Sauls Creek

Camped 10/8/19 (Tue). After reading Campendium reviews and checking the area on satellite view, we planned our stop here and spots to camp at, but those spots were taken.  We were a little apprehensive about traveling further back and being able to turn around with our camper (if we didn't find something), but it wasn't an issue.  We found a great spot on Road 755A.  GPS is 37.2371,-107.5476.  Elevation 7050.

One reason for the apprehension was the deep drainage trenches on either side of the graded roads.  Our site had a "driveway" in, and the trench was somewhat filled (we filled in more w/rocks & dirt).  The site was very large, private, in the trees and had a fire ring of stones.  It was level, hardly any trash, and the ground was dirt - actually more of a fine dust.  There was an oil rig at the end of the side road along our site, but it wasn't operating. It was beautiful and quiet, but you could hear some Hwy 160 noise at times.

There's a gas station about 1 mile west of the Sauls Creek entrance road.  We didn't notice any partying locals, but people came in with horse trailers, to unload & ride the area on their horses.  Thankfully, we weren't there during hunting season.

We weren't comfortable going on the dirt road past the gasline and cattle guard. So we stayed on the gravel in the open in the sun. It was fine for a free night but not my idea. After walking further to the sites listed in the other reviews, we were happy we didn't. There were ruts which would have bottomed us out. and the sites were not big enough for 25' to get in. Maybe we are just too cautious but I'm happy with that. Late in the day and in the early morning horse trailers came as well as ATV trailers with riders going out.

No creek.

There are so many spots to choose from along these roads. We slept like babies because it was SO quiet. We were passing through from Arizona and it was our first stop. We originally planned to rogue camp rather than pay for a site in close quarters to others because hey, we don’t like that type of camping. After not being able to find much online we came across this site and the amazing helpful reviews of more “locally known” spots. So thankful! We got in at 10 pm and left about 8 am, admiring the beauty. Love Colorado! Will return to sauls creek for sure but can’t wait to try other areas nearby too.

Nice views, mild weather, secluded, close to the hwy but doesn't feel like it. Too many bugs. I'v campd, all over the country and many times in colorado I'v never had such a problam with bugs outside of the south, otherwise would have given it 5 stars. No creek or lake. Maybe because it is so close to the hwy, there were many gun shells and the people before us left the site a mess. Not sure if this is a location thing or just luck. On a related note clean up your camp site people

You can't beat the scenery here. Whether it's the spots by the pond, the spots nestled among the trees or the wide open spots with plenty of sun for solar, it's stunningly beautiful here. I'd guess there are 8-15 spots sprinkled around, depending on the size of your rig and how brave you are. Access is easy on well maintained gravel roads. The oil and gas wells are probably the reason.

But those wells don't make much noise and mostly blend right in. However, there is a lot of traffic up here, mostly locals using the area for various forms of recreation, including partying. But at night, it's pretty quiet unless the cows wander through your camp. Save one spot occupied by some idiots that we cleaned up after, the place is pretty clean. The signal on AT&T slows up at night but boosted it's fine for streaming. Verizon is pretty solid most of the time.

However, like many places close to town this one sees it’s share of questionable folks. Our last night there, because we moved the next morning, we had a scary guy living in his car pull up right next to us at 10:00 pm, playing music and making a ruckus. Upon going outside to meet our new neighbor, he became rather combative. Sheriffs Officers responded quickly and were very understanding. They indicated this sort of thing wasn’t unusual. YMMV.

We stayed here for one night in April. The road is a little bumpy but any vehicle could drive it. The park gate is closed until April 30th but there is an open parking area on either side of the road just in front of the gate. When we pulled in there was one large RV and a couple smaller campers arrived later. The space could comfortably fit 4, potentially 5-6 depending on the size of the rigs, but it would feel tight. It was level and quiet, so it’s suitable for an easy overnight spot. We also had decent Tmobile service. I can’t comment on the actual campground since I never walked past the gate.

September 2018.

This is my first review of a boondocking site.

Arrival was easy.

I departed Durango south on 550 / 160, in my FX4 F-150 to scope out this potential site prior to actually camping here. This is my review of that trip.

This is a two lane road in top notch condition. Traffic was light and breezy.

After you pass though the village of "Bayfield", you will see a sign on the right side of the road, as the road bends. It's a small brown sign "Sauls Creek", about 5 feet high. It would not be hard to miss if your not looking for it. The turn right is a hairpin turn, so you may fly past it and have to do a U turn if your not careful. Sorry for not posting mileage :(. Once you to make the sharp right turn, the road is a very nice compacted gravel road. There would be no issues with a very large camper or bus.

The gravel road is wide and well maintained and well graded. However, if it had been railing a lot, that could be problematic. The soil here has a lot of clay in it and will stick to everything and thus be very slippery. But, it was a bright sunny, gorgeous day for me.

After a couple miles there is a very large sign post with an excellent map of Sauls Creek. Take a picture of it so you know the various routes, of which there are many. They are numbered. Good job U.S. Forestry Service!

The scenery is picture perfect to me: a wide open valley, with huge conifers surrounding the broad valley.

There is a lot of natural gas infrastructure, but I was surprised how I didn't mind it.

I saw probably about half a dozen fellow Boondockers, some in tents, some it gigantic buses, many others were about my size, say 25' or so, all comfortably camped. There are no defacto camp sites, rather, people just seem to pick a spot they liked.

This would be a great place if you like to trail run, mountain bike, or just sit on your ass in a comfy chair, and marvel at how incredible this place is.

This is bear country, mountain lion county, and lots of other and critters and varmints, country. If your the nervous type, you may not like it. If your the type that dreams of clear skies, tall trees, blue skies, and the smell of pine, well, you may never leave.

So I know this review was short of specifics, but I hope that it helped a little anyway.

The Shifty Drifter