Best Places To Tent Camp In Colorado

The campground itself includes 62 campsites, a handful of which have electric hookups. Each site comes with a picnic table and fire ring, and the campground offers drinking water, trash collection, and vault toilets for all visitors. Cayo Costa State Park features nine miles of natural shoreline on this Gulf Coast barrier island in Charlotte Harbor. This well-preserved tropical ecosystem is only accessible by boat or helicopter and is a haven to shorebirds, manatees, and sea turtles. The park has 30 primitive campsites with picnic tables and fire pit rings. The campground has little shade available but is near the beach where guests enjoy swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving.

“Mueller State Park is a great location, close to Colorado Springs and far away enough to have that quiet camping experience. There were amazing views of Pikes Peak and so many camping spots…The 5 kids in our group had a great time and I was impressed with how clean the campsites were kept. I would highly recommend camping at Mueller State Park and would love to return for another camping experience.” — The Dyrt camper Andrea K. There are a whopping 328 campsites at Eleven Mile State Park, including 52 sites with electrical hookups for RVs.

#2 Sunshine Campground

Hovenweep National Monument – Step back in town at another Ancient Puebloan archaeological site. The campground has a gorgeous view of Sleeping Ute Mountain. Many of the Colorado ruins are located around ruins from the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.

It’s not uncommon for people to get their sleep situation sorted out well a year in advance. Turquoise Lake is a recreation area in the San Isabel National Forest just outside of Leadville, the nation’s highest incorporated town. You’ll find thick evergreen forest, towering mountains and an 1,800-acre lake as well as eight campgrounds, all sitting at a crisp and cool 10,000-foot-high elevation. The lake offers boating and fishing, and on land, visitors can enjoy hiking, biking and four-wheeling. If you’re looking for a fairly easy hike or bike excursion, the 12-mile paved Mineral Belt Trail loop starts in downtown Leadville, just four miles east of the lake.

Buffalo Pass

If you think tent camping is just for hard-core hikers, you probably haven’t spent much time in the mountains. From the moment you first see it, you can tell that Colorado is a uniquely beautiful place. The state is home to some of the country’s best national parks, beautiful national forests, and vast mountain ranges. But perhaps most famously, the people of Colorado are known for their strong spirit of independence. Visitors have the chance to explore both the West Magnolia Trailhead and the East Portal Trailhead, both of which just a short drive from the campground entrance.

Dispersed camping is available very shortly after the Dry Lake Campground, directly on the pass. Dispersed camping – There are some sites but not as many as neighbor Vasquez Ridge. Saint Vrain State Park – Year-round state park located south of Fort Collins near Longmont. John Martin Reservoir State Park – The go-to place for water recreation in the Southeast.

Did We Miss Your Favorite Colorado Campground?

Training your doggo to wear shoes like these will keep their little feet comfortable. With 5,000 acres of meadows, ponds and forested ridges surrounded by mountains, a wide variety of adventures await! In the winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are popular activities. Even with the popularity of getting outdoors on the rise, finding a place to camp in Colorado is still relatively easy, and find a free camping area is no different. The Maroon Bells are one of the most famous settings in the whole of Colorado.

Here, you can see elk, mountain lions, moose, black bears, and long-horned sheep. For those who crave total peace, quiet, and seclusion, the campgrounds is open year-round, and a trip here during the winter months is truly magical. Keen to experience the tallest sand dunes in North America IRL? Great Sand Dunes National Park is a thrill-a-minute destination where magnificent scenery and adventure lurks around every corner.

Cottonwood Pass connects Buena Vista with Almont on the other side of the Divide. There is one campground near Buena Vista and the rest are on the west side near Taylor Park Reservoir. The Taylor Park Marina rents out boats and has a bait shop and deli. Fishing and hand-powered watercraft are permitted on Summit Lake, which is at the top.

Little Molas Lake, San Juan National Forest

River Run Campground in Granby is a very new facility that’s described as a cabin rental, glamping, camping, and RV resort. If you prefer somewhere a bit more swanky, check out These 8 Glampgrounds In Colorado Will Give You An Unforgettable Experience. Florida Campground remains one of Colorado’s best kept camping secrets. The North Fork of the South Platte River is just a hop, skip, and a jump away. And don’t forget about Gibson Lake Trail, which boasts a 1,500 foot climb. It’s great exercise and the views make it well worth the effort.

San Luis State Park – Centered around the 890-acre San Luis Lake, this is a wonderful state park to stay at if visiting the Sand Dunes. Campsites overlook the Dunes, and there’s fishing and boating the lake. Great Sand Dunes Oasis CG – private run campground just before the entrance of the park. See Arkansas Headwaters SP, further up this post, for several campgrounds on Hwy 50 west to Salida.

Some tents are great for warm weather, while others can withstand cold temperatures. If you plan to be camping in the snow, snowshoes are a must. The summer months are the best time to break out the hammock or find a nice spot to pitch a tent. I have been out camping in the Colorado Rocky Mountains for the past few years and have started to notice that I enjoy it more and more.

This campground has flush toilets, potable water, and an RV dump station during the summer season. Then you’ve got stunning views of the Continental Divide to the west and Pikes Peak to the east. It has 26 campsites each with a picnic table and fire ring. The access roads can be pretty rough, but most vehicles should make the drive just fine. This list features the best of the best, making that decision just a little bit easier. Whether you’re a zealous desert advocate or simply passing through central California, Death Valley is certainly one of the strangest National Parks out there — and well worth a camping trip.

The Golden Gate Canyon State Park has more than 150 camping sites. Whether you’re a winter sports enthusiast or an amateur hiker, you’re bound to spend a lovely time in this scenic region. Those looking to escape city life will be pleased to know that Colorado’s campgrounds are among the country’s best. Once you’ve spent the day enjoying the state’s majestic scenery, be it through hiking, off-roading, or biking, you’ll be able to end the day by relaxing under the stars.

Snowmass Lake

The campground has 124 campsites that each accommodate a maximum of six people with no more than three tents and two vehicles if room allows. At the center of the campground is an amphitheater where local artists perform for a full house. The campground also features access to the Skull Rock Nature Trail, a popular walk to the famed granite rock formation through desert wildflowers and sandy terrain. Badlands National Park provides camping at two campgrounds and allows backcountry camping among its 224,000 acres. Cedar Pass Campground offers seasonal camping and is ideal for families, large groups, and RV camping. Electricity is available at the RV sites but there is no water or sewer hook-up onsite.

While you’re here, take a day’s hike out to see the incredible waterfalls to the west of the lake. The campground is the only one at this end of the lake and is at an elevation of around 10,000 feet. From here, you can hike out into the wilderness areas of Mount Massive and Holy Cross or take the Colorado Trail, which passes conveniently right by the entrance to the campground. From here, you can hike a short trail that takes you to the dam, which connects with the six-mile Coulton Creek Forest Service trail.

Some sites are a lil’ on the sunnier side due to Colorado’s mountain pine beetle infestation – hammock campers, take note. You can start either to the north at Blue Mesa or to the south at South Fork . Hike or bike a wide selection of trails, including the Colorado Trail, which begins in the campground. There are no bear boxes at this campground; you’ll need to keep all food and toiletries in the trunk of your car. The campground itself is named after an image of an angel that reportedly appears in the winter as Shavano Mountain’s peak is dusted with snowfall.