Colorado help

[Todd]

I'm new to this community.  This is my first post.  I've been watching the CRVL YouTube channel for almost a year, and a few other Nomads in recent weeks.  I understand some of the vocabulary, but I'm sure I have a LOT more to learn in my immediate future.

At the end of the month, I move out of my rental and into a wall tent...permanently.  I have a small car towing a light utility trailer to haul gear.  At the moment, I live in the Denver Metro area.  I still have other personal and family matters that will keep me in the area for at least a couple of months. 

I need to find boondocking sites in Colorado, hopefully less than an hour or so away from Denver.  Any suggestions?  

All advice is appreciated!  Thank you!

 

[crofter]

Welcome to the forum!
-crofter

 

[barleyguy]

Hi. Welcome.

Everything in Colorado within an hour of Denver is usually PACKED until labor day, especially to the west. I'd recommend going to Wyoming, Nebraska, or New Mexico until the summer rush is over, or go way farther west into the mountains. Once the summer rush is over (roughly the Wednesday after labor day), the national forests start to open up a lot.

There may be others on this board with specific suggestions for summer spots, but my general approach is to avoid that area until September.

 

[crofter]

Or will you be commuting for work?

 

[bullfrog]

Volunteer at a nearby local, state or national park for a couple weeks and see if they can offer you a campsite in exchange. Contact the National Forest and BLM offices also, offering to help often leads to them helping you. This is prime camping season and sites nearby urban centers will be difficult to find. If you have family there maybe you can use their back yard? Most public lands have a limited number of days you can camp, usually 14 days at most unless you work or volunteer there.

 

[Todd]

Or will you be commuting for work?

Thanks for the warm welcome! 

Currently not working.  I'm commuting until I can get my high school son enrolled in school for the fall.  We're looking at online options now, but it's still up in the air.  I need to be "close enough" until he's enrolled, then I can make a longer plan.

 

[Todd]

Hi. Welcome.

Everything in Colorado within an hour of Denver is usually PACKED until labor day, especially to the west. I'd recommend going to Wyoming, Nebraska, or New Mexico until the summer rush is over, or go way farther west into the mountains. Once the summer rush is over (roughly the Wednesday after labor day), the national forests start to open up a lot.

There may be others on this board with specific suggestions for summer spots, but my general approach is to avoid that area until September.

Thanks!  I appreciate the warnings.  I'm afraid I'm committed to being this close.  I'll have to weather the dense population for a while.

 

[Todd]

Volunteer at a nearby local, state or national park for a couple weeks and see if they can offer you a campsite in exchange. Contact the National Forest and BLM offices also, offering to help often leads to them helping you. This is prime camping season and sites nearby urban centers will be difficult to find. If you have family there maybe you can use their back yard? Most public lands have a limited number of days you can camp, usually 14 days at most unless you work or volunteer there.

Thank you!  I'm talking with family now.  I'll search how to contact those offices ASAP.  I don't mind moving often, I just need places to land!  Much appreciated.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Todd to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

Highdesertranger

 

[vgilbert]

Should be a lot of free camping in the national forest just west of Denver.
I use a free app on my Iphone called Free Roam, it is showing 20 plus sites under $10 per day (most are free) East of Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs.
I have never been to any of these but I have been traveling the country for 10 month now and Free Roam is my go to App to find free camping with good internet.
Good Luck!
God Bless

 

[Todd]

Thank you for the recommendation!  I just got it installed - very helpful!

 

[VanFan]

Thanks on behalf, also.  The front end of that site is very well done!

 

[vgilbert]

Awsome!! Enjoy the adventure!!