From the top, you’re afforded 360 degree views of two distinct water sheds. Great Views from Cottonwood Pass CO. Yum! Segment 13 of the Colorado Trail can be accessed on Chaffee County 344 approximately 1/2 mile south of the intersection with Chaffee County Rd 306 (Cottonwood Pass Road). Perhaps the most appealing aspect is that it is accessible by any vehicle and requires no hiking. I also stayed in a nice spot called Meadows campground near Steamboat Springs Rabbit Ears Pass area. If everyone contributes a few campsites, we'll all have more places to go camping. This is a platform for sharing campgrounds and camp sites you have discovered. This national scenic byway connects Yampa (near … Whether you enjoy tent camping, car camping or RV camping, our goal is to help you find the best places to go camping. There are excellent views of Rainbow Lake below and excellent aspen viewing in the fall. At light, go west for 11 miles toward Cottonwood Pass. Not to mention the view from the summit is spectacular. Beautiful singletrack leads you south on the Colorado Trail from Cottonwood Pass on a rarely hiked section of trail that contours across the base of Sheep Mountain (11,939 ft.). Some of the most dramatic views ive seen in Colorado and one of my favorite spots. Is this campsite on public or private land? Stream fishing is available on the South Fork of Cottonwood Creek. From Crested Butte, drive south to Almont along CO-135. //rvdumpsites.net/wp-content/themes/freecampsites/androidApp.php. Map showing recreational areas. After the summit, go down on Gunnison County Road 209. Fees are payable by cash, check or money order. There is an additional fee of $10 – $15 per night per pet, depending on the size of the dog. We hope you enjoy the same style of camping. It’s an easy drive beginning in either Buena Vista or Almont. Map Information. innacurate. We apologize for this reality check. The campground is situated on a gently sloping hillside surrounded by aspen trees, within walking distance to the lake. Dispersed camping is not permitted along road 344 until half mile west of Cottonwood Lake. Tell us the route you want to take and we'll give you some suggestions for how to get there, along with free and low cost camping along the way. Link to your blog post about this campsite. Do not park on the main campground roadway. We have left messages at the Taylor Reservoir Trading Post and the Bait Shop. The trail rolls up and down with no major climbing as it crosses streams, winds through pine and aspen forests past beaver ponds. Do not remove or injure the toads, their eggs, or tadpoles. yet been reported on the site. Dispersed camping is rampant throughout the pass. General Notes: Segment 13 of the Colorado Trail can be accessed on Chaffee County 344 approximately 1/2 mile south of the intersection with Chaffee County Rd 306 (Cottonwood Pass … This may take a minute. We'll keep trying to connect. Less that a 40 minute drive from Buena Vista, the summit of Cottonwood Pass offers stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. Driving Directions . Simply wait a minute and see if your GPS has acquired a signal. The Colorado Trail passes nearby for those interested in trekking a mile or 500 miles across the state. Cottonwood Pass is not open for the winter, closing after the first big snowfall and re-opening sometime around mid-May. You are offline. By sharing camping information freely, we can all spend less time researching campgrounds, spend less money, and more time camping. CottonwoodPass.net is a photography-based website dedicated to Colorado's Cottonwood Pass region. This is all the information currently available. $20. Extending in all directions is a panorama of unbroken beauty. After Labor Day weekend, hosts and water may not available. Vehicles must park on the parking pads provided. Find a Free Campsite. If you like, we'll even optimize the route to save you driving time. Next level hosting generously provided by. We are community driven, and while we will be adding many free camping spots, we hope that you will add some of your favorite camping places as well. Super clean leave it that way! Cottonwood Pass This is a high mountain pass in south-central Colorado that sits at an elevation of 12,119 feet/3,694 m. Closed during heavy snowy weather usually from October through to May, you will not be disappointed with all the scenic views this place has to offer. If you have trouble finding a desired feature, you may need to disable the filter and research individual sites. Just add your must see destinations as extra stops along the way. Cottonwood Pass Cottonwood Pass is a high mountain pass in south-central Colorado in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. The colors are remarkable on this high mountain pass, peaking around 500 feet above tree line. Parking: Parking is limited to the parking pads provided at the campsites. You will be prompted when enabling it. Your GPS did not respond immediately. Sites are mostly sunny. We are not actively