Shavano Wildlife Management Area Camping Review

I left the Twin Lake area and moved to Shavano Wildlife Management Area down by Salida Colorado. This place was a lot different than the Twin Lake/Mt Elbert area. This area seemed more packed than the larger area near Mt Elbert.

Useful Links

Shavano Camping Info

purple mountains and green bushes at shavano
The mountains to the south of Shavano in Colorado.

The area is about 20 miles to the west of Salida Colorado. It’s a series of roads that head up into the mountain area to the west and Shavano is a small BLM area along those roads up to several of the mountain trailheads. The area is very packed on popular weeks and weekends. The road has several areas to camp and when I was there lots of vehicles were all within a few hundred feet away from my spot.

mountains in the background with clouds above from shavano wildlife management area
The mountains to the southwest from Shavano Wildlife Management Area.

There was a main road and several side roads so don’t be afraid to take off and check out some more out-of-the-way areas. I stayed on the main forest road 250 while I camped there. The road is moderate in some places but several trailer RVs and 5th wheels were parked up there but make sure you have some backroad hauling before going up some of the rougher parts of the road.

a brown and black dog laying on the bed with the sunset mountains in the background
Sammy relaxing while looking at the sunset and mountains.

Things to Do Around Shavano

the mountains during sunset with light and shadows while staying at Shavano
The mountains during sunset while staying at Shavano Wildlife Management Area near Salida Colorado.

Shavano seems to be a staging area for a lot of the hiking trails around the area. Several trails start farther up the road and people get up early and head to those trailheads after camping in Shavano. I saw many people walking and biking the roads so just getting out is pretty popular. Finally, lots of people are staying long-term out there and enjoying the good cell service. The guy next to me was using to have cell service and work while I was out there.

clouds and sun rays raining down on the shavano valley near salida CO
The sun and rays amongst the clouds while I was at Shavano BLM land.

I’d recommend staying here but you need to be ready to fight for spots if you go during the peak camping season in colorado. I was able to find a spot but I arrived mid-week. There were a lot of people out there even with my unusual arrival time. You should add this area to your saved spots by adding Shavano to your lists of spots to stop next time you’re in central Colorado!

Who administers the land at Shavano Wildlife Management Area?

The land is administered by the Bureau of Land Management.