Dispersed Camping

Dispersed Camping Areas

• Cimarron National Grassland

  Welcome to the Cimarron National Grassland, 1 of 20 National Grasslands administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Located within Morton and Stevens Counties in southwestern Kansas, the Cimarron National Grassland manages 108,175 acres.

• Santa Fe Companion Trail
• Santa Fe National Historic Trail
• Comanche National Grassland

  The Comanche National Grassland is located in Baca, Las Animas and Otero counties southeastern Colorado and mnages about 443,784 acres. The Comanche National Grassland was created in 1960 when the federal government placed the recovered lands of the dust bowl under the management of the USDA Forest Service. The Comanche National Grassland is managed to conserve and use the natural resources of grass, water and wildlife habitat and to protect prehistoric and historic areas.

  The grassland has many stories to tell, from dinosaurs roaming the ancient shoreline of a vast lake 150 million years ago to Mexican and American traders traveling the Santa Fe National Historic Trail 150 years ago.

• Picket Wire Corrals Interpretive Site
• Arch Rock Trail
• Clear Creek Canyon

  Forest Service Road 390, known as the Clear Creek Road, provides several trailhead accesses into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. Please be respectful-bicycles are not permitted within the Wilderness. Dispersed camping opportunities can be found in the old mining settlement of Winfield, and visitors looking to find a bit of old mining history will find it in Vicksburg.

   

  Visitor use in this area is busiest during the summer months.

• South Fork Clear Creek Trailhead
• Winfield Dispersed Camping Area
• Leadville Ranger District Colorado Trail Segments

  Leadville Ranger District hosts several segments of the Colorado Trail #1776 including Segment 09 (Tennessee Pass Trail), Segment 10 (Timberline Lake Trail), Segment 11 (Mount Elbert Trail), and Segment 12 (Clear Creek Trail) From the north at Tennessee Pass to the south in the Collegiate Peaks, enjoy the beautiful mountains and gorgeous forest landscapes!

• Pikes Peak Ranger District

  601 South Weber Street

  Colorado Springs, CO 80903

  Phone: 719-636-1602

  Fax: 719-477-4233

  Coming North: Take I-25S and exit Hwy 24W/Cimarron Street (Exit 141). Keep right at the fork to go on W Cimarron Street. Turn right onto Weber St.  Located on left side of street.

  Coming South: Take I-25N and exit Nevada Avenue (Exit 140) toward Tejon Street. Turn right onto Nevada. Make a right onto Rio Grande Street and left onto Weber. Located on right side of street.

• Salida Ranger District

  The Salida Ranger District is part of the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands located near the towns of Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs. The district encompasses over 440,000 acres in central Colorado, "the heart of the Rockies." It's an outdoor recreation paradise with seven 14,000- foot peaks "fourteeners" (Harvard, Tabeguache, Yale, Columbia, Shavano, Princeton, Antero), three wilderness areas (Buffalo Peaks, Collegiate Peaks, Sangre De Cristo) and Browns Canyon National Monument.

  The Forest Service manages most of the higher elevation areas, while the Arkansas River corridor is managed by Colorado State Parks and the Bureau of Land Management. The Arkansas River is one of the nation's most popular rivers for whitewater rafting and kayaking. It's also a designated "gold medal" trout fishing river. For fishing & hunting licenses or off-highway-vehicle (OHV) licenses, please contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife. 

  The majority of the Salida Ranger District is located within Chaffee County. Nearly 80% of Chaffee County lands are public lands. Small portions of the district are also located in Lake, Fremont, Saguache and Park Counties.

