Agency-listedUSFSFee
Big South
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 40.63329, -105.80850
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 Big South
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,454 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big SouthNIFC · 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 Big South · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater1 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- GGrocery17 mi
- EVEV fast charger23 mi
- FFuel23 mi
- RxPharmacy23 mi
- +Urgent care23 mi
- OOutfitter23 mi
- MMechanic23 mi
- DDump24 mi
- LLaundry26 mi
- HHardware35 mi
- PPropane36 mi
- AAir-up38 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 17 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 — Big South
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,454 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
40.63329, -105.80850
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Big South · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townRed Feather Lakes · ~17.1 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~1.1 mi
- FuelConoco · ~23.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~23.8 mi
- GroceriesTrading Post · ~16.6 mi
- PharmacyRocky Mountain Pharmacy · ~23.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicEstes Park Health Urgent Care Center · ~23.3 mi
EV charging — from Big South · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger23.0 mi straight-line SE — Estes Park, CO - Tesla Supercharger (at a hotel) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 7 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach6 within 25 mi · 39 within 50 · 323 within 100 · 412 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS23.4 mi — DC CORRIDOR ESTES PARK PL3, Estes Park
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO23.4 mi — DC CORRIDOR ESTES PARK PL3, Estes Park
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)16.3 mi — Red Feather Lakes Library (at a library) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-01-09 · hours: 10am-6pm daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Mountain Campus (seasonal), Bellvue, 12.1 mi · J1772 · hours: Contact campus gate for station availability; seasonal campus
- 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 102083 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big South · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig South · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAspen Glen · ~1.1 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTunnel · ~2.4 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletChambers Lake · ~3.3 mi SW · USFS
Open Big South elsewhere
Other camps near Big South
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Aspen Glen~1.1 mi · fee
- Chambers Lake~3.4 mi · fee
- Tunnel~3.7 mi · fee
- Sleeping Elephant~3.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages Big South
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big South are set by Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Joe Wright at 10,140 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 1,686 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 — Big South
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 2026-08-22: $23 per single site per night, confirmed by two Arapaho & Roosevelt NF sources: the campground page (updated May 22 2026) and the forest-wide campground status table (updated Aug 20 2026), which lists Big South as 4 sites, 25-foot maximum spur, first come first served, $23, operating May 22 to Sep 20. It is a four-site campground -- do not count on getting in. No recreation.gov listing. Canyon Lakes Ranger District. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/arp/recreation/big-south-campground and https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/arp/conditions.
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 Big South
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 — Big South
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →What “dispersed” means here →Dispersed camping tips →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 →