorado’s what you want, here’s a great place to experience the back country without having to drive for hours to access it. We had a blast! Please ALWAYS remember, be Kind & rewind!! Wait... wrong slogan😅 LEAVE NO TRACE & PACK IT OUT! Thanks & have fun! Photos are in my phone, I’ll update with photos... sure to amaze! 😉✌🏾

The coordinates on Dyrt are a little off from the actual location but if you drive down roads that lead to toward views of the canyon, you’ll get there. The road passes through lots of private property, which can trick you into thinking you’re driving down the wrong road. The trailhead parking lot has one giant rut that you must be careful to navigate around. 2 Wheel Dr. and low clearance vehicles can do it, but should be extremely careful in how they approach. Parking lot is a short walk to some beautiful views of the canyon! Please be respectful as many people live within eyesight of the trailhead

We headed out to these spots on memorial day weekend and it was busy. So busy that we had to go in the middle of the week to get a spot, so plan ahead here and expect crowds. That being said, each spot is unique and we loved it. We ended up staying as far up the road as possible and found a large spot big enough for a trailer and a few cars. 

Keep in mind there is buffalo creek campground ($) and buffalo creek rec area that is free with dispersed camping. The dispersed camping is where we stayed and i believe there are over 40+ spots if you explore all the roads. A lot of the spots are large enough to accommodate a trailer or small RV. No bathrooms on site ad fire rings are made of rocks. Most spots are near the road, as you can see from my photo but the further up the road you get, the traffic will calm down. We did not see this as a problem at all. This are is prone to wildfires and has been in a fire ban since the winter. 

Plenty to do up here as well, hiking, biking and world class fishing just down the road in Deckers.

Get here early and find a spot that fits you.

This place is great for outdoor enthusiasts. We stayed here a couple weekends in a row and we were able to try out some different spots and trails close to those spots. This free campground is perfect! 

There are some sites that are better than others for group sizes and it isn’t very RV friendly. 550 is a washboard road that ends up at Wellington Lake. You can get here from the Pine junction side or the Bailey side. 

Our site on this trip was#27 and we really loved it. It was downset from the road so we had a little privacy and the sites are large and far apart from each other so we were able to socially distance within our own group. There was plenty of tree coverage for rainstorms and shade but not too much to where you couldn’t find a tent site easily. 

There is an active fire ban in the area and the neighbors were lighting 5ft tall fires with gasoline which put us at risk. If you are going to be camping in BLM or Wildlife Areas please follow the restrictions and don’t put others at risk with no cell phone service. 

The trails and stream aren’t too far from the site so you can easily hike or bike there. We hiked out to the 96 burn area to explore and we ended up doing a nice 7 mile loop to get down to the creek for a cool down. 

There are no bathrooms so the first day we got there we did a trash clean up of the backwoods of our site from toilet paper left out there. 

This "campground" is not super large RV friendly so if you are in a large RV try and get site 13 or head to one of the established campgrounds down the road or try for the group camping area that you can see in my pictures.

Was desperate to find "something" after driving 11 hours that day, and normal paid camp grounds were full. HOWEVER I was pulling a smaller trailer, and that turned out to be a real issue. The hill getting to the site should not be a problem for any 2wd car/truck, but with the extra weight of the trailer it was definitely sketchy getting there, then once we got to the "parking lot" there was no place to turn around a trailer. I ended up backing up at least 1/8 of a mile to find a safe space to turn around.... so don't try to bring a trailer here, not even a teardrop camper.

We found a level place to park for the night at this location, and pulled out 1st thing in the morning.

Not trying to say there is anything wrong with the spot, but stay away with campers/trailers, and use it for tents only.