Free camping near Vail, CO
Within 25 straight-line miles of Vail, CO there are 33 camps: 3 free, 27 fee, 3 unpriced. The closest is Spraddle Creek Ranch, 0.5 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Spraddle Creek Ranch, 0.5 miles out.
Who manages them: 31 on the Forest Service; 2 on the BLM.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spraddle Creek Ranch | 0.5 | Free | — | — | — |
| Gore Creek | 4.7 | Fee | — | 4.7 mi to Vail | — |
| Piney Designated Dispersed | 6.2 | Free | Piney River (stream) | 5.3 mi to Vail | — |
| Half Moon Campground | 10 | Unpriced | Notch Mountain Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Belden | — |
| Hornsilver | 10 | Fee | — | 1.4 mi to Red Cliff | — |
| Homestake Valley | 11 | Free | Homestake Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Red Cliff | — |
| Blue River | 14 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to Silverthorne | — |
| Cataract Creek | 14 | Fee | — | 2.4 mi to Heeney | — |
| Camp Hale Memorial | 15 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Red Cliff | — |
| Heaton Bay Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Frisco | — |
| Heaton Bay Pa | 15 | Fee | — | 2.0 mi to Frisco | — |
| Camp Hale East Fork | 16 | Fee | — | 6.1 mi to Copper Mountain | — |
| Prairie Point | 16 | Fee | — | 4.4 mi to Heeney | — |
| Pine Cove Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Frisco | — |
| Peak One | 16 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Frisco | — |
| Mcdonald Flats Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Heeney | — |
| Elliott Creek | 17 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Heeney | — |
| Gold Park | 17 | Fee | — | 8.0 mi to Red Cliff | — |
| Windy Point | 17 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Dillon | — |
| Cow Creek South | 17 | Fee | — | 1.4 mi to Heeney | — |
| Prospector | 17 | Fee | — | 1.7 mi to Dillon | — |
| Cow Creek North | 17 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Heeney | — |
| Willows | 18 | Fee | — | 1.1 mi to Heeney | — |
| Lowry | 18 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Dillon | — |
| Bocco Mountain | 18 | Unpriced | Alkali Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Wolcott | — |
| Fulford Cave | 19 | Fee | — | 1.8 mi to Fulford | — |
| Yeoman Park | 19 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Fulford | — |
| South Fork | 21 | Fee | — | 9.9 mi to Silverthorne | — |
| Sugarloaf | 21 | Fee | — | 9.6 mi to Silverthorne | — |
| Horseshoe | 23 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Heeney | — |
| Radium Recreation Area | 24 | Unpriced | Sheep Creek (stream) | 0.3 mi to Radium | — |
| Elk Wallow | 24 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to Norrie | — |
| Kite Lake | 25 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Alma | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Vail, 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.