Agency-listedBLM · dispersedFree
Penitente Canyon
Drive-up · Bureau of Land Management · CO · 37.84181, -106.28002
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 →Bureau of Land Management 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 Penitente Canyon
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,915 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Penitente CanyonNIFC · 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 Penitente Canyon · Bureau of Land Management · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel10 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- +Urgent care11 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- AAir-up11 mi
- @Mail11 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- WWater22 mi
- DDump24 mi
- ShShower24 mi
- RxPharmacy32 mi
- OOutfitter32 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 22-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 10 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 — Penitente Canyon
Access
Drive-up
Land
Bureau of Land Management · dispersed
Elevation
7,915 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
37.84181, -106.28002
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Penitente Canyon · Bureau of Land Management · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMogotas Arroyo (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townLa Garita · ~1.8 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelGunbarrel Station · ~9.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~23.5 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~11.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicRio Grande Hospital · ~12.5 mi
- HardwareHardware · ~11.2 mi
EV charging — from Penitente Canyon · Bureau of Land Management · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.2 mi straight-line SE — Alta Convenience, Center · EV Connect · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach8 within 25 mi · 19 within 50 · 84 within 100 · 319 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)34.3 mi — Alamosa, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Alamosa
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO12.0 mi — JRM DEL NORTE FAST, Del Norte
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.0 mi — JRM DEL NORTE LVL 2 · 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 326593 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Penitente Canyon · Bureau of Land Management · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomPenitente Restroom - Entrance · at this camp · BLM
- RestroomPenitente Restroom - South Road - East · at this camp · BLM
- RestroomPenitente Restroom - South Road - West · ~0.3 mi W · BLM
- RestroomPenitente Restroom - Day Use East · ~0.3 mi W · BLM
Open Penitente Canyon elsewhere
Other camps near Penitente Canyon
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Poso Campground~9.2 mi
- Storm King Campground~11.6 mi
- Cathedral Campground~17.8 mi
- Stone Cellar Campground~24.9 mi
How we know this — Penitente Canyon
Source
Bureau of Land Management 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 Penitente Canyon
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 — Penitente Canyon
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →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 →