Shavano Wildlife Management Area
BLM
Write a Review CR-250 Salida, CO 81201 719-269-8500 Official WebsiteGPS: 38.5542, -106.1177
Overview of Shavano Wildlife Management Area
Shavano Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a large dispersed camping area located about 8 miles west of Salida, Colorado. Shavano WMA is managed by the BLM Rocky Mountain District and is a popular site for free camping near the towns of Salida and Poncha Springs. Mount Shavano towers nearby at 14,231-foot (4,338 m), one of Coloardo's 58 fourteeners that is popular with hikers. Mount Shavano is famous for the Angel of Shavano, a snow formation of an angel that emerges on the east face of the mountain during snow melt each spring. Campers should be aware that the dispersed campsites at Shavano Wildlife Management Area have a 14-day stay limit, campsites are first-come-first-served and do not have developed facilities or potable water (dry/primitive camping).
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Elizabeth S on 9/16/2020
Longest RV Reported: 48 feet
Reported by Lucky Charm RV'ing on 10/12/2018
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 8,202 ft / 2,499 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Shavano Wildlife Management Area
Reviews of Shavano Wildlife Management Area 33 people have reviewed this location.
“Too much traffic, some full time living”
Reviewed 9/16/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | Na |
Very bumpy road up. Take it slow. Watch for oncoming traffic. On a random Tuesday in Sept, there were 50 plus rigs up here. Dusty Dry High desert landscape Lots of full time living going on up here. There was a pop up camper with siding set up for full time living. Luckily it's still decently clean. I wouldn't camp again but no... more
Very bumpy road up. Take it slow. Watch for oncoming traffic. On a random Tuesday in Sept, there were 50 plus rigs up here.
Dusty
Dry
High desert landscape
Lots of full time living going on up here. There was a pop up camper with siding set up for full time living.
Luckily it's still decently clean.
I wouldn't camp again but not bad for a night or 2. Easy 10 minutes to town for supplies.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“A really good location”
Reviewed 9/7/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 10 |
Site Number: | none |
Access is west from Salida along US50. Once past the junction of 285 and 50 look for 250 on the right. It is paved all the way to where the BLM land starts. Then the road gets rough. There are several spots that are not much more than raw rocks and quite steep slopes. Having said that I made it ok in my truck / enclosed cargo trailer. ... more
Access is west from Salida along US50. Once past the junction of 285 and 50 look for 250 on the right. It is paved all the way to where the BLM land starts. Then the road gets rough. There are several spots that are not much more than raw rocks and quite steep slopes. Having said that I made it ok in my truck / enclosed cargo trailer. Also there were quite a few A's and C's.
This is true dispersed camping with tons of room. The views are astounding with plenty of room so you aren't on top of each other unless you want to. There are large open flat areas and smaller places amongst the bushes and trees that are a bit more daring.
As of writing no fires are allowed although there is plenty of evidence that under normal conditions they are.
Salida just like Leadville is trying to actually enforce the mask insanity so be prepared for that. I found a sharp NO worked well. The Walmart is minimal but ok, also with the maskateers present.
Packages can be received at Ship N Things on Rainbow for $6.
Showers are available between 4 - 7 pm for $5 at Simple Lodge & Hostel, 224 E 1st St, Salida, CO 81201. Tel (719) 650-7381 call first.
Both potable and non potable water is available at the Ponch Springs Visitors Center on the west side of the 50/285 junction. The potable water is a tap on the side of the building limited to 250 gallons.
Water and trash are also available at the 66 gas station on the north side of Rainbow (50) slightly east of the Aquatic center. Free - although I always filled my car and generator cans there to say thank you.
izifaddag would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great location”
Reviewed 8/27/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 15 |
Plenty of large sites as well as smaller ones. Road up is rocky but we easily made it with our 40 foot motorhome towing a Grand Cherokee. We stayed here twice with a week off at a regular campground. Views are terrific and being up gave us good signals on both AT&T and Verizon. We'll be back. Looks like there is no enforcement of the ... more
Plenty of large sites as well as smaller ones. Road up is rocky but we easily made it with our 40 foot motorhome towing a Grand Cherokee. We stayed here twice with a week off at a regular campground. Views are terrific and being up gave us good signals on both AT&T and Verizon. We'll be back. Looks like there is no enforcement of the 14 day rule which is posted. But several rigs were here at least 3 weeks.
