Found · unverifiedBLM · dispersedFree
Penitente Canyon
Drive-up · Bureau of Land Management · CO · 37.84181, -106.28002
We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on Bureau of Land Management land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,915 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
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
- 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). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
Bureau of Land Management · dispersed
Elevation
7,915 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
37.84181, -106.28002
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (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 stationDump station · ~23.5 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~11.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicRio Grande Hospital · ~12.5 mi
- HardwareHardware · ~11.2 mi
Nearby restrooms — 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 this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
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
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).
Field check
Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Likely until someone does.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres 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
Before you go
Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →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 →