Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Old Elk Creek
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 37.11782, -106.37675
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 Old Elk Creek
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,847 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Old Elk CreekNIFC · 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 Old Elk Creek · Rio Grande National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- DDump18 mi
- +Urgent care18 mi
- @Mail19 mi
- EVEV fast charger19 mi
- RxPharmacy20 mi
- FFuel20 mi
- GGrocery20 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- MMechanic25 mi
- OOutfitter36 mi
- WWater36 mi
- AAir-up46 mi
- ShShower52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 36-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 20 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 — Old Elk Creek
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
8,847 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
37.11782, -106.37675
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Old Elk Creek · Rio Grande National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLa Manga Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townOsier · ~7.6 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~0.7 mi
- FuelStandard Service · ~24.5 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~29.5 mi
- Dump station~18.2 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~6.1 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~19.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicChama Dunham Memorial Clinic · ~18.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~20.0 mi
EV charging — from Old Elk Creek · Rio Grande National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.7 mi straight-line SW — Chama · LOOP · CHAdeMO, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 18 within 50 · 65 within 100 · 202 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)36.4 mi — CENTENNIAL PARK PAGOSA SPGS PL2, Pagosa Springs
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)33.5 mi — WCSA LEVEL 2 - RIGHT, Pagosa Springs, 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 charger$1 activation fee; $0.59 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 348900 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Old Elk Creek · Rio Grande National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomElk Creek · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletElk Creek · ~0.6 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletElk Creek Overflow · ~0.8 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomRed Lakes · ~4.5 mi SW · USFS
Open Old Elk Creek elsewhere
Other camps near Old Elk Creek
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Elk Creek Overflow Campground~0.6 mi · fee
- Elk Creek Campground~0.8 mi · fee
- Spectacle Lake Campground~4.8 mi
- Conejos Campground~5.2 mi
The unit that manages Old Elk Creek
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Old Elk Creek are set by Rio Grande National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Cumbres Trestle at 10,030 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 1,183 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 — Old Elk Creek
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 Old Elk Creek
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 — Old Elk Creek
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →How to read this page →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 →