Great dispersed camping close to Salida

The road starts as tar and converts to gravel. It is a maintained road but is loaded with washboard so you may just have to take it easy if you have a motor home or trailer. The road is pretty wide, we have a 30’ trailer and had no problems getting by oncoming vehicles if everyone gives a little. There is one cattle crossing but it is plenty wide. You can take just about anything up there, we saw a large diesel pusher all the way down to a 1 person tent and several in-between. Some extra clearance is nice but probably not mandatory, I’d avoid it with low clearance.

Nothing is officially marked but you can tell where others have camped and many sites have a fire ring. Shortly after you enter the Wildlife Area if your driving an RV or trailer you may want to take a right and explore that area. We went just a little way in and found a great site. There are some really nice sites on the main road as well but there is more traffic there from people coming and going.

Overall it’s a great area with lots of options and easy access to Salida, I’ll be camping here again.

Great option near Crested Butte

Access is by a gravel road that can get narrow in a few places but nothing that if everyone is considerate would prohibit forward motion. If you have a 4x4 there are a few sites that you can get to for more privacy but I wouldn’t try a trailer or anything larger that a 20’ motorhomes.

However there is a large open area that can accommodate motorhomes and trailers. We have a 30’ trailer and were able to grab a site with a nice view of Mt. Crested Butte. The area can accommodate tents, trailers, and RV’s. There were a couple 5th wheel rigs apx. 35’ but everything else was the same as our 30’ or smaller.

The town of Crested Butte is 15 minutes away as well as access to tones of MTB trails and hikes.

Such a great spot

This is a bout 1 mile from the half moon campground and is equal in every way. There is a large open area big rigs can easily fit into which can also accommodate some groups. Go past the open area and there are several more sites each with a fire ring that offer more privacy. It’s 15 minutes to the Mt. Elbert trail head if that is what you are looking for. If not kick back and enjoy this beautiful National Forest. Your close enough to Leadville to make excursions into town. The area is well kept, one fire ring had a couple beer boxes in it but everything else was very nice. The only exception is a fire ring right in the middle, there was quite a bit of broken glass around it, so I would avoid this site. That truly was the exception though, if I’m in the area again I will be camping here.

Access is by gravel road which has a few potholes and rumbles but nothing that any car couldn’t handle. We pull a 30’ trailer with a pickup and it was easy. There are several sites along the road close to the creek on the way to the site as well, there were mostly tents in these but a few were large enough for small motorhomes or trailers.

If you go please leave it cleaner than you found it, I would hate to lose this gem.

It all depends on what you’re looking for

The pros:

  • 100+ spaces for campers/motorhomes accommodating all sizes, even the real big diesel pushers.
  • They have small cabins to rent, tree houses, and glamping tent/cabins.
  • The bathrooms are clean and have private showers.
  • There are laundry facilities on site.
  • Full hookup sites.
  • Two swimming pools.
  • Close proximity to Keystone, Custer, Rapid City
  • Each gravel pad may require minor leveling but they are pretty good.
  • A nice picnic table is located at each site.

The cons: We ended up here because I called 17 other places between Custer and Rapid City and all were full. Many of the sites offered by the competition are nicely spaced out with mature trees surrounding the pads, that’s not the case here.

  • The RV area is tight with a sea of RV’s. For us it’s less like camping and more like a townhouse development. It’s not as bad as the parking lot variety, there is grass between the sites and some trees.
Do not enter!

We tried to get in but they were full, no problem. The big problem is you cant see the full sing until you are committed to entering and there is not any indication of where you should go to turn around. We went straight which had a turnaround at the end only a car could make, we have a 30’ trailer. So I had to back down the entire section with the trailer, not fun.

An oasis

It may be because we had just come off of 5 days of dispersed camping but we found WillowWind to be an oasis. The grounds are beautiful, the staff is polite and helpful, you get a concrete pad and a nicely sized grass area, and the restrooms/showers were the nicest I’ve ever seen. The WiFi was fast and cell with T Mobile was good. Your only 15 - 20 minutes to Zion and all the great things there without dealing with all the crowds. This is a large RV park but you don’t feel like your in a parking lot, the sites are nicely spaced with a lot of mature trees for shade. We were in a 30’ trailer but they can accommodate smaller all the way up to the real big Motorhomes. Don’t pay the same of more just to be 10 minutes closer to Zion when WillowWind is a nicer stay.

Pleasantly Suprised

We were very happy with our stay at Okay. None of the RV parks in Moab are elite class parks but Okay is more than accommodating. Most of the sites are gravel pull through with full hook ups. They have several back in spaces but most of those are used for RV rentals which they also offer. Shade is hard to come by in Moab but each site has a couple trees, a picnic table, and a small amount of grass. The bathrooms are clean with nice showers. Okay is located on the edge of town and a couple blocks off the highway so it is very quiet and peaceful at night. We’d definitely stay here again.

