Sand Gulch Campground in CO -- Campground & RV Camping
Sand Gulch Campground in CO
Official campground & reservations ↗
Road Access
- Road difficulty 4 of 5: a difficult drive in.
- Recorded as maintained only for low-range 4WD, dirt, pitching to 8%.
Rig fit
- Maximum published vehicle length: 90 ft.
- Longest published RV site: 20 ft.
- Longest published trailer site: 20 ft.
- Longest published camper-van site: 20 ft.
- 3 pull-through sites.
- Driveway grade: slight.
Campground details
Setting
Sand Gulch Campground sits in piñon pine and juniper woodland below tall limestone cliffs 14 miles north of Cañon City. Set at 6,400 feet in the Shelf Road area, it directly serves sport rock climbers accessing the bolted routes of Contest and Freeform Walls via on-site trails. The layout features 29 individual sites and two group sites, equipped with picnic tables and metal fire rings, alongside two vault toilets and a day-use parking area. Sites mostly suit tents, vans, or select pull-through trailers. No drinking water, hookups, or trash service are provided. Royal Gorge lies nearby.
Getting there: From Highway 50 in Cañon City, Take Dozier Avenue north following it as it turns west. At the four-way stop sign turn right on Field Avenue and follow it north until it turns into CR 9. In approximately 10 miles, take a left turn at the sign for Sand Gulch Campground.
- Limited separation from through roads or other sites here, a 31-site campground with the nearest through road 0.1 miles off.
- Mitre Peak stands 2,113 ft above the map pin, 2.9 miles northeast.
- Estimated night sky: Bortle 2, true dark-sky territory.
Climate averages
October normals 37–65°F, 0.9″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Starlink Radar
Open sky · Terrain & buildings · Tree canopy
Estimated horizon in eight compass directions, using 10 m USGS elevation. Sky clearance 98 of 100.