Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites, near Penrose, Colorado, is a rugged camping area that offers a true escape into nature. With its free camping and stunning scenery, it’s a favorite for those looking to get away from the hustle and bustle.

This spot is all about the outdoors, featuring fire rings for cozy campfires and plenty of space to set up tents or park RVs. Visitors rave about the serene environment, with one camper noting, “No signal, no restroom, no water, no trash cans, no light, no noise, just nature.” The nearby creek provides a refreshing place to splash around and explore, making it a hit for families and adventurers alike.

The winding roads leading in can be a bit narrow, so keep an eye out for other vehicles. Many campers recommend driving further into the canyon to find the best spots, as some areas are more secluded and private. Just remember to pack out what you pack in; keeping this beautiful area clean is key to preserving its charm. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer stay, Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites is a fantastic choice for those who appreciate the great outdoors.

Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites

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Free BLM sites along Phantom Canyon Road, an hour outside Colorado Springs. Small creek that follows the road to camp along. Pre-existing fire rings. The sites were well used but sadly had a good bit of trash left from the previous occupants. Not much traffic on the road so it was a peaceful night.

BLM sites along Phantom Canyon Road

Beautiful spots along Phantom Canyon Road, but most are taken unless you get there before the crowds. Sites are pretty unmanaged, fire pits are at most of the well used spots. People leave sites trashed and full of broken bottles. Lots of bugs last year. (more so then the year before by 10x at least). There are two stops along the road with vault toilets that I would not recommend using. If you get a decent spot it is beautiful and quite at night. The road is unpaved and many of the sites require going down roads that are best left to 4x4s. Small creek runs though or near most sites. Best suited for smaller groups. 

Very busy

love phantom canyon road. there are lots of options within the first 16 miles or so. don’t get impatient, the further down the road you go the better the spots (and further from road traffIc)  my pictures are from a site after the second tunnel. all shade, you walk over a little creek to set up tent! 

phantom Canyon

By far our favorite campsite to date! we lucked out and snagged a place right by the creek. Fantastic location! Even did some hiking while there.

3 nights 

I was nervous about going here in my Nissan Versa because I had read it was a 4 wheel drive road on several sites, however I was also optimistic after speaking to someone at Canon City because they mentioned I would have no issue.   

Driving down to this campsite I was happy to have a small car because the road is very narrow to say the least.   I cannot imagine the feeling of driving a large rig here.    Just before you enter the camping area you encounter an old rail style tunnel cut right out of the mountain and it is one of those things you just have to get a picture of because it is so cool, but on the same token you kind of hold your breathe while navigating through because you can reach out and touch the sides almost.

I did notice there were a few sections that had I have not been going very slowly could have ended very badly for my small car, dips that appear out of nowhere if you are going to fast.   

By the time I arrived at the camping location I was looking for, I noticed that other campers had built rocky fire rings so I found one of those and set up so I could begin to explore the area.   The ground was not super even but also not something I couldn’t overcome with a little quick clearing.   My site was in a full sun area, it looked like most of the other sites were similar.   

This area is so interesting to explore there are a few signs about the railroad tunnels a lot of desert like mountain terrain.   I found it interesting to hike around this area and saw that there had been several different animals to which I didn’t have the knowledge of the scat to know what they were.

When hiking I did notice that there is a restroom about 3 miles into the BLM area, I wasn’t aware the campsite had access to a toilet of any kind so this was a pleasant surprise and though it was a vault toilet it was a great find on my little hike.

I did notice there were just beyond the restrooms more camping sites and also what looked to be an area which people probably do a little recreational 4 wheeling.   Deep ruts were in these areas and I was very happy that up higher where I had set up this was not the condition of the camp.   

I made it back to my camp and settled in making sure to not leave any food items out in the open overnight because I wasn’t trying to welcome animals into my camp.    By nightfall it was quiet with only some animal noises in the distance sounding like coyotes.   It was a bit surreal how silent it was here.

Narrow Roads To Big Sites

Overall: Phantom Canyon Road is a beautiful, peaceful location, but a bear came directly into our campsite!

Directions: Very easy to find and clearly marked. There are several signs warning you not to continue on if your vehicle is longer than 25 feet. The dirt road is twisty with several washboard sections, but it's not severely rutted up. I kept it around 20 mph the whole time and was pretty shocked at how fast some people were driving. There are a lot of blind corners and narrow roads, so be careful!

