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Established Camping

Salida North BLM

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Salida North BLM, near Salida, Colorado, is a free camping spot that offers a laid-back atmosphere with stunning views of the Collegiate Peaks. This area is perfect for those who want to enjoy the great outdoors without the hassle of reservations or fees.

The campground features fire rings for cozy evenings under the stars, and while there are no picnic tables or drinking water, visitors appreciate the chance to set up camp in a beautiful, natural setting. Many campers have enjoyed the peaceful surroundings, with one noting, “Very quiet stay with few visitors except for the mountain goats who were just as curious of us as we were of them.”

Accessing the area is straightforward, making it a convenient stop for travelers along US 285. Reviewers have mentioned that the dirt road can be a bit rough, but most vehicles can manage it with care. The scenery is a highlight, with breathtaking views in every direction, making it a great backdrop for your camping adventures.

While some campers noted the lack of privacy due to the popularity of the site, the overall vibe is friendly and welcoming. Whether you're looking to light a fire, enjoy a quiet night, or explore the nearby public lands, Salida North BLM is a solid choice for a night under the stars.

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Location

Salida North BLM is located in Colorado

Detail location of campground

Coordinates

38.63820083 N
106.0755 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Good
  • Verizon
    Fair
  • AT&T
    Good
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • Phone Service
  • WiFi
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

FREE established camping

Enjoy camping on government land. Limited or no services at this camping area.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

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General Info


Reviews

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48%
36%
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4.0

out of 5

17 Reviews

Reviewed Aug. 3, 2024

Great!

Everything great. Beautiful surroundings, picnic tables, fire rings. I gave it a 4 because of annoying rig running generator and a little highway noise.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Sue , August 3, 2024
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Sue , August 3, 2024
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Sue , August 3, 2024
Reviewed Apr. 16, 2023

Decent place to crash

Great place to pull off 285 and light a fire and camp for the night. I did some walking around and it looked like most of the stuff around there is private property. Hecla Junction is about 3 miles away and there’s much more public land around there

Month of VisitApril
Reviewed Oct. 11, 2022

Beautiful scenery

Very quiet stay with few visitors except for the mountain goats who were just a curious of us as we were of them. Great weather here too.

Siten/a
Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Joe A., October 11, 2022
Reviewed Aug. 15, 2022

Nice Spot for the Night

Nice spot to spend the night. Dirt road was a little rough for my 2wd sedan but we made it through all right - just be mindful of your speed. Got one of the last sites all the way at the end of the road near the private property sign - secluded and quiet. Would camp there again

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Georgia W., August 15, 2022
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Georgia W., August 15, 2022
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2022

Sweet popular spot conveniently off the highway

We got there at 5pm on a Saturday and got one of the last spots, no privacy but it was worth it. Awesome views in every direction. Camp spot was a little uneven, may be hard to find a level spot but we made it work. 

Road going in was a little bumpy but any car should be able to make it.

Overall I'd recommend it.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Michael D., August 9, 2022
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Michael D., August 9, 2022
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Michael D., August 9, 2022
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jul. 19, 2022

Non-sketchy free camping between BV and Salida

This is a convenient spot right off US 285 between BV and Salida. We arrived just after 10 am on the Friday of July fourth weekend and got what we think was the best spot for our truck and 20’ travel trailer - in the large clearing just before it narrows and goes downhill a bit to two more smaller sites. Our spot was somewhat level and we didn’t see any trash or waste other than the standard stray pop tabs and rubber bands. Highway noise didn’t bother us since we were in a trailer. The only negative was that since we were essentially parked in a large clearing, there wasn’t much privacy. For a free campsite with an amazing view of the Collegiate Peaks this definitely deserves a 5-star rating. Reminder for y’all to go through the mud and not around it… oh, and you can fill your water tanks in BV for $4 at the public works building, 755 Gregg Dr (no dump station).

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Anne G., July 19, 2022
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Anne G., July 19, 2022
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Anne G., July 19, 2022
Reviewed Jun. 17, 2022

Nice spot

Nice, quiet accessible campground. Popular spot. You won't find anything on the weekend.

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Sep. 10, 2021

Convenient site

Great spot to car camp! Super convenient being right off 285. Camped on a Thursday night and only a few other people around. Quiet, comfortable, and beautiful views.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Cory R., September 10, 2021
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Cory R., September 10, 2021
Reviewed May. 11, 2021

Great alternative to hecla junction

Beautiful spot right near the arkansas river. A little bit of road noise was acceptable given the convenient location.

Siteabout half way down the road
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Mike B., May 11, 2021
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Mike B., May 11, 2021
Reviewed Sep. 28, 2020

Good location

For primitive camping, this works. It was only one night for me, but could see spending more time to explore the area. Would visit again.

Reviewed Aug. 29, 2020

A bit of work to get here but worth it!

We absolutely loved this BLM spot. It's about a 12 minute drive to Buena Vista or Poncha springs (which has water and a dump station) and a 20 minute drive to downtown Salida. We saw 2 great horned owls during our stay on several occasions. It was quiet (some highway noise) and in a beautiful canyon with great mountain views. We parked at the very end and while it was a bit of a rough road to get there it was worth the views and solitude. We stayed a week. No facilities here including trash. There's a recycling center just down the street too!

  • Play button icon
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Eat · See · RV L., August 29, 2020
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Eat · See · RV L., August 29, 2020
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2020

Quiet and Private

Several spots on the right after you turn off 285 but we’re totally full of RVs and campers. I drove further up the road than where the pins is for this location. Before you hit the recreational area there a dirt road on the left, 4x4 and some clearance is needed. Only saw 2 tents close to the pull off and never heard anyone. I car camped and had a great view. The bugs were bad at night with the lamps but no problems otherwise. Even had full phone service.

