Dispersed Camping in San Juan County, Colorado
Showing 60 locations in San Juan County.
Anvil Designated Camping Area
An official designated dispersed camping area providing numbered, creek-side sites under a canopy of spruce and fir trees. Ideal for those wanting close access to area trailheads while staying in a regulated, beautiful national forest setting.
Arrastra Gulch Dispersed Camping (County Road 21)
A rugged mountain corridor along County Road 21 offering designated dispersed sites nestled among aspen groves and along a rushing creek. Accessible primarily to high-clearance, 4WD-capable vehicles, this area provides scenic primitive camping within reach of Silverton, though larger rigs and trailers should avoid it due to steep, narrow terrain and limited turnaround space.
Bear Town Road Dispersed Camping
This remote corridor along Bear Town Road offers secluded dispersed camping with stunning alpine scenery in the San Juan Mountains, accessible only by high-clearance 4WD vehicles.
BLM Land near Silverton, CO
Spot
BLM Primitive Road - Gladstone Corridor
A scenic mountain road corridor near Hurricane Pass. Numerous primitive roadside pullouts sit alongside a fast-flowing creek, offering a wilderness camping experience surrounded by rugged peaks.
BLM Primitive Road (Eureka Gulch)
A highly scenic, rugged mountain corridor on Bureau of Land Management land following Eureka Gulch. This route features several dispersed, rustic sites near historic mining ruins, offering quiet backcountry camping for capable setups. Access requires high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles due to steep, rocky terrain and potential water hazards.
BLM Primitive Road Dispersed
Rugged BLM route providing primitive dispersed camping opportunities amidst scenic mountain peaks near Silverton. Suitable only for high-clearance 4WD vehicles due to rough, rocky conditions.
BLM Primitive Road Dispersed
Dispersed camping options along a primitive BLM road near Silverton, providing access to scenic backcountry trails.
BLM Primitive Road Dispersed
Rugged BLM primitive roads offering dispersed camping options in the mountains near Silverton.
BLM Primitive Road Dispersed
A scenic mountain dispersed camping area accessed via a primitive BLM road. Sites are clustered together and restricted to designated, marked locations.
BLM Primitive Road Dispersed
A rugged dispersed camping corridor situated along a primitive BLM road near Silverton, providing access to scenic peaks in the San Juan Mountains.
Blue Meadow Dispersed Area
This dispersed camping area in the San Juan National Forest offers scenic meadow views and easy access along Forest Service roads.
Cascade Divide Road Dispersed
Scenic dispersed camping corridor along Cascade Divide Road in the San Juan National Forest, offering wooded sites with mountain backdrops.
Cascade Divide Road Dispersed
Cascade Divide Road offers scenic dispersed camping corridors within the San Juan National Forest, providing standard native-material road access suitable for most vehicles during the summer season.
Cement Creek / Gladstone Road Dispersed
A scenic creekside dispersed camping area along Gladstone Road, suitable for vans, truck campers, and tents. The area features several distinct campsites, with some offering open sky and others nestled under tree cover. The access road and terrain limit the size of rigs, and local authorities actively patrol the area to ensure compliance with camping regulations.
Coal Bank Road Dispersed Camping
An easily accessible dispersed camping corridor located along Coal Bank Road, just off Highway 550 in the San Juan National Forest. Positioned near the Coal Bank Pass Trailhead, this area features several flat pull-offs beyond the main trailhead parking, offering a convenient base camp for hiking Engineer Mountain and nearby peaks.
Columbine Ranger District Dispersed Camping
A quiet dispersed camping pull-off located within the scenic San Juan National Forest near Silverton.
County Road 2 BLM Dispersed
A scenic dispersed camping corridor situated along County Road 2 northeast of Silverton. The area features open meadow sites adjacent to a creek, providing multiple fire rings and space for larger rigs before entering the mountain passes.
Cuba Gulch Trailhead
A remote trailhead on Bureau of Land Management land near Silverton, providing access to hiking trails like Cuba Gulch, American Peak, and Half Peak.
Cunningham Gulch Dispersed Spot
A single high-alpine roadside pullout located along Cunningham Creek road below Stony Pass, offering scenic mountain views.
