Stunning mountain views, spectacular sunsets, whispering plains, magnificent lakes. No, we’re not talking about the entire United States: all of this spectacular view can be found right here in Colorado! Colorado has some of the nicest camping in the United States. However, there are a few easy things to know before you camp in Colorado.
Here is your Ultimate Guide to camping in Colorado
- About Colorado camping
- Best time to camp in Colorado/ When to go?
- Best campsite in Colorado
- Tips for camping Colorado
Whether you’re looking for a kid-friendly camp close to home, wanting to camp in a car, where is the best campground,how to make a campground reservation, and when to go. Don’t worry, we are going to cover everything through this guide.
About Colorado camping
Colorado is an incredible outdoor playground. Camping is a great way to get to know the beauty of nature.
Camping is one of the most budget-friendly ways to visit Colorado.In fact, some of the best places to stay in Colorado are actually campgrounds. You can easily camp during a road trip in Colorado to get the most out of your mountain adventure. As a Colorado native for over 8 years, camping in Colorado has long been my favorite pastime.
Best time to camp in Colorado/ When to go?
The best time to camp in Colorado is from late June to mid-September. Why? This is when the weather is at its best. Many campgrounds are closed for the winter and most of the roads unmaintained in the winter season. Due to the high altitude in Colorado, peaks and campgrounds are often covered with snow throughout May.
Depending on the year, snow can last until mid to late June. That isn’t to say you can’t camp in early June, but don’t expect warm, summertime weather.
Depending on your outdoor skills, you can camp year-round. However, not everyone enjoys camping in a winter camp, and in fact, you should only try it if you have experience outdoors.
Some of the most gorgeous camping can be found in early October when all of the aspen leaves turn a magnificent gold color. It’s very wonderful and must be seen!
Best campsite in Colorado
More than 13,000 campsites are available in Colorado to allow tourists to enjoy the splendor of the state’s natural places. With so many campgrounds, it’s easy to find a quiet place to go back to the basics and revisit the simplicity of nature.
Here are some basic tips to help you decide which camping style is best for you and select the best campsite for your next colorado camping.
Rocky Mountain National Park Camping
One of the pleasures of every Colorado journey is a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. Rocky Mountain National Park has a range of camping choices, including some of the most gorgeous campgrounds in Colorado’s National Parks.
However, competition is high, so if you want to secure a space during the busiest season, you need to reserve ahead of time or come early.
Tip: The best time to avoid crowds at Rocky Mountain National Park is from November to April.
Recommended Campgrounds:
Aspen Glen Campground (reservation only)
- Price: $17/night
- Open: Only summer
- Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
- Type: Tent
- Elevation: 14,000 feet
- Available sites: 52
- Potable Water – Seasonal
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: None
- Flush Toilets – seasonal
- Tent Only: 13
- Firewood For Sale – Seasonal
Aspen Glen is aspen and mixed coniferous forest and a small, pleasant 9-site campground in the middle of an open meadow. It is located on Colorado Highway 14 and adjoins the conifer forest and open meadow. Each site includes a tent pad, a fireplace, and a picnic table.
Moraine Park Campground (reservation only)
- Price: $18/night in winter and $30/night in summer
- Open: Open all year, with restricted facilities in the winter.
- Location: Estes Park, Colorado
- Type: Tent
- Elevation: 8160 feet
- Available sites: 244
- Potable Water – Seasonal
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: No
- Pet: Allow
- Flush Toilets – Seasonal
- Tent: 101 tent can set on campground
- Firewood For Sale – Seasonal
Moraine Park Campus is located in the stunning Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, near the Beaver Meadows entrance on Highway 36. It is located on the north side of Moraine Park and offers beautiful views of the large park and the surrounding hills.
Glacier Basin Campground (reservation only)
- Price: $18/night in winter and $30/night in summer
- Open: Only summer
- Location: Highway 36 West, Estes Park, Colorado
- Type: Tent
- Elevation: 8500 feet
- Available sites: 150
- Potable Water – Seasonal
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: None
- Pet: Allow
- Flush Toilets – seasonal
- Tent: 73 tent can set on campground
- Firewood For Sale – Seasonal
It is one of the best camping grounds in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes. Great views and well-placed campgrounds each have their own table and fireplace.
The Douglas Fir, Lodgepole Pine, Ponderosa Pine, and occasionally the Engelman Spruce Forest Camp are forested, providing an equal amount of sun and shade. Grasses, shrubs, and seasonal wildflowers fill the open meadows.
Long’s Peak Campground (first-come-first-serve)
- Price: $18/night in winter and $30/night in summer
- Open: Only summer
- Location: Longs Peak Rd, Estes Park, Colorado
- Elevation: 9500 feet
- Available sites: 26
- Potable Water – Seasonal
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: Yes
- Pet: Allow
- Vault Toilets – year-round
- Tent: 26 tent can set on campground
- Firewood For Sale – Seasonal
The Long’s Peak Campus is a first-come-first-serve option in Coronado. The sites have picnic tables, fire pits, and generally plenty of space and accommodation. Most websites are big enough to accommodate more than one tent. The Long’s Peak Campus is located 20 minutes south of Estes Park on HV7.
