Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 38.22136, -107.33823
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 11,364 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Alpine Plateau Dispersed AreaNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail13 mi
- GGrocery13 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- DDump13 mi
- +Urgent care13 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- WWater19 mi
- ShShower21 mi
- HHardware23 mi
- OOutfitter23 mi
- MMechanic31 mi
- RxPharmacy32 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 13 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
11,364 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
38.22136, -107.33823
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCampbell Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townLake City · ~13.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~19.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~13.0 mi
- GroceriesGet Some Groceries · ~13.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicLake City Area Medical Center · ~13.1 mi
- HardwareOuray Hardware and Mercantile · ~22.7 mi
EV charging — from Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.5 mi straight-line S — GCEA EV STATION DCFC LAKE CITY · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach4 within 25 mi · 19 within 50 · 93 within 100 · 223 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)34.3 mi — Montrose, CO - N 1st St - Tesla Supercharger, Montrose
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.2 mi — The Matterhorn Motel, Lake City, CO (at a public site) · RIVIAN_WAYPOINTS · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 163730 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Blue · ~2.6 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAlpine · ~2.6 mi W · USFS
- RestroomThe Gate Restroom #2 Wood (Front) · ~4.6 mi E · BLM
- RestroomThe Gate Restroom #1 Cxt (Back) · ~4.6 mi E · BLM
Open Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area elsewhere
Other camps near Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Big Blue Campground~2.6 mi
- Red Bridge Campground~9.3 mi
- East Fork Dispersed~9.4 mi
- Cimarron Forks~9.8 mi
The unit that manages Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area are set by Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Power off-grid →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →