Free RV Camping – US 50 (west of Pueblo)

                                                    

                                           Curecanti Needle from Morrow Point Reservoir

If you happen to be traveling from Kansas to Pueblo on US 50, there are 10 State Wildlife Areas with Free (with CPW SWA Pass or valid CO fishing or hunting license--see the "Introduction" section above) lakeside camping and a State park.  The SWAs are located north of the highway between Holly and Rocky Ford and John Martin Reservoir State Park's Lake Hasty completely tree-shaded campground is south of the highway.  And, if you have children with you, don't miss a visit to Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site when you go through La Junta.  If you camp in the La Junta area, there is a Free dump at the Pueblo West Quik Stop gas station (next to car wash) just south of US 50 at 101 S. McCulloch.

But, after leaving the Pueblo area heading west on US 50, your first Free camping is southwest of Canon City in Temple Canon Park.  Be sure to check fire conditions/bans (719-269-9028) and the weather forecast before leaving Canon City, as the park is in a very dry area that is also subject to frequent flash floods (the D&RG Railroad abandoned its 1881 narrow-gauge line up Grape Creek due to an 1889 flood that washed out the tracks).  In this Canon City mountain park, the picnic and dry camping areas (Temple Ridge and Temple View) have gravel-dirt roads and parking areas, picnic tables, fire pits, and trash cans, but no water, RV dump, or hookups.  So, you must be self-contained and pack out everything you pack in.  Camping is limited to 3 days and water and pay RV dumps are available at the Shell and Conoco gas stations in town.  To reach the park, take US 50 (Main Street) to 1st Street to 3rd Road to Temple Canyon Road.  The park is about 5.5 miles southwest of US 50.

After a long day's drive to Salida, try a dip in the city-owned indoor hot springs swimming pool.  A  special place in Salida for kids is the State's Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery located on the north side of town next to the river. And, best of all, this is the town to try summer whitewater rafting!

Although we formerly dumped Free at the Salida Visitor Center, that dump is now closed.  There is Free potable water and an unmanned, $10 (credit card machine) RV dump at the Poncha Springs Visitor Center at the intersection of US 50 and US 285.  In addition, the visitor center has restrooms with flush toilets and several long, pull-thru RV parking spaces that can be used for a Free overnight stop.  This is rare in Colorado, as most visitor centers and rest areas do not allow overnight parking.

If you don't want to pay a dump fee at the Poncha Springs Visitor Center, the next Free RV dump station heading west on US 50 is in Gunnison.  West of downtown Gunnison, turn east on Rio Grande Avenue, then take an immediate right onto Airport Road.  At the first gravel road, turn right again and follow it behind the General Aviation hangers to the dump.  There is plenty of room to turn around in the parking lot at the dump, as you must leave the same way you came in.

                                                        

                                        US 50 on Monarch Pass and the Monarch Ski Area

In addition to boondocking along CR 250 as discussed in the "US 285" section, Free parking lot dry camping is allowed on the east approach to Monarch Pass at the Monarch Crest Gift Shop.  However, the elevation is 11,000', so have plenty of propane year-round.  We have camped in our RV at only 10,000' and the nighttime temps in August dropped to 23 degrees!  And be sure to ask permission and buy something in their store to repay the owner's generosity.

Inexpensive USFS campgrounds are located west of Poncha Springs, including Monarch Park (just east of Monarch Pass and first opened in 1920!) and three more west of the pass and north of the highway. The Pitkin, Snowblind, and Quartz no-hookup campgrounds are very scenic places to spend a day or two camping, fly fishing, mountain biking, or hiking.  You can also check out the narrow-gauge railroad grade up to the Denver, South Park & Pacific's 1881 Alpine Tunnel under the Continental Divide. The road has now reopened after an avalanche that destroyed part of the Palisades railroad grade. The Pitkin Campground is listed as one of the 100 Best Campgrounds in Colorado.  When we were there on a weekday in June 2020, the first pandemic summer, every campsite in both Pitkin and Quartz was full.  And most were full of ATV/OHV owners, as the Cumberland Pass Road is now "4-wheeler heaven."  So, if you want a little peace and quiet, I would highly recommend finding a different camping area.

