Camp in Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area

Chaffee County, Colorado

4.0/5

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Added by Sofia Davis-Kos

Camp on BLM land and watch the worlds most beautiful sunset! It's priceless, literally. Camp for free in designated camp sites and explore the area! You're at the heart of it all: great bouldering and climbing, plenty of 14ers, and the Arkansas River!

Head toward Nathrop, CO on U.S. High 295. Turn east between mile markers 144 and 145 onto Chaffee County Road 301. Take the road until the pavement runs out and turn right onto Chaffee County Road 300. Drive a couple miles on the road and through the Ruby Mountain campgrounds (paid lots only) until you see a wooden fence and a big sign indicating the Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area. Turn left and head up the bumpy dirt road and you'll begin to see campsites all over! The farther up the road you go, the better your view! For more info on directions visit: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo...

If you're up for it, hike Mt. Princeton! Set your alarms for 4AM the next day. When you wake up quickly pack and get on the road toward the Mt. Princeton Trailhead. When you arrive at the lower parking lot, next to the Young Life camp, don't park continue up the road marked Mt. Princeton. BEWARE: the road is really rough, you'll want an experienced driver and a 4WD vehicle. When you reach the upper campground, park your car and start hikin! You should summit the mountain by 10, 11 at the latest.

After a full day of hiking check out Buena Vista for a delicious aprés-14er lunch! I recommend the "Mountain Man Sandwich" at Jans.

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Camp in Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area Reviews

Ryan Kalman

Camp in Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area

05/15/17

Directions above were spot on and we found a nice spot to settle in for the weekend. Fair warning the road which is described as "bumpy" in the instructions above, is just that. It's also decently steep so make sure you have a solid AWD/4x4 with clearance (for reference: we took my Ford Explorer and got up and down no problem). Some of the camp sites did prove to be a little small, but we found a good spot at the highest point of the hill and had AMAZING views. Also there was a TON of Hawk activity going on. Very cool spot to disperse camp. Spend a bit of time in Buena Vista while you are out there! Trailhead is a really cool outdoor gear and coffee shop in town.

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Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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Camp in Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area

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Camp in Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area Reviews

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Mt. Princeton

Camp at East Castle Rock Gulch

Off-Trail Hike of Limestone Ridge

Hike Davis Meadow

Photograph Cottonwood Lake, CO

Hike Mount Shavano and Tabeguache Peak

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