Jim would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing views”
Reviewed 8/19/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 14 |
Big enough area to handle crowded camping seasons. Room for both small and large rigs alike. Most sites not very level. Warmer than Poncha springs / Salida temps. Amazing sunrises, sunsets, and starry skies!!! Can get windy and sun is intense - watch out for dust-devils and of course never leave the awning unattended. There are field m... more
Big enough area to handle crowded camping seasons. Room for both small and large rigs alike. Most sites not very level. Warmer than Poncha springs / Salida temps. Amazing sunrises, sunsets, and starry skies!!! Can get windy and sun is intense - watch out for dust-devils and of course never leave the awning unattended. There are field mice, so be attentive and take protective measures - no trash outside or food in storage bays (incl. dog food bags 🤦🏼♀️). There are little cactuses all around, but the pups figured that out no problem. Water is free and pay to dump available a few minutes away at crossroads welcome center, but no trash. Some people have buried bags of trash around campsites (seriously, people?!?!). This is one place where water is easier than trash - LOL! There’s a mix of max stay and over-nighters coming through, but traffic is minimal. Remember that contractor generators make a lot of noise and that sound really carries in this open hilltop area. Rangers do patrol periodically. Some people had trouble with Verizon, but we could work and do Teams meetings no problem (with and without booster), even though speed tests indicated that shouldn’t be possible. Streaming video was a bit grainy, but not so bad we couldn’t watch. Others recommended AT&T over Verizon. The road gets a bit rough and tight to get in, but it’s worth it.
RoCo would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Place to stay and unwind”
Reviewed 8/14/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 7 |
We stayed a week in our 40 ft motor home and towed out Jeep without trouble. The road is rutted and a bit rocky so go slow and be careful. We found some of the roads further in had trees too close to get our big rig through but we had already found a nice spot so it wasn't a problem for us. Some windy afternoons but no rain for the ... more
We stayed a week in our 40 ft motor home and towed out Jeep without trouble. The road is rutted and a bit rocky so go slow and be careful. We found some of the roads further in had trees too close to get our big rig through but we had already found a nice spot so it wasn't a problem for us. Some windy afternoons but no rain for the week and we had a great time. Great stargazing at night, mostly clear. We had great data service on AT&T (20 Mb download) but not as good on Verizon (about 2 Mb down).
Jim would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Fabulous for free-Sunday, July 26. During the time of Covid”
Reviewed 7/27/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
We stayed one night. Beautiful views. We arrived around noon. Plenty of spaces. Rained off and on. The road was rutted but our 22ft motorhome made it easily. Just 10 minutes away is a 24/7 days a week dump Station ($12) and Free water at Poncha Springs visitor center. Verizon cell service was good enough for me to Zoom at 5:00 ... more
We stayed one night. Beautiful views. We arrived around noon. Plenty of spaces. Rained off and on. The road was rutted but our 22ft motorhome made it easily.
Just 10 minutes away is a 24/7 days a week dump Station ($12) and Free water at Poncha Springs visitor center.
Verizon cell service was good enough for me to Zoom at 5:00 with no booster.
KathyB would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful location, quiet, spacious”
Reviewed 7/14/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Loved staying the night here. Quiet, decent amount of space between sites, lots of available spots on a random Monday night.
No issues getting to it with a 170 Sprinter.
Vanika would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good spot for quick ovrrnight”
Reviewed 7/9/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | N/A |
Arrived late, left early. Quiet and great star gazing
AJ31J would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great location!”
Reviewed 6/28/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Secluded camping location with a great view. A little windy during our stay but other than the wind my group thoroughly enjoyed staying here and would be more than willing to stay again.
Alpha would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great place to make a basecamp for local hiking”
Reviewed 6/25/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 14 |
Stayed during June 2020 - Great place to create a temporary base. Cell service (Verizon) was good on the east side; however, we were using a jetpack and would get throttled in the evening and weekends. Rough road to get up to the spots, but worth the slow drive.
Damrine would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- fire ring
Pets
- pets
Nearby
Wilderness Expeditions RV Park & Campground
Good Location if your passing through for a night
- Propran
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