Free camping near Smeltertown, CO
Within 25 straight-line miles of Smeltertown, CO there are 24 camps: 6 free, 13 fee, 5 unpriced. The closest is Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, 1.3 miles south-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is BLM dispersed camp — Chaffee County, CO, 3.2 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 15 on the Forest Service; 4 on the BLM; 4 on an agency our record does not name; 1 spread across 1 other manager.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area | 1.3 | Unpriced | — | 0.6 mi to Salida | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — Chaffee County, CO | 3.2 | Free | South Arkansas River (river) | 1.8 mi to Salida | — |
| Browns Canyon National Monument | 5.0 | Unpriced | Sunnyside Park Ditch (stream) | 4.3 mi to Turret | — |
| Chaffee CountyDave slept here | 9.6 | Free | — | 5.0 mi to Maysville | — |
| Poncha Pass Dispersed Campground | 11 | Free | — | 7.4 mi to Poncha Springs | — |
| Marshall Pass Dispersed Campground | 11 | Free | Grays Creek (stream) | 7.0 mi to Poncha Springs | — |
| O'Haver Lake | 11 | Fee | — | 7.6 mi to Poncha Springs | — |
| Angel of Shavano Campground | 12 | Fee | North Fork South Arkansas River (stream) | 3.5 mi to Maysville | — |
| Silver Creek Dispersed Campground | 12 | Free | Silver Creek (stream) | 7.6 mi to Bonanza | — |
| Bootleg | 15 | Fee | — | 6.8 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Mt. Princeton | 16 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Chalk Lake | 16 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Cascade | 17 | Fee | — | 9.5 mi to Nathrop | — |
| Monarch Park | 17 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Garfield | — |
| North Fork Reservoir | 17 | Fee | — | 4.6 mi to Garfield | — |
| Hayden Creek | 18 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Coaldale | — |
| Coaldale | 19 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Coaldale | — |
| Iron City | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Garfield | — |
| Cottonwood Lake | 22 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| Snowblind Campground | 22 | Unpriced | Canyon Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Whitepine | — |
| Middle Quartz Creek Campground | 23 | Unpriced | Middle Quartz Creek (stream) | 5.0 mi to Pitkin | — |
| Chaffee CountyDave slept here | 24 | Free | Fourmile Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| Collegiate Peaks | 24 | Fee | — | 9.7 mi to Buena Vista | — |
| Texas Creek | 25 | Unpriced | — | 6.2 mi to Cotopaxi | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Smeltertown, 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.