Another abandoned railroad grade to explore is east of the town of Sargents, which is located on US 50 at the western end of Monarch Pass.  The Marshall Pass road (Forest Road 243) is the 1881 3'-gauge D&RGW Railroad mainline to Utah that operated between Salida and Gunnison until 1954.  This serpentine route is probably best viewed from your tow vehicle or toad, but you may find a few Free dispersed campsites at lower elevations on USFS land.  Just watch for cattle on the open range!

There is a large expanse of brush-covered BLM land southwest of Sargents for Free dispersed camping.  At Doyleville, take paved County Road 45 across Tomichi Creek, then gravel CR 14-AA about 5 miles to reach BLM land on both sides of the road.  Watch for cattle on the road as this is also open range.  There is no water, pit toilet, or trash container, so you have to be self-contained to camp in this area.  Please stay on previously used tracks and take everything you bring with you when you leave.  There are no nearby residents, lights, or cell service, so get there before dark to find your campsite.  But that dark night sky is pretty spectacular, which is why my wife has taken star-track photos along that road.

If CR 14-AA is a bit too remote for you, there are also 3 Free "primitive" BLM campgrounds along CO 114 in the BLM Cochetopa Canyon Recreation Area.  These are located at approximately MP 12.5, 14.5, and 18 south of US 50, with pit toilets, but no water except what you bring.  Some campsites are tree-shaded and back up to the creek, but hopefully you can live without cell service because the canyon walls may block the signals.  However, there will be occasional traffic along this primary cutoff between US 50 and the San Luis Valley, so you won't be too remote.  When I was there during tourist season in June 2023, only a few of the campsites were occupied.  Of historic interest, the Cochetopa Canyon area is where Gunnison County's uranium ore was mined during the 1950's Uranium Boom. And nearby Cochetopa Pass was the "easy" transcontinental railroad route over the Continental Divide that Lt. John C. Fremont was searching for in 1848 when he nearly lost the lives of his entire expedition in a fall blizzard.  Ten of his 35-man party did die and no railroad was ever constructed over that pass!

Hartman Rocks, a Free BLM dispersed camping area just south of Gunnison, is very popular with Western Colorado University students.  That's because it offers great rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing only 4 miles from campus, as well as OHV and snowmobile riding.  It is located south of the airport via CR 38 (Gold Basin Road) to CR 56 (Hartman Rocks Road).  However, the dispersed camping areas are off a very steep, rocky road that has been made worse by a constant stream of OHVs. It is suitable only for 4WD truck campers, 4WD Class B motorhomes, and 4WD pickups towing high-clearance, off-road trailers. It was a very rough ride in May 2023 even in my 4WD, 3/4-ton diesel truck without a trailer, so I certainly wouldn't take a Class A or C motorhome, fifth wheel, or travel trailer up there.  Too much chance of dragging the tail-end on the ground, high-centering on a rock, or even bending the frame!

Free camping (with CPW SWA Pass or valid CO hunting or fishing license--see the "Introduction" section above) is available in two SWAs ~15 miles north or 6.5 miles east of Gunnison.  The Almont Triangle SWA is located 3 miles north of Almont on CO 135--halfway to Crested Butte--and is open from March to November.  It is located near the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery, which raises tens of thousands of kokanee and whirling disease-resistant trout each year.

Located 6.5 miles east of Gunnison is the Cabin Creek unit of the Van Tuyl SWA.  Travel US 50 to BLM road 3107 and go north 0.2 mile.  This SWA offers camping, hiking, and wildlife viewing on 200 acres of the Tomichi Creek valley, but an SWA Pass is required.

