Photo by AON Photography
One of my favorite memories from my childhood was visiting the Durango-Silverton area of Colorado. It’s astonishingly beautiful. My family spent a week there seeing the sights, camping, and my favorite – riding the Durango & Silverton narrow gauge railway.
As an adult, I’ve gone back to this area a few times, and have always found it to be one of the best places for outdoor activities. There’s fishing and mountain biking, camping, hiking, and ample opportunities to satisfy my landscape photography interests, too.
If you’re like me and enjoy time in the mountains but aren’t sure where you should camp, consider the following list of top areas for camping near Silverton, Colorado, your ideal source of information!
Table of Contents
- Why Silverton?
- Camping Near Silverton: Molas Lake Park and Campground
- Camping Near Silverton: South Mineral Campground<
- Camping Near Silverton: Eureka Campground
- Camping Near Silverton: Telluride Town Park Campground
- Camping Near Silverton: Alta Lakes Dispersed Camping
- How to Camp Near Silverton
Why Silverton?
Photo by Jim Cork via Shutterstock
There is no shortage of reasons to head to Silverton for an adventure…
On the one hand, this historic mining town sits at 9,318 feet above sea level. It’s a unique experience to spend time at that elevation – especially when 13,000-foot mountain peaks are everywhere you look!
But the scenery is just part of the equation with Silverton. The weather is beautiful, there is abundant wildlife in the area, and as mentioned above, there’s opportunities for outdoor activities of all kinds. Hop on a horse for a horseback riding adventure, rent a UTV and explore the area’s off-road trails, or take a white water rafting tour for an exhilarating experience.
Silverton itself has a lot to offer as well. The town is dotted with unique shops, fantastic restaurants, and historical features that warrant a day of doing nothing but roaming around town. Of course, the town’s proximity to some of Colorado’s most epic landscapes is a bonus, too!
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Camping Near Silverton: Molas Lake Park and Campground
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It doesn’t get much better than Molas Lake Park and Campground…
Not only is this site along the Million Dollar Highway, offering easy access to activities north and south in the San Juan Mountains, but it’s also right next to the largest wilderness area in Colorado – the Weminuche Wilderness.
You can fish in the 25-acre lake (which is stocked), get out your camera for astrophotography (the skies here are dark), or take the Colorado Trail to gain access to National Forest lands for hiking adventures. And since it’s just a few minutes south of Silverton, you can also easily head into town to grab a bite, shop, and enjoy the local life.
The campground is 137 acres and offers nearly 60 individual campsites. Sites range in size to accommodate tent camping, travel trailers, small RVs, and even ultra-large RVs, too. Each site has a flat spot for a tent, a parking spot for your vehicle, a picnic table, and a fire ring, too.
Camping Near Silverton: South Mineral Campground
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Located just a few minutes west of Silverton, the South Mineral Campground offers more than two-dozen sites, most of which are shaded among a stand of spruce and fir trees. Given its proximity to Silverton and many other area attractions, this is one of the most popular campgrounds in the area. All sites are first-come, first-serve, so plan ahead and arrive ahead of the 2:00 pm check-in time to grab a spot!
This is a Forest Service campground, so basic amenities are available in the summer, including picnic tables, fire grates, water, and trash pickup. During the winter months (September to May), there are no services.
Aside from camping in an absolutely beautiful area, you can fish, enjoy a waterfall just upstream, or tackle the Ice Lake Trail, an extremely popular (and very strenuous) hike.
Camping Near Silverton: Eureka Campground
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A little further afield from Silverton (yet still just nine miles away) is yet another option for camping near Silverton: Eureka Campground. The campground, which is owned by San Juan County, includes a historic mining townsite. You can explore existing structures, take in the soaring mountain peaks that surround the area, go for a hike, or take your ATV out on numerous trails in the area.
The campground offers 42 sites, ten of which have electrical hookups. There are also a handful of group camping sites if you’re there with a crowd. If you’re tent camping, you can stay in the designated tent area, which doesn’t allow generators so you can get a good night’s sleep.
Other amenities include picnic tables and outhouses, non-potable water, and a small camp store. The campground also has a host on site during the summer months, should you need anything or have questions.
Reservations are required, which you can make via the website linked above or by calling 970-618-3913.
Camping Near Silverton: Telluride Town Park Campground
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As the crow flies, Silverton and Telluride aren’t that far apart. But, due to the mountainous terrain, it takes nearly two hours to drive from one town to the next. It’s worth it, though – the drive is spectacular, as is the town of Telluride.
