Agency-listedUSFSFree
Dorchester
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 38.96692, -106.66154
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 Dorchester
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,872 ft.
Fire & smoke — around DorchesterNIFC · 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 Dorchester · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater9 mi
- FFuel12 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- +Urgent care17 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- EVEV fast charger17 mi
- @Mail18 mi
- HHardware18 mi
- MMechanic19 mi
- LLaundry23 mi
- ShShower29 mi
- DDump30 mi
- RxPharmacy32 mi
- PPropane42 mi
- AAir-up47 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 12 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 — Dorchester
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,872 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
38.96692, -106.66154
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Dorchester · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureItalian Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townAshcroft · ~9.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.0 mi
- FuelFuel · ~11.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~30.1 mi
- GroceriesTwin Lakes General Store · ~17.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicAspen Valley Hospital · ~18.2 mi
- HardwareRocky Mountain Lumber & Hardware · ~29.4 mi
EV charging — from Dorchester · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.4 mi straight-line NW — CITY OF ASPEN S GALENA LEVEL3 · 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 reach7 within 25 mi · 43 within 50 · 179 within 100 · 462 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)19.5 mi — Aspen, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Aspen
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.9 mi — Taylor Park Reservoir, Almont, CO (at a campground) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port 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 225425 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Dorchester · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletDorchester · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPotholes · ~2.7 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDinner Station · ~5.8 mi SE · USFS
- RestroomSpring Creek Reservoir · ~7.9 mi S · USFS
Open Dorchester elsewhere
Other camps near Dorchester
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Dorchester Campground~0.1 mi
- Dinner Station~5.8 mi · fee
- Dinner Station Campground~5.8 mi · fee
- Mosca Campground~7.8 mi
The unit that manages Dorchester
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Dorchester 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 Upper Taylor at 10,710 ft, about 5 miles away. It sits about 838 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 — Dorchester
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Dorchester
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 — Dorchester
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Off-grid communication →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 →