Mesa Verde NP | Wild Camping
United States
Details
- Verified:
- 4 months ago
- GPS:
- 37.35949, -108.42285
- Altitude:
- 2054.2 masl
- Website:
- None
- Contributor:
-
reisefriedli.ch
Amenities
- Electricity:
- No
- Wifi:
- No
- Kitchen:
- No
- Restaurant:
- No
- Showers:
- No
- Water:
- No
- Toilets:
- No
- Big Rig Friendly:
- No
- Tent Friendly:
- Yes
- Pet Friendly:
- Yes
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Description
iOverlander cannot verify if wild camping is permitted at this location. It is your responsibility to verify local laws or obtain consent before staying the night.
It is only closed seasonally and close to the entrance of Mesa Verde National Park, on a dirt road, more than one spot for free with fire ring. In the park by the store is a laundrimat with coins, showers for free and fast wifi.
From Hwy 160, get off at MC RD 34, then a few hundred meters, turn right at the first gravel road. Good secluded sites, a bit noisy from highway but it gets quiet after 9 pm. Some sites showed signs of overuse and garbage was left. One site looked like it had been used extensively by "travelers", with garbage bags left at the site. Lots of coyotes around. Note that showers and laundromat inside the NP are closed for the winter.
3 bars Verizon signal with LTE.
No bars AT&T
Photos
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Latest Check-Ins
Seasonally closed
This place was closed by BLM when we gave it a try today.
Easy to get to, not many people out here this weekend. Spot #10 was flat enough for us in the van. Verizon service ok, was having trouble loading things. Keep it clean!
Report Check-InClose to mesa verde park, dirt road to get there but easy to drive on. Flat pitches are rare, but free of charge. Good spot
Report Check-In15 free campsite with pitfire. Lot of people need to arrive early or get lucky. Perfect quiet spot with a lot of privacy. Pretty view of the sunset. Sone spot might be difficult to find a flat space. Close from the road and the park.
Report Check-Inawesome spot. easy to get into and there are 14-15 numbered spots (one of them is 13A, down in the trees past 13). super close to the park
Report Check-InGreat place to stay with lots of great views of the mountains in Mesa Verde. About a 10 minute drive to the entrance. Would highly recommend this location to anyone
Report Check-InDon’t be fooled by positive reviews. We tried to camp here and were very disappointed. Only 15 campsites available, many of which are small, not level, and/or very close to neighboring campsites. The road is quite narrow and uneven, although 2WD would get you here you’ll probably want to take it slow and I wouldn’t recommend anything larger than a Sprinter or a small trailer. The only positive I can honestly think of is the close proximity to Mesa Verde. I highly recommend driving another 20 mins just past Mancos to County Rd 316. You will not be disappointed if you do.
Report Check-InLoved this spot! Beautiful and safe. The road in is a bit bumpy, but what road isn’t? Lots of lizards for your dog to chase.
Report Check-In15 designated campsites, clean, safe, beautiful views. Road in is great quality, some sites looked real muddy depending on weather. Fills up by sunset, saw several rigs looking for spaces after they were all full.
Report Check-InNous sommes arrivés à 16h30 et il ne restait plus qu'un spot. Mais cool emplacement avec un peu de réseau internet.
At 4:30pm only one spot left.
Report Check-InQuiet and a nice view of the Mesa. Almost all spaces were occupied so get there early.
Report Check-InIt's open now. We spent o e night on site #9 with a 25' travel trailer. Really quiet at night. AT&T was fine, but no signal some time.
Report Check-InJust putting this here for anyone curious about when this land opens back up: the land is closed from December 1 - April 30 to protect wintering mule deer and elk. Gates closed and signage is posted.
Report Check-InStayed here two nights at spots 7 and 3 waiting for Mesa Verde to open. Verizon signal was weak and spotty in both sites so I wouldn't recommend counting on it.
Signs says that the gates will be closed on 1 December
Report Check-InAmazing camp spot. Road was dry and not too bumpy. Easy getting up in 2wd Promaster. Great views and almost all spots were open for us to choose from. Good service verizon, some better than others. Fire pits at some
Report Check-Inseveral campsites with a dirt road thru BLM land. maybe 10 or so spots. spot #2 had a whole pile of bones for the dogs to go crazy over.
