Free camping is easy to come by, as long as you know where to look. National forests hold most of the free camping in Colorado, followed up by BLM land (Bureau of Land Management).
Camping for free is generally referred to as dispersed camping, which is camping in approved areas other than campgrounds. The best part about dispersed camping, aside from the cost, is the privacy. Campsites are often wider apart than in a campground. And sites are usually right next to the road, so it’s perfect for car camping.
The downside to dispersed camping is a lack of amenities. You are not going to have running water or restrooms nearby. If you need a little bit of luxury, consider renting an RV around Denver before you head out.
How To Find A Campsite
Campsites are generally marked by a fire ring, and located on county and forest access roads.
Always use a pre-existing site if available and leave no trace.
Survey the roadside
When driving around Colorado, look for signs that let you know you’re entering a national forest. Then any county/forest service roads could potentially allow dispersed camping. Regulations vary and are sometimes marked.
Some highways signal national forest access with brown signs stating just that. From the national forest access signs, it’s usually a few miles back to the forest, where free camping could be allowed. A map or info station is commonly at the beginning, letting you know the rules.
Guessing which roads contain dispersed camping can lead to wasted time and gas, but you could also find some cool stuff. It’s usually no more than ten minutes before you know if camping exists.
Research known campsites
Find campsites ahead of time and know where you’re going. One of the best tools for finding potential campsites are Motor Vehicle Use Maps by the U.S. Forest Service. Google is another useful tool.
READ: Best Camping In Colorado for a few dispersed camping gems.
READ: Where To Camp In Colorado for a larger list of dispersed campsites and campgrounds.
Freecampsites.net also has a nice list of free campgrounds in Colorado and around the U.S.
Motor Vehicle Use Maps
These are large-PDF’s made available from the Forest Service.
Many, but not all, of these maps show where dispersed camping is permitted. Roads with dots on either side represent free campsites. Each map has a legend.
It’s best to download them for an easier time viewing, and so you have them with you if bring a computer on the road. I haven’t tried viewing them on a cell phone, but they are very large and it would be a headache.
To Print – (a small section) Open the map (in Adobe Acrobat Reader) and find the area you need to print. Go to File, Print and under Pages to Print, select More Options, and Current view. Next under Page Sizing & Handling choose Fit. Select Orientation and then Print.
Tip – Bring up the location in Google Maps too, so you can get more street names and info.
11 National Forests and 2 Grasslands.
MVUM National Forests
Arapaho: Shows dispersed camping
Clear Creek – Loveland Pass, Empire, Georgetown, Idaho Springs
Sulphur North – Grand Lake, Granby
Sulphur South – Hot Sulphur Springs, Fraser, Winter Park
Grand Mesa: Shows dispersed camping
Grand Mesa Division – Cedaredge, Collbran
Gunnison: Shows dispersed camping
Paonia – Paonia, Crawford
Gunnison North – Crested Butte
Gunnison South – Almont, Pitkin, Gunnison, Lake City
Pike: Does not show dispersed camping
Pikes Peak – Monument, Colorado Springs
South Platte East – Bailey, Deckers
South Platte East Inset – Deckers
South Platte West – Grant
South Park East – Lake George
South Park West – Alma, Fairplay, Hartsel
Rio Grande: Shows dispersed camping
Conejos Peak East – Alamosa
Conejos Peak West – Monte Vista, Alamosa
Divide East – Saguache, Creede, South Fork, Del Norte, Monte Vista
Divide West – Creede
Saguache East – Poncha Springs
Saguache West – Poncha Springs
Roosevelt: Shows dispersed camping
