CAMPSITE REVIEW: Manchester Creek Road, Divide, Co

CAMPSITE REVIEW:  Manchester Creek Road, Divide, Co

Cost:  Free

Hookups:  None

Dump/Water On-site:  None

Amenities:  None

GPS: 39.002700,-105.164100

We stayed here for 1.5 weeks in the first part of July 2019.  Overall, it was a decent place to stay.  I can’t say for sure if we would camp here again.  If we did, I would try for a non-holiday weekend.

Road/Site Condition

Access was good.  Road is paved until right when you get into the forest where it turns to dirt.  About ¼ after it turns to dirt, there is a parking lot on the left for the ATVers to park and unload.  Shortly past that on the right is a large clearing that could fit 3-4 rigs comfortably.  It was a bit busy when we arrived early afternoon on a Sunday.  We drove down a bit further and there was a nice clearing on the left (maybe another ¼ down the road).  This is where we stayed.  There was room for probably 3 rigs.  We did walk the road one day about 1.5 miles and there were other spots here and there.  Some of the land became private but everything was clearly marked.  There were some big rigs back there, but we were glad we stopped at the second clearing.  I would say overall there is room for about 15 rigs in the first 2 miles.  Not sure about after that.  We were able to find a decent spot for our solar and surprisingly was able to level without blocks.  I wouldn’t say the area is great for those with solar.  We were able to find one of the few spots that shade was not an issue.  Some were better than ours but were taken.  The shade isn’t horrible, so you might be able to get enough even with it, just depends on how your solar is setup.  Because this is a popular area for ATVs, it can get a little loud and a dusty.  We only had one person be disrespectful by doing donuts and kicking up dirt, dust and rocks about 10 feet from our RV.  He did leave after we asked.  A local that camps there frequently mentioned it was normally not that busy.  This was likely to due to the holiday weekend.  Other than the one guy, most were respectful of our space.  As you would expect, at night, it calmed down and was quiet and serene.  They also didn’t get too early of a start each morning, so thankful for that.    

Scenery

Most of the immediate camping area is not scenic.  Your views of the mountains are blocked by trees.  There were a few spots down the road that seemed to have good views.  But a short drive will take you to some great views of the area, which was beautiful.

Cell/Internet Access

Our cell phones are through AT&T and service was crappy.  Sometimes even with the booster it would not work.  No ability to make calls unless we used Wifi calling.  We have both AT&T and Verizon hotspots.  Without booster they worked OK, but we really needed to booster to be able to work from the RV.  The further down the road, the less cell signal.

Amenity Access

No amenities here so pack in and out.  Town of Woodland Park is about 20 minutes away and has gas, groceries, etc.  Colorado Springs is about 45-50 minutes away and has more options.  We filled our jugs for water at the county water station just down the street (about 5 minutes away) which was quite convenient.  Water there is $1 for every 30 gallons if using a 20 ft hose (goes by time, not gallons).  We dumped nearby at Golden Bell Camp & Conference Center for $15 but call first because they indicated they may not let people dump anymore unless they are staying at the campground.  I believe depending on the direction you are heading, most RV campgrounds in the area will let you dump for a fee.  For trash, we used various dumpsters at gas stations and trash receptacles at Walmart.  Most of the dumpsters nearby had signs that prohibited public use.