Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Forest Service4,592,797 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
- 7,176 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 77
- Longest rig
- 120 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 · 77 campgrounds shown
77 of 77 campgrounds
- Allen Basin TrailheadSeason not published
- Aspen CampgroundJune (weather dependent) – Mid to Late October (weather dependent) · First-come, first-served
- Bear Lake CampgroundMid-June – Early-Mid October (Weather dependent) · First-come, first-served
- Bear River Developed Camp SitesMid June – Late October (Dependent on snow levels) · First-come, first-served
- Big Creek Lakes Campgroundto 50 ft · 60 sites · Pull-throughEarly June – Mid to Late October (weather dependent) · First-come, first-served
- Blacktail Creek CampgroundEarly-Mid June – Late September · First-come, first-served
- Bow River CampgroundReservations accepted
- Bow River Ranger Station1 sitesJune – early October · Reservations accepted
- Brooklyn Lake Campgroundto 99 ft · 28 sites · Pull-throughMid July (Weather dependent) – Early October (weather dependent) · First-come, first-served
- Brush Creek Work Center BarracksReservations accepted
- Campbell Creek Campgroundto 41 ft · 6 sites · Pull-throughJune – October · Reservations accepted
- Chapman Reservoir CampgroundMid to early June (dependent on weather) – Mid to Late November (dependent on snow) · First-come, first-served
- Cold Springs CampgroundMid June (Dependent on snowfall) – Late October (Dependent on snowfall) · First-come, first-served
- Crosho Lake Recreation AreaEarly June (weather permitting) – Late October (weather permitting) · First-come, first-served
- Curtis Gulch Campgroundto 55 ft · 6 sites · Pull-throughJune – October · Reservations accepted
- Deep Creek CampgroundReservations accepted
- Dumont Lake CampgroundLate June – October 1 · First-come, first-served
- Esterbrook Campgroundto 51 ft · 12 sitesJune – October · Reservations accepted
- Freeman Reservoir CampgroundMid June - weather dependent – Mid Nov - weather dependent · First-come, first-served
- French Creek CampgroundJune – September · First-come, first-served
- Friend Park Campgroundto 30 ft · 11 sites · Pull-throughJune – October · Reservations accepted
- Granite CampgroundMid to Late July – Until the snow makes it unreachable. · First-come, first-served
- Grizzly Guard Station Recreation RentalJanuary
- Hahns Peak Lake CampgroundMid June – Mid October · First-come, first-served
- Hinman Park CampgroundEarly June – Mid September · First-come, first-served
- Hog Park Campgroundto 120 ft · 50 sites · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Horseshoe CampgroundMid June (Dependent on snowfall) – Late October early Nov (Dependent on snowfall) · First-come, first-served
- Jack Creek Campgroundmid-June – October · First-come, first-served
- Jack Creek Crew Quartersto 10 ft · 1 sitesmid-June – mid-October · Reservations accepted
- Jack Creek Guard Station1 sitesmid-June – mid-October · Reservations accepted
- Keystone CabinJanuary – December · Reservations accepted
- La Prele Guard Stationto 20 ft · 1 sites · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Lake Owen CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Libby Creek Aspen CampgroundSeason not published
- Libby Creek Pine CampgroundReservations accepted
- Libby Creek Spruce CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Libby Creek Willow CampgroundReservations accepted
- Lincoln Park Campgroundmid-June – September · First-come, first-served
- Little Brooklyn Guard StationReservations accepted
- Lost Creek Campgroundmid-June – September · First-come, first-served
- Lynx Pass CampgroundEarly June (weather permitting) – Late September (weather permitting) · First-come, first-served
- Meadows CampgroundLate June – Mid October (weather dependent) · First-come, first-served
- Miller Lake Dispersed CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Morrison Divide North TrailheadSeason not published
- Morrison Divide South TrailheadSeason not published
- Nash Fork CampgroundEarly July (weather dependent) – Early October (weather dependent) · Reservations accepted
- North Fork CampgroundReservations accepted
- Pelton Creek CampgroundReservations accepted
- Pines CampgroundJune (weather dependent) – Mid to Late October (weather dependent) · First-come, first-served
- Pole Creek Dispersed CampgroundSeason not published
- Red Dirt Reservoir Recreation AreaMid June – Oct/Nov · First-come, first-served
- Rob Roy CampgroundReservations accepted
- Rock Creek Recreation AreaMid June – Late October
- Ryan Park Campgroundto 99 ft · 48 sites · Pull-throughJune – September · Reservations accepted
- Sandstone Cabin1 sitesmid-June – September · Reservations accepted
- Sawmill Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Seedhouse Campground24 sites · Pull-throughEarly to Mid-June – Mid October · First-come, first-served
- Seedhouse Group CampgroundMid June – Mid October · Reservations accepted
- Seedhouse Guard Station1 sitesReservations accepted
- Sheriff Reservoir CampgroundMid to late June (weather permitting) – October/November (weather permitting) · First-come, first-served
- Silver Lake CampgroundJuly – September · First-come, first-served
- Six Mile CampgroundJune – September · First-come, first-served
- Snow Survey Cabin1 sitesJanuary · Reservations accepted
- South Brush Creek CampgroundJune – September · First-come, first-served
- Spruce Mountain Fire LookoutReservations accepted
- Sugarloaf CampgroundMid July (weather dependent) – Ealy October (weather dependent) · Reservations accepted
- Summit Lake CampgroundMid July – Until unreachable due to snow · First-come, first-served
- Teal Lake CampgroundEarly June (weather dependent) – Mid to Late October (weather dependent) · First-come, first-served
- Teal Lake Group SiteEarly June – Late September · Reservations accepted
- Tie City CampgroundReservations accepted
- Trout Creek Recreation AreaFirst-come, first-served
- Ute Heart TrailheadSeason not published
- Vedauwoo CampgroundReservations accepted
- West Fish Creek TrailheadSeason not published
- Weston Recreation AreaJune
- Yellow Pine CampgroundReservations accepted
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest is the official title to a U.S. Forest Service managed area extending over 2,222,313 acres (8,993.38 km2) in the states of Wyoming and Colorado, United States. What were once three separate areas, Medicine Bow National Forest, Routt National Forest, and Thunder Basin National Grassland were administratively combined in 1995 due to similarity of the resources, proximity to each other and for administrative purposes.
Extract from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Agency description not published.
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.
- Mount Zirkel Wilderness160,505 acres
- Sarvis Creek Wilderness44,345 acres
- Huston Park Wilderness31,057 acres
- Platte River Wilderness23,300 acres
- Savage Run Wilderness15,284 acres
- Encampment River Wilderness10,212 acres
Byways through this country
Places worth pulling over
National parks close enough to pair
Plan it
Drive to Medicine Bow-Routt 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.