Agency-listedUSFSFree
Priest Lake Designated Camping Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 37.83520, -107.88120
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 Priest Lake Designated Camping Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,583 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Priest Lake Designated Camping AreaNIFC · 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 Priest Lake Designated Camping Area · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater1 mi
- ShShower1 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- OOutfitter8 mi
- +Urgent care15 mi
- DDump20 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- MMechanic39 mi
- PPropane42 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 7 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 — Priest Lake Designated Camping Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,583 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
37.83520, -107.88120
Cost
Free · dispersed public land, no fee in any source
Nearby & resupply — around Priest Lake Designated Camping Area · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featurePriest Lakes (water) · nearby
- Nearest townOphir · ~3.0 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~0.6 mi
- FuelConoco · ~7.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~19.5 mi
- GroceriesThe Market at Mountain Village · ~6.9 mi
- PharmacySunshine Pharmacy · ~8.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicTelluride Regional Medical Center · ~7.9 mi
- HardwareTimberline Ace Hardware · ~8.0 mi
EV charging — from Priest Lake Designated Camping Area · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger6.9 mi straight-line N — Mountain Village, CO - Tesla Supercharger · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach5 within 25 mi · 18 within 50 · 67 within 100 · 144 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS14.6 mi — PURGATORY PURGATORY PL2, Durango
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO14.6 mi — PURGATORY PURGATORY PL2, Durango
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.0 mi — TMV GPG1, Mountain Village, 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 201303 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Priest Lake Designated Camping Area · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletPriest Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Portable toiletMatterhorn Nordic · ~0.6 mi N · USFS
- Flush restroomMatterhorn · ~0.6 mi N · USFS
- Flush restroomMatterhorn · ~0.8 mi N · USFS
Open Priest Lake Designated Camping Area elsewhere
Other camps near Priest Lake Designated Camping Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Matterhorn Campground~0.7 mi · fee
- Sunshine Campground~3.8 mi
- Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed)~3.9 mi
- South Mineral Cg~6.1 mi · fee
The unit that manages Priest Lake Designated Camping Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Priest Lake Designated Camping Area are set by Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Lizard Head Pass at 10,190 ft, about 3 miles away. It sits about 607 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 — Priest Lake Designated Camping Area
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
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.
Agency page
fs.usda.gov — the land manager's own page for this site. Fees, seasons and closures are stated there first; if it disagrees with this page, it wins.
How it was placed
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
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 Priest Lake Designated Camping Area
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 — Priest Lake Designated Camping Area
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →First-night troubleshooting →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 →