The campground has vault toilets and a firewood place near the entrance of the loop, drinking water points on either end of the loop.
Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests
Arapaho National Forest is a national forest in north-central Colorado, USA. Rocky Mountain National Park is surrounded by Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Fort Collins, Estes Park, and Loveland are among the notable cities on the northern end. You’ll be closer to Boulder, Winter Park, Georgetown, and Denver on the southern edge.
Aspen Glen Campground
- Price: $17/night
- Open: Open all year
- Location: Estes Park, Colorado
- Type: Tent / RV
- Available sites: 9
- Potable Water – Seasonal
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: Yes
- Pet: Allowed
- Flush Toilets
Aspen Glen is a modest, lovely 9-site campsite surrounded by an aspen and mixed conifer woodland and an open meadow.
It is near Colorado Highway 14 and the Cache La Poudre River. Camping, Hiking, fishing, mountain biking, scenic drive, four-wheel drive, and animal viewing are among local leisure activities. Each campsite has a tent pad, a fire grate, and a picnic table.
Big Bend Campground
- Price: $17/night
- Open: Open all year, with restricted facilities in the winter.
- Location: Fort Collins, CO
- Type: Tent/RV
- Available sites: 8
- Potable Water – Seasonal
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: Yes
- Pet: Not Allowed
- Flush Toilets
This campground is located on a flat of sagebrush and open conifer forest next to the Cache La Poudre River.
There are eight available campsites, included three walk-in tent sites. Each campsite has a tent pad, a fire grate, and a picnic table. A bear locker is available at all campsites with a tent pad. Fishing, hiking, and animal viewing are the most popular activities in this location.
Camping Near Denver
You do not have to travel far from the capital to experience some of the best camps in Colorado. Of course, there are plenty of paid and free camping options near Denver.
Some of the best campsites in Colorado State Parks are nearby (Golden Gate State Park is beautiful). Within 2 hours from Denver, you will have a full, alpine camping experience with these outstanding campgrounds.
Recommended Campground:
Lost Creek Campground (first-come-first-serve)
- Price: $5/night
- Open: mid-June to mid-September
- Location: Jefferson, Colorado
- Available sites: 8
- Potable Water – Seasonal
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: No
- Pet: Allow
- Vault Toilets – Seasonal
- Tent Only: 0 (8 only groups)
- Firewood For Sale – No
The Lost Creek area has a pleasant climate dominated by large Ponderosa pines. The Lost Creek Group Campground only has reservation for group campsites.
There are eight group sites within the campground, including picnic tables, food storage lockers, campfires ring, and parking. Water is available for consumption. This facility does not provide electricity and water hooks. The nearest mound is located on Lake Manzanita.
Reservations are required for all sites. The campground is placed on the park route five miles south of Manzanita Lake. The campground is located five miles south of Lake Manzanita on the Park Expressway.
Great Sand Dunes National Park Camping
Great Sand Mountain National Park and Conservation are located in southern Colorado. It is famous for its massive mountains such as Star Doon, as well as the seasonal Medano Creek.
Normally, I prefer dispersed camping to stay at a campground, although I adore camping at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The campsites are all set on a hillside overlooking the sand dunes. Right from your campground, you can see an EPIC sunset. It’s truly jaw-dropping.
The national park has seven designated backyard camps, allowing up to a maximum of 20 teams to camp anywhere in the 30-square-mile mountain range.
Tip -Camping here is filling up fast – people line up to get in, so come early or during the off-season.
Pinon Flats Campground (first-come-first-serve)
- Price: $20/night
- Open: April through October each year
- Location: Great Sand Dunes NP&P, 11999 CO-150
- Available sites: 88
- Potable Water – Seasonal
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: No
- Pet: Allow
- Toilets – Flush toilet
- Firewood For Sale – Yes
Per the site, there is a limit of 8 people, 2 tents, and 2 vehicles. National Park of the Great Sand Dunes Pinon Flats campground includes 88 single-family campsites divided into two loops with views of the dunes.
A few spots can accommodate RVs up to 35 feet long. Loop 1 (sites 1–44) are available on a first-come, first-served basis all year. From May 9 to September 3, Loop 2 (sites 45 to 88) can be reserved up to six months in advance. There is group camping available.
Zapata Falls Campground (first-come-first-serve, primitive)
- Price: $11/night
- Open: Open year-round
- Location: Highway 150, Mosca, Colorado
- Available sites: 23
- Potable Water – No
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: No
- Pet: Allow
- Toilets – Toilets are available
- Tent only
- Firewood For Sale – No
Zapata Falls is fully established. Each site features a picnic table, a fire ring, and a food storage locker that is bear-safe. There are 23 individual campsites, one group campground, and one campsite host. The campsite is seven miles southwest of the Great Sand Dunes National Park on BLM route 5415.
