Camping in Colorado
Explore Unpaved Roads!

There are many, many great places to take the family camping in Colorado. Most, however, are an hour or more from the Front Range cities of Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and the smaller towns north of Denver. It is definitely worth the effort - it just takes some planning.

My husband and I prefer primitive to organized camping, but several times we have visited U.S. Forest Service campgrounds and thoroughly enjoyed it. On one occasion, we just packed up our truck and headed west out of Colorado Springs on Highway 24. We just kept driving until we came to Highway 285 and turned south. Now there are many small (usually unpaved) roads off of Highway 285 - so we just picked one.

What we found was a site with about 10 spaces and no people! Wow! We really lucked out! We actually found a place to go camping in Colorado away from the crowds - and it was a weekend too!

Where is your favorite camping spot? Click here to share your story!

During our stay the only visitors to the entire area were Blue Jays, Gray Jays (affectionately called "camp robbers" as they are bold enough to land on the table while you're eating and steal any food they can get away with).

Then there are the squirrels. One of them took a liking to my husband and ran right up his pant leg while being chased by another squirrel. Upon realizing that his leg was NOT a tree, the squirrel promptly ran down and scurried off. Needless to say, my husband was very surprised!

So head out to Highway 285 some weekend with all your gear and meander up some of those dirt roads - just to see where they go. Maybe you'll find a jewel of a spot like we did. You'll love the peace and quiet!

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Everyone who loves to camp out has a favorite spot? Tell us about yours!