Red Canyon Park (Canon City)
Red Canyon Park is owned by the City of Canon City and the city's own campgrounds page lists it as free. It sits about 10.5 miles north of town on Red Canyon Road (CR 9) -- roughly a 20-minute drive -- among red rock formations, with four camping areas. The city describes dispersed camping, vault toilets, fire rings and some picnic tables, and is explicit that there is NO WATER, so haul your own; there are no hookups either. Open year-round. The city's Park Rules and Regulations limit overnight camping in its Mountain Parks to 72 hours once every two weeks, with extensions available by calling the Park Department at (719) 269-9028. Fires are allowed only in the campfire rings the city provides, and the city can ban open fires outright in high or extreme fire conditions -- a Stage 2 fire ban was in effect when we checked on 2026-07-20, so check the current ban before you plan on a fire. One honest wrinkle: the same city rules PDF has a general line closing City Parks at 11 PM and a general ban on camping without the City Administrator's permission, and the campgrounds page calls this 'dispersed camping' while the rules PDF says camping is limited to designated sites. Those read as in-city-park rules, with the Mountain Parks section being the one that governs here -- but it is ambiguous in the city's own documents, so camp in an obvious established site and do not be surprised if a ranger reads it differently. Do not confuse this with the city's East Ridge Campground at Royal Gorge Park, which has been a paysite at $20 a night since 2021. The deal these towns offer is simple: camp free, and they hope you buy fuel, groceries or dinner in town. Be a good guest and it stays free for the next traveler. Town rules change often and we have not visited -- confirm current rules with the city before you go.
Everything you need — measured from camp
- GGrocery9 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- FFuel10 mi
- RxPharmacy10 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- LLaundry10 mi
- WWater10 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- DDump21 mi
- AAir-up25 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- OOutfitter27 mi
- PPropane28 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureNorth Fork Millsap Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townMarigold · ~5.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelConoco · ~10.1 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~30.3 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~21.1 mi
- GroceriesCity Market · ~9.8 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~27.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicSt. Thomas More Hospital · ~9.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~26.9 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomSand Gulch Restroom - South · ~2.3 mi NE · BLM
- RestroomSand Gulch Restroom - North · ~2.4 mi NE · BLM
- RestroomSand Gulch Restroom - Single · ~2.4 mi NE · BLM
- RestroomThe Bank Restroom - Loop B · ~3.0 mi NE · BLM
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Shelf Road Sites~2.9 mi
- Banks Campground~3.2 mi
- Dispersed Campsite~8.9 mi
- Gold Belt Recreation Management Area~10.4 mi
How we know this
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