East Lime Rest Site
A convenient roadside rest area located near Molas Pass within the San Juan National Forest, offering standard dispersed camping access. It features a gravel surface suitable for most vehicle types during the summer and fall seasons.
Eureka Campground & Store
A rustic developed campground situated in the historic ghost town of Eureka. Features an on-site store for basic snacks and serves as a key staging area for off-highway vehicles and travelers tackling the surrounding mountain passes.
Forest Road 585 (South Mineral Creek) Dispersed Corridor
A highly scenic mountain corridor along South Mineral Creek offering designated dispersed camping. The area features stunning views of the surrounding peaks but experiences heavy vehicle traffic and substantial road dust in peak season.
Gray Copper Gulch Dispersed
High-clearance dispersed camping along the steep Gray Copper Gulch road, offering stunning views of Red Mountain. This mountain corridor features minimal traffic and offers quiet seclusion.
Grouse Gulch BLM Dispersed Camping
A scenic and remote dispersed camping area situated along the Grouse Gulch corridor off County Road 2. The area offers roadside pullouts alongside a mountain stream, with spectacular views of the surrounding peaks. Access requires a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle due to rough, unpaved conditions.
HipCamp - In the Aspens
A private, shaded camp spot situated in an aspen grove on the outskirts of Silverton. This quiet location offers electrical and water connections, making it an excellent base for exploring the area. Rigs can also utilize the convenient on-site RV dump. Bookings must be made in advance online.
Hooleys Hideaway Road Dispersed
A scenic dispersed camping corridor along Hooleys Hideaway Road in the San Juan National Forest. This area offers beautiful spots, including a small mesa with stunning views of wildflowers and valleys, though OHV traffic is common.
Kansas City Mine Dispersed Camping
A rugged dispersed camping area located at the end of a steep BLM primitive road near Silverton. Offering exceptional solitude, the site sits at the end of a difficult mountain track next to a small stream, providing immediate access to surrounding peaks and trails.
Kendall Campground
A popular, free, rustic campground situated along the Animas River just outside Silverton. Features a mix of open gravel clearings and shaded wooded spots, offering gorgeous mountain and river scenery with basic pit toilet access.
Lackawanna Road BLM Dispersed
A dispersed camping corridor on public land along Lackawanna Road. This area provides scenic mountain backdrops and quick access to backcountry trails just outside of town.
Lime Creek Fishing Area
This dispersed camping area in the San Juan National Forest features native material dirt roads providing access to scenic creekside sites. Ideal for self-contained rigs, it offers a peaceful mountain retreat near Silverton with close access to fishing and hiking.
Little Creek Dispersed Area
A small, rustic riverside dispersed camping area featuring roughly four basic clearing sites with stone fire rings. Access involves navigating a steep, rough mountain road that can become highly slick and dangerous during rainfall.
Little Molas Lake Campground
A scenic, developed Forest Service campground situated near the shores of Little Molas Lake. It offers established, level sites with fire rings and vault toilets. The campground serves as an excellent basecamp with direct access to the Colorado Trail for hiking.
Missionary Ridge Road Dispersed Area
Scenic dispersed camping corridor along Missionary Ridge Road in the San Juan National Forest near Silverton.
Molas Lake Campground
A highly scenic developed campground on the shores of Molas Lake, offering paid lakeside and elevated campsites with spectacular mountain views, showers, and a small convenience store near Silverton.
Molas Pass Backcountry Campsite
A scenic hike-in backcountry campsite located near Molas Pass in the San Juan National Forest, ideal for backpackers seeking high-country isolation.
Molas Pass BLM Dispersed Corridor
A designated dispersed camping area managed by the BLM, featuring multiple numbered sites tucked into the trees on both sides of Highway 550 near Molas Pass. The initial sites are accessible to most vehicles, but roads become rougher, narrower, and more challenging further in.
Molas Pass Overlook
A paved overlook and parking area at Molas Pass, offering immediate access to the Colorado Trail. It includes a vault restroom and is surrounded by stunning mountain vistas, making it a scenic and highly accessible stop for self-contained rigs.
Molas Trailhead Dispersed Area
A small cluster of dispersed camping sites located near the Molas Trailhead, directly across Highway 550 from Molas Lake. This area offers incredible views of the surrounding peaks with easy highway access.