Boulder – Boulder, Nederland
Canyon Lakes North – Red Feather Lakes
Canyon Lakes South – Fort Collins, Loveland
Canyon Lakes Errata 1 – Walden
Canyon Lakes Errata 2 – Fort Collins
Routt: Shows dispersed camping
Hahns Peak/Bear Ears – Hahns Peak, Clark, Steamboat Springs
Hahns Peak/Bear Ears Inset – Hahns Peak
Parks – Clark, Steamboat Springs, Walden
Parks Inset – Steamboat Springs
Yampa – Steamboat Springs, Oak Creek, Yampa
San Isabel: Does not show dispersed camping
Leadville – Leadville, Buena Vista
Salida – Buena Vista, Poncha Springs, Salida
San Carlos North – Cañon City
San Carlos South – Walsenburg
San Juan: Shows dispersed camping
Columbine – Silverton, Durango, Bayfield
Columbine Back – Silverton, Durango, Bayfield
Columbine Beaver Meadows Sauls Creek – Bayfield
Columbine HD Mountains and Lakes – Bayfield
Columbine – Lakes Area – Bayfield, Durango
Mancos & Cortez – Dolores, Cortez, Mancos
Pagosa – Pagosa Springs
Uncompahgre: Shows dispersed camping
Plateau Division – Grand Junction Delta, Montrose
Mountain Division – Telluride, Ridgway, Ouray, Silverton, Lake City
White River: Shows dispersed camping
Aspen & Sopris – Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Redstone, Aspen
Dillon – Keystone, Dillon, Silverthorne, Frisco, Breckenridge
Eagle & Holy Cross East – Edwards, Avon, Minturn, Red Cliff
Eagle & Holy Cross West – Eagle
Flat Tops (Blanco, Eagle, Rifle) – Meeker
Rifle – Rifle
MVUM Grasslands
Comanche: Does not show dispersed camping
Comanche East – La Junta
Comanche East Inset – La Junta
Comanche West – Springfield, Trinidad
Pawnee: Shows dispersed camping
Pawnee East – Sterling
Pawnee West – Fort Collins, Greeley
Dispersed Camping Checklist
Without the amenities of a campground, you’ll probably need a few more things.
- Tent, rod, stakes, pad or tarp
- Sleeping bag and pad
- Fire supplies – tinder, sticks, logs, matches/lighter
- Flashlights
- T.P. – backcountry rule is to bury it or pack it out
- Gardening Trowel – small shovel good for preparing the fire pit & digging holes
- Food and Water
READ: 20 Car Camping Essentials for a complete gear checklist.
National Lands Map: Red = Forests, Yellow = BLM, Green = Parks, Brown = Monuments & Historic Sites, Light Green = Grasslands, Pink=Indian Reservation
Please share any other methods for finding free camping.
flskiguy37 says
September 27, 2016 at 11:06 pmI am heading to Vail and Breckenridge for a season of skiing in a Small self contained Rv . Any ideas on good free sites in Eagle or Summitt Counties ?
flskiguy37 says
September 27, 2016 at 11:03 pmarbitrarylifestyle flskiguy37 Thanks for the heads up. Im Heading from Florida in a small Rv and taking the winter skiing around Vail and Breckenridge Ski areas
arbitrarylifestyle says
September 27, 2016 at 11:01 pmflskiguy37 some will be and some will have roads closed that you would use to access them. Best bet is to give the ranger district a call and ask.
flskiguy37 says
September 27, 2016 at 11:00 pmAre these sites open in winter ?
arbitrarylifestyle says
September 3, 2016 at 12:45 amThose MVUMs are amazing! Thanks for sharing that 😉
quanahhailey says
July 6, 2016 at 1:27 amAlso I don’t have 4wd I have a car the carries low to the ground
quanahhailey says
July 6, 2016 at 12:56 amI’m looking for a camp site close to manitou springs. Would prefer somewhere near restrooms but not necessarily. Any suggestions?
Jobgoblyn says
June 29, 2016 at 11:45 amThank you so much for this article- what an amazing compilation that is a blessing for all my future camping trips in CO!
KarlAllen says
May 31, 2016 at 4:06 pmDanMatthews Check out Ruby Horsethief!
ElsaMarie says
May 31, 2016 at 3:13 pmI just spent my birthday weekend at Vasquez Trail in Winter Park, and I saw moose! It was a great weekend, a little chilly at night. Plenty of firewood.
lovestocamp55 says
May 30, 2016 at 3:05 pmThat’s awesome. Do u have more details and/or pics?
