Withers Canyon Trailhead Campground

This spot is 17 miles off the main road, mostly decent maintained hard packed roads except for the actual 3 mile road from the main gate. Road was so badly washboarded it took 30 minutes to drive the 3 miles. Once there, 3 flat spots with great views. Is it worth the drive? Not sure I would do it again even with our all wheel drive off road equipped rig.

We stayed here for an extended period because my husband went on an antelope hunt with his brother near Kiowa, CO and because we wanted to visit the Picket Wire & Rogue Canyons, drive the Santa Fe Trail Byway and see Carrizo Canyon and visit Bent’s Old Fort. What we didn’t know when we arrived was that LaJunta was having their First Annual Tarantula Festival. Great timing for us.

We drove in past the corrals until you reach the fork to the Withers TH campground and then took the right fork to dispersed camping along the rim. At the rim we turned right again and snaked through the tight turns (with our 28’ & bikes on back, bumper tow) to the last spot available along the rim with a beautiful view. At that last fork there is a spot wide enough to camp and there were 3 more spots to the right before reaching ours, then nothing. We actually will drive out the continuation of the road (to the west) that we came in on. We have already been driving that road. It is a less curvy route to our spot and comes out at the Corrals. We have a high clearance trailer designed for off-grid camping and that is helpful in this area.

If we had taken the left fork instead, that road is less twisty. At the end of the road is a padlocked gate with a large turn around that most trailers could handle, though that’s assuming no one parks in the turn around. Before getting to the end there are 3, possibly 4, more campsites. One is huge and could accommodate multiple units. The last and possibly the 4 site is small and on the road, suitable for a van.

Looks like most people take the left fork. To the right, the only other group were hunters in the site just before ours.

Our campsite was at: 37°38′54″ N  103°35′38″ W

We had T-Mobile coverage all the way in, but lost Verizon coverage before we turned off of CO 109. Once at our campsite, with a booster we got 1-2 bars and LTE of Verizon, though it was hit & miss at times, but we could surf the internet.

We camped overlooking the rim. Several spots available, but as you move either direction along the rim, you encounter some tight curves around trees that would be a problem with a longer rig. Stay right when you get to the sign for the trailhead campground. Very quiet with few others around, but it is the middle of November. There were fire rings in a few spots, but no trash left behind. There were several campers at the campground when we drove over to hike the Picket Wire trail. The 17 miles of gravel to get to the site were very good. A bit of washboard as we got closer to the rim. While there was no cell signal on the way in, once we got setup we had one bar and with our booster we had good service. Could stream video. I’m sure it is very hot during the summer months.

It’s quite a trip to get out here but the roads are generally in good shape. There are only four campsites so it’s pretty quiet. The vault toilet is a real plus (very clean). We were here end of October so the weather was nice but from the warning signs it looks like it gets awfully hot in the summer. We had a good stay and would come back.

Great camping experience overall. Bathrooms were clean but the toilet paper isn’t kept up with so make sure you bring some. And dehydration is very real out there, take water. There is no pump. Only 3 dedicated camping spots, with a fire pit. Bugs were bad when we went, LOTS of gnats. But it was quiet and peaceful, beautiful weather too. Lots of exploring opportunities and hiking. If you follow the main trail about a mile, you’ll see an old homestead which was really neat. We went on Sunday at noon and had our pick of the three spots as all three were packing up to leave, but if you go on a Friday afternoon or Saturday, you may not get a spot. FCFS.

One thing this place doesn’t tell you is that you have to go about 30 miles out into the boonies before you get to the actual campsite which are very cool there is a bathroom (no water) and some really cool views from camp and even better ones if you walk or hike a little bit. One thing to keep in mind is there are a lot of cactus in the area and I almost stepped on a lot of them. This place was one of my favorites on a road trip I went and had fire pit grills located at every campsite!

Make sure to take plenty of supplies like water, ice, food, and a spare tire just in case. We travelled down Hwy 109 to get to Picket Wire Canyon and did not see a store or gas station for miles and miles. We turned left off of 109 onto what seemed to be miles and miles of dirt roads and cattle grids to even reach the campsites. There was a vaulted restroom at the entrance and one vaulted restroom near the trail down into the canyon. It was extremely hot during the afternoon so wear plenty of sunscreen and we would not recommend to hike down into the canyon in the middle of the day. It’s desert like terrain so take at least one gallon each person on the trail down into the canyon. Be prepared to hike 13 or more miles down the trail and then of course 13 miles back to your campsite. We would definitely camp here again!! We had some cell service right at the entrance to the campsites.

We stayed at Picket Wire Canyon for three nights in late June. Accessed from Hwy 109 13-miles south of La Junta, turned onto gravel road 802, then turned left on road 25, then left again at Picket Wire Corral, at the fork in the road turned left to go to Picket Wire Canyon. Total drive on these gravel roads is approximately 18-miles, with some washboarding. The road does close during heavy rains, may not be suitable for large rigs. There are four campsites, first come first serve, each with a fire ring, no water, pack it in pack it out, and one vault toilet. The vault toilet was clean, the campsites were mostly level and very spacious. Withers Canyon Trailhead started from the campsite to the largest number of dinosaur tracks in North America. A beautiful hike through the Comanche Grasslands, from the campsite to the dinosaur tracks is about 13-miles round trip. This hike is amazing , but remember to take plenty of water. While in the area make sure to visit Bent's Old Fort located north-east of La Junta on Hwy 194, a very worth while experience. Admission to the fort is free with America the Beautiful Senior Pass, self-guided tour, many time-period furnished rooms, and a book/gift store.