Convenient Dispersed

This is a great dispersed camping option near Telluride. It’s an open grass area surrounded by trees and views of the mountains. There are no designated sites but there are a few fire rings and it is pretty easy to see where others have camped in the past. Access is right off the highway with a bit of a lumpy road but you really don’t notice the highway noise. There were tents, motor homes, trailers, etc. It can accommodate some small groups of tents but really only solo or maybe groups of two RV’s due to the changes in the elevation. There was a 40’ 5th wheel, a bike packer, and everything in between. There are a few tucked away sites if you are lucky enough to get one otherwise you will be more in the open but the views are still amazing. The trail head to Lizard head pass is across the highway and there is a vault toilet and dumpster there. Your only 20ish minutes to Telluride so it’s a great option if you plan to spend some time there.

Blue Lakes easy camping

If your planning to do the Blue Lakes hike this is a great spot to boondock. There are a few tent or rooftop spaces along the creek that looked amazing. We ended up in a relatively open area that worked well for dispersed RV’s. The way in is about 30 minutes of gravel that could be handled by just about any car or truck. In the area we were we could see a few RV’s 20 - 30 feet, several tents, and several roof top tents. We were in a 30’ trailer with a 4x4 truck, it worked but knowing what I know now I wouldn’t take something that big in there. The road in can get narrow in places and if we had met another unit our size one of us would have had to back up to a place that would allow the other to pass. I talked to a local and she said that rigs even larger will go in if they are a 5th wheel but there is no way I would do that. If you are in a RV I would go straight to the coordinates and find a spot. There were 6 campers there when we were there but we were all far enough away I never heard a word. Also if you’re in a RV do not go past this location, the road gets narrow and the hike to Blue Lakes is so popular you may not be able to turn around. If you are tenting or roof top, go explore, there are some amazing spots to camp.

Beautiful site

This place has some of the nicest RV sites we have come across in a state park or any other park for that matter. We have a 30’ trailer and we were easily accommodated, plus each site has some to good tree coverage, a shade shelter, and a picnic table. Top it all off with concrete pancake flat sites and more separation with vegetation between sites than you will see just about anywhere, this place is great. This is not a gravel lot, nor a sea of RV’s within arms distance. Plus you can get electric and water at many sites and sewer at a few. Did I mention there is a walking distance beach!

Perception vs reality

Pros:

  • Beach camping on beautiful Lake Powel
  • Close to numerous hikes and incredible destinations
  • Very fair price
  • Vaulted toilets, trash dumpster, dump
  • The lake is clear, cool and refreshing.

Cons:

  • You will share the beach with 200 other campers. Weekends see very heavy use with RV’s and tents packed like sardines and stacked 2,3, and even 4 deep along the shore; weekdays offer a much more private experience but you will not have the beach to yourself, you will have neighbors. If you like privacy you can find it as long as you’re willing to find a site much further back from the water.
  • Do not attempt without 4 wheel drive, we’ve saw a dozen RV’s and cars stuck in the sand (the worst areas are the “roads” to/from the beach.
  • If it’s windy you are pretty much stuck inside as the blowing sand makes it unbearable. The lake really isn’t any better as the sand blows there as well. In almost a week we’ve been able to put our awning out twice for about an hour.
  • You will spend a lot of time cleaning sand out of your RV.

It is a unique experience and I would do it again, but know what you’re getting into. If serine and private are your thing I’d find another place, if you’re ok with the con’s you’ll have a great time.

Tenting can be great but we saw several tents blown over as well as several shade tents. Bring bags to fill with sand to use as anchors.

If you go, pause near the showers to watch others go up and down to find the best path. There is deep sand and big bumps.

Beautiful location

The RV sites at Lo Lo Mai have mature trees, are flat, and are fairly close (walking distance) to a creek that runs along the property.

Pros

  • Flat sites
  • Electric, sewer, water, toilets, and showers
  • Shade from mature trees
  • Pool and hot tub
  • General Store
  • Close to Sedona, and numerous hikes and activities
  • The creek can provide for some fun and welcome relief from heat, plus its great for soaking tired feet after a day hiking
  • Dish washing stations

Cons

  • There is no WiFi, it states they do on the web site but it is only usable from the “club house” and even then is not useable for anything. I don’t mean live streaming and games, forget that. We had a hard time just loading email.
  • Depending on your site you may have a short walk to the bathroom and shower, but really not bad. Bring a bike and it’s really easy.