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Old 08-20-2015, 04:42 PM   #1
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Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

I would like to stay a few nights in or near Crested Butte, UT in mid-September. There's an RV park in town, Crested Butte RV Resort, but they don't strike me as very friendly. I called to ask about reservations and the answering machine message said to leave details about your stay, and they would call back if they could accommodate you, and they wouldn't call back if they couldn't. Their cancellation policy is pretty harsh, too (not that I would cancel, but I think it tells us something about their attitude). I guess if you're the only RV park in town, you can do what you like.

So, my question is, does anyone know of a good place to boondock nearby? I'll be taking my motorbike to ride up the dirt roads and through the passes to the towns on the other sides, so I don't want to be too far from town.

Thanks in advance for any nuggets of information!

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Old 08-21-2015, 10:08 AM   #2
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Re: Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

Plenty of forest camping in the CB area. Bigger issue is whether the crowds have died down so you can find a space. Get a USFS or a Trails Illustrated map and enjoy. See: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/gmug/m...telprdb5389198 or http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/n...pass-trail-map

There are other options as well you can find with Professor Google.

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Old 08-21-2015, 10:41 AM   #3
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Re: Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

Lots of options.
Crowds should have died down by September, especially mid-week.
Just make sure you are in Colorado, not Utah.
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Old 08-21-2015, 12:06 PM   #4
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Re: Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

The following topic has some detail on CB. In general, if you can head up toward Gothic you should find some good camping.

Ski Overnight Parking in Summit County, CO
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=15078
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Old 08-21-2015, 02:47 PM   #5
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Re: Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

Thanks for the ideas, I'm checking the options out. So far I've learned that the FS campground at Lake Irvin could be closed and gated for the season on Sept 14th, depending on the weather. I wouldn't be arriving until a couple of days later. The FS ranger told me about a BLM campground that might be open at Oh Be Joyful (seriously!) but I haven't been able to get through to them yet. I got an email back from the RV Park and it looks like they may have something available, but still can't get them on the phone. Would be nice if they had an online reservation system that worked, or I could talk to a real person.
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Old 08-21-2015, 04:20 PM   #6
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Re: Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

Closed FS site may mean no people. As long as the roads are open (i.e., no snow) you can find a camping spot. FWIW, the RV park is majorly expensive.

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Old 08-21-2015, 11:32 PM   #7
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Re: Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

Quote:
Closed FS site may mean no people. As long as the roads are open (i.e., no snow) you can find a camping spot.
I called the local FS ranger station and asked what it meant that the campground was closed, did it just mean the water was turned off and so forth. No, they close the gate so vehicles can't get in. He did say if I had a tent I could go in and nobody would bother me, but I wouldn't be able to get my vehicle in.

Quote:
FWIW, the RV park is majorly expensive.
Their fee is about 80% higher than most places, which might not be out of line for a ski resort area. I'm mostly put off by their attitude. For example, you can only book 5 nights or more online, but I only want to stay 3, which coincidentally is the minimum they allow. So I have to call them, but they never answer their phone.
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Old 08-22-2015, 02:53 PM   #8
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Re: Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveTOaks
Quote:
Closed FS site may mean no people. As long as the roads are open (i.e., no snow) you can find a camping spot.
I called the local FS ranger station and asked what it meant that the campground was closed, did it just mean the water was turned off and so forth. No, they close the gate so vehicles can't get in. He did say if I had a tent I could go in and nobody would bother me, but I wouldn't be able to get my vehicle in.
I was thinking of camping in the open, not in a FS campground, which is better in that area than the FS sites, IMO.

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Old 08-22-2015, 11:59 PM   #9
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Re: Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

The question is what you want to do in CB.

It's a great town with good restaurants and bars and ice cream and coffee shops, etc, etc. If you want to walk to breakfast and stumble home from the Eldo, the RV park is probably a great option.

But if you want to spend your time biking/hiking/4 wheeling/exploring the incredibly beautiful surroundings, then look at the map. There are at least half a dozen dirt roads heading out of town.
They all have boondocking options.

Obviously, either scenario isn't all or nothing. It's just a question of where you want to base yourself. But if you're going to do most of your cooking/eating/hanging out in your van, then you should definitely camp outside of town.
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Old 08-24-2015, 02:18 PM   #10
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Re: Crested Butte, Utah Boondocking?

Quote:
The question is what you want to do in CB.
I've been thinking about this over the weekend and decided I'm going to try for the Irwin Lake campground. I'm planning to ride my dirt bike up over the passes to see the other sides, via Kebler Pass, Gunsight Pass, Schofield Pass, Pearl Pass, Taylor Pass... If the weather is such that the FS closes the campground, the passes won't be in any shape to ride, so I'll just keep on going towards lower and warmer.

My SMB is a 2-WD Sprinter, so I don't want to get too far off the beaten path for boondocking. This is my first trip to CB in the van, so I'll keep an eye out for boondocking spots when I'm on my motorbike.

I also plan to stop at a FS office or ranger station to get some maps and advice/suggestions. I have to go through Gunnison to get to CB, and that's where the district office is.
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