East Fork San Juan River Dispersed Camping

Everywhere in Colorado is stunning but with that said there is definitely no cell service out there haha! The road is terrible. If you have anything less than a Subaru with all terrains I wouldn’t take my vehicle up it. There’s crazy pot holes constantly and rocks that are at least 2-3 inches big littering the road. Never went over 8mph. And decided on a spot before this designated one tucked behind the trees by the bridge,

We stayed here based on prior reviews and were not disappointed. Road was not bad at all (we have a jeep Rubicon but any vehicle with some clearance should be fine). Had a spot right on the creek with plenty of shade and a fire ring. There was a little bit of road noise (occasional trucks passing by) but very tolerable. This spot is perfect for people wanting primitive camping near Pagosa Springs.

Spent two nights here in August. There were 4-5 spots in this area, which is right on the San Juan River. I was here on a Sunday night / Monday night and it was not crowded. There were a couple of other folks who were there. There are a couple of trailheads (about 1/2 mile up the road). I took the Quartz Ridge trail - which was nice - except having to cross a creek .20 miles into the hike).

I have AT&T and had no cell coverage at all.

I almost want to repeat everything Dirty Boot Diva said in her review.
There is an East Fork paid campground at mile one. So if you want the dispersed camping, keep going. The road has tons of pot holes, you have to take it slow if you are in an RV or towing a 5th wheel or trailer. We are in a promaster and thought "how to people in larger rigs do this?" Well, we saw every type of rig minus a class A. So you can do it, just make sure everything is secure and take your time.
We stayed at the sites on the left after the first bridge. We liked it some much we stayed 2 days longer than expected. It was so beautiful and for the most part quiet.
We walked up the road more and saw all the other sites along the river and on the road...soooo beautiful. Worth the extra bumping around to get there, I think.
Again, read Dirty Boot Diva review, it's super informative if you plan on going. Then go to Pagosa Springs. Across from the Visitor Center there is a spring you can get into for free and not pay the $45 per person at the hotel/spa.
Absolutely No Cell Service

Arrived at the site (Coordinates: 37.383271662257435, -106.85624665058418) Sunday, August 2, 2020 for a one-night stay. I consider this my first "official" dispersed camping trip since I planned it from start to finish. I created a map of dispersed sites from Denver to Durango and selected this particular site on the way back to Denver through Pagosa Springs because the drive was so beautiful.

I was a little confused at first because East Fork Campground is about a mile in on the right of USFS 667. You need to stay on USFS 667 and go past the regular campground site and follow the road which runs along the East Fork San Juan River. Driving on USFS 667 past the campground is extremely rough. I drive a Mazda CX-5 and it did well enough, but I was taking it very, very slow and had to zigzag around very deep potholes. If you arrive after a big rain, the holes could be full of water and easy to miss so beware. That said, a few 4x4s flew right by me, no problem.

There are a few potential camp sites along the road. A more established area is about 2.7 miles in from highway 160 on the left side of the road after you drive across the first bridge over the San Juan River. There are a number of sites there large enough for RVs and some great flat tent camping spots too. I was tent camping with a friend and we had separate tents and plenty of room between us. I pitched my tent closer to river and he stayed further back by the trees. If you can get past the potholes, it's a lovely spot.

A few side notes: There were quite a few ATVs in the area, but the noise wasn't bad during my stay. I only used my cell phone to take photos, so I can't speak to Sprint's cellular coverage in that area. Other campers told me there are even more spots if you keep travelling up 667, and the Sand Creek Trailhead is .8 miles from the site.

We camped in a tent way back on the East Fork, closer to the private property than the highway, for a week during archery season. This zone is awesome if you're in a camper, but not so much if you're in a tent. All the pull offs are close to either the road or the river, or both, offering little privacy or shield from headlights. We saw bear sign (aka poop and tracks) nearby, a fox and tons of ground squirrels but struggled to find a spot to hang a proper bear bag. The trees are either spruce, fir or willow. The road was rough and busy with 4-wheelers and side-by-sides. Plus it is COLD in the bottom of this canyon!! Our truck said 32-35 degrees every morning and 50-55 degrees as soon as you got on the highway. We would've moved our camp, but our dog loved playing in the water and it was fun to enjoy the river. I would recommend camping off Blanco Basin, Turkey Creek or Buckles Lake if you're in a tent and would be willing to sacrifice the river views for a quieter, warmer camping experience.

We stayed here one night in July 2020 after we found a space right next to the river but we needed service at the time so we returned the following weekend to enjoy the spot again. After the pay campground, the road does get rough but we took it slow in our short skoolie and had no problems. Note: after it rained it was a little more difficult. We saw several different areas that could hold larger rigs and some people had managed to get them back there. It was very peaceful and serene once the off road folks had their daytime fun.

This area is beautiful but the road is rough so it takes a while to get there and I wouldn't attempt it without decent clearance. Lots of rocks and deep potholes on the road. I kind of freaked out driving in - I passed the East Fork campground and the road turned bad quickly and there wasn't a place to turn around until the first bridge. Luckily that is also the first decent place to camp. I stopped there and didn't go further. It was 20 minute drive from the highway.

The river is beautiful! We were close to the road and there was some traffic - mostly ATVs - but the river drowns out the noise.

This area is popular for good reason. Lots of good river side sites for rigs of all sizes. The road is dusty with lot of lumps and bumps but even large rigs can go several (4+) miles from the highway and find great spots. There are also turnarounds in several places if you start to feel too secluded. No cell service up this canyon, but a gorgeous fork of the San Juan River with great sites and access along it.

Access is not 5 stars because it is an unpaved forest road so you may not want to bring a new $100K RV down it, but its generally a good road. Noise is also not 5 stars because it is dispersed camping in the national forest and noise is subject to the luck of the draw on neighbors and how many OHVs are out. Otherwise location, location, location.