Free RV Camping - Introduction

Despite some critics who say there is no more free camping in Colorado, there are a number of FREE or inexpensive camping areas that are conveniently located in some of the most popular tourist areas of the state.  Although most out-of-state RVers will use I-70 to get to the Western Slope, Colorado RVers know that some of the most scenic parts of the state are along the U.S. highways through the state.  For this reason, I will concentrate on the mountain sections of US 285, US 24, US 40, US 50/550, and US 160.  I'll let you find your own campsites along I-70 in Clear Creek, Summit, Eagle, Garfield, and Mesa Counties.  Also keep in mind that there are more gorgeous views, quaint towns, and FREE-inexpensive campgrounds and dispersed camping areas on State highways like CO 82-133, CO 62-145, CO 149, CO 65, CO 141, and CO 14.  In most posts, I mention potential camping areas along some of these State routes where they are convenient to the U.S. highway or "not-to-miss" scenic area or activity being discussed.

                                                                    Colorado's Banff-Jasper-Glacier NP look-alike:

                                                                      The Maroon Belles and Maroon Lake in Fall

The scenic areas in this blog include the Upper Arkansas whitewater rafting mecca from Buena Vista to Salida; the Pikes Peak-South Park-Sawatch Range (the State's highest mountains) area; the Great Sand Dunes-Durango-Mesa Verde area; the Curecanti National Recreation Area-Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park region, the San Juan Mountains 4-wheeling paradise around Silverton, Telluride, and Ouray; and the Rocky Mountain National Park-Middle Park area from Winter Park to Grand Lake and Steamboat Springs.  If you want more information about each area, suggestions for activities and restaurants, and some itinerary suggestions, click on this link to the Colorado Field Guide.  And, if you are looking for great spots to set up your telescope or just stargaze through your camera lens, take a look at recommendations for some great dark skies areas HERE.

Important Summer 2024 Highway Construction Notes: US 50 is CLOSED INDEFINITELY between Blue Mesa Reservoir and Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP due to cracks in the US 50 bridge across the reservoir.  19 miles of US 50 between Salida and Coaldale are being repaved.  The intersection of US 50 and US 285 in Poncha Springs is also being rebuilt during daytime.  Finally,  mountain portions of US 285, US 24, US 50, and US 160 will be undergoing culvert replacement this summer.  See CDOT article on exact locations HERE  None of these profects are expected to be completed before the fall.

There is FREE “dispersed camping” throughout the mountains on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and US. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land unless it is specifically posted.  Although Free, there are still Federal regulations governing campsite distance from streams and roads, location of fire rings, waste disposal, cutting of trees, etc.  For more information on USFS dispersed camping, go HERE.  And ALWAYS check local (USFS, BLM, county, etc.) restrictions on campfires before deciding to grill that trout or make s'mores.

Also check for State Wildlife Management Areas (SWAs) in any part of Colorado you are planning to visit because camping is generally FREE (with a valid SWA pass) in SWAs that allow it (many don’t).  You can find state parks and SWA locations in the free booklet of Colorado State Lands available at Colorado Welcome Centers or go HERE (filter this map by clicking on "Recreation" then on "Camping").

Colorado Parks & Wildlife SWA rules for 2024: Since 2021, a valid Colorado "State Wildlife Area Pass" has been required for each person age 16+ to use a State Wildlife Area for any purpose, unless they have a valid Colorado fishing or hunting license.  However, unlike the licenses, the rates for the CPW State Wildlife Area Passes are the same for both Colorado residents and non-residents and you can purchase them online at cpwshop.com.  The one-day SWA pass costs $10/person over age 15.  If you want to spend multiple nights camping at SWAs across Colorado, the annual SWA pass is $44.83 per 18-64 year-old adult, but only $11.47 for each 16-17 year-old and each senior over 64 and not required for 1-15 year-olds.  Compare those costs to a 5-day non-resident fishing license of $38.19 and the annual SWA pass is a bargain for non-resident RVers.  For example, non-resident 65+ grandpa and grandma could bring two 16-17 year-old, and any number of younger, grandkids to Colorado and spend the entire summer boondocking in their RV at SWAs around the state for a total cost of $45.88.  Hard to beat 50 cents a night for camping in some gorgeous mountain locations, with wildlife viewing, hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking thrown in for "Free".  San Luis Lakes SWA even has fifty gravel campsites with 30/50A electric hookups (NO water!), covered picnic tables, fire rings, an RV dump, and a 15-minute drive to Great Sand Dunes NP for that price!  And SWAs aren't limited to the mountains, so you can camp in one near Bent's Old Fort NHS or the new Amache NHS on US 50, near Sterling on I-76, near Springfield on US 287, etc.  FYI, the SWA Pass is NOT valid for fishing.  Unless you are younger than 16, you will still need a separate fishing license!

In some of these Federal and State areas, you will be truly "boondocking" and not just "dry camping," as most dispersed areas and many SWAs have no potable water, RV dumps, pit toilets, or other camping facilities.  That means you must be completely self-contained and everything you bring in, you pack out.  And be aware that dumping gray water on the ground in Colorado is ILLEGAL and subject to stiff fines.  Why?  Because the Colorado Rockies are the headwaters of nearly every major interstate river in the SW and South-Central U.S.--the Colorado, Rio Grande, Arkansas, Platte, San Juan, Animas, La Plata, Dolores, White, Canadian, and Republican (Kansas) rivers.  And every drop of water in those rivers and their tributaries is used and reused by someone in Colorado or the surrounding states.  Just imagine what miles of trout fly-fishing access to the Conejos River would look like after a thousand RVers dumped their antibacterial detergent-laden dish water on the ground because the beautiful USFS Mogote campground has no RV dump!

