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Camping

Free Camping Collection

Established Camping

Portal Campground

19 Reviews

About

National Forest

White River National Forest

Portal Campground is located eleven miles southeast of Aspen on Independence Pass Road and seven miles south on Lincoln Creek Road at an elevation of 9,400'. Campers can access some wonderful day hikes from this location as well as terrain for motorcycle riding, mountain biking, ATV riding, fishing and horseback riding, among other recreation activities. Portal Campground has 5 campsites with limited spurs. 5 day stay limit. High clearance vehicles are required and 4x4 recommended.

Reservation Info

No Reservations. First-Come, First-Serve Camping.

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Location

Portal Campground is located in Colorado

Directions

From Aspen, Colorado travel eleven miles southeast on Highway 82 toward Independence Pass to Lincoln Creek Road. Turn right and travel seven miles south on Lincoln Creek Road. CAUTION: high clearance vehicles recommended for Lincoln Creek Road. WARNING: No vehicles over 35 feet long are allowed on Highway 82 to access this campground

Coordinates

39.07600066 N
106.61289075 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
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group

Features

For Campers

Picnic Table
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

Enjoy camping on government land. Limited or no services at this camping area.

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Contact

General Info

Kenji G.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 1, 2023

Amazing place to camp

The rose a little rough, but I have a 2 Wheel Drive RAV4 it was no problem getting up as long as you have enough clearance. Awesome views very clean make sure to come early though spots fill up fast.

Month of VisitAugust

Magdalena O.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 10, 2022

Beautifu scenery

Wow… pretty rough road to get to it but worth it. What a beautiful and peaceful place. There is more dispersed camping past this campground and the reservoir so there is plenty of space for anyone who is not afraid to venturing deeper into wilderness. It is about 6.5 very slow miles to this camp from the highway. You will pass several disperse camp spots on the way here. This place seems quite popular so try to arrive early.

Month of VisitAugust

Joel F.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 26, 2021

Worth the trip

Made it out here on a Friday by 330p. 3 campsites we’re open and within an hour the rest of them were filled up.

There are more dispersed campsites up and down Lincoln Creek road. It’s a 6 mile drive from County 82 to Portal. 4WD recommended but we saw many less capable cars up here. We have a 4Runner.

Dozens of people tried finding a spot after dark to no avail. At 11pm someone decided to squeeze in next to us in a spot that isn’t a campsite. It sucked how rude that was.

Overall, it’s a gorgeous campsite. Plan ahead and get here early. Come prepared.

Month of VisitOctober

(9) View All

Rudy Z.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 30, 2021

Spectacular Hideaway!

Once we got off the main road we were a bit unsure as the drive with our front wheel drive Equinox was worthy. The rough terrain was well worth the trek 6 miles back into the middle of nowhere. Amazing views and the hike up to Grizzly Lake was amazing.

Month of VisitAugust

David M.

Scout

Reviewed Mar. 11, 2021

Quiet and spacious

Great campground near a lake. Very limited amount of spots. Nearby trails. Fire ring and picnic table. Vaulted toilets were clean and close distance walk. Definitely recommend a vehicle with clearance as the road was very bumpy even in our jeep. Mostly all the spots were flat.

Jade G.

Ranger

Reviewed Oct. 27, 2020

Waterfront sites, 4WD recommended, no amenities, very high altitude, windy

This campground is so gorgeous. The road eventually leads to a pretty lake and waterfront sites. It is very high in elevation!

You will need a 4WD vehicle and your vehicle cannot be over 35 feet long.

This is on Lincoln Creek Rd and near the Lincoln Creek Campground. Both are dispersed and have difficult roads. Both are beautiful.

This is a hidden gem. You could paddle on the water, or hike, or fish. It is great for family also. Tucked away, beautiful. Worth the tough road! :)

Month of VisitNovember

(4) View All

Jordan K.

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 8, 2020

Worth the drive!

This campground is beautiful! If you're not used to driving on dirt roads it can seem very difficult to get to. You need to have high clearance on your vehicle to get out there, but it's well worth the drive. There are a few spots right on the lake, and a few more tucked into the trees. the campground isn't huge, so I would suggest getting there early for a weekend getaway.

(4) View All

Tamara S.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 16, 2020

Beautiful spot to camp

We took our new van out for a drive and a brief camping trip. The Portal campground has some beautiful spots that are next to the creek and is very close to hiking. The entrance in makes you feel like you are entering a secret garden of sorts with the beautiful trees and rock formations on either side of the vehicle. We loved it and would recommend.

