Camping public land in Colorado

[J.flanagan]

I live in Florida but hope to hunt some in Colorado at some point. In the meantime, my wife and I are looking to do some camping and I'm hoping to mix camping and scouting in CO. Can anyone point me towards some resources for rules on camping public land in CO? I know in Florida we can camp designated areas of public land but only at certain points during the year. So, what are the rules for camping in the west elk wilderness in April-June?

 

[Dos Perros]

If you Google "west elk wilderness camping regulations" you will find everything you need.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests - West Elk Wilderness

Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests - West Elk Wilderness

www.fs.usda.gov

Wilderness is foot or 4 legged access only. You can park at a trailhead and hike in with camp on your back. I assume you want to car camp, so find FS land nearby and pretty much any pull off is fair game.

I'm not familiar with that area, but I assume snow might be an issue that time of year.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

If you Google "west elk wilderness camping regulations" you will find everything you need.

Was there previous discussion with the OP about the west elks or is it now the default camping zone for out of staters? If the latter, I think we should change it to RMNP or Chatfield State Park due to the regulations being much clearer in those places.

 

[Dos Perros]

Was there previous discussion with the OP about the west elks or is it now the default camping zone for out of staters? If the latter, I think we should change it to RMNP or Chatfield State Park due to the regulations being much clearer in those places.

He specifically mentioned the west elks in his post.

I think the Pawnee National Grassland is pretty wide open for camping.

 

[Titan_Bow]

Keep in mind some of the high mountain passes (ie. on the north side of that wilderness) will be closed, usually into May. April and May is typically not a fun time to be in the high country unless you are snowmobiling, snow shoeing or cross country skiing

 

[wytx]

Look up dispersed camping for the NF you are looking at. It is legal in most areas to pull over and set up camp but some areas of the NF may have restrictions on dispersed camping and have set aside spots to set up, other than camp grounds.

 

[11boo]

Very sketchy time frame for going high. Not saying you can’t do it but you could be miserable.

 

[Phaseolus]

You won’t be crossing many creeks in May, runoff is going to be great

 

[wytx]

Man I missed the time frame.
Snow pack has been piling up lately around Colorado.

 

[J.flanagan]

You won’t be crossing many creeks in May, runoff is going to be great

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. I live in a warm climate and need to think through the impacts of winter wearing off.

 

[svivian]

Colorados snow/water equivalent peak is usually around April 6th. Takes a while for it all to melt at higher elevations.

 

[LongWayAround]

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. I live in a warm climate and need to think through the impacts of winter wearing off.

In addition to snow and swollen creeks, there will likely be significant mud at that time. But I did see a guy mobbing up a thawing forest road in a Prius once...

You can camp almost wherever you want in national forest or blm. The actual wilderness areas require you to walk in but you could car camp at or near the trailhead. Some forest roads are designated for dispersed camping as shown on the motor vehicle use map (mvum) which will also show open dates and vehicle restrictions. Other high use areas have reservations for designated camp sites. Both can be found on the forest service website.

There's a very narrow window in between winter and crowded with campers. Memorial Day weekend I typically get snowed on. Being from Florida, you might appreciate seeing multiple seasons worth of weather in a day or two.

 

[cnelk]

May 26 - last year

Be prepared