Best Dispersed Camping near Cheyenne, WY

Came upon Vedauwoo while road tripping from Denver, CO to Yellowstone National Park. Free dispersed camping with easy dirt road access for any size RV.

No worries about RV size. All camp sites located on roads which loop back to main road. So no need to stress about dead ending and attempting a turn around.

Must camp in designated areas.

Even if you don’t plan to spend the night, it is well worth the beauty to pull off and relax or picnic for the afternoon.

I’ve been everywhere and this place was BREATHTAKING! Rock formations like I have never seen. I can see why those mountains are steeped in Native legend of spiritual inhabitants.

Spots fill up fast in the summer months. Trails, rock climbing, fishing, horseback riding and wildlife. Sites are first come first serve.

But no running water, restroom or hook ups.

Tent or RV spots.

Places to explore galore! You can climb, mountain bike. hike, fish, and ATV in some areas.

All of the free dispersed camping sites are along Vedauwoo Road that leads to Happy Jack Road from I-80. The exit to Vedauwoo State Park is right off I-80 and only 17 miles west of Laramie WY. The Vedauwoo Road itself was a bit wash-boarded, but freshly laid with crushed granite. There are a few spur roads that allow camping. The map in the attached photo shows the area pretty well. There are no amenities here. A rock fire ring and a numbered post will show you where camping is permitted. The camp areas are spaced very far apart. You are near the road, but no other campers. You need to pack out everything you bring in. I had a very nice time here. The next evening I did go into the established campground. Please see my ranger review for Vedauwoo Campground. (includes a review of the ICEMULE cooler seen in some photos!)

Activities in the area include: mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, horseback riding, ATV's, and fishing. Nearby, continue on Vedauwoo Road until it meets Happy Jack (paved) take a right and you will encounter Curt Gowdy State park where you can rent paddling equipment or boat and tour 2 of the lakes in the State Park. It is beautiful there and they do have a couple campgrounds on the waterfront.

It was pretty rough driving in, there were so many “private” lands even when you hit the national forest. The dispersed camping we found had 3 sites stacked on top of each other. Went a little further up the road and did find much else except more houses. It’s right next to a hiking trail which is great on cold afternoons. Stars were beautiful too very little light pollution.

We found a set of campsites specifically on the forest road 705F, near the Hidden Valley picnic area. The sites are free, as they are primitive set-up with only a fire pit. Although there are not facilities immediately there, if you finding camping in this area you are close by to a bathroom at Summit Trailhead and potable water at either Hidden Valley or the Abraham Lincoln rest area. We found a whole list of forest roads that allow dispersed camping 100 feet off-road: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3841999.pdf

Great section of national Forest between Cheyenne and Laramie. Easy access off the interstate. Lots of atv traffic but otherwise quiet and easy to find your own spot away from 'neighbors'

The camping spots along Pawnee Butte Trailhead Road are absolutely perfect. They have wonderful views of the grasslands and the buttes. The biggest downside is there are a lot of giant windmills, oil pumps, and fracking operations in the area. Very difficult to ignore them as no matter where you look you’ll see something along the horizon.

In the spot I camped in, I had two bars of Verizon LTE service. But when I drove a half mile down to the trail head I only had 3G. So reception will be spotty.

There are no hook ups of any kind, anywhere. This is truly dispersed camping. The dirt road leading into the area was in fair condition. There were a couple of spots with very deep ruts that made pulling my 22 foot travel trailer slightly challenging. I can’t imagine anybody bringing something like 28 feet or greater into the area.

There were a ton of cows in the area, even walking right up into our campsite. Totally didn’t bother us though, in fact it was kind of fun. They were completely gentle and nonthreatening.

There is minimal hiking in the area. There was one trail that led into the buttes. But between May 1 and June 30 you cannot continue into the buttes. It’s closed to preserve wildlife.

GPS of spot I was in: 40.812312, -103.999513

If I go back, I’ll try a different area.

Just past the campground is dispersed primitive camping 🏕️. All sites are well established. There was a 🔥 ban so no campfires. Good hiking and rock climbing

This area is in National Forest so it is free and there are no “designated” spots but there are lots of spots where people have made fire pits. Beautiful views and you don’t need 4x4.

Stayed 5 days here (stat limit 16 days). Close to Summit Rest Area (potable water March-October, flush toilets), Laramie for restocks, and the Vedauwoo Recreation Area. So much free camping here, only downsides are wind, & road noise. Absolutely beautiful views of the valley. Would stay again 100%

Beautiful area. There are a lot dispersed camping sites, you just need to get there early enough. You need to find a spot with a defined access road to it and a built fire ring. Generator use is allowed. Camp fires are allowed as well as long as the wind allows it.

We foolishly thought we might find a dispersed spot at Vedauwoo in mid-July and were disappointed, but not really surprised. We had another pin dropped on our map for the dry camping at Government Gully Rd and headed there in the late afternoon.

The road in is pretty good, our low slung front wheel drive Travato made it easily, although there is a bit of a short, steep hill to climb if you can't find a spot in the lower area.

