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Water

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Camping

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Activities

Dispersed Camping

Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed)

33 Reviews

About

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests

Alta Lakes is a popular dispersed camping area that offers fishing and camping in a spectacular alpine setting. There are 20 designated campsites that are completely undeveloped. The access road to the area is narrow and rough, requiring a high clearance vehicle. Trailers and RV's are not reccomended.

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Location

Alta Lakes Campground (Dispersed) is located in Colorado

Directions

Travel approximately 5 miles south of Telluride, CO on State Highway 145. Turn east on Forest Road #632 (Alta Road) and climb about 4.3 miles, pass the Alta townsite. Camping is allowed only in designated campsites.

Coordinates

37.88459703 N
107.84666182 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Good

Site Types

Tent Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Dispersed
Group

Features

For Campers

Phone Service
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.

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Contact

General Info

King D.

Guide

Reviewed Dec. 13, 2023

What a great place

I love Alta lakes campground! It’s so beautiful out there the scenery is amazing and it’s secluded, I love the spacing between camp sites!, trees everywhere and the lakes are very nice and super clear!, Verizon wireless is extremely spotty at this place! Campsite 13 gets a signal but only in the spot I had my tent lol, I did try other campsites but this was it, the only one that worked for me! I’ll return to Alta many times.

Site13

Month of VisitNovember

(20) View All

Emily G.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 7, 2022

Gorgeous scenery

Loved the scenery and met some nice neighbors next to our spot.

Port o potties were almost full - eek!

Siteb4

Month of VisitOctober

Cameron B.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 20, 2022

Small amount of spots but worth it

Got there Friday afternoon around 5pm it was almost completely full. Finally found a small spot but was very close to other campers. Beautiful lake in the middle and nice scenery.

Site3

Month of VisitSeptember

Ronnie S.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 17, 2022

Breath taking

This was my first real camping trip and while I am inexperienced it still went pretty well.

I won’t lie and say it wasn’t difficult for my Texas lungs to get used to the altitude but it was easier the longer we stayed.

While our Low clearance vehicle made it… it was not easy in the slightest. You can make it… but you are risking messing up your car and with just there right slip of a rock, very badly damaging something.

The camp sites were nice, well spread out, but trust me when I say there is a right time to show up and a right day. Show up too early and everyone is still sleeping. Show up too late and there are no spots. I will say that just because they only have 20 marked places I noticed if you have a tent on top of your vehicle it’s really okay to camp anywhere as long as finding a place to sleep is all that really matters.

The bathrooms are just portapotties but it’s not the worst thing, they cleaned it on Thursday while I was there.

The only bad thing I have to say is not about the site but about the people that show up with untrained dogs. If you don’t have good control over your dog and it isn’t friendly, leave it home. I was nearly attacked by a dog while out there.

The nights are cool and the days stay warm, if you need to cool down during the day just find some shade, it’s nice and breezy.

There are bugs galore but that is to be expected, just bring some kind of repellent.

If it has been raining and you are not an expert driver, don’t risk that, it’s a long way down.

All in all this place was beautiful and people were mostly very kind. The water was stunning and the fish were plenty. So much so that if you waited until dawn you could see them nonstop jumping out of the water to eat mosquitoes.

I wouldn’t come here if you are looking to swim. It’s very mossy and I have a feeling there are so many fishing lore out there you will likely come out with one in your toe. There are also some creepy crawlers in the water that look like they pinch lol

Site5

Month of VisitAugust

(15) View All

Sahmon F.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 4, 2022

High Alpine Lakes

Great spot just outside of Telluride to camp and enjoy the high alpine lakes.

Month of VisitAugust

Hailee J.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 17, 2022

Perfect Alpine Setting

20 spots to camp and first come first serve no reservations. Recommended to take a 4x4 vehicle up here. Beautiful views of surrounding mountains and Alta lakes as well as access to the ghost town of Alta. Must pack in and pack out, no trash cans or running water but they do have portable toilets close to camping areas.

Site19

Month of VisitJuly

Alfire S.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 15, 2021

Yep, Sure does.. ._.