Camping: We found a pull-off on the left hand side pretty soon after the second tunnel. It was a pretty deep pull-off, enough that you could see the front of our truck but not our campsite from the road. Very private and quiet! Nice and level too, with two fire pits. Super sunny and not well shaded- it was lovely in April, but I bet it gets incredibly hot in the summer. Unfortunately, there was a lot of trash when we arrived, which I did clean up. We found some bullet shells and pieces of bright orange clay, which makes me think people were shooting back there. We arrived Friday night around 6:30pm and had to drive pretty far back to find a spot, there were a lot of people camping already. I think the road went on much further too, so don't get discouraged about finding a place! As someone mentioned, there is a pit toilet, but we didn't park anywhere near enough to use it. We got NO wifi or cell service back there either (Verizon).

**THE BEAR:** Our campsite was backed up right next to a dried out wash. Saturday morning, we decided to explore it a little (mistake #1 - we've explored washes before but not that far into the backcountry). We didn't go back super far, just followed the rocky path. At one point we noticed A LOT, and I mean A LOT of bear scat and turned around. Our dog started barking like crazy and when we looked up, there was a giant black bear high above us on a ridge. It was turning around and clearly uninterested in us, but we hurried back to our campsite - the bear was probably less than a quarter mile away from it. A few hours later when we were hanging out at the campsite just reading (we should've left immediately), our dog started growling. We looked up and there was the bear, standing at the edge of the wash. O_O We didn't have any food or trash out (we ALWAYS keep all of that locked away in our truck unless we are actively cooking/eating). The bear wasn't acting aggressively, but it wasn't leaving either. I kept talking to it, making myself appear larger, moving slowly as we packed up and got the heck out of there (we had to take our giant awning apart while the bear watched us curiously the whole time, omg).

Just be aware if you camp here that there are bears around! Not only is it their home, but all of the trash we picked up from that campsite upon arrival makes me think that they're starting to become habituated to the area since people are so trashy (a few other reviews mention finding trash at their sites as well). I will DEFINITELY be picking up some bear spray and bringing it with me from now on. Be safe and PACK YOUR TRASH OUT!!!

Beautiful place, but a bear came right into our campsite!

I came into Phantom Canyon from highway 50. I had read a few reviews that had me concerned. Maybe those people don't get out a lot. The road is in good shape. I drove my long bed, 4 door truck and towed a 15 foot pop-up camper. No worries at all. The road is wash-board here and there but nothing major. Plenty of room and where the road narrows a bit to 1 1/2 lanes, there are plenty of pull-offs. The tunnels are single lane, but plenty wide enough for anything to get through. There is nice camping near the creek at 9.3 miles and 11.3 miles from highway 50. But know that you will not get your camper or trailer down there. And you need an awd or 4 wheel drive with good clearance. Rocks, steep drives to these camping spots. This is a canyon where tent camping is king. There are numerous camping spots closer to the road where you can camp. There are numerous bridges, but THE bridge is at about 13.7 miles into the canyon, again from highway 50. High, long and winding bridge that is red. On the other side of the bridge, the road narrows considerably and is indeed one lane in many places. I was quite comfortable and again, there are lots of pull-outs where one driver can pull over or back up a little bit. On a Saturday around noon I only passed 4ish cars and there was no issue.  Beautiful canyon.

Beautiful spot, mainly tent camping

Loved it! Highly recommend all wheel, as some sites are rocky and/or steep, but don’t let your sedan stop you—you’ll have options. The place has eyes— but not mean ones. Very likely wildlife (or phantoms? Eek!) and the bears were my main concern, though I didn’t see one in the flesh. Saw old tracks at my campsite, saw waaaay too much scat when hiking around, and in the morning, though I hadn’t seen or heard anybody, there were extremely fresh tracks leading from the stream on the bank. I had my dog and bear spray with me so I felt secure, but in hindsight, maaaybe should consider extra precautions! Like more people or a firearm... still, it’s a special place and I highly recommend it. I went midweek with the express intent of avoiding other humans, which worked for the most part. Saw some humans but campsites are really private and the place feels just wild. Which I dig. Just be careful with your tasty foods! I keep my trash in a separate cooler to minimize the smell— not sure if it works but it feels safer. Lots of birds, no other critters. Probably because of ALL THE BEARS. 🙂

I took my 3 daughters for our first ever dispersed camping trip. I thought it would be a cool adventure as we had only ever camped at campgrounds.  We ended up going about 16 miles from County Rd 123 up Phantom Canyon Rd.  

We were in a Toyota Sienna which did perfectly well on the dirt road and as others have mentioned there are definitely some rough, wash boarded areas and lots of blind corners so taking your time is wise.  Part of the reason we went as far in as we did was that there wasn't a spot to spare.  This was on Friday/Saturday, May 1-2nd and every place that could be camped in was taken until we got to an area called, "Glenbrook" elevation 8,061 and we were able to find a place to set up camp opposite of the creek side.  