Report Check-InThis is on road 34, just east of Phil's World Bike Trails. It is not permanently closed and should not have been marked as such. It has winter season closures which is normal for this area. Whoever is marking these places closed and go back home.
Report Check-InGreat, secluded spot. Excellent spot to spend the night (for free) and discover Mesa Verde
Report Check-InGreat Place. Sites are numbered and you can only stay on these sites. The road is rough and pretty rutted. But was doable in our 2WD Sprinter.
After a heavy rain it is probably only 4x4 or at least high clearance and good tires.
Sites are mostly level and pretty nice.
Very convenient located about 1 mile from the Visitor Center of Mesa Verde NP
Beautiful spots close to the entrance of the park! Very easy directions, lovely sunset; we navigated in a 170 2wd sprinter with no issues. The spot we chose was a little washed out from rain, but not enough that we couldn’t find a level spot and enjoy the cooler weather. Campfire ring, but we did not use. We left no trace and headed out early for the park.
Report Check-InThis pin has the best written directions to these sites. Maps apps will get wonky but it’s super straightforward using this post. No problem in a prius. There are over a dozen sites, but it’s a very popular spot. Arrived around 1600 on a Thurs and it seems to have filled up just after I parked. How about we try and Leave No Trace, you filthy fuckers.
Report Check-InSomeone in one of the descriptions of this place said it was nothing special. I'd like to humbly disagree. Every spot is a little unique. The juniper trees are twisted and lovely and begging for hammocks. Almost every site has a view of Mesa Verde and the sunset colors it in photos. Check this place out!
Report Check-InNice pullout off of a blm road area. 1-3 bars LTE on Visible (uses Verizon service). Google maps did try to redirect us to a spot in mancos twice for some reason, so keep an eye on that i guess.
Report Check-InThe road is open. Ground in sites is soft after winter. Pretty quiet and nice views.
Report Check-InStayed two nights since there's nothing by Four Corners, and it's perfect for getting to Mesa Verde.
Two bars of 4G Verizon, outside the van.
Roads are all dirt with some bumpy spots. After site 9 its a slight uphill. Would not recommend any low clearance vehicles, nor visiting after any heavy rain. 8 has a man-made toilet hole, 9 has bike trails behind it, 13 is big enough to fit longer vehicles. All sites are also sometimes patrolled by police in the morning/afternoon.
First night we arrived at 6pm with only spots 3,5,7,8, &12 open. Snagged site 8 after our drive through the rest of the
campsites. Parked at a semi level spot between trees.
Second night we returned earlier to find a lot more open, and snagged a more level spot suitable for a van at campsite 9. This campsite also had biking trails behind it.
The couple days was more then peaceful, with good views, a relaxed area, and great weather.
Report Check-InCamped at spot #12, good view, flat area for our little van, very easy to get to.
Report Check-InSuper nice spots! They are 15 spots all along the road, very nice view! We travel with our fiat ducato van from Switzerland, and we just love boondocking here!
Report Check-InGreat jumping off point for Mesa Verde NP, but not a destination in itself. Typical high desert camping with shaggy bark juniper and small pines. Generally clean, some spots better than others. We stayed at site #10 which is pretty good in terms of size and bits of shade, however lots of bees and wasps during the day. Site #7 and 15 seem to be the best in regards to shade and privacy but they were already taken when we got here. Overall would recommend for a free place to stay in the area.
Report Check-InVery nice place with at least 12 camping emplacements with ring fire
Report Check-In15 sites, some with multiple spots to park and pitch a tent. Fire pits but no fires allowed. We stayed 3 nights here with 2-3 bars Verizon service. Pretty busy on the weekend since it’s right outside of the park but not so busy on weekdays. View of Mesa Verde on one side, distant road on the other. Biggest complaint is the biting gnats, we left with many itchy gnat bites but our Thermacell seemed to help.
Report Check-InHad to drive out to spot 12 to find one empty on a Thursday night around 10:30pm.
Spots are big with room for multiple tents or cars. Twelve has a fire pit back behind some trees away from the road.
Great spot right outside entrance to Mesa Verde NP. Beautiful spot surrounded by trees with views of gorgeous plateaus/buttes. We pulled in around 8pm on a Wednesday and all 13-15 of the designated spots were taken, but there were smaller spots next to site 11 that we squeezed into where there was already a fire pit made. Neighbors did not mind and had no issues from park ranger that came through in the AM.