During our visit, the lower area could probably have supported one or two more rigs, but it would start getting a bit crowded at that point. We headed up the hill and found a great spot overlooking a mountain meadow (and some really cool dispersed camping sites if it hadn't been closed for a reclamation project). There were plenty of rigs up there, including some pretty big travel trailers and fifth wheels, but it was still pretty quiet. We could see the lights of Laramie in the distance out our back door, which was kind of nice.

So a decent campsite if you don't mind neighbors!

This place is unreal! Designated Dispersed camping at its best. We camped near the Devil’s Playground rocks and even though most of the better sites were full, we found quite a few open sites on a Saturday. Can’t do that in Colorado anymore! The wind picked up at night and we sure were thankful to NOT be in tents. The Rocks are awesome for scrambling and even the dog had a blast!

We are a 20 foot skoolie. Road in is relatively smooth. No major pot holes. Plenty of large sites for RV’s or 40 foot school bus, and anything in between. Somewhat quiet other than highway noise, plenty of space between sites. Pretty windy, but the days are cool. Lovely views of the Medicine Bow National Forest. Great hiking opportunities. Enough connectivity to attend virtual classes and get work done! Although there is a bit of broken glass. Pack in, pack out!!

It’s a nice and simple spot to stay at. Plenty of trees for shade. There are 5 spots off of the Main road that I would say a small RV or travel trailer could stay at. The 2023 MVUM shows this place as a go for dispersed camping.

The first site, closest to the road, is pretty level, and lots of open space. The road does have the occasional car.

The other sites off of the main road are easy to get to as well, but not as level, and less room.

There is a turn off of the main road that has a steep drop and climb, and low clearance from trees, maybe 7ft. There are 4 additional fire rings that would make for great tenting spots.

The area as a whole could use some cleaning, there were spots where broken glass could be found in abundance.

This is a beautiful area and well worth the visit. The gravel road in is in very good condition. The drive is totally beautiful especially during the fall. The road is lined with aspens and large boulders and massive rock bluffs. The road leads to several homes and there is quite a bit of traffic. The dispersed camping is a little over 3.4 miles in. If you follow the GPS you will be fine. All sites have rock fire rings and most sites are fairly level. All sites are in the sun which is great for solar. Verizon cell service was a major bonus. We did have several herd of cattle that would visit but the only downside were the gifts they would leave us. Just watch your step. There is a small stream that runs along the back side of the sites. Most sites were on the right side of the road. Be aware there is a lot of private property. Be courteous. Stay off. At the highway is is a post office and small grocery store and a hardware store. 

LNT

 Pack it in Pack it out

Stay safe happy travels

This campsite is definitely dispersed, in the best way. A secluded oasis not too far off the path. We ended up taking one of the last campsites and it ended up being amongst a HUGE herd of grazing cows. They are big animals and we were quite scared after sunset when all the cows role called right near our tent and spent the night huddled next to us. Turns out they aren't the worst neighbors they just like their own space and get a little noisy😉 All in all this space is magic, the stars are incredible and you can totally catch sunrise and set.

Personally, I find having easier access to the facilities of the main campground worth $10 per night if you can find a spot. These dispersed campsites are a good free option if you can't find one though. Make sure that you camp at one of the designated spots, it is not a pick-you-spot-anywhere kind of experience: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE\_DOCUMENTS/fseprd581855.pdf

Sites 1-4 are found shortly after the Nautilus parking lot, where you can find a single bathroom. These spots are also the closest to the trails that take you to the rock climbing routes.

Beautiful area with lots of spots. We did find it hard to get one but we came late on a Friday. We were able to find a better one the following day. About equal distance to Cheyenne and Laramie approximately 25-30 min Beware: there is not a place near by to get beer or alcohol. There’s a small gas station with a convenience store but other than that not much for food or supplies even though their sign says “cold beer”. Lol. We learned that the hard way and had to go out at night to get our supplies! The star gazing is amazing and we saw lots of wildlife even with other campers close by. The spots are spread out but not totally isolated. I was worried about the condition of the roads based on other reviews but we were fine. We hauled our 14ft trailer with no problems. Some areas you just have to go super slow but mostly no issues traveling through.

Multiple dispersed campsites approaching the Pawnee Buttes trailhead from the west and southwest. I camped (rooftop tent) on the bluff overlooking the trailhead parking lot, approached from the south. Chilly at night (10 degrees) but no wind.

Spectacular view of the Pawnee Buttes to the east. Perfect spot to catch sunrise and sunset. This area is also a “dark site,” so on clear, moonless nights the stars / Milky Way are phenomenal.

During winter snow often drifts onto the roads. If snowy, 4-wheel drive / high clearance helpful for accessing some of the dispersed sites.

Trailhead restrooms are open year-round.

Consistent 3 bars 5G (AT&T). 200 Mbps down / 16 Mbps up.

Big campsites, no one close, bring water!! Completely free and loved the unique landscape!