Sultan Dispersed Camping Area

We arrived the day after the 4th of July and had planned on camping at nearby Kendall Camping Area which was so jammed packed with people that we had to look for another spot.

Sultan is the smallest out of the 3 camping areas and was the least busy (though we did have neighbors). Our spot was right on the river and we were quite comfortable for the duration of our stay.

Data on the cell phone is unusable without a booster. With a booster the Verizon 3G switched to 2 bars of LTE: DOWNLOAD: 7.74Mb/s UPLOAD: 0.07Mb/s

I stayed here after staying across the creek at Anvil. It was more spacious, you have a better view of the mountains, and there was less traffic. I only saw one RV come through the site, but I wasn't ALWAYS there. Still, it was a little more off season than when I was at Anvil.

I could live here all summer!

This camping area is large enough for most RV's to turn around in, even if someone is parked there already.

You can camp right on the creek!

Site is pretty level.

Solar- it's about 6 or 7 hours... not perfect but it was worth it. You're right at the base of mountains, so it's to be expected. Had to use generator a few times due to cloudy days.

Internet was great! Still, like Anvil, I had to walk out to Forest Road 585 to talk. However, I did have a booster.

A HUGE moose walked right through the campsite while I was there. It was amazing- saw a total of 4 moose all in one day. This was in September, I believe? Elk were calling and it was pretty unreal.

See my Anvil review for a little more info!

We're starting our second night at Sultan tonight about 20 feet back from Mineral Creek. When we arrived yesterday there was just one large tent that still remains unoccupied, and our nearest neighbor was a Class A across Mineral Creek at Anvil. While we were out today another Class A pulled in about 150 feet away and a camper van set up across the Creek next to the first Class A. Not exactly my kind of dispersed camping, but the site was pretty enough that we decided to stay on an extra day.

The county dirt road getting here off 550 is excellent, although the Million Dollar Highway is close enough that I occasionally can hear a truck above the rushing Mineral Creek. I've also seen signs of disturbed cat holes, which is really uncool in an established campground - especially when they're too shallow to contain the toilet paper.

Nevertheless, I'd certainly stay here again.

Totally awesome spot.
We got here while the monsoon rain was falling hard. We waited and then backed into our site. 2 other campers already on site, so we took the most out of level site, but we were very close to the creek and we had our privacy.
Quick drive to Silverton which we didn’t everyday, sometimes twice a day. We also went up the dirt road to hike Ice Lakes which is one of the best hikes o have done in my life!
This place is truly amazing, I couldn’t believe that it was free!!!

One of my most favorite places to dry camp. But Currently closed :(

We pulled in about 5pm on a Thursday and may have got the last decent spot. The river is still raging from winter melt in mid-July. Too fast to fish:(

I stayed here with a Class C motorhome from July 19-22, 2019. I had no problem to get an OK spot at the river when I arrived and could move to a great spot the next day when the family that was in that spot left.

Due to the heavy snowfall in the previous winter and the still ongoing snowmelt the river was quite high and loud. When this is the case a spot that is not directly at the river might be better for some people.

This is a great free campsite close to US Hwy 550 (which you don't hear from there). There are several spots next to the river and some more a little farther away. Altogether there might be around 10 good spots here. No services at all. Good Verizon cell phone reception.

I enjoyed this place very much and would come back here if I'm ever again in that area.

Beautiful place with amazing views in every direction. What a gem.We only stayed one night because the weather was turning cold and rainy. It was mid September so this is probably common weather for this time of year at 9000+ feet. We were able to fit our 36' toy hauler with room to spare.
We would absolutely stay here again. Would liked to have spent more time exploring the area.

You can’t beat this spot. Across from Anvil, and better and bigger. Mid August is probably a great time to go and we got to hear the water throughout the night. We stayed here so we were close to the Ice Lake Basin Trail. Verizon and TMobile coverage was great, our camping neighbors were great, and it was one of the most beautiful boondocking places we have been. Unfortunately we saw some horrible campers who cut down trees so that they could have a view of the water. That really makes me mad and sad at the same time. You shouldn’t destroy earth for your ego. But I digress. This is a great, quiet spot a couple miles from down town Silverton, just off the 550. We were able to visit several hikes in the area and have a great week in Silverton. Close to Ouray as well!

Very nice spot by the river. Access to hiking trails.