Free camping near Buena Vista, CO
Within 25 straight-line miles of Buena Vista, CO there are 35 camps: 6 free, 24 fee, 5 unpriced. The closest is Chaffee County, 3.4 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Chaffee County, 3.4 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 28 on the Forest Service; 4 on the BLM; 2 on an agency our record does not name; 1 spread across 1 other manager.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaffee CountyDave slept here | 3.4 | Free | Fourmile Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| Bootleg | 8.6 | Fee | — | 6.8 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Cottonwood Lake | 8.8 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| Mt. Princeton | 9.4 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Collegiate Peaks | 9.7 | Fee | — | 9.7 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| Chalk Lake | 9.7 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Cascade | 10 | Fee | — | 9.5 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Iron City | 14 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Garfield | — |
| Stone Cabin | 14 | Free | Clear Creek (river) | 2.2 mi to Granite | — |
| Browns Canyon National Monument | 16 | Unpriced | Sunnyside Park Ditch (stream) | 4.3 mi to Turret | — |
| Buffalo Springs | 16 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Hartsel | — |
| Chaffee CountyDave slept here | 17 | Free | — | 5.0 mi to Maysville | — |
| Mirror Lake Campground | 17 | Unpriced | — | — | — |
| Weston Pass | 17 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Twin Lakes | — |
| Angel of Shavano Campground | 18 | Fee | North Fork South Arkansas River (stream) | 3.5 mi to Maysville | — |
| North Fork Reservoir | 18 | Fee | — | 4.6 mi to Garfield | — |
| Stage Stop Meadows Dispersed Camping Area | 19 | Free | Pass Creek (stream) | 4.7 mi to Abbeyville | — |
| Winfield | 19 | Free | South Fork Clear Creek (stream) | 0.0 mi to Winfield | — |
| Dexter | 21 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Twin Lakes | — |
| Middle Quartz Creek Campground | 21 | Unpriced | Middle Quartz Creek (stream) | 5.0 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Whitestar | 22 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Twin Lakes | — |
| Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area | 22 | Unpriced | — | 0.6 mi to Salida | — |
| Parry Peak | 22 | Fee | — | 5.5 mi to Twin Lakes | — |
| Lakeview | 22 | Fee | — | 2.3 mi to Twin Lakes | — |
| Lake View Campground | 22 | Fee | Mount Elbert Forebay (water) | 1.4 mi to Twin Lakes | — |
| Quartz Creek Campground | 22 | Unpriced | North Quartz Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Twin Peaks | 22 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Rivers End Campground | 23 | Fee | Taylor Park Reservoir (water) | 6.9 mi to Abbeyville | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — Chaffee County, CO | 24 | Free | South Arkansas River (river) | 1.8 mi to Salida | — |
| Lakeview | 24 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Monarch Park | 24 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Garfield | — |
| Dinner Station | 25 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Dinner Station Campground | 25 | Fee | Trail Creek (stream) | 9.5 mi to Winfield | — |
| Pitkin Campground | 25 | Fee | Middle Quartz Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Pitkin | 25 | Fee | — | 0.7 mi to Pitkin | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Buena Vista, CO, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.