Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Corkscrew
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 37.93911, -107.67131
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 Corkscrew
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,711 ft.
Fire & smoke — around CorkscrewNIFC · 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 Corkscrew · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- OOutfitter6 mi
- EVEV fast charger6 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- WWater8 mi
- DDump10 mi
- LLaundry10 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- +Urgent care15 mi
- MMechanic37 mi
- PPropane50 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 — Corkscrew
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
9,711 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
37.93911, -107.67131
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Corkscrew · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townOuray · ~6.1 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~7.8 mi
- FuelConoco · ~6.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~10.0 mi
- GroceriesOuray Grocery · ~5.8 mi
- PharmacySunshine Pharmacy · ~7.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicCedar Point Health Ridgway · ~15.4 mi
- HardwareOuray Hardware and Mercantile · ~5.9 mi
EV charging — from Corkscrew · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger6.2 mi straight-line N — HION NETWORK OURAY PL2 · 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 reach6 within 25 mi · 18 within 50 · 74 within 100 · 154 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)10.0 mi — Mountain Village, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Mountain Village
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.7 mi — The Wyman Hotel - Tesla Destination, Silverton, CO · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Element 52 Residences - Tesla Destination, Telluride, 8.0 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 260039 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Corkscrew · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomCorkscrew Restroom · ~2.5 mi SE · BLM
- Vault / pit toiletThistledown · ~4.1 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAngel Creek · ~4.5 mi N · USFS
- RestroomMineral Point Restroom · ~4.6 mi E · BLM
Open Corkscrew elsewhere
Other camps near Corkscrew
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Dispersed Camping Area~1.1 mi
- Dispersed camp site~2.0 mi
- Ouray County~3.1 mi
- Thistledown Campground~4.1 mi
The unit that manages Corkscrew
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Corkscrew are set by Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Idarado at 9,780 ft, less than a mile away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. 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 — Corkscrew
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 Corkscrew
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 — Corkscrew
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Picking a spot →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 →