Are you planning a dispersed camping trip to Yampa? We've got you covered. Dispersed camping is an excellent way to get away from it all and to disconnect. Find the perfect dispersed campsite for your next adventure.
ABOUT: Located in the heart of the Flat Tops just outside Yampa on Forest Service Road 900. This area has 26 designated dispersed camping sites. (Dispersed camping is defined as camping sites that are outside of the campgrounds andd o not have services such as toilets, electric, water or trash.) Though these sites offer less tree shade coverage than Bear Lake Campground, the views are wide open and spectacular of the reservoir and the Flat Tops at these designated sites. Potable water and vault toilets are available a few miles away at Bear Lake, Horseshoe and Coldsprings campgrounds. AMENITIES: Each designated dispersed site has 1 picnic table and 1 fire grate. BOAT REGULATIONS : Electric trolling motors and internal combustion engines _ are allowed. (This is the only reservoir combustion engines are allowed)_ HIKING NEARBY: There are 3 Trailheads located off Forest Service Road 900. Mandall Lakes Trailhead, Smith Lake Trailhead, and Stillwater Trailhead, all within a short driving distance. Stop into the Yampa Ranger Station for free trail guides. FIRE RESTRICTIONS: Please check with the Yampa Ranger Station to find out if there are any current fire restrictions. 970-638-4516 DIRECTIONS: From Downtown Yampa, Take Cty Rd 7 just behind the local General Store, (Montgomery’s) for 7 miles, it will then turn into gravel and this is when the road becomes Forest Service Road 900, stay on FS RD 900 for approximately 4 more miles until you see Yamcolo on the left side. It is the first of the three reservoirs located on Forest Service Rd 900. These sites can accomodate most trailers up to 35 feet depending on the site.
Please honor any signs that mention "private land" or "no camping" when in a dispersed area. Please practice Leave No Trace.
Setting up your own campsite away from developed fee sites, also known as dispersed camping, is allowed in most places. From getting away from it all to just enjoying a weekend with friends, dispersed camping can make for a great story.
This area provides several dispersed camping sites along Rock Creek. This area, located in the Gore Range, is a favorite among hunters and families alike. A vault toilet is provided in the area.
This Reservoir is located in Yampa, CO
The reservoir is accessed by Trail #1181. You must either hike in one mile on foot or by motorized ATV/OHV in the summer or by snowmobile in the winter. Note that ATV/OHV's must be under 50” wide.
Nearby to the trail is dispersed camping opportunities, as well as further down the road at Crosho Lake.
Both Crosho Reservoir and Allen Basin Reservoir provide good trout fishing opportunities.
Car camping opportunities at no cost are also located at Crosho Lake.
The Steamboat Springs area is east and north of Steamboat Springs, Colo. It is managed by the Hahns Peak/Bears Ears Ranger District with a Ranger Station/Visitor Center in the town of Steamboat Springs. Recreation sites along Buffalo Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass are located within this area to include the popular waterfall hike, Fish Creek Falls. The area lies against the western ridge of the Continental Divide and the Routt National Forest. Multiple wilderness areas are nearby. The area is bountiful with recreation opportunities such as mountain biking, hiking, camping, and fishing, as well as winter sports such as skiing and snowmobiling, just to name a few. Setting up your own campsite away from developed fee sites, also known as dispersed camping, is allowed on most of the national forests. From getting away from it all to just enjoying a weekend with friends, dispersed camping can make for a great story. Across the forests, opportunities range from dispersed camping miles into wilderness or just off a forest road in designated dispersed areas. Make sure to bring everything you need when dispersed camping, as water, restrooms, and fire rings may not be available nearby, and always remember to follow Leave No Trace principles.
Guide
Discovered an excellent dispersed site on 64 going east from Glen Eden. As soon as you reach BLM land there is a sign indicating Dispersed Camping on both sides of road. The south side has excellent sites along the fast paced Elk River and views of Mt. Zirkel. Ou site was nestled in the spruce and fur with small game chattering often.
Scout
This site's operator is listed on the Dyrt as BLM land. It is NOT BLM land. Drove here during COVID to camp on BLM land and was frustrated it was not listed correctly. Do your research before going! Spots looks awesome just couldn't have a fire which is a no go for us when camping. Only giving 3 stars because it did look like a secluded spot. The post is just wrong.
Guide
Allen Basin Reservoir is roughly 1 mile from Crosho Lake. The only way to access this reservoir is by using trail #1181 and either hiking in, or using an ATV/dirtbike. You can not drive back to this reservoir.
There are roughly 6-8 dispersed camp spots on the road towards Allen Basin Reservoir. We camped at this spot for 3 days, and 2 nights and loved it! Plenty of coverage from the close by trees, access to the trail directly behind our camp spot, and there was a make shift bench made from a fallen tree! We highly recommend this spot, but do recommend driving a 4x4 vehicle to get here, and don't forget the bug spray!
