Rustic Camping Southwest of Denver

Heap64 wrote:
We are fine with USFS campgrounds or boondocking sites. No big campgrounds packed together. I have been looking through the forest service site. If someone has some favorites let me know.

An hour or two from Denver would be nice as my stepson lives in Denver and we would like to have him come join us and his grandparents for a couple days and not have to have him drive too far.

Some of the Forest Service sites say through Sept 3-5. We will be in that area around Sept 20-23. Will they really be closed or just no water turned on?

Thanks for the feedback.

Short answer - Yes. If they say that's when they close, it will be a closure, not just turning off the water.

Which USFS sites were you considering that close that early? Most don't close until mid- to late September, with some exceptions.

The ones that I'm familiar with, in the Jefferson, Fairplay and Bailey areas, are open til the end of September/early October depending on weather. For Jefferson and Fairplay area, you'll be in South Park and the average elevation in that area will be ~9000 feet. Fairplay is ~9900 feet. Jefferson is south of Kenosha Pass (10000 feet or so). Bailey area, which is north of Kenosha Pass is around 7700 feet immediately around town but there's a significant elevation change heading further north on US 285, up to around 8600-8800 feet. Snow in September at those elevations can certainly occur and close the CGs. That said, snow in September is not the norm. But it IS Colorado!

One to 2 hours from Denver, besides along US 285, opens up a LOT more areas to experience. There's also The Roosevelt National Forest to the north and northwest of Denver, The Arapaho National Forest west of Denver along I-70, and The San Isabel National Forest in the Upper Arkansas River Valley area of Buena Vista/Salida/Leadville. All of these areas have some wonderful campgrounds, but for my money, I'd recommend The San Isabel area around Buena Vista/Salida/Leadville.

These 4 national forests should have something that may work for you. They really are wonderful places to stay, but even in September, you'll need reservations at a goodly number of them. It's not impossible to get though. I recently made reservations for a CG that I thought would be nearly impossible to find a spot for the weekend I wanted, but there was availability. You just have to be a bit persistent and maybe a bit flexible in your schedule.

Whatever you decide, hope you enjoy your experience here!