Free camping near Telluride, CO
Yes. 23 of the 36 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Telluride, CO are listed as free; 7 charge a fee and 6 have no price on record. The closest free one is Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed), 4.1 miles south, on U.S. Forest Service land.
Dave has slept at 3 of these camps.
All 36 camps near Telluride, CO
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed) | 4.1 | Free | Alta Reservoir Number 3 (water) | 2.1 mi to Ophir | — |
| Wilderness Campsite 1 | 4.2 | Free | Lower Blue Lake (water) | 4.4 mi to Telluride | — |
| Mary E | 4.3 | Fee | South Fork San Miguel River (river) | 2.1 mi to Lime | — |
| Sunshine Campground | 5.2 | Unpriced | Cushman Lake (water) | 3.4 mi to Mountain Village | — |
| Dispersed camp site | 6.8 | Free | Red Mountain Creek (river) | 1.4 mi to Ironton | — |
| East Dallas | 7.4 | Free | Wilson Creek (river) | 6.3 mi to Portland | — |
| Thistledown Campground | 7.4 | Unpriced | Canyon Creek (river) | 0.1 mi to Thistledown | — |
| Matterhorn Campground | 7.4 | Fee | Lake Fork (river) | 2.8 mi to Ophir | — |
| Dispersed Camping Area | 7.9 | Free | Red Mountain Creek (river) | 0.7 mi to Ironton | — |
| Angel Creek | 8.0 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Ouray | — |
| Corkscrew | 8.0 | Free | — | 6.1 mi to Ouray | — |
| Priest Lake Designated Camping Area | 8.0 | Free | Priest Lakes (water) | 3.0 mi to Ophir | — |
| South Mineral Cg | 9.6 | Fee | — | 4.7 mi to Ophir | — |
| South Mineral Dispersed Area | 10 | Free | Mineral Creek (river) | 2.8 mi to Silverton | — |
| Amphitheatre Campground | 10 | Fee | Portland Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Ouray | — |
| Ouray CountyDave slept here | 11 | Free | Mineral Creek (river) | 3.7 mi to Ironton | — |
| Silver Pick | 11 | Free | Big Bear Creek (stream) | 5.7 mi to Vanadium | — |
| Woods Lake Campground | 14 | Fee | Woods Lake (water) | 7.2 mi to Vanadium | — |
| Cayton Campground | 15 | Fee | Coke Oven Creek (stream) | 6.2 mi to Rico | — |
| BLM Dispersed Camping | 15 | Free | Animas River (river) | 0.1 mi to Middleton | — |
| Little Molas Lake Campground | 15 | Unpriced | Little Molas Lake (water) | 5.2 mi to Silverton | — |
| Caddis Flats Campground | 16 | Free | Specie Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Placerville | — |
| Cunningham Gulch Dispersed Camping | 16 | Free | Cunningham Creek (river) | 2.8 mi to Howardsville | — |
| Cunningham Gulch Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | Cunningham Creek (river) | 3.1 mi to Howardsville | — |
| Cunningham Gulch Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | — | — | — |
| Burro Bridge Campground | 17 | Unpriced | West Dolores River (river) | 1.7 mi to Dunton | — |
| West Fork Cimarron Dispersed | 19 | Free | — | 8.0 mi to Portland | — |
| Burrows Park Dispersed Camping | 19 | Free | Lake Fork Gunnison River (river) | 6.9 mi to Eureka | — |
| Owl Creek Pass Dispersed | 21 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Portland | — |
| Sig Creek Campground | 21 | Unpriced | East Fork Hermosa Creek (river) | 6.9 mi to Cascade | — |
| Hinsdale CountyDave slept here | 23 | Free | — | 6.3 mi to Lake | — |
| Hinsdale CountyDave slept here | 23 | Free | Nellie Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Henson | — |
| Middle Fork Cimarron Dispersed | 23 | Free | Middle Fork Cimarron River (river) | 12 mi to Portland | — |
| Mill Creek Campground | 23 | Unpriced | Lake Fork Gunnison River (river) | 7.9 mi to Henson | — |
| Cimarron Forks | 24 | Free | — | 12 mi to Portland | — |
| East Fork Dispersed | 25 | Free | Silver Jack Reservoir (water) | 13 mi to Dallas | — |
Who manages the camps near Telluride, CO
Who manages them: 24 on the Forest Service; 6 on an agency our record does not name; 6 on the BLM.
- Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests — 22 camps: 15 free, 5 fee, 2 unpriced
- San Juan National Forest — 6 camps: 1 free, 2 fee, 3 unpriced
- Gunnison Field Office — 5 camps: 4 free, 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 36 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Telluride, 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 Telluride, 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.