Derrick M.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 10, 2020

Breathtaking literally

First off the elevation of this campsite needs to be taken into consideration, it sits around 10,000ft, is it worth it, absolutely. This campground is absolutely gorgeous with many hiking trails right in the area. It is extremely remote and I would highly suggest only taking a 4x4 on the trail to the campground, but while camping I did see a few folks show up with small cars. There isn’t any drinkable water in the area, and the small lake is bitter cold, but good for boiling water and using when needed. There is wildlife in the area, we half a moose come right through our camp. The weather was great but did get some significant rain a few times. (August) I would camp here every year if I didn’t want to test other locations. Aspen is about 1 hour away if you consider the 7 mile trail taking about 20-30 minutes to drive, and then the extra 15 miles to town. We would go there to shower and spoil ourselves to a meal if we really wanted. Hope you enjoy this secluded little spot.

(11) View All

Amber C.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 6, 2020

best FREE camping!

this place is insanely beautiful with lots of trails & places to fish. there’s a few different camping options down lincoln creek road— all are free and first come first serve. every campsite has a bear box and fire ring. don’t miss grizzly reservoir (picture shown)!

Isabelle K.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 5, 2020

Worth the drive!

Gorgeous campground with stunning views and great access to nearby hikes

Month of VisitJuly

Lila L.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 26, 2020

A Hidden Gem

Starting from the Views and excitements of crushing on the Independence Rd, this camp site is a portal to another dimension! I would recommend going to this camp site by 4x4 so you pass the actual portal campsite and find a primitive site by the river and valley with an outstanding view. There are about 25 campsites before you get to the portal camp site, but highly recommend driving a bit longer to get to the campground. A Phenomenal view of the lake and mountains is unforgettable!

(9) View All

Mishel W.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 15, 2019

Beautiful, but not as peaceful as I’d hoped.

This was a beautiful spot, but I don’t really feel the need to go back. It is remote enough, but definitely a popular place. The scenery is amazing. The water a crazy blue color. 4 wheel drive is probably the best as the road is very rough. There were plenty of spaces to camp along the road to the campground and beyond it. Perhaps one of those spots would be better.

At the campground, you can hear whatever business is located right next to it, (a mill or something) and their dogs on their property did not like us or our dogs and frequently barked at us and came pretty close - close enough to antagonize our pups. They were just dogs guarding their home, but I don’t really want to be camping that close to anyone’s home.

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Ashley R.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 24, 2019

New Favorite Spot

I actually ended up past the campground into another dispersed area. There 22 dispersed spots leading up to the campsite, 5 sites on the grounds, and who knows how many spots where I was.

First time I have ever camped on my own, and it was awesome! I found my spot just before sunset and decided to turn my Jeep into a bed vs setting up my tent. I could see 2 other campers from where I was, but they were so far away we couldn't hear each other. I felt like I had the whole valley to myself.

High clearance vehicle would be good, but not necessary to get to the campsite. Driving past where I was requires high clearance, 4WD would be a good idea, but my FWD did just fine! I was very proud of it's (and my) rock crawling abilities lol

Great trails to hike very close by. Limited parking a THs, I suggest walking from your campsite.

(4) View All

Christina S.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 29, 2018

Fantastic spot

I hesitated to write a review because I don't want too many people to flock here! This is a terrific campground, and although you aren't backcountry camping, it feels more removed than many typical car camping locations. It's a beautiful location on the Grizzly Reservoir with beautiful views, and a pretty creek runs behind some of the camp spots. I counted 7 spots total (although I've seen 5 listed on this site and others); all are first come first serve. It never filled up the whole time I was there (Thurs-Sat in late August), and if there was at all a "peak" time, it seemed to be after 2pm on Friday. Again, it never filled completely. The sites feel private and separated from each other. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring (currently not in use due to fire ban), and there are typical vault toilets (but with a surprisingly good supply of TP!) There is no drinking water source or garbage location, so you have to pack your water in (or filter) and pack your garbage out. It was very quiet except for some noise coming from what seemed to be nearby maintenance buildings associated with the reservoir, but these are not visible from the camp area. A resident dog there barked at night until about 10pm, and in the morning you could hear the occasional low hum of a loader they used. By no means did this ruin things, but it's worth a mention. The temps were pretty chilly at night…upper 30s in late August…and a really pleasant high 60s during day. Getting to the campground might be a challenge for some. After you turn off of Hwy 82 it's 6.5 miles up a 4x4 road. I made it in a small "crossover" AWD SUV, but anything lower might have trouble. You definitely can do it without a big truck, though. That said, I did see a Jetta that was already a ways up the road as I was leaving. There are plenty of things to do in the area - hiking, mountain biking, fishing, etc. Overall, this is a new go to spot for me and I highly recommend it. I can't wait to go back.