And always keep in mind the 7 principles of "Leave No Trace" when you disperse camp in Colorado: 

• Know Before You Go
• Stick To Trails
• Leave It As You Find It
• Trash the Trash 
• Be Careful with Fire
• Keep Wildlife Wild
• Share Our Trails & Parks

There are hundreds of miles of abandoned railroads in the mountains of Colorado and, as a general rule, they have gentle grades and wide curves, even if they were only 3-ft narrow-gauge lines.  This makes them very amenable to RVers who want to boondock on these old grades where they are on public land (generally USFS or BLM).  However, you will need to watch for overhanging trees and must find a sufficiently wide, level spot to camp and turn around.  That may mean taking your tow vehicle or toad along the old grade before taking your tall, wide motorhome, 5th wheel, or toy hauler into a spot from which you may not get out without damage.  I discuss several old railroad grades in the "US 24", "US 50", and "US 160-west of Pagosa" sections below, but there are many others off state and county roads, especially around Poncha Springs-Sargents, Gunnison-Crested Butte, and in the San Juans.

There is NO overnight camping at Colorado Welcome Centers and CDOT rest areas and dry camping at Walmarts in the larger cities and most popular tourist destinations has generally been banned.  But CDOT Welcome Center/rest areas in Fruita (I-70 near Utah border), Julesburg and Sterling (I-76 near Nebraska border), Burlington (I-70 near Kansas border), and Holly (US 50 near Kansas border) do have FREE RV dumps and potable water. We have used all of those dumps over the years.  Travel trailers and truck campers were lined up at the dump in Fruita when we were there in May 2022 because the Colorado National Monument region is very popular with boondocking mountain bikers, kayakers, and music festival-goers.  And the rest areas just off I-70 in Rifle and Edwards are conveniently located for those camping in the Glenwood Springs-Aspen-Vail area.  They have not only FREE dumps and potable water, but also shaded picnic tables and flush toilets that we often use when in that area.  However, the Welcome Center/rest areas on I-25 between Raton Pass and Denver--located just north of Trinidad, at Colorado City, and at Pinon (between Pueblo and Colorado Springs)--have NO dumps and Pinon (now closed) had NO potable water.  Finally, your best choice for a rest area on I-25 going north from Denver is the big Wyoming Welcome Center east of the highway just south of Cheyenne.

Obviously FREE RV camping in the Colorado Rockies involves a lot of boondocking and dry camping.  But the only time families can camp here is during summer vacations and summer camping without hookups means no air conditioning!  How can a family survive summer temps without AC, you ask?  Our family didn't have AC when we tent camped in the 1980s, but we always camped at high elevations because average summer temps decrease with altitude.  For example, the City of Pueblo, at an elevation of 4,686' above sea level, has average daytime highs during June, July, and August ranging from 89 to 94 degrees.  However, a two-hour, 97-mile drive on US 50 up the Arkansas River canyon to Salida, at 7,083', will mean average summer daytime highs of 79-82 degrees, with humidity ranging from 15-30%.  So, just open some windows and turn on the 12v vent fan to cool the RV.  Plus, you shouldn't be inside the RV during the daytime anyway, you're in the Colorado Rockies!  But be sure to close your windows and turn off that fan at night because average summer nighttime temps in Salida range from 47 to 53 degrees!  Not going to Salida, but on US 160 to Durango?  Durango, at 6,522', has nearly identical average summertime high and low temps as Salida.  So, now what excuse can you have for not boondocking in a FREE Colorado Rockies campsite?

Autumn in the San Juans--my favorite time of year and region of Colorado for RVing

Keep in mind that winter starts early and spring starts late in the Colorado Rockies.  Autumn can present a problem for retired RVers and aspen-leaf viewers because most USFS campgrounds, some State parks, and many boondocking areas in scenic mountain areas begin closing in mid-September. And the opposite is also true in that USFS campgrounds and some State parks in the mountains do not open until mid-May.  Mid-May is also the average date of last frost in the Denver and Colorado Springs metro areas.  In my 60 years in Colorado, Denver has had snow on Memorial Day weekend and on Labor Day weekend--and Denver isn't even in the mountains!

                                         Spring in Colorado!  Our backyard near Denver on May 21, 2019 and again on May 21, 2022!

Finally, two comments about driving in the Colorado mountains. First, Colorado law prohibits motor vehicle operators from driving at such slow speeds that they "impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic."  In these situations, the driver must drive in the right-hand lane if one is available or pull off the roadway to allow impeded traffic to pass.  On the uphill sections of some two-lane mountain highways, this policy generally means that, if a vehicle has more than 5-6 vehicles backed up, it must pull over at a safe location to let traffic pass.  A major category of vehicles to which this law applies is, quite obviously, RVs on mountain roads during the peak summer tourist season!  So, please obey Colorado's "rules of the road" and be a conscientious RVer.

Second, on one-lane mountain roads, the vehicle traveling uphill has the right-of-way.  Why?  Because the vehicle traveling downhill has gravity on its side when starting from a dead stop, but the uphill vehicle must overcome that gravity.  Since most one-lane roads in Colorado are gravel, rock, or just plain dirt, traction when going uphill is a problem even without considering gravity.  Apparently ATV/OHV and jeep rental contracts do not explain this rule, as the drivers of those vehicles just blast around Colorado's "jeep" trails without regard for anyone else.  So, please wait at the top for that 4x4 coming up the Engineer Pass road before you head downhill to Animas Forks!