Beaver Park Reservoir, near Estes Park, Colorado, is a scenic spot perfect for those who enjoy a more rugged camping experience. This location offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains and the reservoir, making it a great backdrop for your outdoor adventures.

The area features several designated sites, though they can get busy, especially during peak season. Campers have noted that while the sites are spread out, some can feel a bit close together, so be prepared for the possibility of sharing the space with fellow nature lovers. Many visitors appreciate the easy access to hiking trails nearby, which provide excellent opportunities for exploration.

While amenities are limited—there's no drinking water or restrooms—campers have enjoyed the freedom to have fires and bring their pets along. One visitor mentioned, “The view is amazing,” highlighting the breathtaking scenery that makes this spot worthwhile. Just keep in mind that the wind can pick up, so securing your campsite is a good idea.

If you're looking to fish, be aware that the reservoir is private, and you may need to travel a bit to find public fishing spots. Overall, Beaver Park Reservoir is a solid choice for those seeking a peaceful retreat in nature, with plenty of opportunities for hiking and enjoying the great outdoors.

Beaver Park Reservoir - Dispersed

Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Ward, CO is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Discover great camping spots near Ward, reviewed by campers like you.

Ward

The Best Camping Near Ward, Colorado

Beautiful spot with a gorgeous view of a couple of mountain peaks (Thunderbolt Peak?) with the reservoir in the foreground.

-Camping is on the left as you approach the lake, there is nothing past the first big area you see.

-Many spaces available, just pick a primitive firepit and setup around it.

-Lake is technically private and the locals **WILL** hassle you if they catch you fishing/swimming/boating.

-We easily made the drive up in a low clearance car, and Rv's should have no problem.

- In total I'd say around 15 separate campsites could operate here comfortably on a busy weekend.

Free Dispersed Camping in the Rockies

I’d say the pros to camping at Beaver Park is that it is free, the sites are large, and maybe 2 sites have lake views. Most of the sites are spaced really far apart too - excluding the 2 by the lake. Cons are that the lake is private so basically you can look but can’t touch. If you continue down the road past the lake you end up in a community, so I don’t think there is any hiking back there. I didn’t try though because I felt sort of like I wasn’t supposed to be there. The site I stayed at was ok. It was forested and had privacy from the road. It also had a lot of good firewood just there, but I’m sure not every site is always like that. One problem we had was that our site had a lot of tree stumps, and that made it hard to park our car where we wanted it since we were car camping. Overall a just ok dispersed site. I found myself bored here and wished there were more things to do/see. 

Kind of boring 

Pretty average dispersed campsites. Far enough apart that you can’t see or hear your neighbors which was nice. Fire pits existed on the sites but no grates or bathrooms. A short walk down the dirt road leads you to a beautiful lake. 

Free Dispersed Camping with a Lake 

Several sites with rock fire pits. Close to beaver reservoir but apparently it is a private reservoir. Still great option for free camping 

Great area, easy to get to. 

It's got a feeling like you're not supposed to be there. The lake is private. The locals will hassle you of you're too close to the lake. Don't go on the weekend, there's a lot of people. If you find a space that's farther from the lake, you'll have more privacy

It's got a pretty view, except that there's keep out and private property signs everywhere. There's ATVs constantly driving right next to you. It's not very remote and the sites are pretty open to everyone the closer to the reservoir that you get. Between the camp site and the reservoir, at least at this time right now, there's a massive space of dirt that has tire tracks all over it. On the other side of the reservoir there's a bunch of buildings. 

My friends had a great time, and they're still new to camping, but I felt like we were not separated from anyone, and the view was hindered by all the private property signs and buildings on the other side of the lake. I won't be camping there again. 

Private Lake, Really Crowded, ATVs everywhere

We stayed here a few nights ago, the first major thing to point out is the location and its ease to access for front rangers. Only about 30 minutes form boulder, these are great spots to get you out in the wilderness but with that comes crowds. We arrived on Friday mid day and found one spot left. Some people looked like they had been there for a while. 

  

That being said, this was a great spot for a quick stay over. We were looking for a free spot just to spend one night to get an early jump on a hike the next morning. Each spot is spaced apart even though we could still hear out neighbors. This is dispersed so no metal pits, tables or anything like that but they are free! As you can tell by my pictures, our spot was tight. bIg enough to park one car but have multiple tents if placing them around the parking spot. Other spots are huge, easily big enough for an RV. 

  

Access is easy, just off the main highway and then onto a well maintained dirt road. The first few miles are private but the signage is easy to read. There is some hiking nearby, lots of people on ATV's and a decent amount of car traffic so not the most quiet but overall we like this spot. Not much to do on this exact road except a one hike out past the reservoir. This is a great quick stay spot.

Quick stay over camp spot

Free dispersed camping with zero amenities but man made fire pits. Windy and cold but beautiful!

Nice dispersed campsites

Good, flat piece of land with privacy. We didn’t get to use the man-made fire pits because of the fire ban. 

