Found · unverifiedPublic land · dispersedFree
Ruby Gulch Dispersed Camping
OHV / 4×4 · public land · CO · 40.03929, -105.51997
We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on public 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 9,103 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
- WWater2 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- MMechanic5 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- HHardware5 mi
- ShShower11 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- DDump12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- RxPharmacy13 mi
- OOutfitter13 mi
- PPropane14 mi
- AAir-up15 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 2 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
Access
OHV / 4×4
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
9,103 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
40.03929, -105.51997
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureGlacier Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townWard · ~2.4 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~2.2 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.3 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~20.6 mi
- Dump stationDump Station · ~11.9 mi
- GroceriesJackleggers Mercantile · ~2.4 mi
- PharmacyPharmaca · ~12.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicAddiction Exchange · ~12.2 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~5.4 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSourdough · ~0.8 mi S · USFS
- RestroomBrainard Lake Welcome Station · ~3.0 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRed Rock Lake · ~3.2 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRainbow Lakes · ~3.3 mi SW · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Gordon Gulch Dispersed Camping Area~2.3 mi
- Gordon Gulch~2.3 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — CO~4.1 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — Boulder County, CO~4.6 mi
The unit that manages this camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions are set by the unit, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this
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.
How it was placed
likely OHV (only a rough 4wd track in) — confirm
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 →