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Dispersed Camping

Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping

CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping, near Keystone, Colorado, is a scenic spot that offers a true escape into nature. With stunning mountain views and easy access to Peru Creek, it’s a great place for those looking to pitch a tent and enjoy the great outdoors.

This area is popular for its beautiful surroundings and nearby hiking trails, making it a fantastic base for outdoor adventures. Visitors have noted that while it can get busy, especially on weekends, there are plenty of spots to choose from if you arrive early. One camper mentioned, “We managed to find a beautiful spot by the creek after going up the road a while.”

Keep in mind that this location doesn’t have amenities like drinking water or toilets, so come prepared. Campers have shared that the road can be a bit rough, but it’s manageable with a 4WD vehicle, and there are some pull-offs suitable for smaller cars. As one reviewer put it, “Easy to drive to the camping area & it made a great home base for several 4wd roads in the area.”

Wildflowers, clear streams, and the chance to spot wildlife like moose add to the charm of Peru Creek. Just remember to respect the area and follow any regulations, especially regarding campfires. Whether you're there for a weekend or a longer stay, this spot offers a peaceful retreat in the heart of Colorado's wilderness.

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Location

Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping is located in Colorado

Detail location of campground

Directions

From I-70 take Exit 205, Silverthorne/Dillon, and travel east on HWY 6 toward Keystone. Just past Keystone, turn right onto Montezuma Road (County Road 5). Follow Montezuma Road for 4.6 miles to the pull-out parking area on your left. This is the Peru Creek Road trailhead. You can continue up the road with a 4WD vehicle.

Coordinates

39.60056852 N
105.83520318 W

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Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • Dispersed
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

DISPERSED CAMPING

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

We curate permit requirements across the US for our PRO members. Try PRO to see if Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping needs a permit.

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Reviews

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13 Reviews

Reviewed Jun. 30, 2025

Great spot

Beautiful area with 30 campsites, in a cool old mining area, a few of the campsites are across a creek which was probably 18” deep when I crossed but will likely lower later in the season, I’d recommend a mid-high clearance vehicle either way for the bumpy road in but did see a few cars make it with lower clearance Subaru Impreza’s and such. Overall great stay, some fun off roading trails near by and beautiful views. A bit buggy so bring bug spray but a camp fire keeps them at bay.

Site28
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Greg , June 30, 2025
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Greg , June 30, 2025
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Greg , June 30, 2025
Reviewed Jul. 28, 2024

Rockin and rollin, slow roll the drive.

We arrived Saturday @ ~12pm, finding a site was slim pickins but, dayum we got lucky!

We stayed at site 14 (39°35'59.6"N 105°50'38.9"W) with fantastic access to Peru Creek; our doggos loved it, and the Lewanee trail was right down the road.

Rating this 3 stars, because the majority of sites catered to tent camping; your parking spot is close to the road, you walk your stuff in a bit.

Site 14 has fantastic access/setup for a van.

We have a 4wd Sprinter with slightly larger tires, and pulling an off road trailer. We made it with ease. There were potholes to contend with and some mid-sized rocks that did have us rockin' and rollin' from side to side. Slow roll it and you'll be fine.

We managed all the way up to the old mine, and used it to turn around and head back down as we scouted sites.

Again, we got lucky w/ site 14 as it's tough to see from the road. Secret Squirrel?!

Site14 (39°35'59.6"N 105°50'38.9"W)
Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Apr. 25, 2024

Beautiful but Busy

Came up on a Saturday morning during the summer and it was fairly busy. We managed to find a beautiful spot by the creek after going up the road a while. The creek water looks white from mining runoff so there isn't anything living in there from what I can tell. It looks really cool but its probably not safe. Great hiking trails nearby for good views. I would come back but I would be worried about getting a good spot. Still not that bad for a Saturday in June.

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by rwtf112sm , April 25, 2024
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by rwtf112sm , April 25, 2024
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by rwtf112sm , April 25, 2024
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Sep. 5, 2022

Beautiful but lots of OHVs

Setting is tremendous - mountains all around, open meadows for camping, a creek so clear you can see everything. Lots of OHVs on the road that goes through the dispersed camping. It's not possible to get far enough off the road to stop the dust or noise.

Site17
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by T K., September 5, 2022
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by T K., September 5, 2022
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by T K., September 5, 2022
Reviewed Jun. 20, 2022

Very beautiful spot!

Super gorgeous views, pretty easy road up, there is a creek crossing if you want/can make it through as it's deep in the spring and early summer. Can be pretty busy around the weekends but tons of spots usually!

Sitethe right turn off just before the creek crossing
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Anwyn P., June 20, 2022
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Anwyn P., June 20, 2022
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Anwyn P., June 20, 2022
Reviewed Dec. 1, 2021

Crowded Camping Near Keystone

This is beautiful camping close to keystone and likewise gets crowded in the summer months. If you want a spot on a weekend, get there early. There are a few pull offs along the road suitable for most cars, but if you have a high clearance 4WD you can go on a few offshoot roads and find more spacious spots. No cell phone signal or water, and frequent fire bans in the summer.

  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Eileen S., December 1, 2021
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2021

Beautiful spot

Arrived in a Thursday afternoon and found a large wide open spot just before the Chihuahua Gulch trailhead. We have an off-road teardrop trailer with rooftop tent and travelled with another family with rooftop tent and we were able to spread out with plenty of level ground for our vehicles/sleeping quarters. There was a decent amount of traffic as the weekend came and went, but arriving Thursday we had the pick of large spots. Peru Creek was just across the road and we took our chairs over to sit by it one sunny afternoon which was wonderful. LOTS of moose droppings in the area but we never saw any. We loved our spot that had gorgeous 360 views and would love to come back again!

