Camping near Ouray, Colorado
Camping near Ouray, Colorado includes 3 public campgrounds on record, 1 reservable and 2 first-come. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Amphitheater, is 0.6 miles from Ouray in a straight line, and all 3 are within 15 miles. Another 22 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Ouray.
noindex Fewer than 5 campgrounds here clear the indexable bar yet, so this page stays noindex.
Camping near Ouray at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 3 (3 National Forest)
- Getting a site
- 1 reservable and 2 first-come
- Cost
- Lowest posted fee at Angel Creek: "Single Site: $10 per night"
- Distance from Ouray
- 0.6 miles (Amphitheater) to 2.8 miles (Thistledown) in a straight line; 3 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 8,372 ft (Amphitheater) to 8,746 ft (Thistledown), 3 of 3 on record
- Campsites
- 51 across the 2 campgrounds that state a count
- RVs
- 1 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 35 ft (Amphitheater)
- Drinking water
- 1 of 3
Distances are straight-line miles from Ouray's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.
More campgrounds within 30 miles of Ouray
- Mary E, 14 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $20 per night); listed under camping near Telluride.
- Sunshine, 15 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $28 per night); listed under camping near Telluride.
- South Mineral Campground, 16 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $40 per night); listed under camping near San Juan.
- Silver Jack, 16 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site Non-Electric: $20 per night); listed under camping near Montrose.
- Beaver Lake, 17 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $14 per night); listed under camping near Montrose.
- Matterhorn, 17 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site Non-Electric: $26 per night); listed under camping near Telluride.
- Big Cimarron, 17 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $14 per night); listed under camping near Montrose.
- Mill Creek Campground, 17 miles from Ouray in a straight line , BLM , reservable ; listed under camping near Hinsdale.
- Little Molas Dispersed Campground, 20 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near San Juan.
- Williams Creek, 20 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $20 per night); listed under camping near Lake City.
- Big Blue, 20 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Lake City.
- Alpine Ranger Station, 21 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Gunnison.
- Woods Lake, 23 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $20 per night); listed under camping near Placerville.
- Cayton, 24 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site Non-Electric: $30 per night); listed under camping near Dolores.
- Slumgullion, 25 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Lake City.
- Lost Trail, 25 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $26 per night); listed under camping near Creede.
- Deer Lakes, 26 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $18 per night); listed under camping near Lake City.
- The Gate Campground, 27 miles from Ouray in a straight line , BLM ; listed under camping near Gunnison.
- Burro Bridge, 27 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Site: $23 per night); listed under camping near Dolores.
- Hidden Valley, 29 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Lake City.
- Cimarron Campground, 30 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Park Service ; listed under camping near Montrose.
- Sig Creek, 30 miles from Ouray in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $18 per night); listed under camping near La Plata.
Things to do near Ouray
Public land and water within 30 miles of Ouray, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Ouray Hot Springs, a hot spring whose mapped point is 0.4 miles from Ouray; soaking details on swimholesmap.com.
- Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, all 3 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Amphitheater at 0.6 miles from Ouray; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
- Box Canyon Hot Springs, a hot spring whose mapped point is 0.8 miles from Ouray; soaking details on swimholesmap.com.
- Orvis Hot Springs, a hot spring whose mapped point is 8 miles from Ouray; soaking details on swimholesmap.com.
- Bridal Veil Falls, a waterfall whose mapped point is 9.2 miles from Ouray; details on the falls on swimholesmap.com.
- Mount Sneffels Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 10 miles from Ouray; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Uncompahgre Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 11 miles from Ouray; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Ridgway State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 14 miles from Ouray; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Ridgway Reservoir fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 15 miles from Ouray; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Ridgway Reservoir water level, a reservoir whose mapped point is 15 miles from Ouray; current water level on reservoirfinder.com.
Supplies and emergencies near Ouray
Nearest emergency room
Montrose Regional Health
800 S 3rd St, Montrose, CO, 33 miles from Ouray . (970) 249-2211
Next nearest: Delta County Memorial Hospital, 1501 E 3rd St, Delta, CO, 54 miles , (970) 874-7681.
In an emergency, call 911.
Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .
- Groceries
-
- Ouray Grocery
- KOA General Store
- Mountain Market
- Fuel
-
- Conoco
- Conoco
- Shell
- RV dump station
-
- Ouray KOA
- Grizzly RT RV Park
- Matterhorn Campground
- Pharmacy
-
- Sunshine Pharmacy
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Ouray: propane, potable water fill, laundromat, and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-10-01; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.
Common questions
Where can I camp around Ouray, CO?
3 public campgrounds are on record near Ouray. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Amphitheater (0.6 miles), Angel Creek (2.1 miles), and Thistledown (2.8 miles). 2 are first-come, first-served with no reservations and 1 books through Recreation.gov.
Is there free camping near Ouray, CO?
Not at a developed campground: each of the 3 public campgrounds on record near Ouray charges a fee, listed in the table.
Where can I camp with an RV near Ouray, CO?
1 campground near Ouray takes RVs: Amphitheater. None has hookups on record. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at Ouray KOA, 4.1 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).
Where can I go tent camping near Ouray, CO?
Amphitheater lists tent or walk-in sites on record.
Where can I camp near Ouray with drinking water?
Amphitheater has potable water on record.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Ouray, CO?
Montrose Regional Health, 800 S 3rd St, Montrose, CO, is 33 miles from Ouray in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (970) 249-2211. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in Colorado ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in Colorado .