Things to mention:
Bring 4 wheel drive because there are a lot of potholes on the gravel road to the campsites. We came during/after a rainstorm and the potholes filled up with water and made it extremely difficult for our compact car to make it through. 

There’s no cell service (at least for us, Verizon). 

Bears. We saw a bear roaming by the private lake. It was unphased by us, but still made it hard to sleep knowing a bear was roaming about. Bring bear spray for sure. 


Nice stay overall 

we were able to pull up in our little volkswagon without a problem on the dirt roads. beautiful views. fire pits but no bathrooms. 

Secluded and serene

Went out here to watch the Perseid meteor shower, parked in an area near the lake and there were 3 other camps set up nearby. beautiful views at dusk and perfect for stargazing! the area is fine, it’s right next to the road and the lake is super low. there are a couple hiking trails once you turn on to the county road - didn’t have time to hike but looked fun!  
i think technically this is in indian peaks wilderness and you’re supposed to have a permit june-october but i was out of service by the time i saw the signage. would double check before going again! 

Open sky 

This is one of my favorite spots. It does seem very popular on the weekends but slower during the week. A lot of quads having fun out there too. 
Not only are the Mountain View’s stunning, but we also saw Bald Eagles and a moose. 

Amazing views!

I loved the night I spent here! I stayed in one of the first 5 sites I saw, and only maybe 20 feet away was an amazing view of the mountains. 

  

It's about 50 minutes from Boulder, and you lose service about 40 minutes out, so it's great if you plan on staying for a least a couple days. I had no problem driving on the dirt road leading up to the sites in my cr-v.   

  

Would definitely stay again!

beautiful location! 

We boondocked up here early October and was a great time. Plenty of pullout spots for smaller travel trailers and tents on the road up to the Reservoir itself. Once you get to the Res there is a large pullout spot with several areas that you can use. FYI, DO NOT GO farther than this spot and keep going on the road to the right of the reservoir. It turns into a private road that is very difficult to turn around on. Especially if you have a large pull behind. 

  

I also would just give a heads up to those with small children or dogs. There was one campsite that we parked at that had a ton of glass bottles broken all over the place. I cleaned it up for about an hour before moving to a nearby area. 

  

Overall, great location for boondocking for a few days and catching views along the peak to peak highway.

Great spot with plenty of pull outs along the way

Awesome spot. The lake was frozen. That’s okay other comments say that you can’t swim or drive nearby or the locals will be at you. We had no issues though. There’s some cool boulders to climb. Definitely explore the area on the road going towards the lake. The frozen lake was pretty. There was still snow on the ground and it ended up snowing while we were there lol. We didn’t use a rain fly. Easy to find wood to burn. You’ll pass a Boy Scout camp to get there. 

Close to Boulder

We went in April 2022 and it was so so so windy at night we could barely sleep. Absolutely stunning view of the mountains, though. We were supposed to have a 4 night trip but it ended up being not very worth it. We were right up on the lake but turns out it's private property and you cannot even go up to the water. There was a spot just down the road and hidden that may have been more sheltered from the wind but we didn't stay to find out. Permit required June 1-Sept 15. No water access unless it's full past the private property line. GORGEOUS views.

Pretty but private and windy

There were a couple spots before the reservoir; the one I picked was very close to the connecting trail to Sourdough. Nice and shady but also some sun. Not too windy. A bit cool at night but expected for the time of year. Definitely the bare bones of camping which I wanted. 

Just what I needed

We camped in the dry lake bed area to the left of the dirt road right up by the tree line. The views were stunning. Woke up to a sleet blizzard the next morning but it didn’t bother us. Got great pictures the night before of the mountains. We saw a moose down closer to the lake when we first arrived as we were looking for a place to park. No one bothered us. Didn’t see anyone else the whole time. Great spot. FYI: no cell service. 

Beautiful views

It just takes one annoying neighbor. The sites can be a little close together and one guy was a bit loud. 

I’m not sure if I would go back to this site but it did have a great view of the mountain. 

No Verizon or T-Mobile 
We used Starlink 

Great view but busy busy

At time of writing, it’s summer. So while there were easily about 10-20 families on the hill. There was still plenty of space for everyone. Camp sites were free of liter. Most spots already had a fire pit, though I can’t confirm if burning was allowed or not. 

The drive up the hill could be challenging for cars with low clearance. Specially twards the top where the reservoir is located. The road is smoother at the bottom near the beginning. There are plenty of camping spots regardless of your vehicle’s ability though. Rain or slicker conditions during winter could be difficult with out 4x4 capabilities. 

The reservoir is truly the crowning moment of your stay there. It’s absolutely beautiful. 

First times a charm

This site was absolutely stunning. Awesome views of the mountains and the reservoir. The drive there was beautiful as well. I would’ve stayed much longer if there weren’t 40 mph winds. 🙄 Sites are very spread out, but you can easily see the campers around you. When we went in May it was pretty full for how cold it was, so I’m assuming the summers get pretty busy.

