The river runs high and loud past F Street, Mount Shavano holds snow into June, and twenty minutes out of town the pavement turns to gravel. Salida sits in the middle of a lot of public land: national forest climbing toward Marshall and Monarch passes, BLM hills along the valley, and a river corridor run by the state. Most of it allows free camping, but not all of it the same way. Start with where you want to wake up.
- Land
- San Isabel National Forest, BLM, Arkansas Headwaters
- Free camping
- most of the forest, BLM at designated sites
- Stay
- 14 days in 30 on the national forest
- Road map
- Salida Ranger District MVUM
Pick a place to camp
The dots are the area's official campgrounds. Pick a place to see it on the map, with its roads in highlighted.
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Marshall Pass and O'Haver Lake to the southwest, Methodist Mountain right above town, the Arkansas River below it, Browns Creek up the valley, and Fourmile to the north.
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County Road 200 climbs toward Marshall Pass past O'Haver Lake. Within a quarter mile of the lake and its campground you camp only at developed or designated sites; farther up, the usual forest rules apply.
- Designated sites at O'Haver Lake
- Over the pass opens May 28 (MVUM 7243)
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The mountain right above town, up County Road 108. National forest rules apply.
- Open Apr 16–Nov 30 (MVUM 108)
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The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area. Its campgrounds near Salida, Hecla Junction, Salida East, Rincon and Point Barr, are reservation only. Outside them you can camp dispersed, with your own fire container and a portable toilet.
- Campgrounds by reservation
- 14 days in any 28
- Bring a fire pan and toilet
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West of US 285, south of Chalk Creek. The Forest Service is laying out designated sites here first; until it announces them, regular dispersed camping continues.
- Designated sites coming
- Open Apr 17–Nov 30 (MVUM 272)
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About 100,000 acres of Forest Service and BLM hills between Salida and Buena Vista. Forest land follows the usual forest rules; on BLM land you camp at designated sites.
- BLM: designated sites only
- Gates close Dec 1–Apr 30
- No drinking water
Campground and road locations are from the Forest Service, the BLM and the Forest Service MVUM; seasons are the MVUM's dates for passenger vehicles. Chaffee County has no signed designated dispersed sites yet, so they aren't on the map.
Know before you go
Who manages the land
- San Isabel National Forest, Salida Ranger District. Office: 5575 Cleora Rd, 719-539-3591. (Salida Ranger District)
- BLM, Royal Gorge Field Office. About 38,000 acres in Chaffee County, much of it the lower, drier hills between the river and the forest. (BLM decision, Feb 2023)
- Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA). A 152-mile river corridor managed jointly by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the BLM and the Forest Service. CPW says visitors are responsible for knowing whose land they're on. (AHRA)
- Private land is mixed in throughout the valley floor. Posted signs win.
Camping rules on the national forest
On most of the forest you can camp outside developed campgrounds for free, with no reservation. Stay no more than 14 days in any 30-day period within the same 20-mile radius, and don't camp within 100 feet of water except at a developed or designated site. Three busy areas are designated sites only for camping and fires: within half a mile of Chalk Creek up to St. Elmo, within a quarter mile of Forest Road 344 (South Cottonwood Creek), and within a quarter mile of O'Haver Lake and its campground. (San Isabel occupancy and use order)
More designated sites are coming. The forest's decision to move parts of the Leadville and Salida districts to vehicle-based designated dispersed sites is signed, with no fees and no reservations, and layout started at Browns Creek in early 2026. Regular dispersed camping continues in each area until the forest announces its final site designations. (Forest Service release, Feb 2026)
Camping rules on BLM land
The BLM's 2023 plan for Chaffee County allows camping in designated sites only and limits driving to designated routes, with fire rings and site markers installed. (BLM decision) Some sites charge: primitive sites at Shavano, Burmac, Browns Grotto and the County Road 304 area are $10 a night, and Turtle Rock Campground is $20. (Federal Register fee notice, 2024) Statewide, BLM stays are 14 days in any 30, then move at least 30 miles, and nothing may be left unattended for more than 48 hours. (BLM Colorado camping rules)
Camping rules on the river
AHRA campgrounds are reservation only, through cpwshop.com or 1-800-244-5613. Dispersed camping is allowed outside the campgrounds and day-use areas: 14 days in any 28, bring your own fire container (rock fire rings aren't allowed), and pack out human waste in a portable toilet. (AHRA camping)
Roads and seasons
Only the roads and trails on the Motor Vehicle Use Map are open to motor vehicles. Salida is on the Salida Ranger District MVUM, a free PDF updated every January; Fourmile has its own area map. (Motor Vehicle Use Maps) The district calls the road to Grizzly Lake "a difficult route", and the Rainbow Trail is closed to OHVs and four-wheel vehicles. (Salida Ranger District)
- Fourmile: seasonal gates close December 1 and open April 30. (Fourmile TMA)
- Forest roads: the season dates on each card come from the current MVUM.
Fire restrictions
Chaffee County, the national forest and the BLM each set their own, and at AHRA the most restrictive one applies. Check all of them on the day you go:
- Chaffee County Sheriff: fire restrictions
- Pike and San Isabel National Forests: fire restrictions
- BLM Rocky Mountain District
Sources
Checked November 2, 2026. Rules change; the agency pages are the authority.
- San Isabel National Forest occupancy and use restrictions
- Salida Ranger District
- Fourmile Travel Management Area
- Designated dispersed campsite layout underway (Feb 2026)
- BLM Chaffee County camping and travel management decision
- BLM Colorado camping and occupancy rules
- Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area: camping
- Pike and San Isabel Motor Vehicle Use Maps
- Map: public land from PAD-US, roads from the Forest Service MVUM and BLM, and campground locations from the Forest Service and BLM, as Camplore's map draws them.
