Tag
public land
33 Porch Notes tagged “public land,” from counties across Colorado.
Outdoors and wildfire - Summit County
In Summit County, dispersed camping is not 'camp anywhere'
On the White River National Forest around Summit County, free dispersed camping is limited to designated, signed sites — not any open spot.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Baca County
The Comanche National Grassland is public land you can walk in Baca County
A large share of Baca County's open country is federal grassland managed by the Forest Service, with its own access rules and a ranger office in Springfield.
Read note ->Home and property - Moffat County
In Moffat County, the map is mostly public land
A large share of Moffat County is federal and state land managed by agencies like the BLM, the Forest Service, and the National Park Service, which shapes what you can buy, build, and reach.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Gilpin County
Much of Gilpin County is national forest — and that comes with rules
A large share of Gilpin County is public land, much of it Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest, where dispersed camping and motor use follow ranger-district rules, not a free-for-all.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Hinsdale County
The Alpine Loop is public land, and camping rules vary along it
The Alpine Loop backcountry byway out of Lake City crosses BLM and Forest Service land, and camping rules differ by stretch and can change, so check current agency rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - San Miguel County
Around Telluride, dispersed camping has rules that change by agency
Public land near Telluride is managed by the Forest Service and BLM, and dispersed camping rules differ by unit, so 'camp anywhere' is not the rule.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Saguache County
Baca National Wildlife Refuge: quiet wetlands and wildlife below the Sangres
The Baca National Wildlife Refuge sits below the Sangre de Cristo range near Crestone, a quiet spot for wildlife watching where access follows refuge rules worth checking before you go.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - El Paso County
Dispersed camping on the Pikes Peak Ranger District has rules
The Pike National Forest land around Pikes Peak is managed by the Pikes Peak Ranger District, and dispersed camping there follows posted limits, not a camp-anywhere rule.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Conejos County
The west side of Conejos County is national forest, with its own rules
Much of western Conejos County is the Rio Grande National Forest, managed by the Conejos Peak Ranger District, where camping and access follow Forest Service rules rather than open-anywhere freedom.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Jackson County
Around North Park, national forest camping has rules even when it is free
Much of the public land ringing North Park is national forest, where dispersed camping is allowed under Forest Service rules that vary by ranger district.
Read note ->History and culture - Montezuma County
Canyons of the Ancients protects a landscape full of ancient sites
West of Cortez, BLM-managed Canyons of the Ancients National Monument holds many archaeological sites, and visiting them comes with stewardship rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Moffat County
Sand Wash Basin is wild-horse country, and it has its own rules
West of Craig, the BLM manages the Sand Wash Basin as a wild horse area, which is public land for viewing and recreation but not a developed park.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Rio Grande County
South Fork is the doorway to the Rio Grande National Forest
At South Fork, Highway 149 begins the Silver Thread byway and the Rio Grande National Forest opens up, with public-land rules that differ from a town or a park.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Costilla County
Costilla County reaches from the Rio Grande to the Sangre de Cristo crest
Public land in Costilla County runs from valley floor near the Rio Grande up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, managed mostly by the BLM and the Forest Service with their own access rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Routt County
On the national forest around Steamboat, dispersed camping has rules
Much of the high country around Routt County is national forest, where free dispersed camping is allowed in places but is not the same as camping anywhere you like.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Park County
A lot of Park County is national forest, and the rules vary by ranger district
Much of Park County's public land falls under the Pike-San Isabel National Forest's South Park Ranger District, where camping and access rules are set locally rather than statewide.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Huerfano County
Above La Veta and Cuchara, forest land turns into wilderness
Much of the high country around the Spanish Peaks in Huerfano County is San Isabel National Forest, and part of it is designated wilderness where the rules change.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Mesa County
Colorado National Monument is a national park unit, not a state park
The red-rock monument outside Grand Junction is run by the National Park Service, so its fees, camping, and rules differ from Colorado's state parks.
Read note ->Water and land - Denver County
Denver owns a chain of mountain parks far outside the city
The City and County of Denver owns dozens of mountain parks in the foothills and high country, miles outside its own borders, including Red Rocks, Genesee, and Echo Lake.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Montrose County
Montrose County has a lot of BLM land, but it comes with rules
Much of Montrose County's open country is BLM public land managed by the Uncompahgre Field Office, where seasonal closures and travel rules apply even though the land is public.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Weld County
On the Pawnee National Grassland, public and private land sit side by side
The Pawnee National Grassland in northern Weld County is a mix of public and private land, so knowing which is which matters before you wander.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Montezuma County
On the San Juan forest near Dolores, dispersed camping has rules
Free dispersed camping on San Juan National Forest land in the Dolores Ranger District is allowed in places but comes with distance and stay rules, not 'camp anywhere.'
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Dolores County
The Dolores River Canyon is public land with its own rules
Below McPhee Dam the Dolores River cuts a deep canyon on BLM-managed public land that includes a wilderness study area, and how you can use it is set by the agency, not by general access.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Las Animas County
West of Aguilar, the Spanish Peaks rise into national forest and wilderness
The high country around the Spanish Peaks is national forest land, with a designated wilderness where motors and bikes are not allowed, so the rules change as you move up the mountain.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Fremont County
The land around the Royal Gorge Bridge is a city park, not a private resort
Royal Gorge Park west of Cañon City is owned by the City of Cañon City as a large mountain park, with the famous bridge run as one attraction inside it.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Baca County
Hunting the Comanche Grassland means knowing two sets of rules
Hunting on the Comanche National Grassland in Baca County follows Colorado Parks and Wildlife license rules plus Forest Service land rules, and nearby private land needs permission.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Fremont County
Garden Park near Cañon City is public fossil land, not a free-for-all
The Garden Park Fossil Area north of Cañon City is federal public land with protections, so visiting it comes with rules about digging for and collecting fossils.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Las Animas County
Las Animas County's plains edge holds part of the Comanche National Grassland
The eastern side of the county includes a piece of the Comanche National Grassland, open prairie and canyon country the Forest Service manages where public access takes some planning.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Mesa County
McInnis Canyons and Black Ridge: BLM land with its own rules
The red-rock canyons west of Grand Junction are a BLM National Conservation Area, and the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness inside it limits land travel to foot and horseback.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - San Juan County
Around Silverton, dispersed camping follows Forest Service rules
Much of the land around Silverton is San Juan National Forest, where dispersed camping and motorized travel follow designated-route rules, not 'camp anywhere.'
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Alamosa County
Dispersed camping in the Rio Grande National Forest
The Rio Grande National Forest around the San Luis Valley allows free dispersed camping outside developed campgrounds, but with real limits on where you park, how close to water, and how long you stay.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Garfield County
The Roan Plateau is the high wall of cliffs above Rifle and Parachute
The Roan Plateau and Roan Cliffs rise north of the Colorado River near Rifle and Parachute, a deeply cut BLM landscape with waterfalls, box canyons, and habitat for elk, deer, and native cutthroat trout.
Read note ->History and culture - Mesa County
The wild horse range north of Grand Junction
The Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range near Grand Junction is one of a small number of areas set aside under federal law specifically to protect wild horses.
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