Agency-listedUSFSFee
Coaldale
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 38.33588, -105.80200
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 Coaldale
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,289 ft.
Fire & smoke — around CoaldaleNIFC · 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 Coaldale · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- EVEV fast charger16 mi
- AAir-up16 mi
- HHardware17 mi
- LLaundry17 mi
- WWater17 mi
- RxPharmacy17 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- +Urgent care23 mi
- DDump37 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 7 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 — Coaldale
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,289 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
38.33588, -105.80200
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Coaldale · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townCoaldale · ~1.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSinclair · ~6.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesCotopaxi store · ~6.6 mi
- PharmacySalida Pharmacy & Fountain · ~17.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~23.2 mi
- HardwareTrue Value · ~16.7 mi
EV charging — from Coaldale · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.3 mi straight-line NW — ES1 SALIDA PL1 · ChargePoint Network · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach6 within 25 mi · 17 within 50 · 164 within 100 · 442 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO16.3 mi — ES1 SALIDA PL2, Salida
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.3 mi — Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa, Moffat, CO (at a hotel) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-11-06 · 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 259010 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Coaldale · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCoaldale · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHayden Creek · ~1.2 mi W · USFS
- RestroomAhra - Vallie Bridge Restroom · ~4.1 mi N · BLM
- RestroomAhra - Canyon Trading Post Restroom · ~5.2 mi NE · BLM
Open Coaldale elsewhere
Other camps near Coaldale
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Hayden Creek~1.2 mi · fee
- Lake Creek~9.2 mi · fee
- Texas Creek~13.0 mi
- BLM dispersed camp — Chaffee County, CO~15.5 mi
The unit that manages Coaldale
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Coaldale 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 Hayden Pass at 10,700 ft, about 4 miles away. It sits about 3,411 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 — Coaldale
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 2026-08-27: $22 per night for a single site, $10 for a third vehicle, and $10 per day for day use if you are not camping overnight. The forest notes the Interagency Senior and Interagency Access passes get 50% off at concessionaire-run campsites. Single source: the Pike-San Isabel NF campground page (updated Jan 23 2026); there is no recreation.gov listing in the agency record for this campground. Salida Ranger District. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation/coaldale-campground.
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 Coaldale
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 — Coaldale
Winter vs summer roads →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading the aerial →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 →