Agency-listedUSFSFee
Alvarado
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 38.08128, -105.56203
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Alvarado
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,949 ft.
Fire & smoke — around AlvaradoNIFC · 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 Alvarado · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- FFuel6 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- DDump24 mi
- AAir-up24 mi
- LLaundry26 mi
- RxPharmacy31 mi
- OOutfitter39 mi
- PPropane51 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
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 — Alvarado
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,949 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
38.08128, -105.56203
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Alvarado · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWestcliffe · ~6.4 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~6.2 mi
- FuelShell · ~6.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~23.6 mi
- GroceriesLowe's · ~6.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~6.5 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~6.3 mi
EV charging — from Alvarado · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.4 mi straight-line NE — TSC CPE250, Silver Cliff, CO · 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 reach1 within 25 mi · 26 within 50 · 101 within 100 · 428 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)38.2 mi — ES1 SALIDA PL1, Salida
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.5 mi — CHRGWESTCLIFFE LEVEL2 01 · ChargePoint Network · 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 329355 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Alvarado · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomAlvarado · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomAlvarado · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Crestone · ~8.0 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Crestone Creek · ~8.3 mi SW · USFS
Open Alvarado elsewhere
Other camps near Alvarado
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- North Crestone Creek~8.3 mi · fee
- North Crestone Campground~8.7 mi
- Lake Creek~13.7 mi · fee
- Medano~17.1 mi
The unit that manages Alvarado
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Alvarado are set by Pike and San Isabel National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is South Colony at 10,790 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 1,841 ft higher than this camp, so treat it as a guide rather than a reading for this spot. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this — Alvarado
Area rules
First-come, first-served sites must be occupied the first night
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-24: $30 per night for a single site and $60 for a double, with equestrian sites also $30. Two vehicles per site are included and extra vehicles are $10; day use without camping is $10. Cash, check or money order at a self-service fee tube; first-come, first-served sites must be occupied the first night. Season early May to late September. IMPORTANT IF YOU BOOK ONLINE: recreation.gov prices its site type named 'STANDARD NONELECTRIC' at $60 -- that is the double-site rate, not the $30 single -- while its walk-to, RV and equestrian site types are $30, and it holds those same prices across all three 2026 windows (May 8 to Sep 26). So the cheap $30 pitch here is the walk-to or RV type, not the one labelled standard. Both agency sources agree on the $30/$60 pair. San Carlos Ranger District, above Westcliffe. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation/alvarado-campground and https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234105.
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 Alvarado
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 — Alvarado
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →What “dispersed” means here →First-night troubleshooting →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 →