Free camping near Garfield, CO
Within 25 straight-line miles of Garfield, CO there are 33 camps: 10 free, 16 fee, 7 unpriced. The closest is Monarch Park, 2.9 miles south-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Chaffee County, 6.6 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 24 on the Forest Service; 5 on an agency our record does not name; 3 on the BLM; 1 spread across 1 other manager.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monarch Park | 2.9 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Garfield | — |
| Angel of Shavano Campground | 4.4 | Fee | North Fork South Arkansas River (stream) | 3.5 mi to Maysville | — |
| North Fork Reservoir | 4.6 | Fee | — | 4.6 mi to Garfield | — |
| Chaffee CountyDave slept here | 6.6 | Free | — | 5.0 mi to Maysville | — |
| Snowblind Campground | 7.1 | Unpriced | Canyon Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Whitepine | — |
| Middle Quartz Creek Campground | 8.9 | Unpriced | Middle Quartz Creek (stream) | 5.0 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Iron City | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Garfield | — |
| Cascade | 11 | Fee | — | 9.5 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Quartz Creek Campground | 11 | Unpriced | North Quartz Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Pitkin | — |
| O'Haver Lake | 12 | Fee | — | 7.6 mi to Poncha Springs | — |
| Chalk Lake | 12 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Mt. Princeton | 12 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Pitkin Campground | 12 | Fee | Middle Quartz Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Marshall Pass Dispersed Campground | 12 | Free | Grays Creek (stream) | 7.0 mi to Poncha Springs | — |
| Pitkin | 12 | Fee | — | 0.7 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Bootleg | 13 | Fee | — | 6.8 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Browns Canyon National Monument | 13 | Unpriced | Sunnyside Park Ditch (stream) | 4.3 mi to Turret | — |
| Silver Creek Dispersed Campground | 13 | Free | Silver Creek (stream) | 7.6 mi to Bonanza | — |
| Poncha Pass Dispersed Campground | 14 | Free | — | 7.4 mi to Poncha Springs | — |
| Mirror Lake Campground | 16 | Unpriced | — | — | — |
| Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area | 16 | Unpriced | — | 0.6 mi to Salida | — |
| Cottonwood Lake | 16 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — Chaffee County, CO | 17 | Free | South Arkansas River (river) | 1.8 mi to Salida | — |
| Gold Creek Campground | 17 | Free | Gold Creek (stream) | 4.4 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Collegiate Peaks | 18 | Fee | — | 9.7 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| Needle Creek Reservoir | 20 | Free | Needle Creek (stream) | 7.3 mi to Doyleville | — |
| Needle Creek Reservoir Camping Area | 20 | Free | Needle Creek (stream) | 7.3 mi to Doyleville | — |
| Stage Stop Meadows Dispersed Camping Area | 23 | Free | Pass Creek (stream) | 4.7 mi to Abbeyville | — |
| Lottis Creek Campground | 24 | Fee | Lottis Creek (stream) | 7.2 mi to Abbeyville | — |
| Chaffee CountyDave slept here | 24 | Free | Fourmile Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| Cold Spring Campground | 24 | Unpriced | Gooseberry Creek (stream) | 8.2 mi to Abbeyville | — |
| Lakeview | 24 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Lodgepole Campground | 25 | Fee | Gooseberry Creek (stream) | 9.2 mi to Abbeyville | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Garfield, 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.