colorado (san juans) camp spots

[JasonJ]

has anyone done much camping in the ouray/telluride/silverton/montrose/lake city/pitkin areas?

there are tons of campgrounds in the area, but at the time of the year im going (last week of july) i expect them to be packed, plus its typically $20 or more just to pitch a tent for a night. i dont really plan on knowing where i will be on any given night so dont want to make any reservations.

I know you can disperse camp in a lot of spots, and thats what i am specifically looking for, cool dispersed camping spots/areas you may have stumbled across in your travels, in this area. especially if they were a long way down a bumpy dirt road and not surounded by RV's.

 

[STCPO]

If you don't mind staying in Gunnison, this is the campground we recently stayed at on our Colorado trip. It is clean, quiet and very friendly and the riding to and from the areas you mentioned is awesome.

http://www.talltexancampgroundofgunnison.com/home

Cheers,
Pete

 

[JasonJ]

thanks for the link. i am trying to avoid campgrounds though, looking for good dispersed sites that people may have used over the years, in out of the way places.

 

[tricepilot]

I know this isn't what you're looking for, but spend a couple of hours in a hops hall or brew-pub in any of those towns (except Silverton), and you can get hooked up in a yard of a local and have the time of your life. You can do this in Silverton, just takes a little extra work.

 

[AusFletch]

has anyone done much camping in the ouray/telluride/silverton/montrose/lake city/pitkin areas?

there are tons of campgrounds in the area, but at the time of the year im going (last week of july) i expect them to be packed, plus its typically $20 or more just to pitch a tent for a night. i dont really plan on knowing where i will be on any given night so dont want to make any reservations.

I know you can disperse camp in a lot of spots, and thats what i am specifically looking for, cool dispersed camping spots/areas you may have stumbled across in your travels, in this area. especially if they were a long way down a bumpy dirt road and not surounded by RV's.

Anything in the National Forest will fit your bill.

I'm partial to Williams Creek campground outside Lake City and South Mineral outside Silverton.

Amphitheater outside Ouray is nice, too. ****, anything in a National Forest in Colorado is good stuff.

 

[AusFletch]

You can do this in Silverton, just takes a little extra work.

I have heard of such things....

Waitress in the black t-shirt in the middle wasn't wearing that shirt when we arrived. She literally traded shirts at our table....

You meet some of the coolest people in Silverton.....

 

[gixxerjasen]

On what tricepilot says, head into Crested Butte and seek out the bar "Talk of the Town" and ask for Joel. He knows everyone and everything in the area. If he doesn't know, he'll know someone who does. Oh yea, and he rides a VFR too.

 

[tricepilot]

Bingo!

She literally traded shirts at our table....

Hers is the first place I would ask to camp....