★ Field-verified · Dave's ownFederalFree
Chaffee County
Drive-up · public land · Chaffee County, CO · 38.88138, -106.14645
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 →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on public land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
Turtle Rock Campground is a free camping area near Buena Vista, Colorado. Mostly tent sites with fire rings, but a few spurs suitable for vehicle-supported camping. Awesome, rolling rock formations. Setting similar to Alabama Hills. Great for bouldering and climbing. Surrounding wilderness area ripe for vehicular exploration. Good cell service. Enough room for one or two vehicles. Recommended.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,296 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- LLaundry2 mi
- ShShower2 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- HHardware2 mi
- FFuel2 mi
- +Urgent care2 mi
- OOutfitter3 mi
- DDump5 mi
- WWater14 mi
- RxPharmacy25 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- AAir-up26 mi
- PPropane52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 2 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
8,296 ft
County
Chaffee County, CO
Coordinates
38.88138, -106.14645
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureFourmile Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townBuena Vista · ~2.8 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelShell · ~5.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~5.1 mi
- GroceriesLaGreese · ~2.6 mi
- PharmacySalida Pharmacy & Fountain · ~25.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~3.7 mi
- HardwareRocky Mountain Lumber & Hardware · ~2.3 mi
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
Had a signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
No
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomTurtle Rock Restroom · at this camp · BLM
- RestroomCounty Road 375 (Fourmile) Restroom · ~0.5 mi S · BLM
- RestroomAhra - Railroad Bridge Restroom · ~3.1 mi NW · BLM
- RestroomAhra - Collegiate Peaks North Restroom - Double · ~5.5 mi SE · BLM
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Stone Cabin~10.7 mi
- Winfield~17.4 mi
- Mirror Lake Campground~17.9 mi
- Stage Stop Meadows Dispersed Camping Area~18.3 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Chaffee County, CO). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →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 →