Legend
A few miles past Wolcott is the Castle Peak Wilderness Study Area which holds quite a few little known idyllic camping spots. Blue Lake is by far one of the most serene glacial lakes in the area and offers multiple primitive camp sites designated by fire rings. The lake is accessible by hiking trails and by 4x4 roads, if driving I would highly recommend a high clearance vehicle as many of the ruts on the road are very deep. I have camped here many times, in the summer you are likely to be sharing the lake with another group or two but it is never crowded. I have spent a few weekends here throughout the fall and had the place all to myself. The water is crystal clear and lovely for a dip (if you can handle the cold!). A few kind souls have even left their row boats in the woods next to the lake, to my knowledge they still leave these here for others to enjoy, just please remember to put the boats and paddles back where you find them! There are also quite a few nice hiking trails around the area which are well marked with signs.
Traveler
My husband and I stayed 1 night at Yeoman and it was nothing short of wonder, joy and fun! There was a park ranger on site at the time we were there so that provided a sense of security while being more in the back country. The restrooms were abundant and always well stocked with toilet paper. The campsites come stocked with twigs and logs. Brush creek is clear and cool and provided us with the most perfect cold plunge for a warm summer day! We have been to many dispersed camp sites but this one takes the prize!
GuideDONT FORGET TO VISIT CLARK STORE, its very close
drove here in toyota prius. There is a parking lot at the entrance to the dispersed camping where it forks into two roads to access parking spots. The forest service road was in amazing condition to access it.
I decided to hike up ontop a large rock formation because i wanted the killer views. Just enough dirt up there to pitch a tent.
There is dispersed camping along the river where a lot of rv’s were pitched up. I didnt want to be near any of them cause im tent camping
Legend
Only dispersed camping I found from here to Trappers Lake. 4 sites, only the one in open area is suitable for TTs. Rest are more overland spots. No tables, no toilet, no wayer, no trash. No Cell signal.
Traveler
Plenty of dispersed camping up Red Sandstone Road. Go 2.5 miles up a smooth dirt road once you leave the paved road to reach the start of camping (head right at a junction after those 2.5 miles). The road gets much more rough here, so take it slow, definitely some clearance needed (I was clear in my Subaru Forester). I found a great spot for 2 nights just before the Piney Lake Road junction. Seemed like there were plenty more options on the way up to that junction and leading up to the Lost Lake Trailhead. Managed to camp here on a Friday and Saturday summer night without any issue. Super quiet and beautiful spot. Hard to find any better option for free in this area.
TravelerRoad was REALLY rough. One portion looked like someone had just run around digging random holes in the road; however, once you got past the road, it was everything you'd want in a primitive site. Beautiful aspens, pines and a babbling stream made it one of our top picks for dispersed camping.
TravelerThe road up is gravel and well maintained. It will take you about 45 minutes to go 14 miles so be ready. Be warned, cattle trucks use this road also. I pulled over for 3 of them to pass on the barely wide enough for two cars road. Lots of dispersed camping. Fire pits. No toilets. Pack it in, pack it out.
GuideJust got back from a solo camping trip at the Ute pass dispersed camping site. My usual spot was under a fire ban, but I acted quick and found this place. Only one additional hour away so I made the well worth it trek.
A bad comment I saw in other reviews was the amount of loose trash. However, someone had collected it all and left it in a large pile to be removed. Much appreciated to that person, and if I had truck space I would have thrown some out.
This campsite was easy enough to find with gps to the coordinates on Dyrt. However each dirt road branching off to the left once you get off Ute Pass is a road to more camping sites.
The dirt trail is a bit bumpy but I’d imagine most cars can make it. I used the third dirt road, southern most fire circle next to the river off that road. The river is loud, but calming. and you can still hear your friends or listen to music. Overall great spot, was also able to hammock right next to the water so that was a big plus.
I’m the morning, the sun felt amazing as I made some breakfast, and eventually got too hot. Packed up and left, no disruptions at all which was great. I was here on a Tuesday night, Wednesday morning. And only saw one person on an atv as I was leaving.
Definitely will visit this spot again!
Guide
Very nice spot close to Steamboat Springs. (Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest) We arrived a little before noon on a Saturday in July. The road in was fine and very manageable with the OP 15 and a 1/2 ton truck. We found a beautiful spot 1.9 miles in on the East (left) side of the road. We saw 6-7 other campers set up on the way in… Mostly tent campers and a van or two. (Later in the weekend we did see some fairly sizable rigs occupying some “spots” along the 1.9 mile route to our spot) There may have been a place or two open that we could have chosen on the way in, but I’m glad that we kept going and settled in this spot. We had a beautiful view and the weather was perfect. Only downfall was the mosquitos. They were pretty bad this time of the year. Bring bug spray, or better yet, a misquote tent. We bought one in Steamboat Springs on our second day here and it was well worth the money! Verizon service was good and we had 2-3 bars all of the time. There was a little traffic on FR 302 but only about 1 car every 4-6 hours or so. Overall… Highly recommend!
