Agency-listedUSFSFee
Elk Wallow
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 39.34445, -106.61462
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 Elk Wallow
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,830 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Elk WallowNIFC · 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 Elk Wallow · White River National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater3 mi
- @Mail15 mi
- FFuel15 mi
- GGrocery15 mi
- EVEV fast charger15 mi
- OOutfitter15 mi
- HHardware18 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- RxPharmacy21 mi
- DDump21 mi
- +Urgent care24 mi
- PPropane33 mi
- AAir-up35 mi
- ShShower42 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 15 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 — Elk Wallow
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,830 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
39.34445, -106.61462
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Elk Wallow · White River National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townNorrie · ~2.5 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~2.8 mi
- FuelShell · ~15.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~20.9 mi
- GroceriesClark's Market · ~15.2 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~20.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicEagle Healthcare Center · ~23.8 mi
- HardwareBig Horn Ace Hardware · ~18.2 mi
EV charging — from Elk Wallow · White River National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger15.2 mi straight-line SW — CITY OF ASPEN RIO GRANDE DCFC · 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 reach21 within 25 mi · 50 within 50 · 305 within 100 · 458 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)16.2 mi — Aspen, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Aspen
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)15.1 mi — ASPEN INSTITUTE PAEPCKE · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · 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 260388 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Elk Wallow · White River National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMissouri-Fancy · ~8.3 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPeter Estin Hut · ~8.5 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGold Park · ~10.4 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFulford Cave · ~10.5 mi N · USFS
Open Elk Wallow elsewhere
Other camps near Elk Wallow
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Chapman Group~2.6 mi · fee
- Chapman Cg~2.7 mi · fee
- Dearhamer~6.7 mi · fee
- Gold Park~10.4 mi · fee
The unit that manages Elk Wallow
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Elk Wallow are set by White River National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Kiln at 9,610 ft, about 2 miles away. It sits about 780 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 — Elk Wallow
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 2026-08-21: $20 per night, single site. No recreation.gov listing -- this one is paid on site. The forest's 2025 forest-wide campground table also shows $20 and a May 13 to Oct 2 season, with no weekday/weekend split noted. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/recreation/elk-wallow-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 Elk Wallow
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 — Elk Wallow
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →What “dispersed” means here →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 →