Turtle Rock Campground

Turtle Rock used to be free dispersed camping but not anymore.  See Recreaction.gov for sites and reservations.

I came here planning on staying a couple of nights, but I think I'm going to go ahead and stay an entire week. This place is fantastic. I don't think I've been anywhere that is this nice for free before. Absolutely beautiful, well cared for, nice people. What more could you ask. Even the pit toilet was clean and well stocked with toilet paper. There are plenty of places to hike and explore and close to BV as well. AT&T 4G and 5G great reception.

I have been to Turtle Rock twice. Always fantastic.

This place is beautiful. Easy to get to. Has cell service and wonderful for mountain biking. It also has a host that definitely is not dog friendly. He says he has been bitten multiple times and honestly, I get why the dogs did it. I know he thinks he’s doing the right thing but he’s over the top. But hey, if you don’t have any dogs this place might be for you. I doubt I’ll ever come back.

Nice views and still close to town. Toilet didn't have toilet paper one night, so I would bring your own. Some sites are kinda close to each other, but everyone was respectful and I had no issues. Would stay there again in an instant.

This BLM campground has free sites and pit toilets that are kept clean. It’s a great location above Buena Vista and great views. FCFS but people moved in and out daily.

This place was very much like a reservable campground but without water or electricity. It’s technically on BLM land so it’s free this year but that’s changing starting next year. This campground is open till December 1st! The reception for my Verizon phone was only 1 or 2 bars and when my fellow camp set left on Sunday, I have SOS no service. The camp host was so strict on parking it borderline harassment. The sites offered beautiful views, the sky was great for stargazing, and sites were spacious. There are picnic tables, fire pits with grills attached, and 2 vault toilets.

Stayed at campsite 11, Sept. 8-9 and loved the location further from most other sites and pushed back to the edge of the wilderness with less traffic. The max parking in that spot was only 2 cars and the camp host was VERY strict about not having more. The camping has picnic tables, fire pits with grills, and 2 vault toilets. The views were beautiful and the night sky was great for stargazing!

Pulled up on a Friday afternoon not knowing there were multiple festivals going on in Buena Vista but there were a few spots left.  The Camp host helped me find a site that ended up being a Group site but said its first come first served.  The outer sites were nicely spaced from your neighbor.  Site 8 is large and you have lots of room to move around and great views!  Bathrooms were clean and close to our site.  The Camp host is very nice and helpful but is very strict on following the rules- especially keeping your dog leashed at ALL times, even when laying down at your camp site.  He will check.

My AT&T service was not good throughout the entire town.

Beautiful spot- quiet neighbors. picnic tables at some sites. We were able to set up our tent a hundred feet or so from the pull in and get great views of mountains and stars.

Awesome campground with many primitive sites.  Views amazing.  Highly recommend camping here, as the landscape is more desert and in the forested places misquitoes are TERRIBLE this summer (2023), no misquitoes at turtle rock!  Stargazing is amazing, lots of currant plants,  and NO COST!  Yes!

Stayed here for a quick night when traveling. Got the last so it. Had Att service. Porta potties provided and weren't too dirty

We rolled in around 7 pm in our Class B and had a lovely greeting by the host, and were informed of several available sites. We stayed at site 7 which was beautiful, set back, and felt very private. Pit toilets available as well, concrete picnic tables and fire rings with grill grate on every site. Thrilled we found this great little gem on the Fourth of July no less!

Great BLM campground only a few minutes outside of Buena Vista. It’s a dirt/gravel road up with lots of potholes and some large rocks. We made it up fine in our 2WD low clearance car.

Turtle Rock is the perfect spot for those looking for an experience in-between full facilities camping and dispersed. There are pull-in spots with fire pits and tables, there is a bathroom a ways down toward the beginning of the road, but everything else is primitive. The campground host, Don, introduced himself and was incredibly accommodating and hopped in to help me pitch my tent when it had started raining and offered up spots to get water, dump trash, etc. I could not have imagined a better experience at this “dispersed” site. Just 10 minutes from town and has everything you could need.

This campground ROCKS literally most epic dispersed campsite I’ve been to. I mean this place had a fire ring, pit toilets, and a picnic table. Plus I think there was a camp host(?) or at least a volunteer who came up and checked on us and who was super nice. And it’s free!? And so unbelievably gorgeous!?? Great place to spend a couple nights with friends while tackling some fourteeners.

