Potosi Campground

First and foremost - if you are driving a Class A or large Class C, DO NOT drive those rigs to this campground. The road has some very narrow sections which have large rock outcroppings just waiting to do some real damage to your rig.

If you are driving or pulling something else, and if the road is wet, and it has been raining you may not want to pull down this road. It is 10 miles, the road can be very rough at times, and there are sections which have enough grade, that when wet, can put you and your rig in the ditch, or worse, in the creek - and this creek is not a gentle creek to land in.

I pulled my 40' 5th Wheel to this campground in the rain and it had snowed some. I used 4WD Low for 10 miles to get there and on occasion had rear wheels spin a little. I also had my trailer brakes almost completely off to avoid them locking in the mud. Would I do it again in those conditions - NO. I would not. If the weather has been very dry, and you are good at pulling your rig, then ok - scout this out. However, this campground is really better suited for smaller rigs. I would simply not consider it without 4WD though. That isn't that its that rough when dry, its that if it is wet you'll want that extra traction.

The campground itself is really nice. There are pit toilets in the smaller campground area, and there were hand pumps for water. You could also pull water from the creek. The hot springs themselves were neat, small, and had a resident snake trying to stay warm (non venomous). There is lots of other wild life - we even saw a small grizzly bear - so look out.

I've been advised that the locals love this campground. When we were there we did see several locals come in with dirt bikes and ATVs/UTVs and head out on the trails.

If ever I get the chance, I'll definitely come back to stay longer and explore more.

We tent camp and the spots weren't well suited for tents....little flat ground and even less shade. Very remote..no stores for gas and food for almost an hour drive or more from camp site. Road is drivable but must drive slow for very long way...takes forever. Water was beautiful and clean but freezing. Nice for small to medium RVs. No cell coverage on Verizon.

I was a bit disappointed at the number of monster sized rigs and ATVs running about. No trash service or water, no cell service on Verizon, 40 plus minute drive to a truck stop, an hour or more to groceries.

On the way in we met a guy who had been turned away from the main camp area. He had a fifth wheel about 24 feet long. He said the camp host told them he was too long for the camp, but a little later that day a rig pulled in to the same area (I swear the trailer was 50 feet) and stayed with no problems. I suspect someone was impersonating the camp host..........NOT COOL.

I rolled onto the dirt road about 830pm, and it took me about 45 minutes to navigate the dirt 10 mile road and it's charming potholes, and when I pulled in (lower loop) I just pointed myself towards a fire ring and called it a night. The next morning I was pleasantly surprised to say the least! It was rainy morning, and the pup and I just spent a lazy morning in the van watching movies, and looking at the mountains and little creek beside the site. Huge campground, and only one other person there as far as I could tell. If it hadn't been 35 degrees and raining I would have checked out the hot springs! but just wasn't feeling up to it. NO cell service until you get all the way back out to the main road in Pony.

During the 10 miles of the scenic but wash board dirt road, we really began to wonder if the hot spring was worth the drive. But when we finally got there, we were happily surprised at the beautiful setting with cool stream and open area to camp. There are some designated sites, but there is plenty of room to park if the "sites" are taken. This place is very remote although there are some ranches and a closed lodge along the way.

Directions to Potosi Hot Spring
Enter the lower loop of the Potosi Campground.
Cross the stream go to back left corner and follow trail along side the fence through a field to the cluster of aspen trees on the left. Pool is fenced in with timbers and is about 6x10 ft. It is not a clear pool due to the silt but it is nice and warm.