seeking Wal-Marts, truckstops or other parking lots and will not be adding very many of these. Many of these sites The application was unable to bootstrap all necessary libraries. It is located along the border of Gunnison and Chaffee counties in Colorado and is in the Sawatch Range. We do not know that the sites listed here should be listed on the Place your device with a clear view of the sky. than normal. You can simply use your smart phone's GPS to find camping near you or even use our trip planner to plan your route from coast to coast. Your permission is required to enable geolocation searches. Cottonwood Pass is an excellent stomping ground for adventure. Cottonwood Pass is the third highest paved road in Colorado with a 10% grade section. Displaying cached listings. Terrific views, East and west. After a day of play, Cottonwood Lake Campground is conveniently located just west of the lake. Children will love boulder-hopping and playing in the shallow waters of the creek. Your permission is required to enable this feature. Old Stage Road/Gold Camp Road. (719) 553-1400 I also saw quite a few paid areas up Independence Pass, Collegiate Peaks, and Cottonwood Pass that looked gorgeous. Freecampsites.net makes it easy. $7.00 fee for day use if not camping overnight. Located in Pike National Forest, the sites near Old Stage Road … Cottonwood Pass, Colorado: See 109 reviews, articles, and 119 photos of Cottonwood Pass, ranked No.346 on Tripadvisor among 2,767 attractions in Colorado. The creek can be accessed by walking directly south of the campground or by driving west on Forest Road 344 for about .5 miles. Main Street will leave the city limits of Buena Vista and will continue as County Road 306, also known as the Cottonwood Pass road. Do not park on the main campground roadway. This Trail starts at about 11,200 feet right before the top of cottonwood pass. Free campgrounds can be hard to find. The discount only applies to the fee for the campsite physically occupied by the pass owner, not to any additional campsite(s) occupied by members of the pass owner's party. Our community provides the best free camping information available. It is a popular campground for anglers and sites fill up quickly on weekends. Parking is permitted on the parking pads provided at each campsite. You can even drag the route around if you see something interesting you'd like to check out. Only campsites that meet at least one of the selected criteria will be displayed. We were unable to access local storage on your browser. From the main intersection in Buena Vista with a traffic light on US24, turn west onto Chaffee County 306 for Cottonwood Pass. This window will close when a signal is acquired. Cottonwood Pass is a high mountain route over the Continental Divide. ATV's are not allowed in the campground unless on trailers. Self-servicing fee tube is available. If you are prepared for some strenuous high-altitude hiking, you might find White-tailed Ptarmigan and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch in summer. Sites must be occupied the first night of payment. The quietest spots are near Middle Cottonwood Creek, which drowns out the sound of cars chugging up Cottonwood Pass. We believe that free camping areas are often the most beautiful and peaceful camp sites. Our routes show total mileage as well as driving time and turn by turn directions. This data is not complete and many campsites will have more features than are listed here. Warning! Don't like the route we've suggested? Flat Tops Trail. Not recommended for vehicles without high-clearance. Check out the options to avoid highways and toll roads. To get to the pass, drive east from Buena Vista on Chaffee County Road 306. Drive the paved road 11 miles to the Collegiate Peaks Campground, then continue another 3.7 miles to the turnoff on the left (south) for the Ptarmigan Lake Trailhead. Cottonwood Pass was an accidental discovery years ago while hiking 14ers. We give you a simple, map based search engine to find free and cheap camping areas. Pinewood Reservoir Campground Nearest town: Loveland From Buena Vista, Main Street will leave the city limits and will continue west as County Road 306, also known as the Cottonwood Pass road. From Buena Vista, CO, take Highway 306. Pass is at 12,126 ft, easy trails to Mtn tops at 13,000ft plus, if you wish. Very accessible, easy drive (paved) west of Buena Vista CO. No reservations are accepted. This information may be (and often is) wildly While most of the road is paved, the top 12 miles is well-maintained dirt. From Buena Vista the road quickly climbs to its summit of 12,126 feet. It’s remote, yet easy to reach. Two vehicles or one RV per site is included in the camping fee. Located 9 miles west of Buena Vista off Hwy 306. each with a picnic table and fire ring with grill. Parking is permitted on the parking pads provided at each campsite. To get to Cottonwood Lake, travel north on Highway 24 to the only stoplight in Buena Vista. Collegiate Peaks Campground is a great camping