GuideWe came here after failing to find a dispersed location closer to Silverthorne. It turned out to be a hidden gem with lots of secluded sites. Plus the drive in/out is super easy (apart from the final road to the campsite; that requires a 4WD vehicle, without question) - it was more-or-less the same drive time as original choice. Just without the hassle of navigating a busy one-way dirt road.
Scout
USFS lists site as year round but it is gated and there is no entry, no parking, and not maintained in winter. USFS description is not correct.
Traveler
Just to update this since the last review had it closed. The road leading up to the summit is back open, but it is ROUGH. I had just done Rock Creek's drive up to dispersed near Dillon and thought that was bad, but this was worse.
You will not be able to get anything low clearance or anything you're towing that does not have independent suspension + high clearance (I dropped my 18' TT at Walmart and went to scout - glad I did) While I was 1/4 up into the climb, a Sprinter Van was stopped at what is probably the worst portion of the road. If you can make it past that first choke point, you'll pass a park then walk-in camp site on the left and then shortly after another camp spot on the right that is more van friendly. Both are not good for trailers. It is after those two sites the road goes from bad to worse.
If you have a Camper on a F350 or high clearance + tent, it has some of the best views I've seen at a park spot. It's worth the drive up there for pictures if you're curious, but I would unhook anything you're carrying before doing so.
ScoutFirst come first serve spots along the river. There are a lot of trees down in the area. Camping spots are far away from each other.
Guide
Found a great little location on the creek. The area was busy, but the spots were separated very well. Off the main road we found a lightly traveled side road that led to the perfect camping spot. While the main road is well taken care of, some of the side roads definitely require an off-road vehicle. This is definitely going to be a place that we revisit.
ScoutWe stumbled upon this amazing camping spot via the app. You can set up camp on the bluff next to the Blue River, and let me tell you, the views were absolutely majestic! Trails every which way. It is a great place to set up a basecamp. Vault toilets are clean and easily accessible. Terrain is rocky so tent sites aren't ideal but can be found if you look carefully. Our spot was great for the most part and we definitely had the best view of the valley and peaks. Night sky was beautiful. Fall colors were at peak while we there (Sept 25-29, 2023). Fire rings were everywhere but bring in wood unless you're planning on hiking and finding some. This site is rock and dirt and with sage bushes everywhere. The biggest drawback was the dust and wind at night. It was cold but manageable. Days were very warm.
TravelerThe night sky was so beautiful. This site was on the end of the road and felt secluded, saw deer and moose in the area. Super pleasant drive to the campsite.
RangerGreat free spot if you’re looking for somewhere not too far from the town. Awesome bike trails not very far. No bathroom or water it is dispersed. Not too hard of a road to get up either got up in a RWD Tacoma no problem.
TravelerI wanted to do a quick getaway out to Steamboat Springs and this fit the bill. The road is rough, but there are a bunch of dispersed campsites along the roads. I went on July 4-5 and it was pretty busy, but the sites are far enough away that I didn’t hear/see my neighbors. Fire pits are provided at each site. My dog and I hiked just a bit up a trail connected to our site and had gorgeous sunset views of the mountains. If I’m ever out that way again, I’ll definitely be staying here.
Guide
This dispersed campsite has an incredible view, but it’s located on a “primitive road,” so google maps won’t show you the route all the way. I was using the OnX off-road app when I found it. If you approach from the south side (County Rd 48?), you will need a high clearance 4wd. If you approach from the north side (County Rd 51) it is accessible by any mid-clearance AWD vehicle, unless it’s wet. Then you’ll probably need a legit 4wd. I was there in mid-October, and there were hunters camped out all over the forest. But I found this place and had complete privacy, great view, and occasional Verizon service.
TravelerSeveral easy campsites near the river, very rocky but great for car camping and a few RV spots. Pretty windy through the valley but very pretty with the gore range to the west. Many rockpits for fires and places to pull aside and set up a quick camp for free.
I decided to ditch my bed on a monday night and setup camp by the river, and I was very pleased with the ease of access. 15 min from Silverthorne and felt out of the way.
Half of the ~10 spots were open by 5:30 when I got there but they seemed to almost all fill on a mid-september monday.
Scoutsecluded and quiet, sites have mountain grass. creek runs next to sites on west side. #5 is my favorite. fishing, wildflowers, hiking.. love.
GuideGood camping right close to the road. Secluded and private with beautiful views. Currently a stage 2 fire ban so no campfires allowed.
Guide
If you have low clearance, you will definitely have to be careful and take the road slow. The sites are secluded, and wildlife is prevalent!
GuideAbsolutely stunning secluded spots. Some are more accessible than others, but main road is well maintained. Definitely buggy during the summer, buy manageable. Most if not all sites are right next to the creek.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Yampa, Colorado, where nature meets tranquility. This area offers a variety of spots for outdoor enthusiasts looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Yampa, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Yampa, CO is Buffalo Pass Dispersed with a 4.3-star rating from 16 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 68 dispersed camping locations near Yampa, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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