Smith Reservoir State Wildlife Area Dispersed Camping

Turn north on county road 12 from CO 142. The first 15 miles are well graded but the last four or so is very washboarded. The road is still passable by 2wd.
(A better way in would be south from hwy 160 at Blanca.) Take the northern entrance to the site then turn left at the toilets. Several mostly level sites. After picking up a bag of trash our site near the beach is awesome. Mosquitoes in the evening were annoying but our site is on the water so they are to be expected. Awesome views of the Rockies, abundant birds. Decent cell reception. Three bars ATT 5 Verizon 5 Firstnet.

Enjoyed an evening and night here on our way to Durango and was a able to enjoy the beautiful views of the mountains beyond the water. Even cooked dinner but the bugs took quite some adjusting to.

Great weather, good fishing! Would give it five stars but some of the usual dispersed spots are just wrecked with trash and broken down tents from squatters. Bugs where not a problem but this time of year is good for not so many bugs.
Cell service was AT&T LTE 2-3 bars the whole time no issue.

Stayed here longer than expected, nice views, next to water, decent temps,, had a great pull thru private site with shade, decent Verizon service, would definitely go back!!

There are no official camping sites nor amenities such as a picnic table or fire pit/grill, garbage receptacle. There are no facilities for restrooms. It says you can tent camp, but it would be best if using a Camper or RV for running water & restroom & a way to wash hands, etc. We had been previously to see my son & his family. They had an RV. It is absolutely beautiful. The dogs and children had a blast in the lake mid summer. Unfortunately, closer to the water you can see alot broken bottles & glass. Had to make sure the children wore shoes into the lake as well.

We scouted this location out. Probably fine for a few nights, maybe more if you were fishing. There is a nice open area on the south side of the lake that is grassy and level. It was partially flooded as were some other potential single campsites. There is a lots of trash around. Verizon signal was good. We opted for San Luis SWA to the north.

Note: there is a detour on Road 12 as of this review. It's temporary and doesn't take you too far out of the way. FYI.

Stayed a couple days in July. On leash required for pets Mosquitos are plentiful so be prepared. Birds, ducks, frogs and bats at dusk. People are friendly. You can car camp, tent camp and RV camp for free. Fishing and boating allowed. Toilets are available. No running water or hookups. No trash dumping, so pack in / pack out required. Campfires depends on season. Some areas on edge of lake is safe for children to play. No hiking trails. Overall a good place to camp next to a lake.

Pit toilets on site. Dirt road access approximately 2 miles from nearest highway. Campers have more options than tent sites. Area desert ground is riddled with red ant mounds. Great mountain views around the reservoir.

Definitely worth the drive but be aware the dirt road is about 15 miles long and very bumpy. We fit our 19ft trailer very easily. Probably no bigger then 24fters.

The road is a bit bumpy on the way in but no big deal; any vehicle can make it.

We turned left at the bathrooms (yes, there are bathrooms! Yay!), and parked at the end of the gravel road right in front of the water.

Overall, it was quiet at night. A couple cars came through but didn’t bother us.

The major bummer is the mosquitoes! Once we parked and hopped out of the van, they were on us instantly. We holed up in our van, only coming out to go to the bathroom. Luckily, we arrived near sunset, so we weren’t stuck inside all day. By the way, the sunset was dynamite, and I did suffer the skeeters to get a photo.

You can also swim and fish here. We opted to skip the water because of the blood suckers.