Sacred White Shell Mountain

This gps coordinate is just the first of four or five turnouts over the next mile, most of which seem to handle fifth wheels of large sizes.

Not too far from the national park, or Alamosa, or a few wildlife areas. At the base of Blanca Mountain. This is also the start of a rough Jeep trail another mile up the mountain that is said to be the toughest in America. We didn’t explore that.

Decent VeriZon signal. Mediocre att signal.

This exact spot and one or two others can handle two or three large rigs no problem. Lots of washboard on the road coming in but the only tough part might be at the cattle grate when leaving the highway which is a bit of a step. Take it slow.

Road was bumpy and dusty, there were a couple pullouts that RVs can get to. We thought we would give it a shot, first pullout was full of a group of truck campers with their jeeps. They appeared to be getting ready to party and have a massive bonfire. We went to the second loop where there was one other RV. There was plenty of room for multiple campers and some great views.
Why we decided not to stay was : 1. Many cow-pies, 2. Broken glass which we felt wasn’t safe for our dogs and kids, and 3. We just didn’t feel comfortable leaving our rig all out and open for someone to possibly mess with when we weren’t there.
We ended up moving to San Luis Wildlife Area a couple hours after arriving.

Easy access off of 160. Multiple pull-offs from the dirt road allows space for several cars, tents, or campers each, but as you go further up the trail the pull-off areas become less level, so you would be wise to get here earlier to get a spot on more level ground if you’re planning to stay with a trailer or motor home. Good service with Verizon - consistently able to get 2-3 bars and LTE. Though it was busy, as we were here on a weekend night, it was quiet and peaceful. And the view we woke up to could not be beat!

About a 20-25 minute drive from Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center. Pretty easy to access, just a bit of a drive on a gravel road. The sites are just very large areas where multiple people can stay. There were 3 other vehicles where I was, so it's not very private, but free and easy and very beautiful, so I am not complaining. The sunset was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, and I could see the Milky Way after the sun was gone.

Words and photographs will never do justice to our free campsite at Sacred White Shell Mountain BLM. Any direction you look from our campsite is a wide vista over vast summer plains painted a yellow gold and sharp green. The brown soil and hugely perfect blue skies speckled with brilliant white clouds make this setting jump out at you, alive and three dimensional. The mountains in the entire 360 degree background are perfect and amazing. But you have to see it up front to appreciate it. The magnitude, the vastness of the landscape, alter one’s consciousness, and that is a very good thing.

There were not many people here on a Monday around noon. We had driven northwest from Trinidad, CO via picturesque Hwy 12W through Stonegate and then north to connect with Hwy 160 W for Alamosa. That is one amazing drive through some of the greatest scenery ever. About sixteen miles before reaching Alamosa we turned right on Hwy 150. The GPS coordinates 37.527, -105.5935 were perfect. We followed the advice of another reviewer and took it very easy over the cattle guard and pitched camp at the second stop on the left. We could have easily taken the Tacoma up the foothills to at least three more camps (all on the left) but the ground was not nearly as level as our resting site and the views are, if distance-based, comparatively subjective.

Later in the day, after taking a two-mile hike up the road to the mountain, and an outdoor shower, and an afternoon rest period, some dirt bike riders appeared. They do seem appreciative of the BLM and what it affords them to enjoy for free, weather permitting, seven days a week. Three tent camps were also set up at the first quarter mile and then nobody at our number two. We met a hiker coming down to his automobile parked for days at the lot off Hwy 150. The hiker was returning from camping on the mountain and scaling the highest peak.

AT&T service was anywhere from two to three bars. The service was pretty good for streaming television, if so desired. Plenty of sunshine for the batteries, solar charging all day, the hot sun blazing but a cool breeze always wafting through the open windows. The winds got a bit strong for about ten minutes, enough for us to have to retract the awning.

Alamosa is about twenty miles from here, and though we haven’t made it there yet, groceries and water could be purchased if needed. We brought plenty of food and water. The Ollie holds something like thirty-two gallons of fresh water with a thirty-five gallon gray water tank. We do not need or use our black water tank as we have a factory-installed composting toilet.

In the evening a large herd of free-range cattle came ambling through looking for a place to graze. For a time we thought they were coming right for us, and they did, eventually. They get to go pretty much anywhere they want to out here. The cattle herd and surroundings are beautiful. Bob the dog did not particularly care for the bigger ones being so close to our trailer. By dusk we had a new neighbor, a young woman just graduated from college and on a solo trip camping in a pup tent along the way.

The spots were easy to find, but lots of cow poop. The cattle guard at the beginning of the road was lethal, I bottomed out on it, so go really slow. The views were amazing, and the sunset was one of the best I’ve ever seen. The cows came by and hung out at my camp spot for awhile. It’s the busy with people driving by all night and all the spots full, get there early.

