Dispersed Camping Areas

• Boulder Ranger District, west of Boulder

  The Boulder Ranger District encompasses over one hundred thousand acres of the Front Range in western Boulder and northern Gilpin counties. The district includes Indian Peaks and James Peak Wilderness Areas and the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway.

  Many areas of the district are within an easy two-hour drive of Denver and its suburbs, making this one of the top recreation destinations in the state.

• Caribou Dispersed Camping Area
• Gordon Gulch Dispersed Camping Area
• Lost Lake (#813)
• West Magnolia
• Winiger Ridge
• Canyon Lakes Ranger District, west of Fort Collins

  Canyon Lakes Ranger District is located in north-central Colorado and encompasses approximately 650,000 acres in the Roosevelt National Forest, mostly in Larimer County. The Canyon Lakes Ranger District offers visitors a variety of recreation opportunities throughout the year, and also provides for traditional uses, such as permits for firewood gathering and grazing. We are home to four Wilderness areas, three national recreation trails, two historic districts, and Colorado’s only Wild and Scenic River.

  State Highways 34, 36 and 14 allow for easy access to one of our many hiking trails, campgrounds, four-wheel drive roads, and lakes and streams.

• CLRD Dispersed camping
• Clear Creek Ranger District, near Idaho Springs

  Located along the I-70 corridor of Clear Creek County in the town of Idaho Springs, Clear Creek Ranger District manages approximately 200,000 acres in four different counties. Come climb a mountain 14,000 feet above the ocean's tides, take a relaxing drive through the Rocky Mountains, or wet your fishing line in one of the many alpine lakes and streams. 

• Beartrack Lakes (#43)
• Bill Moore Lake/Empire Loop
• Devil's Canyon
• Fall River Reservoir
• Kingston Peak
• Loch Lomond
• Saxon Mountain
• Waldorf Road- Argentine Central Railroad
• Yankee Hill
• Pawnee National Grassland, NE of Greeley

  The Pawnee National Grassland lies 35 miles east of Fort Collins, CO and 25 miles northeast of Greeley, CO in Weld County. Contained within the 30-by-60 mile area are 193,060 acres managed by the Pawnee National Grassland. The rest of the land is a checkerboard of private land, State of Colorado ownership and the Central Plains Experimental Range.

  Please refer to a Motor Vehicle Use Map for location of public lands, as it is intermixed with a lot of private land. There are also some two-tracks that are closed to the public.

  The area is rich in history and wildlife. A wide variety of plants and animals call the Pawnee National Grassland home. The wildflowers, flora and fauna are adapted to the environments of the area.

  Come visit for a day or stay a while. Your national grasslands have much to offer year-round.

• Sulphur Ranger District, near Winter Park & Granby

  Recreational opportunities abound in this haven located high up in the Rocky Mountains. The Sulphur Ranger District is over 442,000 acres in Grand County, Colorado. Being surrounded by mountain peaks, meadows and lakes, you are in for a truly majestic experience in this forest.

  Summers are filled with mountain biking near the towns of Winter Park and Fraser, hiking or backpacking in one of the five Wilderness areas or in the Arapaho National Recreation Area (ANRA), and enjoying the wildflowers and wildlife.

  Many of the hiking trails are also open to equestrians. The Three Lakes of Grand, Granby and Shadow Mountain are great places to escape with your boat or a fishing pole for a day. The Stillwater area next to the town of Grand Lake has miles of trails for off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts. Camping cannot be overlooked either with 15 campgrounds and nearly 500 campsites.