Car Camping and Van Dwelling in Boulder

Boulder's quest for "diversity" is troubling:

Now we have many bums as well as billionaires.

Nic Lazzareschi wrote:Hey yall, does anyone know good zones to car camp in boulder? Looking for a few places to not get hassled and keep a low profile.

If I told ya they wouldn't be good any more.

Resurrecting a 6 mo. old thread is a good way to keep a low profile... did you search for "car camping in Boulder" so you could find a thread to not give your advice on? :)

Just struck me as funny.

Em Cos wrote:Resurrecting a 6 mo. old thread is a good way to keep a low profile... did you search for "car camping in Boulder" so you could find a thread to not give your advice on? :) Just struck me as funny.

And apparently he didn't have the balls to not delete the post.

Nederland

mac cole wrote:Nederland

Just as an FYI there is an active community watching the Ned / Magnolia area and reporting camping offenses to the police. Unfortunately there is a large contingent of transients especially during the summer months trashing the NF, overstaying the 14 day limit and having dangerous fire practices during high winds and bans.

Please be sure to be respectful!

Some of the fun that's happening in the area.
Transient Trash 1

Transient Trash 2

^^^Probably the same folks that trashed an Indian reservation in North Dakota. Came here for the legal dope.

trailridge wrote:^^^Probably the same folks that trashed an Indian reservation in North Dakota. Came here for the legal dope.

You mean the "rainbow family"? Yeah we have a problem with them too. I know associations are loose, but there have been a few stabbings and other good times up there.

It's really sad too. Been biking up there and people have literally taken a crap right on the trail. TP and all.

Dibs on that sweet speaker¡

I want the red travel rolly in the second photo.

Well boys you are in luck. Shits still all there. Right now they don't have the manpower to clean it up, and the owner neglected to collect it. Apparently at the end of last summer it still had "cash value", but it's buyer beware right now.

Oh and any feces you find is yours too keep!

Thank god I moved out of Boulder. More 20 year olds with cardboard signs and $500 backpacks then anywhere else I've ever been. 

Yep.  And then you catch flack for not being "pro-homeless" if you speak out against them.  Have a heart!  ummm no I'm on my way to work.  Again.  

I slept in my car in the Walmart parking lot in Erie (23 minutes from the Flatirons) and it was great. a few vans and a converted school bus all there and it didn't seem to be an issue. Not super close, but if you want a sure bet, It's where I'm going to sleep from now on.

I've been here for over a month avoiding expensive housing while I do an internship. It honestly hasn't been that bad living in a truck. Not giving up my spots though. 

Walmart's are an ok choice when in dire need, but the number of teens hanging out in the back of the lots till the middle of the night is an annoyance. 

They definitely don't allow overnight parking at any Walmarts around boulder so be careful

Todd Bruns wrote:

They definitely don't allow overnight parking at any Walmarts around boulder so be careful

This is true. They all have signs saying "No overnight parking". That said, there are campers that have been parked directly next to these signs all summer without moving in 3 of 3 Walmarts I have stayed at in Longmont and Layfayette.

Is that smart? No. 

Can it be done? Apparently, yes. 

Will you get ticketed? Possibly? 

Be stealthier than the obvious ones, move your vehicle daily, and don't be an asshole. You probably won't have a problem. 

I noticed that Saint Vrain State Park (30 min West on 119) is not on the maps.  Seems silly not to put it there.  Nice digs but for the road noise if you are on the East side, and for that matter, hot showers all year.

I slept in my car right in front of REI friday night (8/18) without any issue, not that i would recommend it. I wanted to get a couple hours sleep, then wake up at midnight and head up to longs peak, but i overslept till 6am

Phil Lauffen wrote: I've been working on a web app that catalogs crowd-sourced free camping sites and displays them on a map. Obviously, I've got a few sites from around Boulder. Check it out here: https://freedirt.herokuapp.com/ I'd be psyched if people got interested in this and actually developed it into a good source for finding free camping near any crag. I'm still developing it, so my apologies for any bugs that crop up (I wouldn't mind if you sent me a pm about it, though:))

I know Phil means well but i miss the days when you had to read a map and explore a zone to find a good spot.  The internet allows good spots to go to those not willing to put in extra effort exploring or getting to know an area. Sorry for the rant and i am glad more people are appreciating the outdoors, I simply dislike that folks knee jerk reaction to finding a nice spot or new crag/unknown powder zone is to go nuts on the internet until the place is overrun-let people find things on their own-isn't exploration the whole point...rant over, cheers