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Dispersed Camping

Black Canyon Dispersed Camping

39 Reviews

About

Bureau of Land Management

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Location

Black Canyon Dispersed Camping is located in Colorado

Coordinates

38.53278355653181 N
107.71693140498544 W

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Access

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

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AT&T
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Site Types

Tent Sites
Dispersed

Features

For Campers

Phone Service
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Pull-Through Sites

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

Visit Website

Mackenzie S.

Scout

Reviewed May. 5, 2024

Scenic, quiet, and easy to access!

This is a really pretty campground near Montrose and Black Canyon NP entrance. We are in a Honda accord and didn’t have trouble accessing the first front sites, but the dirt road is very rutted if you continue straight and I wouldn’t gamble it in a low vehicle or in rains! Great spot, simple and scenic with a lot of wildlife heard (turkeys, chickadees, woodpeckers and the like!)

Month of VisitJune

Lauren K.

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 6, 2023

Beautiful views!

This spot was easy to find, but driving was a little rough to actually find a spot. I drove around the area for about 20 minutes trying to find the spot right for me. But there are great options. Got there around 6 pm on a Saturday and found a stunning overlook. There was definitely trash from old camps around some areas. No bathrooms or amenities

Month of VisitOctober

Jeannie R.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 27, 2023

Jones dispersed camping

Hard to get into if it rains, but a really beautiful place to camp. Lots of sites, decent roads at the top of the hill.

Month of VisitSeptember

Steph P.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 21, 2023

Great location

We arrived at 6pm on a Saturday and were able to find a spot! Super convenient to the national park. Highly recommend buying wood from corner store on the Hwy 50 turn off.

Easy to find the entry, we took the road to the right since the other option was deeply rutted.

Sites are all dirt, spaced out from each other, and nestled in the trees. Size varied but we found one large enough for our Wawona 6. Extremely quiet, only crickets and traffic/generator (until 10ish), very few signs of life otherwise, not even birdsong aside from a few crows.

Wasps a plenty! We had to bail on cooking breakfast because they were all over the cook station 5 minutes after firing up the stove.

Site3rd on left on the road to the right

Month of VisitSeptember

PK930 K.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 19, 2023

Dispersed Camping Outside Black Canyon of the Gunnison

A few minutes outside the south gate of the park. Multiple sites, most of which are on dirt. Paths to and from can be a bit rough for most passenger vehicles. But it’s quite and close to the park. If you’re lucky you can grab a site looking down onto the highway and into Montrose.

Month of VisitAugust

Coen W.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 9, 2023

First time dispersed camping (tent)

Went dispersed camping for the first time! Location is amazing and very close to the entrance of the black canyon national park.

Whilst setting up our tent we even saw a bear (really close really scary, we slept in the car)

10/10 would recommend

Month of VisitAugust

Cyndee F.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 20, 2023

Quiet and beautiful

Amazing quiet spots! We chose the site at the very top! The only reason we didn’t give it 5 stars was the dust and damage to our paint job because of low branches!

Sitetop

Month of VisitJuly

(6) View All

John W.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 3, 2023

Stayed 2 nights ..better site than NP

Great view and cell reception

Month of VisitJune

Eric B.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 24, 2023

Tons of dispersed camping

There are some nice spots here. If you are in a high clearance vehicle and comfortable on bumpy roads, drive beyond the initial 10 spots or so to find some fantastic spots, including group camping locations.

Month of VisitJune

Janelle P.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 7, 2023

Great site, but some left a trace

Arrived at 4pm and there were only a few others there. Easy to miss the turn. I have a 2WD SUV so I was able to drive a little ways down the road to a more private spot but didn't feel comfortable going much further. RVs or trailers would have a hard time except for the first couple spots right when you turn in. Roads were dry but very very bumpy. Also tough toget a level spot if thats important to you. Unfortunately the few sites I looked at had trash leftover such as egg shells and TP in the fire pit and broken bottles. If you walk/drive further down the road there is a great view of the hills. Also saw lots of deer.

Month of VisitJune

Ivanhoe

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 18, 2022

Easy to miss at night

This campground is easy to miss in the dark, and once you drive in its easy to get turned around and lost trying to find the exit again.

Month of VisitNovember

Cody J.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 10, 2022

Theft and Trash

Hammock, Chair, Axe and shovel stolen when out for a short period of time. Luckily tent was locked. Pass is narrow and is better for smaller vehicles like overlanding Jeep’s. A lot of spots are covered in trash, food, condoms, etc…. Just really sad as this place has some real potential.

Month of VisitNovember

(4) View All

Quincy B.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 16, 2022

Good camping spot

No amenities

SiteN/A

Month of VisitSeptember

(4) View All

Greg L.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 2, 2022

Jones Draw BLM Dispersed camping

Crappy rough area a couple miles from the NP entrance. Sites are tight and tucked into the oak brush/trees. Sites are best suited for Overlander types, tenters, vans or trucks. No way for TT and RVs. Center road shows signs of huge ruts if saturated wet so beware. Abandoned trash small TT left here also. This ace was an ugh IMO, only positive is that TMobile cell signal seemed good.

Month of VisitSeptember

(19) View All

Madi J.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 12, 2022

Great but close cougar activity

Overall there are some great sites here. Plenty of space between sites for a lot of privacy. Lots of sturdy trees for good shade and hammocking. We did hear some cougar noise on our second night and found tracks very close to our site in the morning. So make sure food and trash is secured and be safe.

Month of VisitAugust

Christopher E.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 27, 2022

Rugged, and Eerie

Good for a 1 nighter. Cell reception anywhere between 1-2 bars AT&T. Campfire rock rings, some secluded perch spots, road in is awful. Not far from Black Canyon National Park about a mile. Ranger told me in Winter vagrants, and college kids create issues. Was a little spooked here stayed 1 night. No garbage, no water, no bathrooms.

