hi everyone! can someone help me please. me and a buddy are going to Colorado around the 13th or 14th of june. we went last year with all our gear and fishing stuff and never got to the right spot where we could use it. wanted to get away from everyone and find a nice secluded spot away from everyone to camp and fish and had no luck. kind of a bummer. so I thought of you guys this time and hoping someone can give me some pointers. I went in a 74 fj40 last year and have since sold it and now have a 1990 hzj73. haven't locked the wheels in but a couple of times. kinda itchin to try it out. its a 5 speed with locking front and rear axles, with a winch. kind of proud of it. anyway, I live in southern Oklahoma and was wanting to go somewhere around pagosa springs or Durango, which is only about 800 miles from me. I know I can get maps from the forest service but maybe someone has some experience with southern Colorado and can give me a heads up on a good place to camp and hopefully catch some fish. I looked on-line and got the phone # of the Colorado land cruiser club but the # was no good. me and a girlfriend went in 1994, back in my drinking days, and asked no questions and didn't worry about stuff like this. we drove and if we saw nice spot we just camped and enjoyed ourselves. but I don't think its like that anymore. bummer. if anyone can help it will be appreciated! thanks!
free tent camping in southern colorado (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter mike phillips
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- kyle-landcruiser.blogspot.com
Depending where you go, trails are going to be closed, most likely even through mid June, especially in the San Juan area. They have had nearly 300% of normal snowfall (good for us, not so much for recreating). There are a lot of stocked lakes near Pagosa Springs north of 160. There is a very cheap BLM campground (Mill Creek) off 149 near Lake San Cristabol that is only $7 a night and if you have a Parks Pass, its only $3.50 (it gives you half price camping at USFS, BLM, USFWL, etc). That part of the road should be open. I see people fishing in that lake all the time. Another one down Owl Creek Pass is SilverJack Reservoir. There is some dispersed camping along there, just pay attention to the rules. You can catch Owl Creek Pass off US HWY 50 near Cimarron. It is marked. One place you may think of considering is the Sangre de Cristo range. There are a lot of little lakes tucked up there, some you have to hike a couple miles too, but you'd likely have them all to yourself. Again, depending on altitude, snow may be an issue. Another area to check out (hopefully not too far north) is the Buena Vista to Leadville area. Some great reservoirs and trails up there.
Hope this helps with some ideas. Come back with any questions...I'm sure we'll get some answers for ya!
Rio Grande National Forest - Camping & Cabins:Dispersed Camping
Rio Grande National Forest - Camping & Cabins:Dispersed Camping
www.fs.usda.gov
Rio Grande National Forest - Camping & Cabins:Campground Camping
Rio Grande National Forest - Camping & Cabins:Campground Camping
www.fs.usda.gov
Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands - South Colony Basin
Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands - South Colony Basin
www.fs.usda.gov
Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands - Camping & Cabins:Dispersed Camping
Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands - Camping & Cabins:Dispersed Camping
www.fs.usda.gov
Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands - Camping & Cabins:Campground Camping
Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands - Camping & Cabins:Campground Camping
www.fs.usda.gov
Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands - Fishing
Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands - Fishing
www.fs.usda.gov
Hope this helps with some ideas. Come back with any questions...I'm sure we'll get some answers for ya!
- Thread starter
- #3
thanks kyle. I will look at some of those links. I think I looked at something like that last time but somehow didn't make it to any of those spots. here in Oklahoma I can go to the Kiamichi mnts. and camp wherever I want to which is kind of nice. around Durango and pagosa springs the only rivers I see are the animas, w. dolores, and the san juan. maybe theres a spot for trout fishing on one of those. but I will check out some of the places you mentioned and also call the forestry people and see if I can even get in to those places. thanks a lot for your time and advice.
SAS
Seeking higher vistas
I'd suggest, as kyle did, the Leadville/Buena Vista/Poncha Springs/Salida area. Leadville is the headwaters of the Arkansas River which flows south and east to Pueblo and beyond. You'll find good fishing in the river from Pueblo Reservoir west to Canon City, Salida, then north to Buena Vista and on up to Leadville.
Lots of places to 4x4 and dispersed camp in these areas as well (Seep Springs, Texas Creek, Fourmile Area north of Salida and east of BV)
Spending your "short" time here saves you six +/- hours of drive time (round trip) versus going farther west to Pagosa/Durango area.
Lots of places to 4x4 and dispersed camp in these areas as well (Seep Springs, Texas Creek, Fourmile Area north of Salida and east of BV)
Spending your "short" time here saves you six +/- hours of drive time (round trip) versus going farther west to Pagosa/Durango area.
- Thread starter
- #5
first, thanks everyone. man, I have been looking hard and don't seem to come up with much. so many regulations. I thought about coming up to the conejas river around Antonio, very pretty, but don't see much dispersed camping. and have to make reservations in most cases. getting 'fog brain'. like to be able to drive around, enjoy the view, and in the late afternoon be able to pull in somewhere, hopefully somewhere I could fish, and enjoy a campfire. so many designated areas. I think you have to really know the country to be able to do that. guess I could just head out and see what I could find and maybe it wont be as hard as I am thinking. thought about somewhere on the rio grande in the rio grande natl forest. I may call some forest service people and they may can help too. I will click on some of these links again too. thanks everyone.
Generally you can disperse camp most anywhere in Forest Sevive or BLM unless it is signed to camp in designated areas only. Forest service does have developed campgrounds for use even in areas where dispersed camping is allowed. If there are fire restrictions then usually you can only have a fire in a designated campground .
- Thread starter
- #7
great! any areas you may could recommend where there are trees and maybe rivers you could fish in? sounds funny i know but lots of places i have looked at on-line were really scrubby looking. thanks.
SAS
Seeking higher vistas
How about something like ... This is the end of Metberry Gulch, at the South Platte River. It's near Woodland Park/Divide, and you can park and camp from where this photo was taken.
SAS
Seeking higher vistas
Here's the Arkansas River Valley, from Bald Mountain Loop, 10+/- miles southeast of Buena Vista. The Collegiate Peaks have snow on them still today (this photo is 2 years old).
SAS
Seeking higher vistas
This is the Arkansas River, on the east side of town (Buena Vista), last October.
- Thread starter
- #11
hey guys, thanks for the pictures but i'm kind of a tree lover I guess. [used to be a hippy too, almost] lol. I like those big ponderosa pines and aspen trees. I've been looking at pagosa springs a little. have ya'll ever been there? it sure did look pretty. the east fork camp ground was nice from pics I saw on-line. the Conejos river was pretty too but you had to pay and also reserve a spot 4 days in advance. I thought about doing a little 4-wheelin around Summitville, or somewhere. am I wrong thinking about pagosa springs? thanks guys!
- Joined
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- Pueblo West, CO
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- kyle-landcruiser.blogspot.com
I can tell you this, SW CO is flooding. The Conejos, San Antonio and San Juan through Pagosa Springs are running extremely high. I'd say you best bet is up north of Buena Vista (Clear Creek, Twin Lakes, Turquoises Lake or Homestead Reservoirs) will be good to go. The road to Summitville was closed last I was at work, there was a bridge compromised by the flooding and campgrounds were evacuated. The Rio Grande upstream of Alamosa is flooding. The good news, lots of dispersed camping down Clear Creek Reservoir towards Widefield, plenty of trees and restrooms.
- Thread starter
- #13
wow! much thanks kyle.