The Telluride Town Park Campground is at the end of Telluride’s Main Street (shown above). This location makes it an ideal place to set up camp and explore the historic town. Likewise, you can use the campground as a base camp for local outdoor activities, like hiking, biking, and fishing. The central location is also ideal for heading out on extended adventures in the area.
Aside from the excellent location, the campground offers restrooms and showers, a dishwashing station, and garbage and recycling pickup. The sites don’t have electrical hookups, but water is available via spigots at each site.
Since this is such a popular place to camp, reservations must be made, often very far in advance. You can explore the reservation windows for the campground here.
Camping Near Silverton: Alta Lakes Dispersed Camping
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Yet another option for camping near Silverton is the Alta Lakes dispersed camping area. The campground is about ten miles from Telluride. Five miles of the journey are on a paved state highway. The final 4.3 miles are on a rough Forest Service road that takes you deep into the mountains past the ghost town of Alta.
The narrow, rough road is certainly a fun part of the journey – especially if you have an off-road trailer that can handle the rough stuff. Then, once you’re at the campground, you’ll find spectacular views of soaring mountain peaks and alpine lakes. Biking, hiking, fishing, and horseback riding are popular activities in this area.
There are 20 designated camping spots, but none are developed – there are no services of any kind. As such, camping here is free. However, it’s a popular spot, and each site is available on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it’s best to arrive in the morning and take a spot as they free up when people leave.
How to Camp Near Silverton
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With so many camping options in this area, there is no shortage of terrain to explore. But the question is, how should you tackle camping near Silverton?
As noted earlier, many of the campgrounds in the area offer tent camping and sites for trailers and RVs. Yet, some campgrounds are too difficult to access with a large trailer or RV. For my money, the best option is to take on your Silverton, Colorado adventure with a rugged off-road trailer purpose-built for the kind of terrain you find in the mountains of the Centennial State.
A few weeks ago, I discussed the virtues of one such camper – the Highland 60 by SasquatchXC – which happens to be built in Silverton. If you want an adventure companion for this area, it doesn’t get more perfect than one that’s designed, built, and tested there!
Why is the Highland 60 So Good?
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For me, the Highland 60 is the perfect blend of tent camping and RV camping. On the one hand, you have a compact, easy-to-tow trailer that is reminiscent of packing up quickly for a tent camping adventure. On the other hand, you don’t have to sleep on the ground! Instead, you can crawl into the cozy cabin and enjoy an enclosed sleeping space just like you would in an RV.
In fact, the Highland 60 offers 6’8” of head-to-toe interior space, a 60×75 memory foam mattress, and power points on each side of the bed to charge your devices. Beyond that, you’ll love having a heating system and a fully insulated cabin to keep you toasty warm on those cold alpine nights. And when it gets warm in the afternoon, just fire up the MaxxFan Deluxe to bring cool air into the trailer and expel warm air from inside.
What About the Highland 60’s Kitchen?
Photo by AON Photography
This trailer comes with a fully functioning kitchen as well. The kitchen has lighting and offers 12-volt, USB, and 120-volt power points. There’s a cabinet system with shelves and drawers for all your kitchen items, on-demand hot water for the kitchen sink (and an outdoor shower!), and a three-burner propane cooktop. Add a stainless-steel countertop, a fold-down prep table, and an optional ICECO fridge/freezer to the mix, and you have the makings of a great camping kitchen setup!
That’s not all, though…the trailer’s exterior packs a punch, too.
Photo by AON Photography
There’s a roof rack up top for storage, a side rack system for recovery fear, and four side boxes with LED lighting for additional gear storage. Each box has weatherstripping and sealed compression latches to ensure the gear you have inside is free of dust and water. Nice!
Underneath is a chassis featuring SasquatchXC’s bespoke Bigfoot coil-over independent suspension. The trailer has 17-inch black steel wheels with 32.5-inch 285/70R17 BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 tires with a spare included. The 4×2-inch powder-coated aluminum frame is lightweight, durable, and won’t rust, either.
Photo by AON Photography
I could go on and on about this trailer, but I think it’s best summarized as “tough.” You have to be tough to live at 9,318 feet. You have to be tough to navigate the narrow, steep, and rugged terrain around Silverton. And you have to be tough to stand up to the summer heat, the winter cold, the mud on the trail, and so forth. If camping near Silverton is on your bucket list, there’s no better way to do it than in a tough SasquatchXC camper! That’s just one reason why it’s at the top of my list of the best expedition trailers of 2024!
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