Month of VisitSeptember

(4) View All

Ashley & Derek V.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 20, 2018

Amazing!

We stayed here for most of our camping trip to Colorado and loved it! It's easily the most beautiful campground we've stayed at. There's only ~5 sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. Right now there's a burn ban so we unfortunately didn't get to enjoy a fire. There's vault toilets that aren't very clean. The site is maintained by volunteers and is free to camp at (donations welcome) so make sure you bring everything you need including water and toilet paper. The lake is beautiful and has a ton of Rainbow Trout!

We would recommend 4x4 to get there, but it's not required. If you're going to go past the campground, 4x4 and/or decent clearance is a must. Along the road to the campground, there's 22 free dispersed sites with bear lockers. After the campground, there's free dispersed camping. So even if you can't get a site at Portal, there's quite a few options in the immediate area.

There's lots to do in that area. We hiked to Anderson and Petroleum lakes and that was beautiful! The turn off is about 10 minutes South of Aspen, then you drive 6.4 miles on a dirt road to the campground. If you drive another 3.5 miles on the dirt road, there's a trailhead for the lakes there. There's no drinking water, no cell service, but lots of beautiful nature and amazing hikes!

Also, it's quite colder than town and other campgrounds in the area - during the day, it could be 80 in Aspen but only 65 at the campground. It got into the 30s most nights so make sure you bring warm clothes and a nice sleeping bag, but shorts for the warm sun during the day!

Month of VisitAugust

(4) View All

sean N.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 23, 2018

4x4 or high clearance vehicle needed

This was a stunning campground tucked away high up in the mountains on Independence pass. You take the turn to Lincoln Creek Campground, and instead of going into that campground, you drive 6 miles on a dirt road to get to Portal Campground. During your drive on the dirt road you will pass free dispersed campsites that are more secluded compared to a campground feel. Portal Campground is on a resevoir (very cold as its at about 10,000 feet).

From Aspen, Colorado travel eleven miles southeast on Highway 82 toward Independence Pass to Lincoln Creek Road. Turn right and travel seven miles south on Lincoln Creek Road.

CAUTION: high clearance vehicles recommended for Lincoln Creek Road.

WARNING: No vehicles over 35 feet long are allowed on Highway 82 to access this campground.

There are two vault toilets at this campground. You can camp literally feet away from the water if you get a good spot. Be aware of the weether moving in here as its at a high elevation. Also be aware of food storage etc. with wildlife.

All in all, this is a great campground that is somewhat hidden and well worth the travel. Bring the paddle boards!

SiteNA

Month of VisitSeptember

Karl G.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 10, 2017

Portal Campground - FREE camping in Aspen!

Portal Campground is at the end of Lincoln Creek Rd by Grizzly Reservoir in White River National Forest. You can access Lincoln Creek Rd from Highway 82 (Independence Pass) it is about 10 miles out of Aspen. Once you get on Lincoln Creek Rd there is the Lincoln Gulch campground, which is fee camping. As you proceed up Lincoln Creek Rd there are about 20 free, dispersed campsites along the road. After around 6 miles on Lincoln Creek Rd, you will reach Grizzly Reservoir and the road will lead you into Portal Campground. There are only 5 sites in the campground. There are fire pits, picnic tables, and vault toilets. It is free to camp and the sites are not reservable so get there early. Four wheel drive and high clearance is recommended on Lincoln Creek Rd. I wouldn't say you need it; there were people driving Honda Civics up that road. You could make it in a car if you just go slow and the road is dry.

Portal campground is almost at 10,000 ft so it does get cold at night in the summer, but the views are worth it. The campground and reservoir are surrounded by snow capped mountains. There are a few day hikes from the campground. One of them is 7 mile Grizzly Lake Trail that leads to Grizzly Lake. The 4x4 trail also continues up from the campground if you want more off-roading. You're also near the popular cliff jumping site Devils Punch Bowl off Highway 85 that is a must do in late summer when the water is low. If you're not into jumping off cliffs you're also near the Grottos trail off Highway 85 which has ice caves. Overall, the campsite is beautiful, free, and near a lot of things to do!

Month of VisitJuly

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Kelly Z.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 26, 2016

Beautiful Campground

This campground is located way out in the wilderness. It has incredible mountain views as well as a view of the close by Grizzly Reservoir. This is a free campground and it has vault toilets. I would love to stay at this campground again. There are also 27 free sites along the road to Portal Campground.

(5) View All