★ Field-verified · Dave's ownUSFS · dispersedFree
San Isabel National Forest
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · Las Animas County, CO · 37.24462, -105.10094
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Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on U.S. Forest Service land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
A small, high elevation primitive campsite, with fire ring, in San Isabel National Forest. This is in a valley with decent protection from the elements. Some tree coverage. Lovely and private with enough room for a couple of vehicles and no cell service. May be other similar campsites near this one along forest road. Recommended.
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 9,404 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
- GGrocery8 mi
- FFuel18 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- +Urgent care18 mi
- MMechanic19 mi
- @Mail19 mi
- HHardware22 mi
- DDump30 mi
- WWater39 mi
- AAir-up40 mi
- OOutfitter41 mi
- ShShower41 mi
- RxPharmacy44 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 39-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 8 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
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
9,404 ft
County
Las Animas County, CO
Coordinates
37.24462, -105.10094
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureNorth Fork Of The Purgatoire River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townMonument Park · ~4.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelTrailhead General Store · ~18.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~29.7 mi
- GroceriesSan Luis Peoples Market · ~18.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicFresenius Kidney Care Qualicenters Walsenburg · ~28.6 mi
- HardwareHardware · ~22.0 mi
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
No signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
No
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomPurgatoire · ~0.8 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBlue Lake · ~5.1 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBlue Lake · ~5.4 mi N · USFS
- RestroomCuchara Day Use #1 · ~6.0 mi N · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Whiskey Ck at 10,260 ft, about 2 miles away. It sits about 856 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
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Las Animas County, CO). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
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.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Reading your camp page →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 →