Needle Mountains Backcountry Camping
A scenic high-alpine backcountry camping zone in the Weminuche Wilderness near Silverton. These primitive walk-in sites offer pristine wilderness solitude for backpackers exploring the Needle Mountains region.
Needle Mountains Dispersed Camping
A remote dispersed camping option nestled in the rugged Needle Mountains of San Juan National Forest near Silverton.
Needle Mountains Northeast Backcountry Spot
A scenic backcountry clearing nestled on the northeast side of the basin, offering natural shelter and exceptional alpine vistas.
Needle Mountains Northwest Backcountry Spot
A flat, primitive backcountry clearing situated in the northwestern part of the basin, perfect for small backpacking tents.
Needle Mountains South Backcountry Spot
A primitive hike-in backcountry campsite located in the southern section of this alpine basin, providing a flat tent spot surrounded by spruce trees.
Ophir Pass Branch 1 Dispersed
A scenic mountain corridor offering dispersed camping options along a native dirt road in the San Juan National Forest near Silverton. It provides convenient access to hiking trails and stunning high-country vistas.
Red Mountain Overlook
A scenic overlook and paved pull-off located on Red Mountain Pass, providing spectacular views of the red-hued mountain slopes.
Rio Grande Reservoir Road Dispersed
This scenic forest corridor winds along the upper Rio Grande, providing rustic dispersed camping sites. The native-surface road is generally passable for most rigs during dry conditions.
San Juan National Forest Dispersed Spot
A secluded dispersed camping area located deep within the rugged San Juan National Forest near Silverton.
Sig Creek Campground
A rustic Forest Service campground with 9 sites located along the Hermosa Park Road corridor. The campground features picnic tables and a vault toilet near Sig Creek. The access road is gravel and dirt, and the campground's interior loop and driveways are rocky, making it best suited for campervans or truck campers rather than large trailers.
Silver Summit RV Park
An in-town RV park in Silverton offering full hookups, level grass sites, and a convenient location within walking distance to local shops and dining. Features spectacular surrounding mountain views and a walking trail along the historic Narrow Gauge railroad tracks.
Silverton Lakes RV Resort
A developed commercial resort on the edge of town offering gravel sites, full hookups, clean restrooms, and showers. Conveniently located within walking distance of local attractions and providing immediate access to mountain trails.
Silverton Mountain Dispersed
A basic dispersed camping pull-off located in the rugged mountain terrain near Silverton.
Silverton Urban Parking
An urban zone covering the town of Silverton, where overnight vehicle parking on public streets is highly restricted by municipal ordinance. Some private or municipal lots may offer paid overnight parking with local permission. This area is highly convenient to local amenities and services but lacks privacy.
Snare Basin Road Dispersed Camping
Snare Basin Road offers remote dispersed camping opportunities on BLM land near Silverton, Colorado. High-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles are required to navigate this rough, high-altitude dirt corridor.
South Mineral Campground
South Mineral Campground is a highly popular destination in the San Juan National Forest, situated along South Mineral Creek. It features well-spaced campsites shaded by spruce and fir trees, offering an excellent base for hiking the nearby trail systems.
South Mineral Creek Road Dispersed
This scenic forest road corridor along South Mineral Creek offers designated dispersed camping sites nestled within a deep mountain canyon in the San Juan National Forest.
South Mineral Road Dispersed Camping
A highly scenic designated dispersed camping corridor winding alongside South Mineral Creek in Uncompahgre National Forest. This area offers numerous flat gravel pullouts with established fire rings and access to vault toilets, serving as an exceptional basecamp for nearby alpine trailheads.
Stoney Pass Road Dispersed
This rugged corridor along Stoney Pass Road offers highly scenic, primitive dispersed camping in a remote wilderness setting accessible only by high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Velocity Basin Dispersed
Velocity Basin is a high-alpine glacial basin located near Silverton, offering spectacular scenery surrounded by dramatic mountain peaks. There is a lower camping area suitable for a few vehicles and an upper parking area near the lake. The basin is popular with day-trippers but becomes peaceful and quiet after sunset. Access requires high clearance due to steep and narrow sections on the dirt road.
Vestal Basin Wilderness Camp
A remote backcountry hike-in campsite nestled deep in the rugged San Juan Wilderness, offering pristine access to dramatic high-alpine peaks.