Rabbit Ears Pass West Dispersed Camping

This is a great little free camping area about 15-20 minutes outside of Steamboat Springs. It is right off the highway up on the mountain. We used the GPS coordinates listed on Campendium and found it just fine.

When you first pull in, you'll notice that the road is very worn and rutted. There is one spot to the right that is very easy to get into, and you can even avoid the ruts quite a bit to get into it. It is the closest spot to the highway. There is another spot on the left that we stayed in. You will have to navigate the heavily rutted road for about 25 yards, but we made it through in our truck and Airstream. Go slow and you'll be fine. After these first two spots, the road becomes even more rutted. If you have a high enough rig, I'm sure you can keep going into the forest.

Overall it is a quiet spot with easy access and close to the town of Steamboat Springs. Plus, you can watch all the Netflix you want. You can see the highway from these first spots so there is some highway noise but it isn't bothersome.

This isn't a bad little stop over just east of Steamboat Spring about 14 miles. The road is a little rutted but managable. Be extremely careful turning in off the road as there os quite a hump. I almost tore odd my spare tire and bracket pulling in. Had to take it off and hammer it back into shape and then reinstall it. I should have been more careful.
No tv available unless you have internet and Hulu or Netflix. We had 3 bars Verizon with no booster. It is a little close to the road so there is some road noise but not bad. Theres room for a few rigs and you won't be on top of each other too much. The site os kind of pretty, ( my wife's words) all in all not a bad site for a couple of days.

As far as I'm concerned this spot has everything needed for great boondocking. Multiple spots so people don't have to park on top of each other, good scenery, lots of places to hike right outside your door, and a strong cell signal. Oh, and it's only about a 20-minute drive into Steamboat Springs.

The downside is that it's fairly close to a busy road, so you will hear the cars whizzing by. Also, as another reviewer noted, the entrance to the road has developed a pretty nasty hump. We did okay coming in, but on the way out we snapped one of the weight distribution bars on our hitch, bent another piece of the hitch, and nearly tore our bumper off. You have been warned.

We enjoyed a week here in the second site, about 100 yards off the highway. Previous reviews has us skeptical about the entry and exit, rightfully so. We scouted the entrance and camp sights before committing. Coming from the east we were able to angle in the entrance but were close to dragging a landing gear. In order to exit without issues we used some of the road pack near the entrance to build it up (see before and after pictures). Not sure how long it will last, and you have to hit it at the right angle, but it’s there for now in case anyone needs to use it.

We stayed here for one night when we missed out on a first come, first serve CG in the area (Meadows CG across the street). The entry from US 40 has been improved and is in OK shape -- a little steep but manageable with no real danger. But after about 20 yards the road develops increasing deep ruts (over 2 feet deep) that made us fear we would damage our undercarriage because we don't have a lot of ground clearance. Larger rigs definitely should not go down the hill after the first stretch of road, since the road becomes almost impassable for RVs with limited turnaround options. Sites further along could work for small vehicles like Jeeps and 4WD high clearance vans.

Sites are not particularly well defined, but people managed to find somewhat level spots on both sides of the road before heading down the hill, but even the grassy areas are pretty uneven due to rodent holes. All these spots are within sight of the road so there is road noise. This area seems to be used mostly on weekends so visitors have better options if arriving during the week. The good news is that the location seems to be treated well by campers, with no trash littering the area. Cell service was fine on AT&T, and it is a 15 minute drive to Steamboat Springs. We relocated to the Meadows CG across the street after one night and we were much happier -- it was significantly quieter and the road to our campsite was far more enjoyable to drive on a daily basis as we went about doing errands and visiting the local sights.

This is a Forest Service road in poor condition. There are about 5 sites which are accessible as soon as you pull off of the highway. Beyond that i would recommend a 4x4 with a healthy lift. Lots of broken off vehicle and trailer parts on the road to prove it. That being said, the sites further down the road are just as close to the highway noise as the initial group because the road turns and runs about 100 yards parallel to the highway. All in all, it is convenient to Steamboat and all it has to offer. Lots and lots of hiking and MTN biking in the immediate area. Additionally, great cell signal for communications and streaming.

At first sight the entry road looked a little scary so we got out and walked the roads to look for a site and scope out our best options. The one road had some pretty bad ruts but the other entry road was fine if you stay to the right. We stayed at the site in top of the small hill and it was absolutely beautiful. You will hear some noise from the road but we didn’t mind the “white noise”. The weather was great and we were able to have a camp fire so we were in heaven. We would definitely stay here again. The cell signal was great so my husband was able to work from the trailer in the morning.

Rabbit Ears Pass West dispersed area can be divided into three areas.

The entrance area occuing between I-40 and the first 1/4th of a mile is accessible to any vehicle with clearance. During my stay this area received, without issue, everything from a sedan, a 40ft 5th wheel, a large Class A, and Sprinter vans. As long as you don't have a sports car you can drive and turn around in this area. There are approximately 11 sites in this entry area, more if you want to be cozy with your neighbors. About 4 of these sites can accommodate a large rig. Most of the sites are fairly level. This area also received the best cell signal with about 3 bars of Verizon 4G. Turning around past this area may not be feasible for all rigs.

The middle area is more rutted and may require a bit more clearance beginning 1/4th to about 1/2 mile from the entrance. This area has 7 spots suitable for vans and small trailers. There is one large site prior to "the point of no return" and it is your last chance to turn with a larger rig. The sites here are also reasonably level and received 1 to 2 bars of Verizon 4G.

Finally at the 1/2 mile mark is the back area. There is a large series of ruts in the road that make this all but impassable to anything without a robust 4x4 suspension. The dips in the road are so deep that they come to my chest. DO NOT cross this if there is water as it is deceptive on its depth. If you brave the "point of no return" there are 4 sites beyond with little Verizon coverage, if any. The area is quite beautiful however, with fields of wildflowers stretching into the distance.

There is no available water on the pass but we were able to obtain water at the first gas station into Steamboat Springs by asking nicely.

As this area is right off I-40 there is road noise for which I removedone star. It is not substantial unless I-70 is closed and the traffic is rerouted over the pass. When this occurs the noise increases and the quality of the Verizon drops significantly.

The area is beautiful with scattered trees for privacy. There was a large population of chipmunks, a few deer and a moose that frequented the area. West Summit Loop 1A trail is an easy walk from this camping area.

I had a good stay here. It was quiet and I was able to get level pretty easily in a pull through site. I pulled in a 25 foot trailer. The road is very rutted but you can drive on the high spots. It rained the night before I left and my 4 wheel drive was spinning to get out and the trailer was pulling sideways due to the ruts. If a rough road is ok, it’s a decent spot. Others say they had AT&T 4 g but I had 3g. Full strength 3 g and was able to stream tv although it would drop off periodically

Pulled in for one night in our minivan. A bunch of the other sights were not available on this June 11. Chose the first sight on the right and it was nicely secluded. Deep ruts on the drive that had to be dealt with pass this. Road noise not an issue but there. Free!