Me mate and I went up yonder on Oct. 12, 21. There were snow erwhere and it was snowing too. The road to get up yonder was uphill and pert near steep. Me mate had a Subaru Crosstrek going uphill. The trail were also narrow. We made it up to the campgrounds near the lake up yonder with no problem despite the terrain and snow with me mate's Crosstrek. BUT, YOU be careful going up ya?! I'd recommend ye to have AWD or 4WD vehicle. We also have chains and traction pads for backup.

Camping, When Me mate and I were there it was at night a round 22:45. Temp. was a round 11-27° F, and thick snow was on the ground. In the morning it was real cold. Me and me mate were cold, but we already expected that. All the toilets were clean. The campsites were also clean. In the morning the views were majestic. The lake was close by and the mountain view was just right next by ye. Keep the place clean will ya? Hava a great trip up yonder! Cheers mate!

SiteAlta Lakes Campground No. 5

Month of VisitNovember

(7) View All

Gillian C.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 6, 2021

Awesome Dispersed Camping on Secluded Lake

Off road trail will take you to a campground, but there are many dispersed sites throughout the trail. We found a beautiful small lake on our way up. Some fire rings made out of rocks, but fires were not allowed. Beautiful and quiet, no amenities as usual with dispersed camping. Only complaint was the swarms of mosquitoes. Get here early on weekends, sites fill quickly!

SiteWild Boy Lake

Month of VisitAugust

Michael S.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2021

Beautiful views

This was probably my favorite campsite I’ve ever stayed at. It had spectacular views and while it was on a rougher road, it wasn’t that hard to get to. I stayed at campsite 20 at the end of the road and I felt I was far enough away from everyone that it was almost like we were alone. I will definitely be coming back!

Site20

Month of VisitJuly

Jarred M.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 22, 2021

Magical

Probably the best campsite I’ve been at. Views are surreal. The road up took about 20 minutes in my Tacoma (not 4x4 and a bitch of an engine but I did totally fine). I got there around 4pm on a Wednesday and there was still quite a few sites to choose from.

Site18

Month of VisitJuly

(4) View All

Carmen M.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 20, 2021

Would stay the full 7 days

Beautiful site! Rough road coming up would recommend not trying it without a 4wheel drive vehicle. Awesome easy trips leading to the second lake. Had a bit of rain and small but never lasted long.

Site8

Month of VisitJuly

(5) View All

Chelsea N.

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 11, 2021

Beautiful but VERY busy

The road to the campsite is rough but very doable by 4wd. The road in the campsite is narrow and some spots have very deep ruts. We snagged a spot in the back which was nice. The only annoyance was not being able to park close to our camp spot, so hauling our stuff to our spot got old. The lakes themselves are gorgeous but very busy. Close to lots of hiking and the town of Telluride. The ghost town on the way is really cool. As a local, I probably won't come back, but I'm glad I did stay 4 nights!

(4) View All

hannah K.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 26, 2020

Ended up here after all lake camps were full

We were passing through town, and and all campgrounds in the area were packed out...on a Thursday. The actual lakes dispersed camping were full too, so we ended up parking on the side of the road going up to the lakes. It was a bit freaky just because it felt so isolating. I’m sure it would be fun if you’re fully prepared for bear prevention and enjoy that kind of isolation.

Emma L.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 13, 2020

Stunning

So we headed up to Alta Lakes later than planned and it was pretty dark - the winding and seriously bumpy road felt like it went on for ages. We finally stopped in the parking lot by the ghost town and it was stunning. We didn’t make it up to the top so I can’t speak to that but I imagine it was amazing. It had just snowed and it got pretty cold but our van stayed warm enough. Made for an incredible sunrise too.

(5) View All

Betsy A.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 8, 2020

Pretty site, fills up quickly...

This campsite fills up quite quickly. We arrived relatively early, but were unable to find a site and it was just as well because we would have been hard pressed to find level ground for our overland tents without putting blocks on the ground. It’s a beautiful place with amazing spots for ground tents. I will say this, a LOT of different sources state that you need high clearance to get up here...not the case as we passed a few Prius’ making the climb up the road to this site. Get there early and you may get lucky!!

Ken A.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 17, 2020

Incredible Camping!

