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Penrose Commons Recreation Area offers a warm, arid climate among pinon and juniper woodlands. The best time to visit is September through May when temperatures are comfortable and the snowy peaks of the Sangre De Cristo mountain range are visible in the distance. With 30 miles of motorized trail, the area is popular for ATVs, motorcycles and four wheeling. Independence Trail system is known for its extreme 4x4 rock crawling opportunities with easy access for spectators to enjoy the trail activity. Penrose Commons is also popular for horseback riding, hunting and dispersed camping. The area has a restroom, trail map information and ample parking space for trailers. A wet weather gate closes the area to motorized use during wet conditions. For more information, please contact the Royal Gorge Field Office.
Located: 10 miles east of Cañon City, Colorado, off of CO Hwy 115. From US Hwy 50 turn north on CO Hwy 115 at Penrose, drive 2.3 miles; turn west (left if coming from the south) on 3rd Street (CR 123, look for Brush Hollow reservoir sign), and drive for 0.3 miles; turn north (right) on E Street (CR 127) and drive 3 miles to the parking area.
No Fee but OHV permit/ registration is required. Out of state residents are required to retain a Non-resident registration.
This is a free dry camping spot with vault toilets. It is a place for off-road vehicles, so the roads are terrible. We have a 35' RV and there is no way we could go any further than the parking lot. There are several people that apparently live here full time. We spoke to another RVer that said their RV was broken into and all of their food was stolen. Did not feel comfortable leaving our rig there.
I've had some fun on these trails with my adventure bikes, and the night photography here is unique. If you want some desert camping just outside of Penrose, it doesn't get much easier than this.
It's a nice place to hangout for a few days. It's at the head of an off road trail so there is quite a bit of traffic from dirt bikes, UTVs and the likes. There is also an Airforce base near by and fighter jets are flying over head frequently. On the upside, there are senic views and vault toilets that are kept surprisingly clean. Other than having toilets It's your basic dry camping. The road is a bit rough and rocky but any vehicle can handle it. There are places for RV's. The sun here is intense and there isn't any shade to speak of so sunscreen is beneficial.
I gave it four stars because the trail markings suck. I rode a manual trans no reverse sport quad. The trails are made for auto trans 4x4s and are endurcross esque. I had a lot of fun though! These trails will make you a better rider because they are such a challenge. The re-rideability isn’t there though because of this. Also the people that live there don’t seem to understand it’s an ohv park. Oh yea, beware of bears. Saw 1 on trail in the morning!
Cool place for rock buggies and dirt bikes. The monkey couldn't quite cut it. Lots of trails, lots of sharp rock, warmer that Colorado Springs. Empty on weekdays.