Incidentally, some of the best fall aspen color in Colorado is around Gunnison.  Northwest of Gunnison is the extremely popular (bumper-to-bumper traffic jams on fall weekends!) Kebler Pass road, mostly gravel from Crested Butte to CO 133.  CO 133 and the Kebler Pass road (CR 12) are part of the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway, with spectacular views of Mt. Crested Butte, Lake Irwin, and the volcanic peaks of the rugged West Elk Mountains.  To the NE of Gunnison is the newly paved Cottonwood Pass Road from Almont to Tincup to Buena Vista and suitable for most RVs.  The SE aspen-leaf peeping area is the old narrow-gauge, gravel/dirt railroad grade discussed above from Sargents over Marshall Pass to US 285 (not suitable for most RVs!).  For leaf-peeping to the SW, take US 50 to all-paved CO 149, the Silver Thread Scenic Byway, south to Lake City and Lake San Cristobal.  FYI, this natural lake formed behind a dam created by the Slumgullion Mudflow, which is so massive that it was visible in the earliest photos taken by astronauts.  If you visit Gunnison County in mid- to late-September, you should definitely take your tow vehicle or toad over at least one of those scenic routes.

West of Gunnison, the Curecanti National Recreation Area's Elk Creek Campground on Blue Mesa Reservoir is located between US 50 and the lake shore.  The Elk Creek D-Loop is the only CNRA campground with electric hookups.  The 28 paved sites have 20, 30, and 50A power plus potable water and a dump at the entrance station for $34/night ($17/night with the Senior Pass).  Not much shade anywhere in the campground, but Elk Creek has a visitor center, flush toilets with showers, a swim beach, boat ramp, and marina.  We last stayed there in the fall of 2019 while I kayaked the Gunnison River and upper end of Blue Mesa while fishing (very successfully!) for brown trout feasting on the kokanee salmon that were running upstream to their birthplace at the Roaring Judy hatchery.

If you don't need hookups, the other 3 loops at Elk Creek and several nearby campgrounds on Blue Mesa have no-hookup campsites for $20($10)/night.  Farther west on US 50, the Cimarron campground near Morrow Point Dam has additional paved sites with water, flush toilets, and an RV dump for the same price.  This cg. is generally less busy in summer than those around Blue Mesa.  I have also seen RVs dispersed camping south of US 50 between the CO 149 and Elk Creek cg. turn-offs.

Incidentally, the photo at the top of this section is of the Curecanti Needle, a symbol of the D&RG's 19th-century narrow-gauge "Mainline through the Rockies." A view once reserved only for railroad travelers, this photo was taken from our NPS boat tour on Morrow Point Reservoir through the depths of the Black Canyon.  The boat tour is NOT OPERATING IN 2024, but hiking the old railroad grade is still allowed.  Warning: it's a long downhill walk from the parking lot to the railroad grade and a much, much longer climb back up the steps after the tour.  I had to stop several times while climbing the steps in 2019 just to catch my breath despite having lived in Colorado for 60 years.  This trek is definitely NOT for the senior just arrived from the flatlands or for anyone with heart or respiratory problems!

1882-vintage C-16 2-8-0 steam locomotive #278 sitting on an original Black Canyon of the Gunnison D&RG railroad bridge before its 2009 removal for restoration.

