Elevated Canyon Escape 🏕️ — Sawatch Range, Chaffee County, Colorado

How we know thisCONFIDENCE · LIKELY

✓
World-class recommendation
GPS and field notes from veteran overlanders Dave vouches for. The source
✓
Researched
Checked and detailed by Dave — five decades in the field. Public data — no copyright on coordinates
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Verified on the ground
No dated visit here yet. Stays Likely until Dave's stood on it — or the crowd confirms

A world-class recommendation — GPS and notes from veteran overlanders Dave vouches for, carried and detailed across his five decades in the field. Coordinates and facts are public. Confidence stays Likely until Dave's been there or the crowd confirms — then real field notes replace this.

At this pin

A Rock Hounding, Hiking, Nature Explorations 🚶‍♀️💎🌿 site on public land, Chaffee County, Colorado. The facts below are structured data from Dave's list; the write-up is being rebuilt from real field notes, so it's held at Likely until it's confirmed on the ground.

Aerial view of the land around Elevated Canyon Escape 🏕️ — Aerial view — USGS NAIP (public-domain, flown in summer). About 660 m across; the pin sits at center. Terrain and roads only — not a claim about who owns or manages the exact spot.

✓ Fire ring

✓ Primitive

– 4×4 recommended

– No cell signal

Stay limits vary by unit — many USFS/BLM areas cap dispersed camping around 14 days, but not all. Confirm the current rule and road status with the managing office before you commit.

Dave was here

Not logged yet. This site is on Dave's list, but there's no dated personal visit for this exact spot. When there is, his notes and photos land here — and confidence moves toward Verified.

Where this is

This pin was filed under a county it isn't in. Its coordinates (38.69 N, 106.27 W) are in Chaffee County, Colorado, in the Sawatch Range near Mount Princeton, southwest of Buena Vista -- San Isabel National Forest and BLM land where dispersed camping is generally free. Some parcels near Mount Princeton Hot Springs are private or developed, so confirm your exact spot with the Salida Ranger District before you commit. County confirmed against the FCC/Census lookup; on-the-ground details still unverified.

What we don't know

Road surface & last-mile access
How many rigs fit
Cell coverage by carrier
Seasonal / winter access
Current fire restrictions
Water access from the pin
Shade & wind exposure
Noise / neighbors

Everything you need — measured from camp

Nearest: Water 12 mi · Dump 13 mi · Fuel 10 mi · Grocery 4 mi · Mechanic 18 mi · Pharmacy 19 mi

Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.

A rough supply run — closest of each, nearest first

1 Grocery4 mi
2 Fuel10 mi
3 Water12 mi
4 Dump13 mi

Ordered by straight-line distance, not a routed loop — real drive-time is the refinement coming.

Straight-line miles from camp — real roads run longer; drive-time is the refinement coming. Nearest few per category, from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Treat all natural water. Open in Google Maps ↗

Been here? Help the next rig.