Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Forest Service2,491,783 acres · USDA Forest Service
Can you sleep here
Dispersed camping is generally allowed
On national forest and grassland, camping outside developed campgrounds is generally permitted unless an area is posted closed or a local order says otherwise. Stay on existing surfaces, camp away from water and trailheads, and check the forest's current orders before you go — fire restrictions change through the season.
Stay limit14 days in most forests — the exact limit is set per forest and district
In an RVDispersed sites are unimproved: no hookups, no water, no dump station, and access roads are often unsurfaced. Designated wilderness inside the unit is closed to all vehicles.
Rule36 CFR 261.58 — occupancy and use, set by forest order
Rules change with fire season and local order. Checked 2026-08-05. Confirm on the managing office’s official page
- Area
- 3,893 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 63
- Longest rig
- 130 ft
Where the land is, and what fits
The official Forest Service boundary with every campground we hold inside it. Tell it how long your rig is and the map keeps only what takes it — public land rarely matches the shape people picture, and neither does what you can actually get into.
Map loads as you scroll
Official unit boundary · USDA Forest Service · 63 campgrounds shown
63 of 63 campgrounds
- Ansel Watrous Campgroundto 40 ft · 17 sitesReservations accepted
- Arapaho Bay Campgroundto 45 ft · 85 sites · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Aspen Glen CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Bellaire Lake Campgroundto 60 ft · 27 sites · Electric · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Big Bend CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Big South CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Browns Park CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Camp Dick Campgroundto 99 ft · 42 sitesReservations accepted
- Caribou Dispersed Camping AreaSeason not published
- Chambers Lake Campgroundto 38 ft · 51 sitesReservations accepted
- Clear Lake CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Cold Springs CampgroundReservations accepted
- Columbine Campgroundto 55 ft · 47 sitesReservations accepted
- Coney Flats TrailheadSeason not published
- Crow Valley Campgroundto 81 ft · 15 sitesReservations accepted
- Crow Valley Group CampgroundReservations accepted
- Cutthroat Bay Group Campgroundto 16 ft · 2 sites · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Denver Creek CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Dowdy Lake Campgroundto 130 ft · 62 sites · Electric · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Dutch George CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Echo Lake Campgroundto 55 ft · 18 sites · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Gordon Gulch Dispersed Camping AreaSeason not published
- Grandview CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Green Ridge Campgroundto 47 ft · 76 sites · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Guanella Pass Campgroundto 45 ft · 18 sitesReservations accepted
- Horseshoe CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Idlewild CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Jacks Gulch Campgroundto 30 ft · 3 sites · Pull-throughFirst-come, first-served
- Jacks Gulch EquestrianSeason not published
- Jacks Gulch Group CampgroundSeason not published
- Jim Creek CampgroundReservations accepted
- Kelly Dahl Campgroundto 45 ft · 46 sitesReservations accepted
- Kelly Flats CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Long Draw CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Main Draw OHV Area11/1 – 4/9
- Meeker Park Overflow CampgroundSeason not published
- Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookoutto 20 ft · 1 sitesReservations accepted
- Midland Group Campground1 sitesReservations accepted
- Mizpah CampgroundSeason not published
- Mountain Park Campgroundto 45 ft · 57 sites · Electric · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Mountain Park Group CampgroundReservations accepted
- Narrows Campground: Upper and LowerReservations accepted
- North Fork Poudre CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Olive Ridge Campgroundto 60 ft · 56 sites · ElectricSeason not published
- Pawnee Campgroundto 100 ft · 52 sites · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Peaceful Valley Campgroundto 45 ft · 16 sitesSeason not published
- Pickle Gulch Group Campground5/19 – 10/9 · Reservations accepted
- Rainbow Lakes CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Robbers Roost CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Sleeping Elephant CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- South Fork CampgoundFirst-come, first-served
- St. Louis Creek Campgroundto 55 ft · 18 sites · Pull-throughFirst-come, first-served
- Stillwater CampgroundReservations accepted
- Stove Prairie Campgroundto 40 ft · 9 sites... – ... · Reservations accepted
- Stub Creek Recreation CabinReservations accepted
- Sugarloaf CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Sunset Point CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Tom Bennett CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Tunnel Campground... – ... · First-come, first-served
- West Chicago Creek Campgroundto 40 ft · 16 sites5/19 – 9/17 · Reservations accepted
- West Lake Campgroundto 40 ft · 36 sites · Electric · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- West Magnolia TrailheadSeason not published
- Willow Creek CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
No vehicles past these lines
Designated wilderness is closed to every wheeled vehicle, including bicycles. You can walk in and camp; you cannot drive or park a rig inside one.
- Indian Peaks Wilderness75,183 acres
- Rawah Wilderness74,457 acres
- Mount Evans Wilderness73,418 acres
- Comanche Peak Wilderness68,025 acres
- Never Summer Wilderness20,847 acres
- James Peak Wilderness17,129 acres
- Vasquez Peak Wilderness13,000 acres
- Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness12,615 acres
- Neota Wilderness9,927 acres
- Cache La Poudre Wilderness9,516 acres
- Byers Peak Wilderness8,801 acres
Byways through this country
Places worth pulling over
National parks close enough to pair
Plan it
Drive to Arapaho and Roosevelt the long way
Byway plans the road in, not just the destination — real places along the way, weighted to what you like, with nothing invented.