Where to Camp in Colorado: The Short List
Colorado has more than 900 campgrounds. You do not need 900 options. You need 8 good ones. Here they are, with the information that actually matters.
1. Maroon Bells Scenic Area: Silver Bar Campground
Location: 10 miles west of Aspen on Maroon Creek Road
Elevation: 8,200 feet
Sites: 4 sites
Cost: $24 per night
Reservations: Recreation.gov, 6 months in advance
Best season: Late June through September
This is the campground closest to the Maroon Bells, which are the most photographed mountains in Colorado. Four sites. That is it. They book the day they become available. Set a reminder for the exact date six months before your trip and be online at 8 AM Mountain Time.
The payoff is waking up and walking to Maroon Lake before the shuttle buses start running. The Bells reflected in the lake at sunrise with no one else around. That is worth the effort of booking.
If Silver Bar is full, try Silver Bell or Silver Queen, both nearby on the same road. Slightly farther from the lake but still excellent.
2. Piñon Flats Campground, Great Sand Dunes
Location: Great Sand Dunes National Park
Elevation: 8,200 feet
Sites: 88 sites
Cost: $20 per night plus $25 park entrance fee per vehicle
Reservations: Recreation.gov for Loop 1. Loop 2 is first come, first served.
Best season: May through October
The tallest sand dunes in North America. They rise 750 feet against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Piñon Flats is the only developed campground in the park. Loop 1 is reservable and fills fast for summer weekends. Loop 2 is first come, first served and your best bet for spontaneous trips. Arrive by Thursday afternoon for a weekend stay.
Hike the dunes at sunrise or sunset. Midday in summer the sand surface reaches 150 degrees. Bring more water than you think you need.
3. Moraine Park Campground, Rocky Mountain National Park
Location: Bear Lake Road, Estes Park
Elevation: 8,160 feet
Sites: 244 sites
Cost: $30 per night plus $35 park entrance fee per vehicle
Reservations: Recreation.gov, opens 6 months in advance
Best season: June through September (open year-round with reduced services)
The biggest and most popular campground in Rocky Mountain National Park. Sites are spread across an open meadow with views of the Continental Divide. Elk graze through camp in the evening. This is not a figure of speech. They walk between tents.
Book the moment reservations open. Summer weekends sell out in minutes. Weekdays are easier. The campground puts you close to Bear Lake trailhead, the starting point for a dozen of the park's best hikes.
4. North Crestone Creek Campground
Location: Crestone, San Luis Valley
Elevation: 8,800 feet
Sites: 13 sites
Cost: Free
Reservations: None. First come, first served.
Best season: June through October
Free camping in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains above the small town of Crestone. Forest Service road, no paved surfaces. The campground is basic. Vault toilets. No water. No hookups. No cell service.
What you get is solitude and a trailhead to the South Colony Lakes, which sit in a glacial cirque below Humboldt Peak and Crestone Needle. Two fourteeners from one camp. The silence at night is total.
5. Mueller State Park
Location: 25 miles west of Colorado Springs
Elevation: 9,500 feet
Sites: 132 sites
Cost: $28 per night plus $10 daily park pass
Reservations: cpwshop.com
Best season: May through October
The best campground within an hour of Colorado Springs. Ponderosa pines and meadows with views of Pikes Peak. The park has 50 miles of trails, most of them uncrowded.
Electric hookups are available at some sites. Showers on site. This is a good campground for families or people who want camping without roughing it too hard.
6. Difficult Campground
Location: 4 miles east of Aspen on Highway 82
Elevation: 8,000 feet
Sites: 47 sites
Cost: $29 per night
Reservations: Recreation.gov
Best season: Late May through September
The name is the campground's name, not a warning. Sites sit along the Roaring Fork River under cottonwoods and aspens. You can fish from your campsite. Downtown Aspen is a 10-minute drive. The Grottos trail, a short hike to a series of granite caves and ice formations, starts across the highway.
This is the way to do Aspen without paying Aspen prices. A campsite for $29 instead of a hotel room for $500.
7. Weston Pass Campground
Location: Between Leadville and Fairplay
Elevation: 10,200 feet
Sites: 14 sites
Cost: Free
Reservations: None. First come, first served.
Best season: June through September
High-altitude camping on a quiet Forest Service road over Weston Pass. No reservations, no fees, no crowds. The road is dirt and rough in places but passable in a standard car with good clearance.
You are at 10,200 feet. Nights are cold even in July. Bring a sleeping bag rated for freezing temperatures. The stars at this elevation, with no light pollution in any direction, are the reason you came.
8. Molas Lake Campground
Location: 6 miles south of Silverton on Highway 550
Elevation: 10,500 feet
Sites: 60 sites
Cost: $28 per night
Reservations: molascamping.com or walk-in
Best season: Late June through September
A high-altitude lake on the Million Dollar Highway between Silverton and Durango. The campground sits on the shore with views in every direction. The Needleton trailhead for the Weminuche Wilderness is nearby. The Colorado Trail passes through.
Silverton is 6 miles north. A mining town at 9,318 feet with a handful of saloons and the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Get breakfast at the Avalanche Brewing Company before heading out for the day.
General Tips
Reserve early. Colorado campgrounds book out months in advance for summer weekends. For popular spots, have your dates ready the moment the reservation window opens.
First come, first served sites require showing up early. Thursday afternoon is the move for weekend camping. Friday morning is often too late.
Altitude matters. If you are coming from sea level, spend your first night below 8,000 feet. Altitude sickness is real and it will ruin your trip.
Bear canisters are required in some wilderness areas. Check regulations before you go. At a minimum, store food in your car, not your tent.
Fire restrictions change throughout the summer. Check the local ranger district before you plan on having a campfire. Some years, fires are banned from July through September across most of the state.
Pack out everything. Colorado's wild places stay wild because people treat them that way.