Roadside camping near beaver pond.
On Saturday, we drove out to the Sawatch mountains. We looked for easy camping near the Sheep Gulch Trail head and found it about 100 yards before the turn off.
On the left hand side is a pullout which is right next to a large beaver pond. The beavers were active, so all night they were slapping the water. This, combined with a full moon, and a steady stream of traffic on the road all night, made for not so ideal sleeping conditions!
Next time, I would park my car at the trail head. Here, you can see the main road and the turnoff to Sheep Gulch, heading to the right.
Close-up of the Sheep Gulch Sign
Once you turn to go to Sheep Gulch, it looks like this. Parking lot is about 100 feet from here.
No camping sign.
The Trail Head! From the trail head, go a few hundred feet and set up camp.
There were several nice camping spots just off the Sheep Gulch trail, which would have been great for sleeping! Here is an example of one, right off the trail and about a five minute walk from the car.
Tags: Camping, Mt. Hope, Sawatch Range, Sheep Gulch, Trail Head