Free camping near Portland, CO
Yes. 26 of the 40 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Portland, CO are listed as free; 9 charge a fee and 5 have no price on record. The closest free one is East Dallas, 6.9 miles southwest, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is Amphitheatre Campground, 5.0 miles south, a fee campground.
Dave has slept at 3 of these camps.
All 40 camps near Portland, CO
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amphitheatre Campground | 5.0 | Fee | Portland Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Ouray | — |
| Angel Creek | 6.0 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Ouray | — |
| Thistledown Campground | 6.6 | Unpriced | Canyon Creek (river) | 0.1 mi to Thistledown | — |
| East Dallas | 6.9 | Free | Wilson Creek (river) | 6.3 mi to Portland | — |
| West Fork Cimarron Dispersed | 8.0 | Free | — | 8.0 mi to Portland | — |
| Owl Creek Pass Dispersed | 8.7 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Portland | — |
| Wilderness Campsite 1 | 9.0 | Free | Lower Blue Lake (water) | 4.4 mi to Telluride | — |
| Ouray CountyDave slept here | 9.3 | Free | Mineral Creek (river) | 3.7 mi to Ironton | — |
| Corkscrew | 10 | Free | — | 6.1 mi to Ouray | — |
| Dispersed Camping Area | 12 | Free | Red Mountain Creek (river) | 0.7 mi to Ironton | — |
| Middle Fork Cimarron Dispersed | 12 | Free | Middle Fork Cimarron River (river) | 12 mi to Portland | — |
| Dispersed camp site | 12 | Free | Red Mountain Creek (river) | 1.4 mi to Ironton | — |
| Cimarron Forks | 12 | Free | — | 12 mi to Portland | — |
| East Fork Dispersed | 13 | Free | Silver Jack Reservoir (water) | 13 mi to Dallas | — |
| Silver Jack Campground | 13 | Fee | Hanging Lake (water) | 12 mi to Dallas | — |
| Silver Jack | 13 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Ridgway | — |
| Beaver Lake Camground | 14 | Free | Beaver Lake (water) | 12 mi to Dallas | — |
| Big Cimarron | 14 | Free | Beaver Lake (water) | 12 mi to Dallas | — |
| Mary E | 15 | Fee | South Fork San Miguel River (river) | 2.1 mi to Lime | — |
| Hinsdale CountyDave slept here | 15 | Free | — | 6.3 mi to Lake | — |
| Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed) | 16 | Free | Alta Reservoir Number 3 (water) | 2.1 mi to Ophir | — |
| Hinsdale CountyDave slept here | 17 | Free | Nellie Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Henson | — |
| Burrows Park Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | Lake Fork Gunnison River (river) | 6.9 mi to Eureka | — |
| Sunshine Campground | 17 | Unpriced | Cushman Lake (water) | 3.4 mi to Mountain Village | — |
| BLM Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | Animas River (river) | 0.1 mi to Middleton | — |
| South Mineral Dispersed Area | 19 | Free | Mineral Creek (river) | 2.8 mi to Silverton | — |
| Big Blue Campground | 19 | Unpriced | Soldier Creek (river) | 13 mi to Lake City | — |
| Matterhorn Campground | 20 | Fee | Lake Fork (river) | 2.8 mi to Ophir | — |
| South Mineral Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 4.7 mi to Ophir | — |
| Priest Lake Designated Camping Area | 20 | Free | Priest Lakes (water) | 3.0 mi to Ophir | — |
| Mill Creek Campground | 21 | Unpriced | Lake Fork Gunnison River (river) | 7.9 mi to Henson | — |
| Cunningham Gulch Dispersed Camping | 21 | Free | Cunningham Creek (river) | 2.8 mi to Howardsville | — |
| Alpine Plateau Dispersed Area | 21 | Free | Campbell Creek (stream) | 13 mi to Lake City | — |
| Cunningham Gulch Dispersed Camping | 21 | Free | Cunningham Creek (river) | 3.1 mi to Howardsville | — |
| Cunningham Gulch Dispersed Camping | 22 | Free | — | — | — |
| Silver Pick | 22 | Free | Big Bear Creek (stream) | 5.7 mi to Vanadium | — |
| Caddis Flats Campground | 22 | Free | Specie Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Placerville | — |
| Williams Creek Campground | 23 | Fee | Williams Creek (stream) | 7.2 mi to Henson | — |
| Little Molas Lake Campground | 24 | Unpriced | Little Molas Lake (water) | 5.2 mi to Silverton | — |
| Woods Lake Campground | 24 | Fee | Woods Lake (water) | 7.2 mi to Vanadium | — |
Who manages the camps near Portland, CO
Who manages them: 28 on the Forest Service; 6 on an agency our record does not name; 6 on the BLM.
- Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests — 29 camps: 18 free, 8 fee, 3 unpriced
- Gunnison Field Office — 5 camps: 4 free, 1 unpriced
- San Juan National Forest — 3 camps: 1 free, 1 fee, 1 unpriced
- An agency our record does not name — 2 camps: 2 free
- Uncompahgre Field Office — 1 camp: 1 free
Season read for these camps, today
Our record has no season word for any of these 40 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Portland, CO
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Portland, 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.