CharlesDickinson says
May 30, 2016 at 2:23 pmgamckee13 Try Lost Park Road, just off Hwy 285 past Kenosha Pass in South Park. There are some large flat camping spots easily accessible by gentle gravel roads.
denverfans says
May 21, 2016 at 5:44 pmCan I going camp in Hale ponds
DanMatthews says
May 6, 2016 at 11:44 pmLooking for resources for kayak camping. Was hoping for grand lake area, and looking to just park somewhere near the water, drop the kayak in, paddle all day, stop in the afternoon, set up camp, return a day later to the car. ANY suggestions for this would be lovely.
lovestocamp55 says
May 6, 2016 at 5:35 amI hope u get this, ft Morgan has a city park that is awesome. The free camping spots are right by the playground. Has only electric hookups and by the playground is a bathroom with only toilets in it. The park is beautiful. Check out fort morgan.
ladonna1 says
September 8, 2015 at 2:17 pmWe would love to find a place to go tent camping with two smaller children but not be on top of other people. It needs to be a lower elevation, though. Not too far from Denver preferred. Any recommendations?
gamckee13 says
August 20, 2015 at 4:56 pmDo you have any recommendations of places that you can take a 28′ trailer? We prefer dispersed camping but I have a habit of finding really challenging places for us to get to with our truck and trailer! For example, I thought I read that you could take a trailer up Jones Pass. That may be true, but it sure needs to be a much tinier trailer than ours. Im thinking of Cottonwood Pass but I’m worried it may end of being the same sticky situation that Jones Pass was. If you, or anyone, has suggestions, I’d really appreciate them!
Jenniffer81 says
July 2, 2015 at 4:04 pmcody1racing Jenniffer81 What is all this i am reading about shooting? do you have details or specifics? Thank you for the feedback its good to know i wont have to fight for a spot. maybe we will see yall.
cody1racing says
June 29, 2015 at 3:15 pmJenniffer81 wye campground is my favorite. It’s west of colorado springs and is very lightly used. Close to fishing and is accessible by car. We’ve been there by ourselves many times. Just by happen stance, we’re planning a trip that weekend.
Jenniffer81 says
June 25, 2015 at 12:05 pmI would like to take my kids camping and fishing for my birthday. I am a single mom so money is tight, looking for free or low cost camping with fishing access not more than a few hours drive from aurora anyone have some suggestions? Jenniffer
Cadence says
July 11, 2014 at 11:23 amThanks for this helpful info! We’re heading to CO from Boston to celebrate our 10th anniversary and we want to do some backcountry camping but don’t want to wander aimlessly until we find a great place and end up staying somewhere subpar. This has been a very helpful guide!
Matt says
July 11, 2014 at 3:06 pmThanks Candence, have a great trip!
Cadence says
July 28, 2014 at 11:05 amWe are back from our trip and thanks to your help we found an AMAZING campsite (for free – of course)! We decided on the Buena Vista area and camped at over 11,000ft on the Cottonwood Pass. Beautiful spot by a creek/river with mountain views and of course surrounded by lodgepole pines.
I’d attach a few pictures here but I don’t know how 🙁
Anyway, thanks again for this blog!!!!
Cadence
Matt says
July 28, 2014 at 2:03 pmHey Cadence, glad to hear you had an amazing time. Thanks for the feedback, we added a way to upload one picture to a comment, so maybe next time you can share it with us. Enjoy your summer!
Julie Ann says
June 26, 2014 at 12:14 pmHi Matt,
Thanks for the helpful post! Also wanted to let you know that the U.S. Forest Service now has a Motor Vehicle Use Maps app for iPhone and iPad users. I haven’t used it yet, but am hoping it will be useful on our next trip.
Julie Ann
Matt says
July 11, 2014 at 2:53 pmThat’s sounds awesome. I wonder if you need an internet or phone connection to run it.
The National Forest website sent me to avenza.com/pdf-maps. It looks like they may have one for Droid too. Maybe I’ll try it out.
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Matt says
January 13, 2014 at 2:20 pmThanks Christin. I’ll be sure to use your your website when I make it to England. Cheers!