A gentle first trip
Cheyenne Mountain, Chatfield or Cherry Creek: developed facilities and a relatively straightforward approach.
MOUNTAIN SERIES · CAMPING COLORADO
Camping Colorado
A life outdoors.
A place to come home.
Make an easy overnight part of the calendar from northern Colorado Springs, then grow into the farther journeys. Forty-one park destinations, from state parks to the four national parks.
Find your kind of stayA LIFETIME OF WEEKENDS OUTSIDE · 5:47
Make room
for camp.
Camping is part of why Heather loves Colorado: a meal outside, a walk with no hurry and a morning that begins with the landscape rather than a schedule.
Some trips begin close to home. Others deserve a few extra days and a different corner of the state. Bring a tent, travel in an RV or start with a cabin or yurt.
Choose your kind of stay
A NOTE FROM HEATHER
Camping is part of
why I love Colorado.
I am an avid outdoors person, and camping is central to how I enjoy living here. I love the change of pace and the way the weekend begins with the landscape.
I want this guide to help you find the version that feels right for you, whether you bring a tent, travel in an RV or start with a cabin or yurt.
Heather LayREALTOR® · Heather Collection
“Being outdoors is not an occasional extra for me. It is part of what makes living here feel like home.”
Heather Lay
CHOOSE YOUR CAMPING STYLE
Start with the kind of weekend you want.
These are editorial starting points, not a ranking. Every campsite still needs to fit the people and equipment you bring.
A forest-and-trails stay
Mueller or Golden Gate Canyon. Compare the individual campground and your group’s walking preferences.
A walk-in tent experience
Staunton for walk-in camping; Lory for a more demanding hike-in backcountry overnight.
A reservoir weekend
Eleven Mile, Lake Pueblo, Steamboat Lake, Ridgway or Navajo. Match the season and the water activity.
A longer journey
Mesa Verde, Dinosaur’s Colorado campgrounds or the southwestern state parks. Allow several nights.
A solid-roof alternative
Selected state parks offer cabins or yurts. Bedding, cooking facilities, utilities and winter access vary.
FOUR PERSPECTIVES ON YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE
Camping Colorado, at a glance.
Camping Colorado, 1 of 4. Camping Colorado card titled A life outdoors. It lists 34 state park destinations for forest camps, lakeside escapes and river stays across eight regions; four national parks, Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon and Mesa Verde; and a northern Colorado Springs home base. A quote says camping is part of why the author loves Colorado.
Camping ColoradoState parks, national parks and a lifetime of weekends outside.
Swipe to explore. Tap the center card to enlarge.
ONE HOME BASE · 41 PARK DESTINATIONS
A statewide camping atlas.
Thirty-four state park camping destinations, four national parks and three additional National Park Service destinations, grouped by region and starting near home.
01
Pikes Peak & the Arkansas Valley
Forest camps, open water and a river corridor west of home.
02Front Range & Foothills
Developed campgrounds close to the Front Range.
03Southern Front Range
Camps south along the Front Range.
04The Eastern Plains
Plains campgrounds that can open earlier in spring.
05Northern Mountains & Yampa Valley
Lakes and mountain camps in the north.
06Northwest & the Colorado River
River corridor and northwestern state parks.
07Central Mountains & North Fork
High-country and valley campgrounds.
08Southwest & the San Juan Country
Longer journeys across the southwest.
RESERVATIONS, SEASONS & PREPARATION
Book the campsite. Then build the trip.
A good camping trip is mostly decided before you leave home. Confirm the details of the exact campground, not just the park name.
Reservations & arrival
Colorado state park campsites require reservations. National park systems vary, and a campsite fee is usually separate from park entry.
Follow the season
Do not book by a photograph’s season. Water systems, showers and loops can close before the park does, and a yurt may operate while the campground around it is closed.
Pack for the stay
A tested shelter and insulated pad, water with reserve, layers for cold nights, offline directions and, for RVs, a plan for water, dumping and power.
THE GUIDE’S FIRST OUTINGS
Three ways to plan a camping trip.
Your first camping weekend
Two nights · a nearby campground
Begin with Cheyenne Mountain or Mueller. Set up the sleeping system first, make dinner easy and leave the site clean.
Read this sectionA lake weekend
Three nights · one reservoir base
Compare Eleven Mile or Lake Pueblo for a closer stay, or Steamboat Lake and Ridgway for a longer journey.
Read this sectionA national park stay
A multi-night journey
Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde each deserve a trip of their own.
Read this sectionFOUR NATIONAL PARKS
Four parks. Four different camping trips.
Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde are three to almost eight hours from northern Colorado Springs. Allow a multi-night stay for each, and keep tours and permits separate from the overnight reservation.
Plan a national park stayREAD AT YOUR OWN PACE · 94 PAGES
Your complete
Camping Colorado guide.
A statewide atlas, reservation and season guides, four national parks, forest and dispersed camping, and destination comparison tables. Keep the PDF for your next trip.
YOUR COLORADO HOME BASE
Build the everyday life.
Keep the outdoors close.
Heather’s home is at The Farm in northern Colorado Springs, and her love of camping and hiking is part of her own Colorado life. Northern Colorado Springs offers settings from neighborhood communities to wooded homesites. Consider the ordinary week alongside the weekend: work, daily routines, the home itself and the direction you most often want to go.
Explore the northern communities
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Questions worth asking.
Do I need to reserve a campsite?
Colorado state park campsites require reservations. National park and forest campgrounds have different booking windows, and first-come camping does not guarantee space.
Does a park pass include a campsite?
No. A campsite fee is generally separate from park entry, and a park pass does not provide a campsite, a tour ticket or required timed entry. Boat inspections, fishing licenses and backcountry permits may add separate steps.
Can I camp outside a campground?
Dispersed camping is allowed only where the land manager permits it, and road access, stay limits, waste rules and fire restrictions vary. Backcountry camping has its own equipment, skill and permit demands.
What if I do not own a tent?
Selected state parks offer cabins or yurts, and RV travel is covered in the guide. Bedding, cooking facilities, utilities and winter access vary by site, so confirm the exact unit.
NEXT IN THE MOUNTAIN SERIES
Hiking Colorado
Find the trail days that suit your people, from local paths to the four national parks.
Explore Hiking ColoradoSTART WITH A PRIVATE CONVERSATION
Your Colorado.
Your life outside.
Choosing a home base with the weekends you want in mind? Bring your favorite campgrounds, your questions and the life you want to build.