Report Check-InLess than 5 mins to Mesa Verde NP entrance. Im in spot #2 and backed up closer to the trees for shade. Spots are very private and quiet. Would be better if people picked up after their dogs
Report Check-InThis was an amazing spot! A free BLM campground with 15 sites, all with level ground and fire rings. We stayed at site #10 and had trees for our hammock, a very tall fire ring which helped when windy, and views of the mesas. The neighboring spots had other folks but we felt relatively secluded. Barely 10 min from the Mesa Verde park entrance!
Report Check-InGate closed, sign says it’ll open after April 30 for elk and deer rehabilitation in the area
Report Check-InTried to camp here tonight but gate was close and stated “no entry”. Must be temporarily closed.
Report Check-InThis place is beautiful! we planned to stay for one or two nights and ended up staying four nights! We stayed in site 6 at first, which was very open, had good sun, and was a great view of the mesa. Then we stayed in site 12, which was a little more secluded. The final site we stayed in was site 11, which was a good combination of secluded and sunny!
Definitely go to this BLM land!
great spot with a few great sites. Fire rings set up. Bit of highway noise but not much. Smooth road but be careful bringing in anything too big. well maintained.
Report Check-InLarge, spacious BLM area, busy on a Saturday night. Fairly smooth dirt road, some sites are rutted. Beautiful views, solid cell reception with Verizon. Heard coyotes but they didn’t come near.
Report Check-InSnagged Apot #11 as many of the ones near the beginning of the road were already taken, but for a Saturday early evening there were still surprisingly about 5 spots still available. #11 offers a stellar view of some of the formations in Mesa Verde NP and is huge - several groups could definitely stay here if necessary. Sunset views are awesome - highly recommend!
Report Check-InSuch a beautiful place! Highly recommend though there were a lot of people camping didn’t feel crowded at all.
Report Check-InGreat FREE campground near Mesa Verde National Park. We snagged site #12 which was large, private, and had a lovely view of the valley. Even on a Monday most spots were occupied so have a backup plan just in case. No amenities and spotty cell service on ATT.
Report Check-InRoad very dry and rugged (trenches) from previous rains/mudboggin', wouldn't advice any RV over 24 feet. I got my class A 28ft in but the amount of feces, urine bottles and trash in many of the sites kind of ruins the views of the Mesa. LEAVE NO TRACE PEOPLE!
Report Check-InVery good. No amenities. Quiet. Good gravel road. 4wd required when wet. Shady. Fire not allowed at the moment.
Report Check-InAll sites were full except two. We snagged #13. Not the best view but has a couple trees to provide shade. We didn’t notice the road being very bumpy like mentioned in earlier posts but we do have high clearance. Perfect for the night before we visit the park.
Report Check-InVery very nice views. Not all spots are level and it gets busy.. but we made it work! Got a mouse in our van from that place ! But it’s gone and all good now :) just be careful.
Report Check-InSecond time here, first back in Feb 2020 when road was just too muddy for our 27’ Class C. Didn’t get stuck but got a lot of mud in the wheels. Second visit in April 2020, road in very rutted but hard packed mud. Kept on climbing and eventually found a good spot with excellent views of Mesa Verde. Only saw one other sote occupied with tent campers.
Report Check-InA great spot for an overnight. Arrive in the light because the road in has some huge gouges from when someone drove in when it was wet. If it has been dark we might not have felt as confident navigating past this. The site itself was awesome, no one bothered us, and it was only 4km to Mesa Verde in the morning!
Report Check-InGood spot, can hear highway but it’s not loud. Not much snow but very cold
Report Check-InQuiet, cold, decent little view. Deer abound. There is a fire ring here, but it was banked with ice when I arrived (Dec 30th). I reckon this place is car-accessible most of the year but its snowy now and 4WD was handy to have. js
Report Check-InVery wet and muddy. Stayed at site 9. Surprised my 2wd t1n sprinter with good at tires made it. Great spot with no one around.
Report Check-Init was so muddy we stopped and turned around at site #2. could not make it with a dodge caravan.
Report Check-InQuit spot. We came in at 8 p.m. and all camps were full. We took pne with two RVs.
When you will go for Mesa Verde NP on a tour, book online in advance!!!!!
Wooded area off of the road, hear some highway noise, otherwise quiet. A little dirty as people don’t bury their waste.