We had a great time and made the most of it, and I say this only because our primary reason for "dispersed camping" was to get away from it all, the people, the noise, the congestion of campground camping.  I can honestly say, it is more quiet when we have camped in my backyard in Colorado Springs than the 2 nights we spent here.  On Friday  night there was an entire group with loud music, hooping &amp; hollering &amp; partying down the road.  On Saturday night there was a group down the road the other way with loud music &amp; such.  Both nights this lasted until almost midnight.  

I realize the negatives weren't from the place just the people that happened to be there at the time we went.  That was the problem just sooo many people everywhere!  But the area is absolutely beautiful and a great place to hike and explore.  We may have to try again possibly during the week it won't be so busy.

Beautiful scenery, fun exploring.  Lots of people partying on weekend!

This is such an awesome drive. A solid 3 hours from Denver. No service as soon as you get to the dirt part of the road, so its best to have your whole crew riding behind you in a line. A little anxiety when it comes to finding a spot, everyone is right when they say, have someone get there thursday to get a choice spot. But few people know if you keep driving up the canyon, there are more public lands spots you can claim as your site. 

  

Being there isnt a whole lot to choose from after the place fills up, we had some people literally show up Saturday on Memorial Day weekend, and camp right on top of our campsite, which was pretty annoying, but thats the price you pay at free public land dispersed camping. 

  

Awesome drive up the canyon to the small mining town of "Victor" which is just an awesome time capsule town, i highly recomend swooping through.

Great Spot. A little busy, not very considerate neighbors.

I decided to stay here since the East Ridge Campground in Royal Gorge cost $20 a night. It is hidden and somewhat secluded, on my stay of Tuesday March 2nd, 2021 I saw less than 10 vehicles come and go. The road is loose gravel, long and winds through large cliff rock faces on both sides, which block out the sun so your daylight is limited. The drive is nice and sometimes iffy, 4WD not necessary but always recommended in Colorado. My little Toyota did just fine, there was snow in the areas which was shaded but tires did not slide. There is a bathroom near the entrance stocked with TP and sanitizer at the time I was there. There is no signal so get your communication out of the way before entering. I found no running water, had to melt snow. Pack in your stuff and pack it out! 

Free, Hidden & Somewhat Secluded

We packed up the truck and headed out on our first camping trip of 2021 with our new 6month pup, Luna. It was a wonderful Easter weekend. This is a great spot for good car camping. The dirt road took us up through the mountains with plenty of options to pull off and set up camp. Spots were already there to build a campfire. We didn't hear noise from other campers just the occasional bikers and cars driving up on the road. Wish it hadn't been dry because there wasn't any water nearby. Other than that it was a beautiful weekend. We'll definitely be back. 

Spring 2021

Over all pretty nice spot.  Even for a day trip.  When the water is flowing it is packed.  

Season Dependant 

We arrived the Phantom Creek Road around 4:30pm. 10miles and 30 minutes later we found our spot.

We had 4 cars with us and were able to find two spots right next to each other so our large group could share one space. The spots were tucked in a little canyon about 5 minutes after the second tunnel and probably a 300 yards to the next closest site. We couldn’t see those spots nor hear anyone else. Travel on the road by our site was minimal and sites were abundant and often available while we were selecting our own place to stay.

Sites had fire rings built by campers and a toilet a few miles up Phantom Canyon Rd. Amenities end there, which I liked.

Our site was certainly used quite a bit but maybe not so much to ruin the outdoor charm. The road was in surprisingly good shape too allowing pretty much any vehicle access to the sites.

Watch out for wildlife. Their droppings a are everywhere.

I highly recommend if you want quite secluded car or backpack camping.

Private and Scenic

Easy to find a spot even on a Saturday afternoon. We did end up leaving as a bear was breaking into campers cars and kept coming back day after day.

Easy dispersed camping

The road through the land had just been graded so it was an easy drive through.  Arrived an hour before dark and the first handful of sites were taken but we had an easy time finding a nice spot.  It was SO cold at night.  Saw bear scat near our site the next day but never saw any bears.  Unfortunately, we only stayed one night as we passed through. There’s so much area to explore!  Will definitely come back if we’re in the area! 

Beautiful Location

The drive to the campsites was amazing. We got there around 6:30 so the sun was coming through the trees and creating a warm golden light, which was also amazing! But not when your trying not to drive off the side of a mountain. People afraid of Heights beware! BATHROOMS are pit toilets that are located around at sight (18) and I believe (8) the sights are relatively easy to find. And there are green mile markers all the way through. The tunnels were also super cool to go under. I highly recommend this sight to everyone! Especially families!

Amazing drive! Bathrooms

I absolutely loved this spot. My boyfriend and live in our car and travel all over and this was a top notch car camping spot with endless beautiful views. Plenty of spots for everyone, super quite with the occasional car passing. 

