Free camping near Estes Park, CO
Within 25 straight-line miles of Estes Park, CO there are 37 camps: 11 free, 25 fee, 1 unpriced. The closest is Pole Hill Road Dispersed Camping, 6.0 miles east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Pole Hill Road Dispersed Camping, 6.0 miles out.
Who manages them: 29 on the Forest Service; 8 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pole Hill Road Dispersed Camping | 6.0 | Free | — | 2.1 mi to Glen Comfort | — |
| Meeker Park | 8.6 | Fee | Cabin Creek (stream) | 0.6 mi to Meeker Park | — |
| Allenspark Dispersed Camping | 10 | Free | West Fork Little Thompson River (river) | 1.3 mi to Big Elk Meadows | — |
| Olive Ridge Campground | 11 | Fee | Fox Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Allenspark | — |
| Allenspark Dispersed Camping | 13 | Free | Rock Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Arrowood | — |
| Tom Bennett | 15 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Estes Park | — |
| Long Draw | 16 | Fee | — | 16 mi to Estes Park | — |
| Peaceful Valley | 16 | Fee | — | 2.3 mi to Hidden Lake | — |
| Camp Dick | 16 | Fee | — | 2.7 mi to Hidden Lake | — |
| Grandview | 17 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Grand Lake | — |
| 4 dispersed campsites | 17 | Free | Comanche Lake (water) | 8.3 mi to Spencer Heights | — |
| Beaver Reservoir Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | Beaver Reservoir (water) | 1.4 mi to Peaceful Valley | — |
| Jacks Gulch | 18 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Red Feather Lakes | — |
| Jacks Gulch Campground | 19 | Fee | Bed Spring Stream (stream) | 4.6 mi to Indian Meadows | — |
| Green Ridge | 20 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Grand Lake | — |
| Pawnee | 20 | Fee | — | 2.8 mi to Ward | — |
| Arapaho Bay | 21 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Granby | — |
| Highway 4 Pullout Dispersed camping | 21 | Free | Stillwater Creek (stream) | 4.1 mi to Grand Lake | — |
| Bull Mountain | 21 | Free | Stillwater Creek (stream) | 4.1 mi to Grand Lake | — |
| Cutthroat Bay | 22 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to Grand Lake | — |
| Kelly Flats | 22 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Red Feather Lakes | — |
| Mountain Park | 22 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Red Feather Lakes | — |
| Mountain Park | 22 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Red Feather Lakes | — |
| Ruby Gulch Dispersed Camping | 23 | Free | Glacier Lake (water) | 2.4 mi to Ward | — |
| Stillwater Campground | 23 | Unpriced | Stillwater Creek (stream) | 6.1 mi to Grand Lake | — |
| Lower Narrows | 23 | Free | Cache la Poudre River (river) | 2.3 mi to Stove Prairie Landing | — |
| Chambers Lake | 23 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Aspen Glen | 23 | Fee | — | 18 mi to Red Feather Lakes | — |
| Stove Prairie Landing | 23 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Red Feather Lakes | — |
| Narrows | 23 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Red Feather Lakes | — |
| Dutch George | 23 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Red Feather Lakes | — |
| Big South | 23 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Red Feather Lakes | — |
| Sunset Point | 23 | Fee | — | 6.3 mi to Granby | — |
| Ansel Watrous | 24 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Laporte | — |
| Gordon Gulch Dispersed Camping Area | 25 | Free | Glacier Lake (water) | 1.5 mi to Lakewood | — |
| Rainbow Lakes | 25 | Fee | Rainbow Lakes (water) | 3.3 mi to Caribou City | — |
| Gordon Gulch | 25 | Free | Glacier Lake (water) | 1.3 mi to Lakewood | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Estes Park, 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.