Busy but Great Views

Great area! Super windy but perfect little spot in the sun up in the mountains 

Great area 

This was a wonderful campsite, incredible views, fairly easy to access(we did it in a Honda civic), and was an overall great environment. Not much out there, except what appears to be a small town on the other side of the lake. Lovely place, just be sure to check the weather before you get there as there is no service, and a storm with high wind caused us to have to tear down camp in the middle of the night. 

Fantastic views for campsite

Easy to find, especially in the dark. Found a spot about 1m from the lake. Backed in and slept. Nice and quiet!

Quick stop

Stayed for 3 days. The location is great, there’s about 10 designated camp sites to choose from and great hiking trails nearby. The drive in is easy. Only downsides are that people vandalize the camp sites and don’t take care of them. Pulled up to our campsite and found broken glass, beer cans, cardboard boxes, bullet casings, and toilet paper around our campsite. Very unfortunate but not much you can do. The wind was a huge issue during our trip as well. Our campsite was in a heavily wooded area near the reservoir and we were still hit with 20+ mph wind. From 10PM to probably 5AM there were gusts well over 40MPH. Wind seems to be an issue here, but didn’t think it was this bad. Overall would stay here again, would probably just pick a campsite further away from the reservoir to have a more peaceful night sleep.

pretty good for dispersed camping

Beautiful view all around. The sites that are close to the reservoir with nice views don’t have a lot of protection from the elements or shade. The road is pretty well kept and you should be able to make it with 2WD. 

Beautiful Spot 

We left on a Friday afternoon had a great spot next to the trail and just a little walk to the main lake. 
Our camp site had trash still so the previous didn’t pick up after themselves, the lake was “private” so couldn’t fish it unless you were a member of the place. So we had to drive down a few miles to even be near water and fish. We are in a fire ban which of course we were okay with no fires and respected the rule. But the folks across didn’t seem to think it applied to them so they had a huge fire going.. over all we made the best of it but there were things that didn’t make it our favorite place to be. 

Nice but probably won’t go back 

It can get a little windy, don't expect to do anything with the lake other than look at it. Locals are protective of it. Drove my Class C with no problem. A truck and trailer will also get down here with ease. I don't believe a Class A would be able to find anything. But the view is beautiful. There are a few spots coming in. Keep driving until you hit the lake and there is a large open area with several spots to park. 


Quiet 

I've been twice now, once in fall and that was gorgeous. The campsites are clean, not numbered and there are no fire pits or anything. We were hoping to walk around the lake but it was private and the locals were pretty protective as others have said. My friends RAV4 AWD made it up the road fine in early fall when there was no snow. I went back in February and my 4runner made it up the road fine in the snow, they plow the main dirt road which makes the campsites difficult to get into because the snow banks block them, getting into the site was the hardest part of the drive. The snow was pretty deep in and especially behind the campsite, probably 3 feet at some places from accumulation. It was windy and snowing in February but overall a very good time! I will defiantly be going back but it's sad that you can't even walk around the lake.

Very pretty, but no lake access, will go back

Beautiful lake with several good sized RV spots. We have a 25 foot camper and feet nicely in. Road in was good as well (May 2025). Some pots are close to each other and others have more space. Will definitely be back. 

I also was able to get some service with Verizon periodically. Was able to send some texts but no pictures. 

Awesome spot.

Road is passable by standard cars. No cell service. Layout can be crowded with little space between but was pretty empty through the week. You are pinned up against private property around the lake, the camp sites are in the dirt area  when you get to the lake down to the left. If you keep going out the road it turns to private property. The sites themselves have obstructed view because of the little levy wall for the lake, but if you walk over to the lake the view is amazing. There is a super easy family-friendly mini hike with great view and a little cell access. If you are facing the lake, to your right just behind you there are some rocks. Walk twoard them and then maybe 30 yards away from the lake you can walk right up. Just follow your way up that hill to a rocky outlook. 15 minutes if you have a small child 5 minutes if you are young and able to the top.

Great views could be better layout 

Long dirt road, with many spots to pick from along it. Road was bumpy but most cars could manage. Lots of wildlife; squirrels, rabbits, and a moose that walked right by our campsite. There was some trash near the fire ring, but the rest of the site was clean. 

Beautiful spot 

Breath taking views, can be accessed with low clearance vehicles. Busy on the weekends. 






Amazing Views

We found a great spot with a fire ring overlooking the reservoir. It was a super windy night. Popular spot.

Beautiful view. Windy night!

Stayed here overnight and car camped before going into Estes Park. There are some more private wooded spots on the way in, but these were full so we stayed in an open area further down the road where there was not much/any privacy from neighbors. Super windy in early August. Pretty good views. Moderately busy. Road in was not too bad.

Photos of Beaver Park Reservoir - Dispersed

Real photos from real campers