Established Camping
Crow Valley
About
USDA Forest Service
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland
Overview
Crow Valley Recreation Area is set in the Pawnee National Grassland, a very popular site with bird enthusiasts. Over 200 species can be found in the area. Hiking and star gazing are favorite activities in this remotely located campground.
Recreation
Birding, exploring nature trails, viewing wildlife and star gazing are popular activities at Crow Valley. A volleyball court, horseshoe pit and ball field are available. The Lee and Dorothy Rhoads Farm Implement Museum is located within the recreation area. The collection of tools, donated by the descendants of homesteaders, can help one imagine what life was like in pioneer days.
Facilities
Crow Valley Recreation Area contains four types of sites: a family campground, group overnight sites (Hawk, Plover and Lark), a group picnic area and an educational site (EDU). Vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Each family site is equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. The group overnight sites can be reserved separately or together. Picnic tables and a campfire circle form a common area at each site. Tent pads are arranged around each common area. Parking is adjacent to each site. These sites have very little shade. The group picnic area can accommodate up to 200 people for day-use. It includes a lighted, covered shelter with several electrical outlets, 31 tables and a large barbeque grill. The Steward J. Adams Educational Site is accessible and can accommodate up to 100 people for overnight or day-use. It includes a three-sided covered shelter with electrical outlets and tables.
Natural Features
Crow Valley sits at an elevation of 4,800 feet. Cottonwood and elm trees dot the landscape, providing pleasant shade in the family campground. However, the group campsites have little to no shade. Short grass prairie surrounds the recreation area.The Pawnee National Grassland sits east of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Eroding creek drainages crisscross the area. Elevations range from 4,375 feet on the prairie to 5,685 feet.
contact_info
For facility specific information, please call (530) 529-0578.
Nearby Attractions
The campground is within driving distance from both the east and west units of Pawnee National Grassland and the Pawnee Pioneer Trails Scenic Byway, a 128-mile route through wide-open terrain studded by the towering Pawnee Buttes.
Fee Info
Group Site Fees: <br/> 30 person Overnight Group Sites = $55 <br/> Picnic / Day Use Group site = $60 for up to 50 persons, $121 for 51-100 persons, $182 for 101 -150 persons, $182 for 151 - 200 persons, and $242 for 151-200 persons <br/> Steward Adams EDU site of $72 for 1 - 50 persons or $145 for 51 - 100 persons)
Location
Crow Valley is located in Colorado
Directions
From Ault, Colorado, at the intersection of US Hwy 85 and Colorado State Hwy 14, take Colorado State Hwy 14 east for 22.7 miles, then take Weld County Road 77 north for 0.3 mile.
Coordinates
40.6438889 N
104.3377778 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonAvailable
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Tent Cabin
Features
For Campers
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Big Rig Friendly
Great Place to Camp
If you are hiking or on a bicycle, then don’t be too concerned that it’s a first come first served campground. Even if all the official pitches are taken, it’s ok to camp anywhere around the picnic area or volleyball court. No facilities other than pit toilets. As of July 2023, no potable water (there is a grocery store nearby). $11.25 per night for a single tent.
It’s okay… for vanlife and smaller fifth wheels
Site is $11.25/night. No water or service hookups. There is a picnic table and fire ring at each site. Bathrooms are plenty close to all sites.
Campground is located on a the four way intersection stop sign of hwy 14 and hwy 392, Briggsdale, CO. There is too much road noise to sleep in a tent.
Careful with large RV as some of the tree branches are very low.
Great spot to stop!
We have stopped here on multiple road trips and we just love it. Really neat spot for a great night sleep. The birds and the cows are great!!
Very quiet and great bird watching.
The campground is very quiet and clean. There is great bird watching in this area. The Pawnee Buttes Trail is close and a wonderful hike in the cooler months or early morning.
Great except the truck noise
Great camp sites. Spacious and clean. Great little place. We were almost all alone in mid October with a full moon. Unfortunately, the big trucks on the roads near by were very noisy downshifting at the 4 way stop sign just outside the park. All day and into the night.
Way out on the Prairie
When you think Colorado you think endless mountains, but a good chunk of CO is prairie and grasslands. We enjoyed exploring this part of the state, complete with pronghorn antelopes, deer, birds, burrowing owls, sunsets, crazy thunderstorms, buttes, and rolling hills. Yes there are some windmills, oil rigs, cattle farms, etc. here, but the beauty of this landscape surpassed all of that development. Crow Valley campground is lushly wooded along a river with some pavilions and ball fields, plus short little hiking trails. We came out here to do the birding tour and enjoyed the camping just as much. It’s amazing how empty the prairie seems until you take a closer look.
Quiet and uncrowded
Nice place to spead out and enjoy the Grasslands. You can easily have the whole place to yourself esp. if you go during the week.
Pawnee Grasslands
This is the only campground in Pawnee National Grasslands, though you can also camp almost anywhere along public land (get a free map from the ranger office or online). This is the beginning and end of the Pawnee birding driving tour and less than an hour from the Buttes themselves. The campground is fairly open but shady. It was empty when I went in late spring (peak birding season). There are bathrooms & water, large cooking pavilions, short hiking trails, a stream, a baseball diamond, and a “museum” showing some historic farm equipment (it’s outdoors and there isn’t too much info, still neat though). There are no stores in this area at all so make sure you have what you need before venturing out.