Report Check-Inbeautiful spot!!!
defenitily only for high clearence vehicles. road is very bumpy. we stayed at spot number 6 which had in my opinion the best view over the mountains of mesa verde and the sunset.
Not recommended for vehicles or trailers with low clearance. We couldn’t make it past site #3. Huge dips in the dirt road. Uneven campsites - difficult to get level.
Report Check-InI stayed here in my Aliner Expedition a couple nights at the #12 site. I picked up the trash around the campsite. There is evidence of many people camping between sites. There is definitely room for at least one more camper at this site.
Report Check-InGood place, when wet can be a problem for 2wd but still doable (I did ;))
Report Check-InGood place right next to the park. As mentioned definitely need higher clearance to get further down the road. I have a Honda CR-V and actually bottomed out at one spot.
Report Check-InIndeed a very convenient place close to the entrance of Mesa Verde NP but because of that quite busy too. Lots of places but many only for smaller cars. People even arrived late at night searching for a spot in the bush. Road after rain difficult (mud and therefore deep tracks). You hear lots of coyotes at night.
Report Check-InNice place close to Mesa Verde NP. The dirt road is very bumpy (2wd is OK). Not recommended if it rained! Levelling was a bit hard. It was quite busy! You can hear the highway a bit but it's not annoying.
Report Check-InGreat place if it is Dry. 2wd is ok when careful driving. Nice sundown and overlook.
Report Check-InGreat place and free, can't ask for more.
Road in was a bit bumpy. Everything in the park is closed down for the winter.
You can still use the bathroom at the visitor center. Free wifi at visitor center.
They was kind enough to let us fill our 7 gallon water jug.
great free camping area with big sites...but was completely full by 7pm on a Monday night. Parked at the end of the road where there is a turn around before entering private property.
Report Check-Inwe stay two nights, lot of spots, the road was a bit rough probably because of the rain
Report Check-InBeautiful view! Road is not bad at all and there are many spots for campers and or vehicle camping. Only 1.6 miles from the entrance of Mesa Verde and as someone else stated when inside the park you can go to the campsite and there are showers, coin laundry, and WiFi. My favorite hike was Look Out Point Trail which takes you to the top of the mountain visible from this campsites.
Report Check-InNear to Mesa Verde.
Free campsite without amenities.
Quiet.
Access by gravel road, then dirty road (big RV only at the beginning).
Top place , ok for my 24 feet rv , by sunny weather . Don't follow maps me turn on right when it's possible .
Report Check-InTake the first right turn after the highway onto the rough dirt road. 2wd vehicles must take extra caution when road is wet. Great dispersed spots away from others but with close access to the highway. Noise from the highway can be annoying, but dies down at night. Clean sites, please keep them this way!
Report Check-Inperfect place at 5min To the entrance of mesa verde
use the national park for fill water and showers free and clean
Parfait petit coin. Rien à dire de plus mais je ne conseille pas aux big rigs de plus de 28 ft
Report Check-InVery nice and quit place. We can't cut wood but there is a lot of dead wood to make fire.
Report Check-InFrom Hwy 160, get off at MC RD 34, then a few hundred metres, turn right at the first gravel road. Good secluded sites, a bit noisy from highway but it gets quiet after 9 pm. Some sites showed signs of overuse and garbage was left. One site looked like it had been used extensively by "travelers", with garbage bags left at the site. Lots of coyotes around. Note that showers and laundromat inside the NP are closed for the winter.
Report Check-InFree parking spot between juniper trees. The turnoff just 500 meters after you come off from highway. There is no sign for the camping spots. Just turn off and there is lots of places to park between the trees. Go futher up on this road to find a more secluded spots.
Report Check-InPros: Great free, primitive site right outside Mesa Verde NP. Road was washed out but not too bad if taken slow. Nice sites with stone fire rings and plenty of natural firewood around. Pretty views of rock formations in MVNP. Cons: very dry and dusty/dirty. Lots of gnats and little flies.
Report Check-InJust passing through and was going to stay somewhere in Cortez, CO. I'm happy this was posted on iOverlander as this is a better alternative. There are several spot here with nice views. It is very convenient to the road and Mesa Verde National Park. Definitely going to try staying here when I come back to visit the park.
Report Check-InClose to the entrence of mesa verde nationalpark, on a dirtroad more then one spot for free with firering. In the park by the store are laundrys with coins, showers for free and fast wifi
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