Jones Pass Road Dispersed Camping

We arrived after a long day of driving and trying out another dispersed camping area that was a a complete disappointment.

Arrived on Thursday night before the 4th of July weekend. The road is pretty rough and the camping spots coming up along the road are for tent camping or very small trailers like a pod or something.

We followed the steep and rough dirt road to about as far as I felt comfortable. There is 1 area where a big rig can camp (might be able to fit a couple in this little area but would be pretty close. And not our style unless friends or family. I would think most big rigs should stay away. We have a 42’ fifth wheel and it was tight and steep!! And much further up the road are tight switch backs and the road narrows even more so no big rigs should go much further tha. Where we stopped.

The views are to die for. On our first morning there after spending the night it started to rain/sleet/hail on us. However being in the big rig we were perfectly fine. And enjoyed working remotely using starlink. Verizon only has 1 bar and it is intermittent depending on where around the trailer you might be standing.

I would def come back her as long as I could get the same place. Now wish me luck heading back down the mountain. :)

Oh man what a great spot! There are plenty of sites available on the reasonable drive up that are on the left side of the road next to the river but they're all ground tents only. There was maybe one site where you might be able to squeeze in a roof top tent but the site was occupied and we weren't going to investigate. I wouldn't call this travel trailer friendly but everybody adventures differently.

We leveled the truck with a well placed rock and the views were top notch! Some toilet paper was left behind and despite being good stewards of our environment, I'm not picking up somebody else's TP without latex gloves, something I'll add to our camp kit. For the most part, the sites were clean. Fire ban in effect didn't seem to stop some people around us from lighting camp fires so were made sure to have an exit plan just in case.

Garmin elevation at the main camping area listed us at 10,400'. We were told of more camping sites in the alpine but we didn't venture to check them out.

We pulled in around 7pm on Saturday evening and unsurprisingly all the actual spots lower down along the road were taken. We decided to try our luck higher up and followed the road until we ran into a jeep that had set up camp in the middle of the road because it was snowed out just beyond them. We maneuvered sideways and leveled our truck with the help of a few strategically placed rocks and called it good. Will absolutely be coming back to explore higher up once the snow melts.

Would not recommend any rig longer than 22ft beyond the main camping area. Once the road starts to climb, there is nowhere to turn around and there are a few tight switch backs.

Overall the views were gorgeous and we enjoyed it.

Jones Pass Road begins by a molybdenum mine, but don't let that fool you. At the end you will experience beauty and solitude that only Colorado can provide.

Upon exiting I-40 head towards the molybdenum mine on 202. This road is paved and 40mph, in excellent condition. Once you approach the mine there will be a gate and to your rightb202 (FR144) continues and changes to dirt/gravel. This exit from the pavement is the worst part of the forest road. The rest is in much better repair.

If you make it past the initial pot holes it is decently smooth sailing from there. The road is slightly washboard with no significant ruts. It is a narrow one lane with minimal turn offs so take that in consideration as to the size rig you want to use.

The Jonas Pass Trailhead is large enough to drop a trailer or leave a Class C to scout ahead. If the trail head is empty a 30ft trailer can be turned around. Past this trail head the road narrows and heads a steady uphill. While my truck does have 4x4 it was not necessary on this road. There were approximately 4 sites on the road up but they were more suited for vans or tents.

When you reach the GPS coordinates you will find two RV suitable camping areas to your right and left.

The area to the right is a large, fairly level circle. This area could easily fit a large Class C or several trailers. It is easy to access and any level clearance vehicle can reach it.

The area to your left does require higher clearance. It is an circle drive with a large parking area on the far end. The lower half of the circle has the better road. There are approximately 4 campsites on the circle for tents before you reach the large parking area suitable for RVs. The large area could fit any size rig that is able to brave the circle.

The area with these sites is beautiful. There is a swifly running creek falling from an expansive high mountain meadow. This meadow has a hiking trail that is easily accessible from the sites.

In addition to this trail there are several more in the area. Henderson Spur trail will take you to the Continental Divide Trail and allow you to summit Vasquez Peak or Stanley Peak. The Bultler Gulch Trail exhibits a stream fed valley and expansive views of the mountains. This area is also approximately 30 minutes from Winter Park, Colorado.

At these sites we received 1 bar of Verizon 4G.