Also, we drive a lifted Ram 1500 and pull the off-road trailer - the road up was a bit sketchy and narrow in places. I worries if we had to pass anyone coming the opposite direction but the one narrow spot that happened, we all survived unscathed, lol. It was good to find plenty of places to turn the trailer around once we got up further in case we couldn’t find anything. That’s always the concern on these roads!

Sitemeadow just before Chihuahua Gulch TH
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Lori O., August 2, 2021
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Lori O., August 2, 2021
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Lori O., August 2, 2021
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jun. 16, 2020

Accessible for small cars!

Great spot, drove up Friday night and a lot of spots were open. We did have to change site the second night we were there as the park rangers let us know we were too close to the river, but we found another site easily. I have a small 2WD car and it did just fine—4WD cars are needed the further up you go, but the first couple miles are doable for smaller cars. Highly recommend (even if fires are banned).

  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Megan Q., June 16, 2020
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Megan Q., June 16, 2020
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Megan Q., June 16, 2020
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Aug. 12, 2019

Lots of room

There are a ton of spots, but be careful and make sure they're approved. We stopped at one that had a fire ring made from rocks but it wasn't 100' from water. we parked at night so we didn't see the  sign that said it wasn't a legal camping spot, then the next day we got a ticket from a park ranger. It was our fault but just thought I should mention it so others don't make the same mistake. There were several other spots, we just liked the location of this one.  Anyway, tons of tree cover, streams, trails, wild flowers etc. There was also a decent amount of traffic from other campers and off road vehicles/ATV's but if you go farther up the road and then find a spot a little farther from the road, it wont be a big deal.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Trevor F., August 12, 2019
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Trevor F., August 12, 2019
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Trevor F., August 12, 2019
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Jul. 9, 2017

OK for slow driving 2wd car

We were able to get up most of the road in a weighed down Pontiac Vibe.

Great basecamp for adventures. We accessed further down the road with our mountain bikes.

Once camping area had a picnic table, most others were typical dispersed camping. There is a super cool mine in the area that you can explore!

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Leah W., July 9, 2017
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  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Leah W., July 9, 2017
Reviewed Jul. 25, 2016

Great campgrounds for the adventure hiker

Most SUVs will be fine on this AWD access road. There's not many difficult sections and since there are pull offs to camp or let others pass, navigating the road isn't much problem.

This is a great area to disperse camp if you want to access some great hikes in some backcountry part of Colorado. During the drive of the access road, there will be trail signs for places like Warden Gulch, Chihuahua Gulch, and Cinnamon Gulch. The very end of the road is also where this cool abandoned mine of some kind is located. I've been there before and seen people park in this turnaround area and take motorbikes or horses onto the other side of Peru Creek to explore the mine. You can access it on foot as well. It's totally worth checking out, just explore safely.
All along this #260 road there are opportunities to pull off and camp. There are established sites all over the place. They can fill up on popular weekends of the year I'm sure. There are no toilets, showers, facilities, or waste bins. Pack accordingly to minimize impact.

  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Daniel  B., July 25, 2016
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Daniel  B., July 25, 2016
  • Review photo of Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping by Daniel  B., July 25, 2016
  • (7) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any permits or fees required for Peru Creek Road camping?

Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping is free to use with no permits required. However, campers should be aware that rangers do patrol the area to enforce regulations. Be particularly careful about site selection, as camping must be at least 100 feet from water sources. Improper site selection can result in tickets from rangers, even if the area has an existing fire ring.

What are the designated dispersed camping areas along Peru Creek Road?

Peru Creek Road offers approximately 30 designated dispersed camping sites. Most sites are located along the main road with some pull-offs suitable for standard vehicles. Additional sites can be found across a creek crossing (approximately 18 inches deep during spring/early summer), which requires higher clearance vehicles. Some offshoot roads accessible with 4WD vehicles provide more secluded options. One site reportedly has a picnic table, but most are typical dispersed sites with established fire rings. Site #14 offers excellent creek access.

What activities can you do near Peru Creek camping area?

The Peru Creek area offers abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. Hiking is popular with the Lewanee Trail and Chihuahua Gulch trailhead nearby. Mountain biking is excellent on the surrounding trails and forest roads. Off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts can explore numerous 4WD roads in the area. The region has an interesting mining history with an old mine site to discover. Additionally, the creek provides a beautiful natural feature for relaxation, though it may have mining runoff making it unsuitable for fishing.

Where is Peru Creek dispersed camping located in Colorado?

Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping is located in the mountains of Colorado near Montezuma. The area is accessible via Peru Creek Road, which branches off from Montezuma Road. It sits in a picturesque setting with mountain views, open meadows, and a clear creek running through the camping area. The location provides excellent access to backcountry areas while still being relatively close to Keystone.

How close is Peru Creek to Keystone for dispersed camping options?

Peru Creek Designated Dispersed Camping is conveniently close to Keystone, making it a popular option for free camping near the resort area. The proximity to Keystone contributes to the area getting crowded during summer months, especially on weekends. For the best chance at securing a spot during peak periods, arrive early. This accessibility to Keystone while still offering a mountain backcountry experience makes Peru Creek an attractive option for budget-conscious visitors to the area.