Loved this spot! 

Wow! Just wow! My fav spot now! Stunning views, privacy and well worth the drive further into the mountain. We had all wheel drive, it was very cold at night (early sept) perfect day temperatures. 
This is my new favorite place. 

Enjoy the pics!
No GPS, no cellular (FYI) 

Amazing!

This is a great spot with very dispersed camping spots.  Breathtaking views.  I’ve driven it plenty of times, but this was my first stay. 

Your altitude has a big impact on the weather conditions; especially at night.  The beginning of the road will be much more trafficked than the end.  Look for the off-trail spots to find a more private campsite.

Wow, what a drive and stay

The actual Phantom Canyon ranch dispersed camping was beautiful! However, the current coordinates listed on here are NOT correct. We unfortunately drove around for an hour only to find the coordinates weren’t correct and we had to backtrack to the actual Phantom Canyon road using coordinates from Free Roam. 

THE CURRENT COORDINATES ARE NOT CORRECT

The canon was beautiful. I had brought my twin 3 year old twins.  They really had a blast exploring. Only downfall was  TRASH left behind. I filled up a trash bag before I made camp. People need to respect the nature and pack in pack out

Family 

Amazing for BLM land!! Gorgeous scenery and spread out camp sites, would recommend driving in pretty far to find the coolest spots. There are two pit toilets further in. Loved this area.

Highly recommend!!

This was a neat little camping area. Campsites are on the side of the road and a few are on a small branch of road down to the creek. We only stayed one night as a layover but made sure to explore the creek a little bit in the morning. Water is cold and clear with tons of area to explore. The drive out also has two really neat tunnels that you drive through on your way out. The BLM land ends abruptly and turns to private land but the drive appears to continue on through the mountains to the north. We definitely plan to come back and explore the rest of it. 

Shallow Winding Clear Creek

We adore camping here! It’s secluded, it’s free, very little tourists. It’s rad. Just drive up the gravel road and find your spot. While it is cooler on the canyon than outside of it, it is still miserably hot in the summer though. 

Live this place!!! 

Our site was perfect! It had kind of a driveway to a large and cleared area/loop - plenty of room for our F150. There was a fire ring available also. You could walk down to the creek to explore and look for cool rocks. Phantom Canyon Road is smooth and well-maintained.

  

Site Coordinates: 38°33'17.3"N 105°05'31.3"W

  

Also, it's where we got engaged so it's extra special :)

Private and Serene

We arrived late and made camp, had some rain the first day but it cleared up enough for the family to do some top roping with the kids. Awesome little stream that follows the sites, depending on how far up the road will determine the difficulty of the access. The higher up sites by the tunnel looked really swampy.

Awesome time will return

There are not as many sites as I thought or we just couldn't see them all, but we drove quite a ways into the canyon and found a beautiful spot by the creek with a fire pit and even handmade log benches. Plenty of cars driving by but no visible or audible neighbors. In June there were plenty of mosquitoes. There are signs clearly stating where BLM land stops and starts. Plenty of narrow, winding roads, so watch for speeding cars. Please pick up your trash and leave your site better than you found it.

Great dispersed camping

We rode fully loaded motorcycles 2 up to our spot. Rode 5 or so miles in and passed 10 or so campers. We pulled off just before the turnaround for long trailers and camped on the other side of the creek near a towering wall that had a few climbing chains in it. No signal, no restroom, no water, no trash cans, no light, no noise, just nature and an occasional car. I splashed in the creek and caught crawdads. We scavenged plenty of wood for a fire - it’s recommended to burn dry down stuff. I saw a snake in the water and fish in the creek. 

Incredible and rugged 

probably one of my favorite spots along the road trip. multiple really rad drive through tunnels and towering canyon walls that blew me away. got there after dark and took and it's definitely a popular place so I would recommend getting there with some day light left. a smidge chilly during the night but does heats up quick. would absolutely come back again! 

breathtaking & plenty of tucked away spots

Pretty smooth mountain road, lots of site options. We found one that was down back from the main road and near the creek. Needed 4WD to get down there, but other sites 2WD would be fine. Appears to be a local cow wandering around, she approached our campsite but went the other way. 

Great secluded sites

The road is a well maintained gravel road. There are quite a few available spots for folks with 4x4 drive or tent camping. I would NOT suggest this for larger rvs. I travel in a camper van and the spots I could use were more limited but still a few available. 

Honestly, just the drive is worth it. The scenery is amazing. You’re winding down the road next to a creek (was dry when I was there) in between mountains. It’s absolutely amazing. 

Zero signal. Like absolutely none. 

There is a rest stop a few miles in with basic toilets. Nothing special but really nice option to have. 

Photos of Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites

Real photos from real campers