• Baldwin Lake
• Browns Canyon National Monument
• Browns Creek Trail #1429
• Colorado Trail #1776 (North Cottonwood)
• Fourmile Travel Management Area
• Hancock Lakes
• Little Browns Creek Trail
• Mount Shavano and Mount Tabeguache (Fourteeners)
• North Cottonwood Trailhead
• Pomeroy Lakes
• San Carlos Ranger District

  The San Carlos Ranger District manages the southern half of the San Isabel National Forest. The District is 50 miles wide and 110 miles long with about 400,000 acres of National Forest in Fremont, Custer, Huerfano, Pueblo and Las Animas counties. Mountain ranges include the Wet Mountains, the Sangre de Cristos and the Spanish Peaks.

  It is home to the one of the first Forest Service Campgrounds designed by Arthur Carhart, the first landscape architect of the Forest Service. Prior to Carhart being hired in 1919, the agency focused primarily on timber uses of the forest. Carhart envisioned what we now know as sustainable recreation. His recreation plan for the San Isabel National Forest was the first for the agency. He went on to work with conservationist Aldo Leopold in creating the wilderness concept. The picnic shelters and fire hearths at Davenport Campground were reconstructed in 2006 using Carhart's original designs. 

  There are 11 campgrounds with 210 fee campsites plus two group sites which are reservation only. These campgrounds are operated by a concessionaire (contractor hired by the United States Forest Service), as well as a picnic area at Lake Isabel Recreational Area and four small sites in the Cuchara Creek Recreational Area.

• South Colony Basin
• South Park

  South Park Ranger District includes South Park, part of the Mosquito Range, Eleven Mile Canyon and Jefferson Lake Recreation Areas, and the Tarryall Mountains and Puma Hills.

   

• Buffalo Peaks Wilderness - East side

  Buffalo Peaks Wilderness offers a great variety of recreational opportunities. There are many miles of trail in or near the wilderness area, and all wilderness regulations apply. Trails in the wilderness area are for foot traffic only and not open to motorized vehicles or bicycles. 

  • Weston Pass Campground is located adjacent to Buffalo Peaks Wilderness on the east side. It is a first come, first served campground.  
  • Buffalo Springs Campground is closer to US Highway 285 but only about 3 miles from the wilderness. It can be reserved at recreation.gov.

  The east side of Buffalo Peaks Wilderness is located in Pike National Forest, and the west side is located in San Isabel National Forest.

• Buffalo Peaks Trailhead
• Lynch Creek Trailhead
• North Salt Creek Trailhead
• Rich Creek Trail
• Salt Creek Trail
• French Pass Trail
• Nate Stultz Trail
• Platte River Trail
• Sheep Creek Trail
• South Platte Ranger District - Recreation

  The South Platte Ranger District is located east of the Continental Divide in the central Rocky Mountains and lies adjacent to the Denver metro area in Park, Jefferson, Douglas, Clear Creek and Teller counties.

  The South Platte District is 450,000 acres in size with elevations ranging from 5,800' along the South Platte River, to over 14,000' at Mount Evans.

  Feel free to stop by our visitor center on Highway 285 in Conifer to ask what's going on and get maps you may need to enjoy your visit on our district.

  Note: For camping near Morrison or Red Rocks Amphitheatre, contact Bear Creek Lake Park at 303-697-6159 or Chatfield State Park at 303-791-7275.

• Buffalo Creek Recreation Area

  The Buffalo Creek Recreation Area is more than 50 miles of multi-use, nonmotorized trails that tie into the Colorado Trail in several places. There are a lot of options available for riding or hiking. Some of the old logging roads provide two-track while connecting trails offer single track. It takes about an 1.5 hours to drive to this area from Denver.

  Please know and respect local area restrictions including; parking and camping in designated sites only. Developed camping is available at nearby Forest Service campgrounds including Buffalo, Green Mountain, Kelsey and Meadows Group Campground.

• Cedar Mountain Area

  Cedar Mountain Road is a scenic 4x4 road that can take you all the way from West Creek (Douglas County Route 68/El Paso County Route 51) south to Florrisant. The route travels through parts of the Hayman Fire, one of the largest wildfires in Colorado History.

  Cedar Mountain Road provides access to Hackett, Longwater and Metberry Gulch 4x4 routes.