Month of VisitJuly

Alex F.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 22, 2022

Quiet and lots of shade

Nice area with lots of dispersed sites. Lots of good shade at the sites. Most have decent privacy from other sites. Not too crowded right now. No mosquitos. Some sites are close to the road but not too much noise. Not sure I'd take a trailer or rv down the side roads too far without scouting but if you have 4wd the roads go quite a ways and there a few sites I saw but closer to the main entrance area has better sites

SiteHard right upon entering. On the left a couple hundred yards down

Month of VisitJuly

Ingrid

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 12, 2022

Great dispersed camping sites

There were many options and it was quiet when we were there. Some spots had fire pits made out of rocks. Really loved it here! As I had read on here, a dirt road off to the left as you head towards the entrance of the park.

SiteMontrose County Re-1j, CO, USA

Month of VisitJune

Jack W.

Ranger

Reviewed May. 19, 2022

Amazing Place with Lots of Spots

It felt like a 5-minute drive from here to Black Canyon - it's so close to the entrance. I met some wonderful people also camping here who had a long trailer (there are a few spots for bigger trailers to stay) and we had a good time in this great spot. I will be returning here next time I come to the area!

Month of VisitMay

(4) View All

shandwork

Traveler

Reviewed Dec. 15, 2021

Great spot for dispersed camping

Great location outside of Black Canyon NP. There were a few other people camping at this location but plenty of space to still have some solitude.

Month of VisitJune

(4) View All

Jenny G.

Traveler

Reviewed Nov. 29, 2021

Happy camper

This spot is really nice. A few campsites right at the front for those with low clearance. If your car is capable to go further down the road, then the views are chefs kiss

Month of VisitDecember

Brian W.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 26, 2021

Horrible, stay out

5 min drive from the entrance of black canyon, you don’t need high clearance for the first few sites but you do for the ones further back that look nicer. Great signal, hardly any traffic noise.

Month of VisitNovember

Ashley B.

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 12, 2021

Nice spot very close to NP

Stayed two nights in this spot. Very close proximity to Black Canyon NP. My Subaru Crosstrek didn’t have any issues making it up the hill to some of the back sites, but I wouldn’t try it in a sedan. It was dry when I was there, but I imagine the road becomes impassable when wet.

Month of VisitOctober

kaitlynn

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 29, 2021

Nice dispersed camping

You can access the first few sites with a car, after that you need a SUV or 4x4. It was dead when we came. Only complaint would be people leaving toilet paper around the sites instead of packing out or burying waste

Month of VisitOctober

(4) View All

Gabe P.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 7, 2021

Right near park with good sites

I stayed in the park my first night and I am mad I wasted the money. The dispersed sites here are great. Some of the roads to go deeper into the camping area are more suited for trucks or off-road capable cars.

SiteI went up the hill a bit into a site with a stone fire ring

Month of VisitOctober

Corey

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 20, 2021

Bad when wet

I didn't make it very far. When you pull in the main road to the right of the sign is pretty torn up and unusable when wet. Look for the roadway second path that parallel the main road, this appeared more solid. I didn't risk it with my sedan since it was wet and just took one of the first spots.

I will say, the first few stops have more trash than most dispersed campgrounds I have been to. There was also human waste on the ground at an adjacent spot.

I am sure if you can go deeper, it is better.

Month of VisitSeptember

Liv B.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 18, 2021

Good camping 👍🏼

Great spot. Didn’t say pet friendly on the reviews but my dog and I found a nice little secluded campsite off to the right and down a less jagged road. Be careful. I wouldn’t try to go too deep looking for a campsite during wet season or if you’ve got a low hanging vehicle without 4WD.

Month of VisitSeptember

Nicole

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 23, 2021

North Rim Dispersed

First time user of the Dyrt - we used someone’s recommendation for C77 Rd and we’re SO glad we did. We explored the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP (amazing!) but the North Rim Campground didn’t do much for us. Instead we drove a couple miles out of the park on the Black Canyon Road and turned onto C77. The road was a little rough with dispersed campsites right off the main road. If you follow any of the spur roads out onto the plateau there are more options for dispersed camping with fire pits. We drove down a few Spurs and settled on one with a couple scrub oaks for shade and beautiful views of the mountains. 10/10 would recommend if you do not need facilities.

SiteC77 Rd in Gunnison Gorge Conservation Area - North Rim

Month of VisitAugust

Treavor U.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 27, 2021

Lifesaver

This was my first time using Dyrt and accessing BLM/public land. The campgrounds at Black Canyon OTG were packed and hotels in the area were outrageously priced (2-star hotel for $200). I got in at around 7/8pm. I slept in my car and enjoyed it! You can totally car/tent camp or RV it; whatever. Just respect the land. The roads further in are "fun". My stock-wheeled SUV did ok on them but if you have a trailer, it might be hard to turn around. If you're low-to-the-ground car, don't bother going back there. All-terrainers will be fine. Some sites look like they're made for one, but you can probably squeeze in 2 or 3 for anyone traveling as a group. Megafauna: I saw deer on my way out. I was fearful of bears but the natl park literature I got later didn't list them. So you're probably good. Obviously, no toilets except at the park.

Verizon LTE unstable 1-2 bars. So close to the park that you can get there early and beat the crowds.

Month of VisitJuly

(10) View All

Greg R.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 13, 2021

Rough drive

Arrived Sunday at 1 PM, two tents. The rest was empty. Cell service (Verizon) was 1-2 bars with LTE. 20 tv channels. Area was tight lost a weboost antenna up the hill. Close the the Park, plenty shade in spots, sunny in others. Over all, pretty good spot.

Siteceader tree next to stump!

Month of VisitJuly