Great location close to town and close to many 14ers and hikes, white water rafting, and many other things. Buena Vista is beautiful.

The grounds themselves are hard to find without Google maps but once you get there depending on the camp site the view is breathtaking! We had a camp site 15 & 16 which was glorious. Lots of hiking, rock climbing, and the Arkansas river is hiking distance away which was helpful for cooling off when it's scorching outside. I highly recommend this place!

This place is great! Fire pits at every site, concrete picnic tables, and plenty of room! There’s pit toilets near the center of the campground. It fills up fast on the weekends, but it’s pretty quiet during the week. 14 day maximum stay, but it’s totally free. No hookups, and no trash service.

I checked out Turtle Rock as a possible camping location and the road was very steep and rutted with few places to turn around.  I have a class b Promaster and had trouble finding a turn around spot. I ended up camping at Elephant Rock which was and easier and less stressful drive to get there.  Nice campground for smaller and possibly a 4x4 vehicle.

Spent a couple nights here while I was passing through. Easy to access and plenty of sites. Quite a few people at the campground. There is a bathroom but no shower - I don’t know why the app says there is. There is a nice trail for hiking and mountain biking called Vitamin B that is accessible from the campsite. About 6 miles out and back. I had it pretty much to myself while I was hiking until the end there was a group of 3 bikers. Intense biking - those boulders are huge. The river isn’t far either. And I had decent TMobile service.

Late afternoon on a Monday; totally full. Not really for travel trailers or Class C. Many tent sites, very few for TT or RVs. Further up the (very rough and rutted) road (375) there are many dispersed camp sites, most tent friendly and not many for RVs. (I wasn't quite 1-vehicle length off the road.) Definitely dirt bike and ATV paradise. I spent 1-night in a 25' Class C.

This spot is not  really a hidden gem, but will def. give you some good views of the Collegiate Peaks. The road might be a little rough on the way up but if you are careful any car can make it. The recently added solid toilets, no running water. However the Arkansas river is a 5 min. drive down the road. I highly recommend this site! There is plenty of hiking around. I believe there are about 20 sites with fire rings that were recently added aswell. However it's all BLM land.

Just Stayed 3 nights with 8 friends at a great site here. Amazing views and sunsets out here. Fun to hike around the rocks, climb up turtle rock and explore the land. Found some nice deer parts scattered about. Watch out for grasshopper. BuenA Vista is great town. We did ATV rentals one day and rafted the royal gorge. Love the sites. New camp fore rings with grills attached. And a pretty cleAn bathroom/ outhouse (no flushing / water)

If you get there early enough you can snatch the spot that faces the Colligiate Peaks. All marked areas, but can get crowded if you get there late. Or you'll have just a campsite with no views really. Lots of places ro climb if that's your thing, some hiking near the campsite but not much. This place really has great views. You can climb the top od turtle Rock and catch a beautiful sunset OR sunrise. There is a porta-potty at the entrance but you're better off digging a hole. Below is the Arkansas River you can't walk but you can drive to the bottom and take a dip. Pack in and pack out. Obey fire bands, forestry dept passes by often.

This place is so easy to get to and is very close to the city of Buena Vista. Any type of car can make it to the campsites and there are bathroom facilities available. The trees are just the right size to provide shade and hang hammocks. There is a rock climbing trail and beautiful views of the peaks near by for some daytime entertainment. One note is that most of the spots are walk in rather than drive in, slightly more annoying for the roof top tents.

If not staying at least check out the landscape. Great way to wake up. Decent amount of spots, think I recall a community bathroom.

after reading the reviews and spending the day in salida, we tried our luck looking for a spot here around 5pm on a saturday in mid august. while the signs say only camp in numbered spots, we found that some of the sites were sprawling and ambiguous as to which numbered site the space belonged to. we ended up setting up in a beautiful spot overlooking the valley at/near site 15. before deciding on that spot, we did drive up past the cluster of numbered spots to see what else was available, per the reviews. while we didn’t find anything open, the views were incredible along the way. definitely advise having 4WD - our camper van struggled.

highly recommend this spot - the colors of the rocks and sky and landscape will take your breath away.

Rough trip up the hill, well worth the work. If you stay be sure to explore in all directions. Very quiet at night with some late arrivals and some early risers. Vault toilets were very clean and the rest of the grounds seemed well kept and respected.