Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Medano
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 37.86322, -105.41206
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 Medano
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,183 ft.
Fire & smoke — around MedanoNIFC · 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 Medano · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater9 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- DDump10 mi
- AAir-up10 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- LLaundry15 mi
- HHardware18 mi
- @Mail18 mi
- +Urgent care19 mi
- EVEV fast charger19 mi
- MMechanic19 mi
- RxPharmacy32 mi
- OOutfitter38 mi
- PPropane48 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 10 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 — Medano
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
9,183 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
37.86322, -105.41206
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Medano · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureNorth Bruff Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townBradford · ~4.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.4 mi
- FuelOasis · ~13.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~9.8 mi
- GroceriesGreat Sand Dunes Oasis · ~13.9 mi
EV charging — from Medano · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.9 mi straight-line N — TSC CPE250, Silver Cliff, CO · 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 reach1 within 25 mi · 23 within 50 · 96 within 100 · 397 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)34.3 mi — Colorado City, CO Rechargery Relay @ Circle K - South I-25, Colorado City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)18.9 mi — TSC CT4K, Silver Cliff, CO · 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 329355 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Medano · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Restroom23 Comfort Station · ~9.4 mi SW · NPS
- Restroom21 Comfort Station · ~9.5 mi SW · NPS
- Restroom22 Comfort Station · ~9.5 mi SW · NPS
- Restroom24 Comfort Station · ~9.6 mi SW · NPS
Open Medano elsewhere
Other camps near Medano
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Alvarado~17.1 mi · fee
- North Crestone Creek~18.4 mi · fee
- North Crestone Campground~18.6 mi
- Zapata Falls Srma~19.1 mi
The unit that manages Medano
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Medano 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 Medano Pass at 9,650 ft, about 2 miles away. It sits about 467 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 — Medano
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 Medano
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 — Medano
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →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 →