  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Kelsie S., August 17, 2020
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Kelsie S., August 17, 2020
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Kelsie S., August 17, 2020
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2019

Nice Staging for Arkansas River

This is a BLM dispersed camping site north of Salida on the road to Hecla Junction Recreation Area. The river access is about 5 miles away down a steep dirt and gravel road. The BLM site is very basic with no facilities. The campsites are not marked but easy to identify by the campfire rocks and road patterns. You can’t beat the price if you are looking for free camping near world class river rafting. Like all dispersed camp sites you get a diverse mix of users from long term residents to temporary van and tent campers. The site is located immediately off the access road to the river and provides some tree cover for the sun and wind. It can be a rather windy and dusty spot. So you will need to have a good tent or other cover in the summer or during wind events. The site is patrolled by BLM and other park officials. They have some great hikes here and nice scenery. However, the highlight here is the proximity to the Arkansas River and river rafting. The the Hecla Campground is full this could serve as a good plan B for free. You will need your own toilet, food, and water. You will also need to pack out your trash as they do not have any trash removal. If you are used to dispersed camping, this will be straightforward.

  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Steve & Ashley  G., August 26, 2019
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Steve & Ashley  G., August 26, 2019
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Steve & Ashley  G., August 26, 2019
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Aug. 6, 2019

Sweet spot - FREE

It’s a Monday evening and only a few campers dispersed in a beautiful little canyon. Great sunset views of Princeton.

  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Ric T., August 6, 2019
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Ric T., August 6, 2019
Reviewed Jul. 26, 2019

Nice dispersed camping a short drive off highway.

Several spots with rock fire rings. Good views. Room for smaller trailers and RVs and flat for tents. A bit more road noise than I prefer, but not too bad. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again given the opportunity.

Reviewed Jul. 10, 2019

Ranger Review: Wenzel Camp Quits at Salida North BLM

Camp Site Review:

I came across this spot from a previous Rangers review! We were looking for something in the Buena Vista/ Salida area. The spots are about 20 south of BV and about 10 minutes north of Salida. A great base camp for a multitude of activities. The Arkansas river is a minute down the road, it is the take out spot for the popular Browns Canyon section. Within 20 minutes of driving you have multiple Colorado 14ers to hike, amazing fishing, miles of mountain biking trails and 2 amazing towns with great places to eat or grab a beer. 

The spot itself is very basic, as most BLM sites are. A simple rock fire ring built by past occupants and a small spot to park. That is about it. No bathrooms, no tables and no designated spots. I counted about 8 or so "spots", all fairly spread out. There were a few RV's parked, so plenty of room if that is what you are driving. Did i mention its free! 

Vey easy to find, follow highway 285 until you see the Hecla Juntion forest service sign. Once turning off 285 onto country road 194, you will drive about 1/4 mile, looking on your right for a small white sign with some rules for camping and the BLM logo. 

Overall i was very impressed with this spot. Easy to get to and the spot was large and flat for tents. The view was the best part, multiple 14ers directly in eye shot while hanging around by the fire. Cant beat it. 

Product Review:

As a Ranger of The Dyrt, i sometimes get to test out products. At this campground i tested the Wenzel Camp Quilts. My first impression was i loved the look. The design on the quilt is beautiful and vibrant. The feel is that of a sleeping bag, it is very soft and comfortable. The reason i wanted one of these quilts is because i live in Colorado and even in the middle of summer, most camp spots will get down to the mid 40's. The quilt did not disappoint. It was very warm when sitting out side and around the fire. To really test it out, i decided to not use my sleeping bag and just use the quilt. The temp got down to 43 degrees and i woke up extremely warm.  The only negative i have here is that i feel the blanket will get beat up using it outdoors a lot.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Anthony P., July 10, 2019
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Anthony P., July 10, 2019
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Anthony P., July 10, 2019
  • (11) View All
Reviewed Jun. 11, 2019

Ranger Review: Outdoor Element Firebiner at Salida North BLM

Campground Review:

We are loving all of the free camping on BLM land in Colorado.  Salida North was no exception!  We easily found a place to park and had plenty of cell service (and Verizon hotspot signal) to work while we were there.  There are pretty mountain views from the sites as well.  We felt really safe here – a ranger even drove through every day checking on things.  We easily found a spot for our 30’ RV and there were really awesome tent sites there as well.  This was a perfect free spot for us to set up for a few nights while enjoying the super cute town of Salida (be sure to check out Elevation Brewery)!

Product Review:

As a Dyrt Ranger, I get to test products from time to time.  I was fortunate to be able to test the Outdoor Element Firebiner.  I am so happy to have this product!  It is super lightweight (only 1 ounce) so carrying it on every hike is a no brainer.  It has all kinds of useful tools – a bottle opener, a safety blade and a screwdriver to name a few.  However, my favorite feature is the fire starter.  I currently carry a flint and steel in my pack, but I definitely struggle to get a spark with that.  I have no trouble getting the Firebiner to spark!  I feel way more confident having the Firebiner with me than I ever did the flint and steel.  It also has 100 pound capacity as a carbineer too.  This product’s price point is great, and the functionality is even better.  I have my Firebiner clipped to my pack and I couldn’t be happier about it!

Month of VisitMay
  • Firebiner sparking
    Play button icon
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Bounding Around , June 11, 2019
  • Review photo of Salida North BLM by Bounding Around , June 11, 2019
  • (8) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the elevation of Salida North BLM?

    Salida North BLM is located at 7545 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Salida North BLM?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Salida North BLM, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Salida North BLM have wifi?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Salida North BLM does have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Salida North BLM?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is fair, AT&T is good, and T-Mobile is unknown.