Curecanti NRA also has the Free, first come-first serve Gateview campground with great fishing in the Lake Fork a few miles south of Blue Mesa.  BLM has the $5/night Red Bridge campground on the same gravel road, but 4 miles farther south, which locates it just outside the NRA.  The Gateview and Red Bridge campgrounds have 6 and 7 campsites, respectively, with pit toilets, picnic tables, and fire grates, but water during summer and early fall only at Gateview.  Although neither site nor Lake City have a Free RV dump, there are dumps in both Gunnison and Montrose. To get to the campgrounds from Gunnison, turn south off US 50 onto paved CO 149 at the upper end of Blue Mesa Reservoir and go approximately 20 miles to gravel Blue Mesa Cutoff Road (CR 25).  Turn north and go 2.3 miles on CR 25 to Red Bridge, then an additional 4 miles on CR 64 to Gateview.  Don't cross the bridge on CR 25!  Stay beside the river on Blue Mesa Road--the old roadbed of the D&RGW Lake City Branch.  Incidentally, the water in the Lake Fork at Gateview was so clear that I watched 18"-20" rainbow trout feeding on the bottom of a 10' deep pool located just below a huge boulder and I didn't have my fly rod with me!  Lesson learned: I now keep a fly rod and reel in our motorhome as an "emergency measure".

CDOT 2024 construction note: The emergency reconstruction of the US 50 Middle and Lake Fork bridges over Blue Mesa Reservoir just east of Sapinero is scheduled to be completed this fall.  On Oct. 16, 2024, one lane on both bridges reopened to all types of motor vehicles, but with a pilot car and alternating traffic.  I crossed the bridges on Oct. 23 and was delayed less than 30 minutes in getting across both bridges.  On Nov. 12, the Middle Bridge opened both lanes to all traffic and both lanes of the Lake Fork Bridge should be opened in early December.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park has the South Rim Campground with three loops, but only Loop B has 20/30A hookups for $34($17)/night and Loops A and C dry camping is $20($10)/night (2024 rates).  NO 50A power, NO water fill for RVs, and NO RV dump are available in the park and it is 15 miles to the nearest store or restaurant.  So, bring EVERYTHING you need for overnight camping with you!

West of Black Canyon NP, there is a Free RV dump and potable water at the Coǹnfluence Park off US 50 in Delta.  NOTE: Sorry, RVers, another shut-down due to abuse by other RVers.  In October 2020, Montrose County closed their Free RV dump station at the fairgrounds due to black tanks and trash bags dumped on the parking lot!  However, there are several pay dumps at Montrose gas stations, including the Shell Super Mart on East US 50.  Since Durango and Salida closed their city park dumps several years ago and McPhee Recreation Complex near Cortez closed theirs in 2020, we'll see how long the dumps in Delta and Gunnison remain open and Free.

If you are skipping Black Canyon NP, a Free overnight (24-hour limit) dry camping stop could be the West Main Trailhead Park in Montrose.  Stay on US 50 (East Main) until you pass US 550 and the street becomes CO 90 (West Main).  Just before the bridge over the Uncompahgre River, turn left into a circular, paved parking area and you are there.  A restroom and trail along the river are available for your use.  Please DO NOT abuse the privilege of your Free stay or Montrose will ban camping at this site as well.

Incidentally, the Montrose Walmart currently seems to welcome RVers for overnight stays, but the Gunnison Walmart is much less accommodating.  The Gunnison Walmart is on the north side of town on the road to Crested Butte and was posted in 2016.  But, even if you could camp there, you wouldn't want to do it during ski season.  I tried skiing at Crested Butte one January when the temperature got to -40, so I wouldn't be caught dead camping in the Gunnison Valley in winter--free or otherwise.  Incidentally, Gunnison often records the lowest winter temperatures of any Colorado town!

There aren't many places to camp Free between Montrose and Grand Junction because, quite frankly, it is a dry, barren, alkali-dust, shale valley with very little to attract RVers, even just overnight.  BUT, if you have time to get a few miles off US 50, there are some great places to visit along CO 141 in Unaweep Canyon, like the Gateway Canyons Resort and its fantastic Auto Museum, or along CO 65 through the Grand Mesa "lake district".  Even more scenic is CO 133 to McClure Pass, the Crystal River valley (historic Marble and the eclectic Redstone company town, with its rare USFS electric-hookup campground), ritzy Aspen, and Glenwood Springs, with its huge hot springs pool and access to I-70.  However, those are not US highways, so finding your campsites on those routes will be left to Campendium or some other blog.