Dispersed Camping In Flat Top Wilderness | Scenic Byway And More

Dispersed Camping in Flat Tops Wilderness is the perfect place to come and get away from it all. It’s also a great way to experience the beauty of this majestic area. Skip the crowds and find some peace and solitude at one of the many lakes and reservoirs or on one of the trails in the area. And keep your eyes out for the wildlife that abounds here.

Flat Tops Wilderness is the third largest wilderness in Colorado and it falls within two national forests – White River and Routt. Elevation ranges from 8,700 to 12,347 feet with lower elevations in the area surrounding the wilderness. Shaped by volcanism and glaciation, the landscapes include U-shaped valleys, glacial lakes, flat topped cliffs and alpine tundra.

Are you ready to see this place for yourself? Read on to find out more about the dispersed camping in Flat Tops Wilderness! We’ve provided some coordinates below to help you plan ahead.

Quick Info: Dispersed Camping in Flat Tops Wilderness

Cost: Free

Ownership: Forest Service; 14 day limit

Directions: From Steamboat Springs, take the 131 south for 20.7 miles to Phippsburg. Once through town, turn right onto Rcr 15 which then becomes County Road 15. After about a mile, turn right onto Rcr 19 and continue straight for about 6 miles. The road will enter the forest and become County Road 8/Flat Tops Scenic Byway. Now you will start noticing camp spots and spur roads with camp spots. Our spot was about 4 miles in on the right.

Solar: Good, but depends on the spot you choose.

Miles From Town: About 15 miles from Oak Creek

Water: None

Road Conditions: Well maintained gravel road with some washboard areas

Cell Service: No

Our Experience Camping in the Flat Top Wilderness

When we first reached Routt National Forest we noticed several camp spots along the main forest road. But we decided to check out Forest Road 959 heading towards Sheriffs Reservoir. Since it was early June, we discovered that many of those spots were still super muddy. So we headed back and chose a nice open spot near the aspens.

Looking for specifics? Here are a few spots to check out for dispersed camping in Flat Tops Wilderness:

• 40.19092898221073, -107.10390117238187
• 40.17711775670726, -107.1171620137293
• 40.206837551520756, -107.15627339253379
• 40.065798443468275, -107.32247018760454
• 40.11881162993848, -107.29569344866368

Our spot was located in a beautiful setting, had great solar, easy access and a big yard so we were satisfied! And sometimes we were even able to pick up a bar of service though not enough to get much work done.

When we first arrived nearly all of the spots that we scouted were empty. But during our stay, the area slowly saw more campers coming and going. Since we chose a camp spot just off the main forest road, we saw more of the through traffic than we would have if we had chosen a spot off of a spur road instead. That being said, there’s not that much traffic in this area and it was never a bother.

One of the highlights of camping near the Flat Tops Wilderness is all the wildlife in the area! During our time in the area we saw deer, bear, elk, prairie dogs, hummingbirds, chipmunks and by the end of our stay we saw more and more mosquitoes.

The aspen, conifers and meadow full of dandelions made for a beautiful spot for camping near the Flat Tops. This area is quiet, peaceful and full of adventure.

Checking Out the Area

While we were camping in the Flat Tops Wilderness, we set out to explore the area. There is a lot to see and do here – camping, fishing, hiking, kayaking and scenic driving to name a few. Here are a few places we checked out.

Flat Tops Scenic Byway

Flat Tops Scenic Byway/County Road 8 is a well maintained scenic drive that spans the wilderness and connects the towns of Yampa and Meeker. This is a great place to start exploring Routt National Forest and the Flat Top Wilderness. Along the way there is beautiful scenery and several overlooks as well as a
number of reservoirs and trailheads to check out! This road is gravel and does not require 4WD or high clearance vehicles.

Here are a few sneak peaks at the beauty to be found on Flat Tops Scenic Byway.

Chapman Reservoir

Sherriffs Reservoir

Dunckley Pass

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Alan Basin Reservoir

Trappers Lake

To get to Trappers Lake, turn south east onto Trappers Lake Road. You can find several trails, lakes and campgrounds accessed via this main dirt road. To reach Trappers Lake, follow it straight until it ends at a parking area.

Crosho Lake

Bear River Road

Bear River Road is another amazing road for adventure in the Flat Tops that can be accessed in Yampa. This scenic road follows the Bear River into the wilderness and accesses camping areas, beautiful reservoirs and numerous trailheads.

On Bear River Road there are about 30 designated dispersed camp spots along the way but for a fee of $5 a night. Some of these spots are incredible with great views of the valley. And they each have a metal fire ring and a picnic table. There are also some that are located near vault toilets. And of course there are campgrounds as well.

Many of the main trailheads on Bear River Road begin at Stillwater Reservoir. One of the hikes that we were able to check out in the area was the Devils Causeway/Mosquito Lake Loop. And it was incredible! We would highly recommend it. Get information about the hike here.

Yamcolo Reservoir

Bear Lake

Stillwater Reservoir

Thanks for Reading!

We hope you enjoyed this article about camping in the Flat Tops! If you would like to see more of our articles about awesome dispersed camping spots, check out the links below:

• Free Camping Near Leadville
• Camping and Exploring Indian Bread Rocks
• Dispersed Camping Near Dinosaur National Monument
• Dispersed Camping Near Oatman

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