RFI: Colorado Dispersed Camping

[takesiteasy]

Finally got the camper out of the garage and loaded on the truck- a record late date for that milestone by a couple of months!

It's a crazy year but the kids are after us to visit them. They live in Denver. We are thinking of meeting up somewhere in the Colorado back country where we can social distance and have some freedom from the crazy crowds with pleasant surroundings and some hiking possibilities.

Looking for suggestions for dispersed camping in the mountains but away from likely crowds. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[rando]

Away from the crowds may be the hard part - the CO mountains have been more crowded than I have ever seen them this summer. With that in mind, I would suggest that you avoid anywhere within a couple of hours of the Front Range. South West Colorado (Durango/Silverton) is also lousy with Texans this year.

For quiet, the Rawah Wilderness in North Central CO is definitely less traveled, as is the east side of Mt Zirkle Wilderness. Further south, Owl Creek Pass near Ridgeway can be quieter, along with Divide Road near Montrose (although I think this now being marketed as the 'Rim Rocker Trail'). The La Garrita Mtns SW of Saguache, in South Central CO are another less traveled area.

 

[Stray Dog]

Stayed a few days, midweek, at Tunnel Campground on the Laramie River off of Poudre Canyon 2 weeks ago. USFS CG, basic services, concessionaire operated. $22/nite, $11/nite with a geezer card. Well kept, nice operator, diligent, friendly. Place is very clean. Campground was not full midweek. lots of hiking in Rawah Wilderness and others. Moose are a fixture on Cameron Pass, early and late. We stayed Tue, Wed, Thurs. nice place. Great wildlife, moose, elk, two species of deer, fox, cranes, grouse. Passerines were rare as they are probably still nesting. A collared wolf has been reported in the area along the river, within Colorado. Evidently a migrant from Wyoming.

Thursday afternoon things began to change. Filled Thursday nite. On Friday am, every possible place to park along the road was occupied with dispersed campers. An unbelievable number of campers... Closer to Gould, two USFS campgrounds without concessionaires were locked up. USFS is evidently "working from home" . Gould area is open to ohvs and it was full of them.

 

[Batman]

It is prime time for mountain camping here in SW Colorado. We're seeing lots of campers with out of state license plates coming through town and in the National Forests. Things typically drop off quickly at the end of August. The Divide Road west of Montrose is mostly frequented by local folks. Lots of dispersed camping but not much in the way of water...few streams or lakes.

 

[takesiteasy]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions- keep them coming. We know it is likely to be crowded. We may defer our trip to September to increase our chances of seeing fewer people, plus it's hard to coordinate schedules with everyone. Don't want to get shut out of the mountains by snow though.