Smith Creek Campground: Creekspots #2 | Wild Camping

ghgchh bghj khjjnjjkk jjjjkjkk jjjjjjkkk jjjjj

Report Check-In

Close to highway so a bit noisy, but a nice spot otherwise. East to get into the first few sites but then have to cross the creek to get to other sites. Was wide open late may. Right on the creek is nice too.

Report Check-In

We stayed one night, nice and quiet, we got the 1st spot on the right (east side). there was a note written on a small stone saying the site had been cleaned and cleared by Larry and Teri a month ago. We were sure to leave it as clean as we found it

Report Check-In

Took my youngest boy here for his birthday, this is the spot that he chose. We stayed in the first little area just past the creek, and had a wonderful time. You can cross Hardscrabble Creek (if it's not too high), and about 1/4 mile up there are several spots that are well suited for multiple campers (spots for 7-10 tents even), one of which that is tucked up near the cliffs on the south side of the road that is just beautiful and sheltered by trees. Unfortunately, there are copious quantities of toilet paper piles everywhere because some just don't respect the outdoors as they should. Dig a cathole people! One last word of caution, Hardscrabble Creek can get big in a hurry, so if you are camping during an expected stormy/rainy period, you just might get stranded on the other side until the water goes down so be prepared.

Report Check-In

As described, beautiful sites, but you can’t escape the road noise. Even still, we had a comfortable night here and enjoyed the creek.

Report Check-In

This spot was nice to camp, there was a nice hike up a mountain with a beautiful view! The road here took like an hour from Pueblo but it was fast & smooth. No 4wd needed! Creek was dried up when we came.

Report Check-In

This last weekend my girlfriend and I stayed for two nights within the first area of campsites just West of the initial RD 287 access point, a few yards from the creek itself.

I went a day early to scope out the area since I found bits and pieces of info online but nothing too detailed about this specific area. This campsite is all dispersed camping. Up RD287 (North) there are a few sites scattered on the left and right, the top-most being what looked like the biggest and most secluded, though it was taken when I saw it. The other spots seemed in rough shape but that could have been an illusion as I didn't actually get out to check any of these spots up this road. I considered these spots the official "Smith Creek Campground" as labeled on the map, and even though I'm sure the whole area uses this label, I'm gonna call this area SCC.

Almost directly across the street from SCC to the south (back on Highway 96), just to the west a few yards is an entrance to a couple sites on the creek side of the highway (I'll call these "Creekspots #1"). But these camping areas seemed lived-in and definitely weren't being maintained or cleaned. It was sad, tbh. But I kept driving west, and not even a few hundred yards farther West from the Creekspots #1 entrance on 96 was another entrance with a sign that read "Wanted: Your fire DEAD OUT", and this one led to a number of sites. I'll call this area Creekspots #2.

The first couple camping areas in Creekspots #2 had nice parking and were easily accessible by car or truck. I parked here initially since I was in a Camry just scoping out the place. There was a road up which I eventually walked up that looked like it was better suited for trucks, jeeps, or brave car-drivers only. So I stayed parked near the entrance. A short walk had me to the creek and there were a couple spots to the left (East) and many more spots up to the right (West). The creek was audible from this entire area, btw. At the time, no spots were occupied, that I could tell. It was pretty clean and user-maintained too, especially after what I'd seen at Creekspots #1 and up SCC.

I walked near the creek and followed it up, between the creek and the road, and came across some 1 or 2 more 1-4 person areas. Up the little Creekspots #2 Rd just a walk was a bigger, open area that the road cut through. A few of the spots seemed to be taken over by ants but for the most part, the spots all seemed ready for easy camping. All the spots I saw had remnants of old campfires. The road kept going across the creek, accessible by braver people with 4WD to what looked like at least 1 more site, but it could have been dozens more for all I know; I didn't get a chance to get across, the water was running pretty good (mid-May).

There were a few more even farther west than the road went, where you can walk a trail that goes for maybe a hundred or so yards. It could have even gone further, but there was a point where I decided I wasn't going to lug my stuff any further since I wasn't preparing for a backpacking-style camping trip.

We came back the next day in a truck and I drove past the first couple obvious parking spots available right as you pull in to the second obvious parking spot that was a single spot, perfect for me to back up the truck. (Careful for big rocks in the ground)

We stayed here and it was beautiful. The creek is yards away, far enough to have to walk to it but close enough to always hear it steadily flowing. It's serenely peaceful in the morning, of course. I don't know what this place looks like once the camping season really gets started but our mid-May trip was fantastic and I'm excited to come back and try it again.

If you visit the spots based on my review, please just pick up after yourself. Good camping is only good camping if we work together to keep it that way.

Report Check-In