We chose this BLM campground because it is right outside of Great Sand Dunes National Park. There are several sites along Lake Como Road. The type of vehicle you have determines how far up the road/secluded you can get. We were there over Memorial Day Weekend and it was packed. However, there are tons of sites and plenty of space for all! We camp in a RV and there were plenty of accessible sites for us to choose from us well. The road in is really bumpy so we parked in the first parking area on the left as you come in and were happy with it. This is a popular area for off-roading so be prepared for some traffic heading up Lake Como Road to hit the trails if you are there on a weekend. The only downside to this area was the CRAZY winds that blew through. There were gusts of 67 mph one day! The views are amazing in this spot. And, even better – our Verizon hotspot was strong enough for us to both work all week. When the weather was clear it seemed no matter where we looked, we had mountain views. Not to mention the spectacular view of Blanca Peak. It’s also amazing being so close to the National Park. We were really happy with the location and thoroughly enjoyed our time in the park. We were really happy with this free spot!

We stayed a week and half in late June 2019. The camping areas are very easy to find and are directly off Lake Como Road which is off Hwy 150 (main road that leads to Great Sand Dunes NP). There is a BLM sign at the turn to the right. The GPS coordinates will take you to the correct area. There are several camping areas as you drive down the road. There are all on the left side. There is a large dip right after you turn and before the sign. Make sure you are going slow and you shouldn’t have any problems. The road is washboard sand and dirt but overall is not bad to drive down, especially if you go slow. I think any size rig would be fine to travel to the first three camping areas. Each camping area could probably fit 3-5 rigs and some tenters without being on top of each other. The first camping area is about ¼ mile down the road. Not a bad area, but it was a bit busier when we arrived (probably due to the proximity to the road). We went to the second area which is probably another ¼ mile down the road. That area was busy as well, but we liked it better (more grass than dirt). We setup camp in the back of the area and were able to get level without blocks! Most everyone else needed blocks, but they didn’t seem to have much problem leveling. As you continue down the road, its condition does worsen. Tenters and small vans have more options towards the mountain. We did see a decent size Airstream make it to the fourth pullout area, but we didn’t feel comfortable taking our 30 ft travel trailer past the second section. We did walk down to the third pullout and it was not as level or as big, so we were happy with our decision to stick to the second section. The road was a bit worse from areas #2-#3, but still probably doable for most rigs. After that it starts to get a bit rough, at least in our opinion. Cell reception was good, we had 2-3 bars 4G LTE on AT&T. We use hotspots for internet and have AT&T and Verizon and both worked well. No amenities at all so pack in and out. The area is about 20-25 minutes to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We were able to get potable water there (at the dump station) and dump as we were leaving. They also have dumpsters we used to dispose of our trash (and the trash of inconsiderate tent campers who left over two bags of trash for us to collect for them). The town of Alamosa is about 30 minutes away and has places for groceries, propane, and anything else you may need during your stay. The camping areas have a wonderful view of Blanca Peak. If you are in better shape than we are, you can attempt the summit while there. There are no trees or any obstructions on any of the pullouts. Perfect for solar, but also no protection from wind and blowing sand. It was windy several times when we were there, and it will blow sand and dust in the RV. Nothing too bad but be aware. The weather was great until the last few days when the high was almost 90. Small rain events happen frequently in the afternoon, but they never last long and some don’t make it to the area, but you can see them in the distance. The area gets busy on the weekend, but during the week it slows down. Everyone was respectful and enjoyed the quiet. The biggest noise was the free-range cows in the morning making a raucous and using the RV as a back scratcher. They didn’t visit every morning but were there several times bright and early. Dark skies there. You can see the Milky Way with the naked eye. Overall, it was a great stay and we would stay again if ever back in the area.

Staying at the base of Mt Blanc was our first foray into boondocking, and boy was it an experience. We would have stayed the allotted 14 days, but we ran out of things to do in the area. The only real thing to do here is Great Sand Dunes National Park, but there's a lot to do within the park itself. We went just about every day, as we have the national parks pass (which was invaluable as you'll soon read). The park gets busy about 11 AM, and by 2 PM there's a long line of cars to get in, which then dies down at about 4 PM.

We pulled in on a Saturday evening expecting it to be full, but quickly found a spot in the 2nd pull-off on the left. The road leading in is washboard, but in good shape. The beginning has a bit of a short drop off the road, where large stones have been placed to fill in the holes there. It's getting worse but otherwise still manageable even for larger class a's.

Once you're on the road (Lake Como Road) headed toward the base of Mt Blanc, the first pull off is on the left about a half a mile down. There's space for 4-5 rigs. The second spot is about a mile down from the main turn off. Space here for 4-5 rigs. This is where we parked.

There's another road that heads North here at this spot. The road is narrow, but there was a fellow back there in an airstream, and a few days later a larger TT and 5'er pulled back there. TBH that's the best spot, is when you turn left on this road headed North, about a half a mile back. You won't get any traffic there, because this place does get very busy on the weekends.

If you have a National Parks Pass, you can get free air, dump your blue boy, and fill up your water bladder at Great Sand Dunes National Park about 20 minutes down the road.

Would I stay here again? If I were passing through, yes, and it only depends on the day. I would avoid Fridays and the weekends. The place is busy. 5 AM came around and there were people drunk, on the road, yelling, and that went until 10 AM. The only day that there wasn't anyone coming or going was Sunday evening. Every other day had people blazing down the road.

Great views, but the popularity and rowdiness of this spot make peacefulness hit or miss.