West Fork Dispersed

First, access. From the road the 2nd bridge (start of dispersed) is 2.2 miles. This is the same road to rainbow hot springs trail. I camped 5 nights. The river was incredible. Had my dog with me, no problems with pets. Abundant chipmunks and hummingbirds. Don’t be confused by the West Fork campground operated by the forest service (they have potable water and vault toilets). Lows in 50’s and highs in the low 80’s. South wind until dusk, then north every night. Mosquitoes were manageable, flies were pretty bad

There’s only a handful of spots here. They are just down the road past the paid campground, which is also very nice for $24 and had plenty of open spots in August. I was able to snag a nice spot right by the river. There is currently a fire ban in place. (Small camping stoves only) The trailhead to Rainbow hot springs is at the end of the road, so it was the perfect place to stay before backpacking out there the next day.

We had a lovely time. Fell asleep to the sounds of the river. Only downside was that there were a lot of bugs, but that is to be expected when you’re next to a water.

There were 4 spots right near the water after the bridge then if you take the 303 road on the left right after the bridge there’s two more spots further down the road on the left hand side.

Spot wasn’t bad, the views to get there are great and has decent surrounding at the site but you’re close to the other available spots. It’s VERY buggy. There were a ton of mosquitoes the entire time we stayed there. They didn’t lighten up much. There’s also rainbow hot springs at the end of the road

Got there pretty late so didn’t get to spend a lot of time here, but there were plenty of site right past the bridge. The stream was kind of loud but it was peaceful to fall asleep to. Would definitely go back again!

Harley-Davidson Tri-glide and a hammock. Sounds of rushing water was lovely. Cold in the early morning in the canyon. No cell service.

Had a great experience with this dispersed area. Campsite was close to the river. Able to find it easily. Lots of road traffic with UTV’s and vehicles. Which was a bit annoying, but overall I’d still give it a 5 Star

After crossing the bridge there are 4 sites, 2 on the left 2 on the right. Left 2 sites are blocked by fallen trees but can be crawled over with the right rig. First campsite on the right is the best one. Several fire pits, river access and wide area for big rigs. Enjoy!

Drove over the bridge and parked to the left. Backed up to the water started a fire and enjoyed the evening. Morning view was just as fabulous! Will be back in summer.

Got a spot right on the river and it was amazing. It was just across the bridge so I could see the traffic but it wasn't too bad thankfully. The road in was in good shape with no major bumps or holes, 2WD will work fine. Would definitely stay again.

We drove past the reservable campground and found the second spot on the left empty (it has a sign that says “god bless”). Site was perfect by all accounts except for being mosquito-y. Great access to the trailhead for rainbow hot springs, which we hiked the next day. It was a long hard hike that we made longer by missing the sign for site 7 to veer off for the hot springs. Even still, worth the 12 miles of hiking! At the campsite itself, the creek is a perfect source of white noise at night. The ground is flat for a tent, but hard!

Just past West Fork Campground are some dispersed sites on 648. Look for the stone fire rings. Some sites are a bit bigger than others, no amenities other than the fire rings. Close to the SanJuan River. Choose carefully as some sites are more level than others and sites vary in size. This seems to be a well known spot as there were quiet a few spots taken. Just keep going, sites can be found for about a mile or so before the land becomes private. Please respect the private landowners. And pack in pack out. There are no services here, so if we want the sites to remain available, we have to be good stewards of the land.

This BLM at San Juan National Forest is gorgeous! (Se pics) the spots are kinda leveled, the road to get there is a dirt road but not that bad (I have a converted sprinter full of sh$&@$ and I did it great) it is primitive so no hook ups, restrooms nor trash cans, so PLEASE Leave no Trace! Everything was super clean so I guess people is finally getting it. Te river passes right next to you and the views are amazing! There are a few trails next (like the Rainbow trail). Awesome place to stargaze!

This truck camper and a van went past the West Fork campground and the whole mile up to the bridge and the other side of the bridge was dispersed. The road was nice. After the bridge a little, turns into private and you can go to the Rainbow hot springs trailhead and hike to that also. Lots of mosquito this June day. No Verizon WiFi