Wildflowers to your knees in Washington Gulch, aspen going gold on Kebler Pass, Gothic Mountain catching the last light over the East River. The valleys around Crested Butte are some of the most loved camping in Colorado, and that's why they work differently from most national forest. Near town you don't pull over wherever the road flattens out. You camp at a numbered post, and there are a couple hundred of them, free and first come, first served, spread across eight valleys.
- Where
- Gunnison National Forest, all around town
- How
- numbered designated sites, first come, first served
- Cost
- free, except the Gothic sites and campgrounds
- Stay
- up to 14 days at a site
Pick a valley
Every dot is an official Forest Service site. Pick a valley to see its sites and the road in.
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Kebler Pass and Lake Irwin to the west, Slate River, Washington Gulch and Gothic to the north, Brush Creek and Cement Creek to the southeast. Swipe through them one by one.
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The biggest group of sites, in the valley north of town, and one of the few with room for an RV or trailer.
- Restrooms
- RVs and trailers: WG 3–26
- Dirt road (MVUM 7811)
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Up the Slate River from town toward Oh Be Joyful and Pittsburg. Musicians Camp sits low on the river and takes trailers; the SR sites climb the valley above it.
- Restrooms at Musicians Camp
- RVs and trailers: MC 1–17
- Dirt road (MVUM 7734)
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Seven sites up a side valley off the upper Slate River.
- No services
- Dirt road (MVUM 7552)
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Up the East River past the old town of Gothic. The G sites have picnic tables and charge a fee; Gothic Campground has 6 more. Past Gothic the road climbs toward Schofield Pass.
- Restrooms
- Fee
- Schofield Pass road opens July 1
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West of town on the Kebler Pass road, with more sites on the gravel road up to Lake Irwin. Lake Irwin Campground (25 sites) takes reservations.
- Gravel to Lake Irwin (MVUM 7826)
- Campground by reservation
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Five sites up a short side road off the Kebler Pass road, closer to town than Lake Irwin.
- No services
- Dirt road (MVUM 7885)
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East of Mount Crested Butte: Tent City, Brush Creek, Farris Creek and West Brush, four groups of sites along one creek. Tent City takes trailers.
- Restrooms at Tent City
- RVs and trailers: Tent City
- Open May 28 (MVUM 7738)
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Up Cement Creek from Highway 135, south of town, with Cement Creek Campground (13 sites) near the bottom and the Walrod sites on a side road.
- Campground at the bottom
- Open May 28 (MVUM 7740)
Site codes and services are from the Forest Service's Crested Butte designated camping page; road numbers, surfaces and seasons are from the Gunnison District MVUM. The dots are the Forest Service's own site locations.
How the sites work
- Camp only at a post. Each site is marked with a post showing its number and a camping symbol. If every post in a valley is taken, try the next valley.
- First come, first served. No reservations, except Lake Irwin Campground. Stay up to 14 days, and don't leave your things unattended for more than 24 hours.
- Fires only in the metal ring at your site.
- Bring what you need. Most sites have no water, trash service or toilets. Pack out human waste, or bury it 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water.
- Check your rig. Many sites sit on high-clearance, four-wheel-drive roads, and some are short. With an RV or trailer, stay at Washington Gulch WG 3–26, Musicians Camp or Tent City.
(Designated camping, Crested Butte)
Know before you go
The rule behind it
Forest order GMUG-2022-10 makes the valleys around Crested Butte designated-sites-only. Camping is allowed only at a numbered site or in the Cement Creek, Lake Irwin or Gothic campgrounds, and fires only in a Forest Service metal fire ring. Breaking either is a federal misdemeanor. The order runs until it's rescinded or until June 30, 2027. (Forest order GMUG-2022-10)
Outside the order's area, normal Gunnison National Forest rules apply: up to 14 consecutive days in one spot and 28 days in any 60 on the forest, and each new camp at least 3 road or trail miles from the last. (GMUG occupancy and use order)
Roads and seasons
Only roads on the Motor Vehicle Use Map are open to motor vehicles. Crested Butte is on the Gunnison District MVUM (North); the south half covers the rest of the district. (GMUG Motor Vehicle Use Maps) The MVUM's general allowance to drive off a road to camp doesn't override the designated-site order: here, the post is the campsite.
On the MVUM, Brush Creek (7738) and Cement Creek (7740) are open to vehicles from May 28, and the Schofield Pass road past Gothic (7317) from July 1. Snow decides the rest; Gunnison County posts road alerts at its alert center, and the forest lists closures under GMUG alerts.
Fire restrictions
Inside the designated area, fires are allowed only in Forest Service metal rings, always. The forest and Gunnison County add seasonal restrictions on top. Check both on the day you go:
Sources
Checked November 2, 2026. Rules change; the agency pages are the authority.
- Crested Butte area camping and fire prohibitions (order GMUG-2022-10)
- Designated camping, Crested Butte
- GMUG general occupancy and use order
- Gothic Campground
- GMUG Motor Vehicle Use Maps
- Map: public land from PAD-US, roads from the Forest Service MVUM, and site locations from the Forest Service, as Camplore's map draws them.
