Stillwater Creek Dispersed Camping

I arrived about 40 minutes before sunset on a July Friday. All the designated semi-private sites were claimed by large groups (2-5 vehicles, multiple tents, various ORVs, etc) and looked like they were well-entrenched for a long stay. Those sites looked large enough for a few "toys." However, there aren't too many sites and I imagine this will be full for much of the year.

The roads themselves were ok for a few miles for sedan/low clearance/Prius, but then got too rutty and I had to turn around. The sites typically had steep entrances and looked inaccessible to sedans, with some being sketchy unless you have a high clearance jeep/truck. I would NOT attempt to access any of the designated sites with an RV!!

The roads go through burned forests and have not been completely cleared of potential deadfalls, so if you go too far, it could be dangerous.

Most sites do not have any views of the surrounding areas, but nice open sky views.

Since everything else was full and/or inaccessible in my Prius, I ended up staying at "Idleglen Staging Area" parking lot up the road to the left. There were many RVs and vans parked there, about a dozen. There is a pit toilet here (nowhere else). Some folks set up chairs and a fire in the parking lot, some families with kids playing, all very respectful and quiet by nightfall. When I woke up I found a van had parked pretty close to me, which is just what kind of place this is. Not much privacy, but if you're self-contained, it's a nice close location to Grand Lake and RMNP west side.

Some people also camped at the pull-off at the entrance to the USFS road where the map is. If you're self-contained it could be ok (and slightly better views).

Cell service was good enough to send some photos and plan the next day with weather, maps, etc.

One of the families with a huge setup at one of the designated semi-private sites had a bunch of ORVs and the kids drove through a few times. That was the only negative of this site.

If your expectations are right, this is a nice option.

Arriving on the Saturday evening of Labor Day weekend, I was half expecting not to find any spots. However, after driving 10 minutes or so past the Idleglen parking area, we found one near what seemed to be the top of the mountain (although there was still road left). It was the quietest place I have ever been. We could only hear the wind rattling our tent. All of the trees were burned up in the fires last year, so there weren’t many branches to blow in the wind, no critters scampering, no birds singing. If it weren’t so unique, it may have been eerie. We stayed for dinner one night because we had reservations in nearby Rocky Mountain National Park’s campground the following night. We were able to easily access our spot, but we were driving a Toyota Tacoma with plenty of clearance. May have been more difficult with other vehicles. Road is a little rougher the higher you go.