Agency-listedUSFSFree
Portal
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 39.07614, -106.61278
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 Portal
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 10,542 ft.
Fire & smoke — around PortalNIFC · 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 Portal · White River National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater3 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- MMechanic21 mi
- LLaundry21 mi
- +Urgent care22 mi
- ShShower29 mi
- DDump33 mi
- RxPharmacy39 mi
- PPropane40 mi
- AAir-up49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 12 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 — Portal
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
10,542 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
39.07614, -106.61278
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Portal · White River National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureGrizzly Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townEverett · ~6.0 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~3.4 mi
- FuelShell · ~17.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesTwin Lakes General Store · ~12.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicAspen Valley Hospital · ~14.5 mi
EV charging — from Portal · White River National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.5 mi straight-line NW — CITY OF ASPEN S GALENA LEVEL3 · 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 reach8 within 25 mi · 52 within 50 · 258 within 100 · 461 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)15.9 mi — Aspen, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Aspen
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.4 mi — CITY OF ASPEN SPRING ST L2 · 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 225425 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Portal · White River National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletPortal · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLost Man Cg · ~3.2 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletIndependence Pass · ~3.4 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomLincoln Creek Dispersed · ~5.0 mi NW · USFS
Open Portal elsewhere
Other camps near Portal
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Lost Man Cg~3.2 mi · fee
- Lincoln Creek dispersed campsite #8~3.7 mi
- Lincoln Creek dispersed campsite #7~3.9 mi
- Lincoln Creek dispersed campsite #6~4.0 mi
The unit that manages Portal
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Portal 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 Independence Pass at 10,570 ft, less than a mile away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. 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 — Portal
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Portal
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 — Portal
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 →