  Motorized trail users must obey MVUM regulations.

• Turkey Rocks Trailhead
• Guanella Pass Scenic Byway

  The Guanella Pass Scenic Byway can be accessed from either Grant or Georgetown.

  The south side of the Byway is located on the Pike National Forest/South Platte Ranger District and provides access to several hiking trails: Geneva Creek Trail (#697), Whiteside Trail (#697.A), Threemile Trail (#635), Burning Bear Trail (#601), Abyss Lake Trail (#602), South Park Trail (#600), Rosalie Trail (#603) and Bierstadt Trail (#711).

  There is also a short interpretive trail with a good viewpoint at the Guanella Pass summit. This is accessed from the west end of the upper/west parking area.

  Developed campgrounds include Burning Bear and Geneva Park.

  The north side of the byway is located on the Arapaho National Forest/Clear Creek Ranger District and provides access to hiking trails including Silver Dale Townsite Historic District, and Silver Dollar Lake Trail (#79).

  Developed campgrounds include Clear Lake and Guanella Pass.

• Hall Valley Area

  The Hall Valley/Handcart Gulch staging area provides limited day use parking for vehicles and trailers for those continuing to Webster Pass and Red Cone by OHV. No overnight camping allowed at the staging area. This staging area is located approximately 4.5 miles northwest of Webster/Highway 285 off Park County Route 60.

  Just to the north the road splits to Hall Valley Road (NFSR 120.C), Handcart Gulch Road (NFSR 121) and Red Cone Road (NFSR 565). Handcart and Red Cone climb to the top of the Contiental Divide and meet at Webster Pass and a junction with the non-motorized Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.

  Please contact the South Platte Ranger District (303-275-5610) for accessibility to Red Cone and Webster Pass. Due to snow conditions, these trails are typically not open until late June to early July. These routes are very steep, narrow, technical, high clearance 4x4 only.

• Kenosha Pass Area

  Kenosha Pass provides access to the Colorado Trail as it heads southeast towards the Lost Creek Wilderness and west towards the Continetal Divide and Jefferson Lake. The Colorado Trail starts outside of Denver and ends in Durango. It runs adjacent to the Kenosha Pass and Kenosha East Campgrounds.

  There is also a wetland interpretative area and the remnants of the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad wye (Y). "Helper" engines from either Webster on the east side or Como on the west side of Kenosha Pass, assisted the regular engine in getting the train to the top, and then used the wye to turn around and head back down hill.

  The Kenosha Pass area is well-known for its colorful stands of aspen in the fall. During peak leaf season (late September-early October), the trailhead at Kenosha pass can be very busy with leaf-peepers. Please use extra caution along the Highway 285 road corridor during this time. Kenosha Pass also provides scenic views of South Park from a small pullout area on the south side of the pass.

• Matukat Area

  The Matukat Road (NFSR 211) provides access to the southeast portion of the Lost Creek Wilderness and to Cheesman Reservoir. It provides a scenic drive with expansive views through part of the area that was burned in the Hayman Fire of 2002 and continues south to connect with the Taryall Road (Park County Route 77).

• Rampart Range Recreation Area

  The Rampart Range Recreation Area provides a unique setting for off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts to enjoy a variety of riding experiences. From intermediate to expert riders, ATV or motorcycle, the Rampart has something for everyone.

  Please make sure you are prepared and ride within your abilities. Changing conditions, natural hazards as well as oncoming traffic may be encountered. Please become familiar with and obey all local rules and regulations.

  Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) are available for free at your local USFS office or can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/psicc/mvum.

  The Rampart area appears on the following maps:

  • Pike National Forest Visitor Map
  • USGS Quad Devil's Head
  • National Geographic Trails Illustrated #135 (Deckers/Rampart Range)

  Dispersed camping available in designated sites only for a fee. Camp hosts are located in the Flat Rocks Campground and at Rim Road.