Free camping near Placerville, CO
Within 25 straight-line miles of Placerville, CO there are 23 camps: 12 free, 7 fee, 4 unpriced. The closest is Caddis Flats Campground, 3.3 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Caddis Flats Campground, 3.3 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 19 on the Forest Service; 3 on an agency our record does not name; 1 on the BLM.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caddis Flats Campground | 3.3 | Free | Specie Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Placerville | — |
| Woods Lake Campground | 8.3 | Fee | Woods Lake (water) | 7.2 mi to Vanadium | — |
| Silver Pick | 8.4 | Free | Big Bear Creek (stream) | 5.7 mi to Vanadium | — |
| Mary E | 9.0 | Fee | South Fork San Miguel River (river) | 2.1 mi to Lime | — |
| Sunshine Campground | 11 | Unpriced | Cushman Lake (water) | 3.4 mi to Mountain Village | — |
| Wilderness Campsite 1 | 12 | Free | Lower Blue Lake (water) | 4.4 mi to Telluride | — |
| East Dallas | 13 | Free | Wilson Creek (river) | 6.3 mi to Portland | — |
| Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed) | 13 | Free | Alta Reservoir Number 3 (water) | 2.1 mi to Ophir | — |
| Matterhorn Campground | 14 | Fee | Lake Fork (river) | 2.8 mi to Ophir | — |
| Priest Lake Designated Camping Area | 15 | Free | Priest Lakes (water) | 3.0 mi to Ophir | — |
| Burro Bridge Campground | 15 | Unpriced | West Dolores River (river) | 1.7 mi to Dunton | — |
| Cayton Campground | 17 | Fee | Coke Oven Creek (stream) | 6.2 mi to Rico | — |
| Thistledown Campground | 18 | Unpriced | Canyon Creek (river) | 0.1 mi to Thistledown | — |
| Angel Creek | 19 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Ouray | — |
| Dispersed camp site | 20 | Free | Red Mountain Creek (river) | 1.4 mi to Ironton | — |
| South Mineral Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 4.7 mi to Ophir | — |
| Corkscrew | 21 | Free | — | 6.1 mi to Ouray | — |
| Amphitheatre Campground | 21 | Fee | Portland Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Ouray | — |
| Dispersed Camping Area | 21 | Free | Red Mountain Creek (river) | 0.7 mi to Ironton | — |
| South Mineral Dispersed Area | 22 | Free | Mineral Creek (river) | 2.8 mi to Silverton | — |
| Iron Springs Campground | 23 | Unpriced | Raspberry Creek (stream) | 15 mi to Norwood | — |
| Ouray CountyDave slept here | 23 | Free | Mineral Creek (river) | 3.7 mi to Ironton | — |
| Antone Spring | 23 | Free | — | 15 mi to Norwood | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Placerville, 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.