Sangre de Cristos
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains, hidden behind the huge sand dunes, is one of Colorado’s best-kept secrets. This area is well-known for having some of the greatest backpacking in Colorado, but it also has a tiny amount of fantastic camping in Colorado’s national forests.
The Sangres, one of my favorite places to visit, is a gorgeous mountain range with plenty of hiking, trekking, and fishing opportunities.
Bear Lake Campground (reservation recommended)
- Price: $5/night
- Open June-September
- Location: Near La Veta, Colorado
- Available sites: 43
- Potable Water – Yes
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: Yes(Coin-operated shower)
- Pet: Allow
- Toilets – Vault Toilets are available
- Tent/RV
- Firewood For Sale – No
Bear Lake Campground is located at an altitude of 10,480 feet in the beautiful San Isabel National Forest. Scenic camps with aspen and spruce forests in the nearby Culebra Mountains offer campers a real Colorado experience.
Bear Lake is about a mile from the campground and the tributaries of the Kuchara River run through the campground.
Blue Lakes Campground
- Price: $21/night
- Open: Early summer to mid-October
- Location: La Veta, CO
- Available sites: 16
- Potable Water – Yes
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: Yes
- Pet: Allow
- Toilets – available
- Tent/RV
- Firewood For Sale – Yes
Blue Lake Campground is located at an altitude of 10,500 feet in the beautiful San Isabel National Forest. Scenic camps with aspen and spruce forests in the nearby Culebra Mountains offer campers a real Colorado experience. There are 16 camps in this rugged campground, each with a table and a fire ring.
Halfmoon Campground and Twin Lakes
Halfmoon is the first-come, first-served camp near Mount Elbert and Mount Giant Trailheads at 9,000 feet. If you plan to climb Mount Evans, the highest point in Colorado, look no further than Hulfmoon Campground.
This is a very popular camp for hikers. Facilities include picnic tables, mesh rings, and vine toilets. There is no drinking water on the campground, but water is available at the camp west of the half camp.
There are endless camping opportunities in the Twin Lakes and surrounding areas. However, the Twin Lakes is home to some of the best camping grounds in Colorado, so be prepared for the fact that they are all elementary.
Halfmoon Campgrounds – East
- Price: $20/night
- Open: June 1 – Sept 8
- Location: Halfmoon Rd, Twin Lakes, CO
- Available sites: 12
- Potable Water – Yes
- Food Storage Lockers: Yes, Seasonal
- Shower: Yes
- Pet: Allow
- Toilets – Vault toilet available
- Tent/RV
- Firewood For Sale – No
This is a very popular camp for hikers. Facilities include picnic tables, mesh rings, and vine toilets. There is no drinking water on the campground, but water is available at the camp west of the Halfmoon camp.
Best Places to Camp for Free in Colorado
In Colorado, there are some of the amazing camps we mentioned above, with scenic beauty and accommodation like drinking water, a fire ring, and picnic tables – all for a very small amount at the cost of a hotel for an overnight fare.
But maybe, don’t you want to find a secluded spot along a dusty road and enjoy some privacy? Or you may have forgotten your wallet or checkbook. With that in mind, here are the best places to camp for free in Colorado.
- Oh-Be-Joyful Recreation Area
- Tarryall area
- Homestake Reservoir Road
- Guanella Pass
- Old Stage Road/Gold Camp Road
Remember, free camping means no facilities (bathrooms, water sources, etc.) and no one to clean up after you!
Tips for camping Colorado
Colorado gives you a wonderful nature experience. People love to camp in Colorado and they also must protect the natural places where they like to camp. It’s the honorable thing you give to Colorado.
Here are some tips on how to protect yourself in Colorado and how to protect Colorado during your camping. With these Colorado camping tips, you need to make sure you are properly prepared.
Black Bear walking through the campsite
In Colorado, black bears are quite active. Bears can be found sniffing around campgrounds. Don’t leave any food or smelly stuff in your tent. Such as chapstick, toothpaste, and deodorant.
Tips: If you’re going wilderness camping, be sure you follow any bear canister regulations. Before you go to sleep, be sure to put grills, coolers, garbage bags, and other smell food in your vehicle.
Focus on fire prevention
Fires are a serious threat and enforcing a fire ban is not uncommon in Colorado.
Check with your local Ranger District regularly before you head to camp in Colorado. Obey all fire regulations – especially when backpacking or disassembling.
Keep your Dog away from Wildlife
Colorado is a super dog-friendly state. However, do not allow your dog to chase wild animals. Wild animals burn valuable energy and your dog tramples the wilderness. Also, take their poop and put it in your trash.
Avoid the Crowds
Get a head start on the crowds if you want to go to first-come, first-serve camping in Colorado during the busiest season. If you arrive late, you may not be able to obtain a parking place, so plan beforehand.