choice west of Buena Vista in central Colorado. The drive west from Cottonwood Lake campground up to Mineral Basin is spectacular, especially in the fall when the aspen trees are turning golden. Very accessible, easy drive (paved) west of Buena Vista CO. The creek and flowing water is beyond peaceful. Pass is at 12,126 ft, easy trails to Mtn tops at 13,000ft plus, if you wish. Dogs are allowed at the tent sites, but you must clean up after them and keep them on a leash or in a crate at all times. A soak in the hot springs down the road in BV is a must . The campground is located partway up Cottonwood Pass, a 12,136-foot pass spanning the Continental Divide, at an elevation of 9,800 feet. If you’re looking for free places to camp near Breckenridge, … It is provided as a means to help locate new camp sites that have not Please enable it in your browser settings in order to continue. What settings would you like to keep between sessions? Total size for all uploaded files must be less than 8MB. fill in the gaps in our data. Cottonwood Pass. Verify that any geolocation hardware is functioning. Highway 306 is paved on the east side of Cottonwood Pass. Whether you just need to know where to camp nearby or you want to plan a free camping road trip, we've got you covered. The Interagency Senior Pass (previously known as the Golden Age Pass) and the Interagency Access Pass qualifies for a 50% discount at concessionaire run campsites. Pre-caching attempts to compensate for the instability of mobile connections by proactively caching nearby campsites when GPS tracking mode is active and the browser is idle. Community reviews and ratings provide you with up to date information and help you select the best camp site for your next camping trip. Hand-propelled boats and canoes are permitted on the lake. If the site is too expensive to be listed here, it This website requires cookies and local storage. The road from Buena Vista is paved up to the Continental Divide at Cottonwood Pass, a stunning high-elevation pass that gets high above treeline and provides nice access to alpine tundra. Cottonwood pass is now completely paved, there are a ton of dispersed spots along the road. If you vacation regularly around Buena Vista, Tincup or Taylor Park Reservoir, I hope this site inspires you. After changing your browser settings, you may need to, If you are still experiencing issues, see our, Check the location settings on your device, Verify that location access to websites is enabled, When prompted, choose to allow this website to access your location, After changing location settings, you may need to, Verify that any geolocation hardware is functioning. You should select a specific area to see them. First-come, first-served. If it falls within our guidelines, it will be moved to the main In most cases, we'll provide alternate routes as well. Cottonwood Pass (elevation 12,119 feet (3,694 m)) is a high mountain pass in south-central Colorado in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States.It is located along the border of Gunnison and Chaffee counties in Colorado and is in the Sawatch Range.The area surrounding the pass is mostly forest, with the San Isabel National Forest to the east and the Gunnison National Forest to the west. We especially like camping on Forest Service land, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) areas, WMA's (Wildlife Management Areas) and county or city parks. will have fees associated with them that exceed our normal limits. Forest Service Home | USDA.gov | recreation.gov | Recreation Customer Service Standards | USA.gov | Whitehouse.gov, Plug-Ins | FOIA | Accessibility Statement | Privacy Policy | Important Notices | Information Quality, https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/psicc/recarea/?recid=12650. M-F, 7:30am–4:30pm. Enable cookies and local storage in your browser settings. Javascript is required for this website. Cottonwood Pass from Mapcarta, the free map. Blue River South of Breckenridge. Terrific views, East and west. Cottonwood Hot Springs is surrounded by a National Forest and wild animals are frequent welcome visitors to our property. This is to prevent the spread of a chytrid fungus that can kill the tiny toads. Cottonwood Lake - 24 campsites on a sloping hillside, in the midst of a stand of aspens. view and you will be listed as the contributor. Our road trip planner is the best tool for planning your next vacation. You have enabled research data. Campgrounds in the Highway 306 Area, Buena Vista Colorado. Pueblo, CO 81008 will be removed. Whether you just need to know where to camp nearby or you want to plan a free camping road trip, we've got you covered.You can simply use your smart phone's GPS to find camping near you or even use our trip planner to plan your route from coast to coast.. Our community provides the best free camping information available. Stay on this road for about 6 miles then turn left at County Road 344 for about 3 miles. We were camping on the north side of the road on the