Free camping near Salida, CO
Yes. 5 of the 22 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Salida, CO are listed as free; 12 charge a fee and 5 have no price on record. The closest free one is BLM dispersed camp — Chaffee County, CO, 1.6 miles southeast, on Bureau of Land Management land. The closest camp of any kind is Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, 0.6 miles northeast, with no price on record.
Dave has slept at one of these camps.
All 22 camps near Salida, CO
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area | 0.6 | Unpriced | — | 0.6 mi to Salida | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — Chaffee County, CO | 1.6 | Free | South Arkansas River (river) | 1.8 mi to Salida | — |
| Browns Canyon National Monument | 6.6 | Unpriced | Sunnyside Park Ditch (stream) | 4.3 mi to Turret | — |
| Poncha Pass Dispersed Campground | 9.9 | Free | — | 7.4 mi to Poncha Springs | — |
| Marshall Pass Dispersed Campground | 10 | Free | Grays Creek (stream) | 7.0 mi to Poncha Springs | — |
| O'Haver Lake | 11 | Fee | — | 7.6 mi to Poncha Springs | — |
| Chaffee CountyDave slept here | 11 | Free | — | 5.0 mi to Maysville | — |
| Silver Creek Dispersed Campground | 11 | Free | Silver Creek (stream) | 7.6 mi to Bonanza | — |
| Angel of Shavano Campground | 13 | Fee | North Fork South Arkansas River (stream) | 3.5 mi to Maysville | — |
| Bootleg | 17 | Fee | — | 6.8 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Hayden Creek | 17 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Coaldale | — |
| Coaldale | 17 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Coaldale | — |
| Monarch Park | 18 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Garfield | — |
| Mt. Princeton | 18 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Chalk Lake | 18 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Nathrop | — |
| North Fork Reservoir | 18 | Fee | — | 4.6 mi to Garfield | — |
| Cascade | 18 | Fee | — | 9.5 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Iron City | 22 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Garfield | — |
| Snowblind Campground | 23 | Unpriced | Canyon Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Whitepine | — |
| Cottonwood Lake | 24 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| Texas Creek | 24 | Unpriced | — | 6.2 mi to Cotopaxi | — |
| Middle Quartz Creek Campground | 24 | Unpriced | Middle Quartz Creek (stream) | 5.0 mi to Pitkin | — |
Who manages the camps near Salida, CO
Who manages them: 14 on the Forest Service; 4 on the BLM; 4 on an agency our record does not name.
- Pike and San Isabel National Forests — 15 camps: 3 free, 12 fee
- Royal Gorge Field Office — 4 camps: 1 free, 3 unpriced
- Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests — 2 camps: 2 unpriced
- An agency our record does not name — 1 camp: 1 free
Season read for these camps, today
Our record has no season word for any of these 22 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Salida, 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 Salida, 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.