Beautiful camping spot high in the San Juan’s about 25 minutes from Telluride. Access via rugged dirt road. Saw some stock SUVs (CRVs, Subaru’s, etc.) but questionable to get there without higher clearance and 4WD. There are only 20 designated camping spots with fire rings (portapotties nearby). Sites fill by about noon every day of the week and all sites are walk in. Of the 20 sites, most are shady and have views of the lakes. 3-4 sites are pretty bad, have no views, limited areas for tents, etc. This is an incredible camping spot if you get a good site.

(5) View All

Paul H.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 24, 2020

Good spot

There were about 20 spots at the lake area it was a pretty location. There were a few spots open on a Thursday afternoon when we arrived. Seemed to fill up by Friday. They did put in porta potties when we were there. The road up is a bit rough. We managed it barely in all wheel drive vehicles but did get stuck for a bit at one point when we had to stop for someone on their way down. There were a few spots on the drive up as well. Overall good spot, at pretty high altitude. There was a bit of snow.

Month of VisitJuly

Jenn L.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 15, 2020

We camped at Site 10 on June 5th. It was beautiful. Snow was still on the ground, the area is well taken care of. The only annoyance was this group of obnoxious people camping about .25 miles away that blasted their music all night and the next morning. But everything else is beautiful.

Beautiful!

Ethan M.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 11, 2019

Worth the drive, 4WD recommended

Half of the camping spots are kind of difficult to get to if you don’t have a Jeep/4Runner/Tacoma. Definitely worth the drive up the mountain to see these Alpine lakes. Kind of crowded when we went on Labor Day weekend, but that was to be expected. Make sure you hike up to the other two lakes, they are even more beautiful than the main lake.

(5) View All

Amber W.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 11, 2019

Crowded/Not Dispersed

I will start off by saying the trail up was unique with a lot to do, the ghost town is cool with mini waterfalls if you will. The views looking over the mountains were amazing. BUT please have a 4w drive vehicle to drive up, and this is NOT dispersed camping. Very crowded even while rainy. Alta lakes themselves were not as impressive as I hoped for but there are better lakes near it if you talk to the people who live in Telluride. Still a cool spot to go hang out but if you like to camp without neighbors around then don’t pick here.

(7) View All

Amanda U.

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 22, 2019

Alpine Dream

We were able to get our popup to these sites but not necessarily recommended to even attempt to bring a trailer (ours is lifted with heavy duty tires) worth the risk because, Wow!! Perfect lake views, snow capped mountain tops, and wildflowers for days. We were sadly not allowed fires but this year we are getting tons of moisture in CO so we will head back up to Alta by summer, hopeful for fires again. Port a John's are rarely serviced, so if that's a deal breaker for you....and Please Leave No Trace!! This area is so beautiful, let's keep it that way.

Maggie S.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 20, 2018

Gorgeous high altitude Dispersed Camping

There are 16 sites, rock fire pits, need a high clearance vehicle to reach the sites. Small trailers can reach half of the sites as long as you have someone directing you! Beautiful views. Telluride ski mountain is just behind this campground and for a long hike you could hike down to mountain village about 5 miles away. We were there for 2 nights and there were always sites available. This is a free campground! Portapots available.

Month of VisitOctober

(6) View All

Lindsey M.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 22, 2018

Sheer High-Alpine Car Camping Perfection

There's not likely to be a more beautiful place than the high alpine of the San Juan Mountains. Alta Lakes boasts a series of small lakes stocked with fish annually - making for great fly fishing, naturally. Dispersed camping means pack it in, pack it out but since you can park at your site, this is never difficult. Get there early to enjoy the pick of the pack then get on the water with SUPs, kayaks, and beyond. Stunning views of the Milky Way, always!

Crystal C.

Legend

Reviewed Jul. 15, 2018

Not for the average vehicle

Paths are narrow and as temperatures begin to drop the road gets a little less than desirable to travel. At least this was my experience as I went from a long day of driving to one of the worst camping experiences of my life. A tow truck had to come save me from ice on the narrow road as my vehicle caught black ice and spun into a slide that was scary to say the least.

Upward on the mountain it was cold and while the views at dusk and sundown were beautiful it was a hard sell on alleviating the stress and strain the road had taken on me.

I might return during summer months but never again during spring or fall. Facilities are primitive and dispersed but with any snowfall this limits your optimal spaces.