west side of the pass this weekend and found a very customized woman’s ring by the firepit. Co Rd 306 Buena Vista, CO 81211 GPS: 39.020300, -106.278650 Serene camping in the backwoods of Buena Vista! primary view as the prices have not been determined. Pike and San Isabel National Forests Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, Pike & San Isabel National Forests, Cimarron & Comanche National Grasslands, 2840 Kachina Drive You own these lands and you are entitled to use them. We'll keep trying to access your location. Be aware that the information presented here is more likely to contain errors At 13,588 feet, Cottonwood ranks as the 195th highest peak in the state, barely making the cut as a Bicentennial, one of Colorado's highest 200 summits. Cottonwood Lake Campground is a 0.5 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Nathrop, Colorado that offers scenic views and is good for all skill levels. $22.00 fee per site for overnight camping. The trail is primarily used for walking, camping, nature trips, and fishing and is best used from April until September. The application was unable to contact the server. The hike isn't a super difficult one, but you will go through numerous streams and flooded meadows (depending on the time of year). Not only is there fantastic dispersed camping on Cottonwood Pass just outside of town, but the local vibe in town kind of rocks too. Turn left at the stoplight and travel west on Main Street. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. The campground lies slightly west of Cottonwood Lake, a favorite spot for trout fisherman during the summer months. Another good spot for stream fishing is at the Green Timber Gulch trailhead located 3 miles west of the Cottonwood Lake campground. Cottonwood Peak Overview Located within Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, Cottonwood Peak towers over the San Luis and Wet Mountain valleys to the west and east. Cottonwood Lake is located .25 miles east of the campground. $6.00 for a third vehicle. It's famous for beautiful scenic views along the way, that are exceptional in the fall when trees turn golden and red. Our focus is on public lands. However, if a member of the community finds one of these locations to be useful for overnight RV parking and creates an entry, we may approve the listing. Cottonwood Pass is a gap in Colorado and has an elevation of 8917 feet. From Almont, take CO-742 east toward Taylor Park Reservoir. We take the hassle and cost out of road trips by giving you easy to follow directions and combining them with FREE and low-cost camping destinations. Camping near Buena Vista, Colorado&research=1. If you go, check out Eddyline Brewing. Due to the presence of endangered boreal toads in the beaver ponds, anglers are asked to disinfect their waders and boots with a bleach and water solution. Unfortunately, the fire might make this less than ideal. It then turns to dirt and winds its way down to the massive Taylor Park Reservoir. Campground is located on the left-hand side of the road. There is a small dirt parking area on the east side of the road. You do not have this listing cached. The trailhead starts at the LAST pull-off before you reach the top of the pass, so if you reach the top, you've gone too far. It’s especially spectacular each autumn for the f… If you research one of these sites, please use the edit interface to help us Golden Age and Golden Access Cardholder: 50% discount off the camping fee only. This information has not been error checked. If you are an admirer of Colorado's Rocky Mountains, you are in the right place! Verify that your network hardware is connected and functioning properly. Valid file types are jpg, jpeg, png and gif. Would you like us to display any of these other items when they are nearby? If relaxing is your thing, the shaded day use picnic areas on the shores of the lake are perfect spots to kick back and watch nearby wildlife. No electricity. These items will not appear on regional searches. Would you like automatic searches based on your position? Verify that you can load some other websites. There are enough Wal-Mart and truck stop directories out there already. TTY: (719) 553-1404 A stone’s throw away from Buena Vista, CO the area boasts several 14ers, the Colorado Trail, various hiking, biking, and ATV/dirtbike trails. A day of play, Cottonwood Lake campground is located on the size of western. Dispersed camping is not open for the winter, closing after the first big snowfall and re-opening sometime mid-May! Will close when a signal more places to go camping perhaps the beautiful! Prepared for some strenuous high-altitude hiking, you are prepared for some strenuous high-altitude hiking you! Along road 344 until half mile west of Cottonwood Lake, a spot... Tool for planning your next vacation often is ) wildly innacurate appealing aspect is that it is provided a. 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We believe that free camping areas is at 12,126 ft, easy trails to Mtn tops at plus!