Month of VisitNovember

(5) View All

Lisa C.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 31, 2017

Small sight, beautiful scenery

I stayed at the Alta Lakes dispersed camping in late August 2017. There are I believe three lakes however I only checked out the first lake. It is roughly 11,100 ft and it can get chilly at night.

The sight was beautiful, I lucked out and got one tucked into the woods right on the edge of the water. It was a small sight and the ground was not level there was a slight incline and I kept sliding a toward the front of the tent at night. there are quite a few sites in the area, the road is a bit sketchy, like most areas of the San Juan range clearance is usually necessary and AWD is very helpful.

The water was almost glassy in the early morning and evening, A lot of fish in the water probably a great spot if you flyfish. Lots of birds as well and squirrels. I was camping alone but there were several other people around me I hung my hammock right at the edge of the water and it was still very peaceful. I did not see any large animals. I would camp here again.

Month of VisitSeptember

(4) View All

Melissa K.

Legend

Reviewed Jul. 15, 2017

Unbelievable beauty

This place is amazing. You will want a high clearance vehicle, we took our F350 up. The initial road was a little stressful for us as it is wide enough just for us but we got up and once we hit the Ghost Town, we were in awe. The ghost town comes before the campground and we did attempt to go to the campground but in one spot we couldn't see what was on the other side of our hood of our truck and chose to turn around, if we had been smart, we would have stepped out and seen that the campground was just over that spot we turned around. Regardless, we camped behind the brothel, which is one of the only buildings still fully standing. You can't explore any of the buildings, at least not legally, but you can see them and experience what used to be. It's all dispersed camping so you can camp anywhere really and if you make it to the campground, it has a lot of designated sites too. None of them have picnic tables but they all have fire pits. There are a couple vault toilets at the campground, take your own tp, it was often out. The lake is amazing, people were fishing, although I didn't see anyone pulling out fish. There are a lot of opportunities to hike and experience the history of the location. When we were there there was a lot of wind so we were at the top of the valley and the wind would just rush up and you could hear it coming. Then our tents would suck in and puff out. It was insane. It got pretty chilly at night and rained most of the days. If you want to bike, it really is only mountain biking suitable. We had our kids with a seat on one of the bikes and it was too much for us, we are used to street biking.

Sitebehind the brothel

Month of VisitOctober

(9) View All

Linds E.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 22, 2017

Classic Colorado

Dirt road to high alpine setting, big views and lakes - mountain camping at its finest!

4WD recommended for the drive up - water crossings and some good ruts. Gorgeous lakes, can be heavily used by locals so pretty obvious trails between tent sites. Check out Alta ghost town (abandoned mining town), which used to serve Gold King Mine.

You can hike up over the ridge onto Telluride ski area, and hike down into town of Telluride this way if you're feeling up for a long walk. Great views of Palmyra and some backcountry ski terrain!

If camping isn't your thing, walk up to the Observatory or book a stay there!

Month of VisitSeptember

Madison G.

Ranger

Reviewed Jun. 21, 2017

Alta Love

Alta Lakes is amazing! First off, make sure you have 4WD if you're going to attempt it. The drive is tough and has some water crossings too. You'll pass an abandoned mining town and continue of the road for a while before you reach the lake. It took us about 30 mins to get up and down the mountain. The lake is beautifully blue with gray snow covered stunning peaks surrounding it. You can camp in a few spots around the lake or make your own off the shore. It's up pretty high so make sure you're ready for a cold night!

if you can't make it to the top or don't feel like driving all the way you can camp off of the road anywhere you find a flat spot!

Month of VisitJuly

(13) View All

Leah W.

Legend

Reviewed Sep. 24, 2016

2WD when dry

We got in ok with dry roads and 2WD but I could see it being hard if the roads are wet. It seemed like there were a couple RVs living there (I'm not sure if they were even operable!) Otherwise it was a beautiful place to camp! No ammenities

Beth W.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 29, 2016

Beautiful views in a remote location

We ended up here because all the other campgrounds around were full by the time we came into town. After heading up the minimally maintained road for about 20 minutes the road opened up to gorgeous views and an incredible lake. Even at the end of July it got really chilly up on top of the mountain but I would highly recommend it. What it lacks in amenities it makes up in character and views. The old abandon mining town was also really cool to check out