East Ridge Campground - Royal Gorge, near Canon City, Colorado, is a fantastic spot for those looking to immerse themselves in nature while enjoying some outdoor activities. With designated sites that offer a mix of privacy and community, it’s a great place to set up camp and unwind.

This campground is known for its beautiful surroundings, where you might catch a glimpse of mule deer wandering through at dusk. Visitors have praised the clean facilities, including vault toilets, and the well-maintained sites that come with fire rings and picnic tables, perfect for evening gatherings. One camper noted, “There are other campers but it is lovely, clean and beautiful.”

For adventure seekers, the nearby Royal Gorge offers thrilling white-water rafting opportunities, and there are plenty of hiking and mountain biking trails to explore. As one happy camper mentioned, “We white water rafted the Arkansas River which was tier 1.” Plus, if you need supplies, Canon City is just a short drive away, making it easy to stock up on essentials.

While the campground doesn’t have water hookups or showers, the peaceful atmosphere and stunning views make it a worthwhile destination. Whether you’re planning a weekend escape or a longer stay, East Ridge Campground is a solid choice for enjoying the great outdoors.

From this little-known campsite area in the Royal Gorge Park, you’ll be treated to views of Cañon City and the surrounding parks area. New, updated sites are operated by the City of Cañon City. Vault toilets, fire rings, some picnic tables, no water. Approximately 12 sites located 20 minutes west of Cañon City. Open year-round.

East Ridge Campground - Royal Gorge

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Cañon City

The Best Camping Near Cañon City, Colorado

Looking for somewhere to camp later in the evening on a Sunday. This city campsite looks pretty new. They have level pads engineered for tents and a metal picnic table. There is also a firepit with a grill.

Beautiful views and plenty of (short-ish) trees. A hiking trail starts in the campground which has a parking lot for day-use hikers.



Nice stop over

Great views, only minutes from the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park and about 15-20 minutes from shopping/food in Canon City. We camped in November so it was very quiet and even during the weekend we had two spots beside us that stayed empty. Would definitely come back!

Great Spot!

Was the only camper here for 2 days. Lots of mule deer. Very clean sites with views to the east. Sunken fire pits with grills. About 10 spots for RVs and 20 for tents. Great for rockhounding! Lots of orange granite and feldspar, opaque quartz. The Royal Gorge is beautifully metamorphic. My kids rode the train. Watch your dogs for cactus thorns.

Wonderful view and wildlife

We were looking for a great primitive campsite and found it here. Planned on just staying overnight but a change of plans allowed us to stay throughout the next day and I found some great trails with some amazing views. 

Love it here!!

Last minute 

Lovely view. Little windy and smoky this season. Several levels spots. Bird song. Big pinions. You can bike up here. 

Little sweet spot.

Cool place the reservation super weird on a website I’ve never used having to track down the host to pay and make sure the spot I wanted was open ￼

Super cool spot near the park 

Had a great weekend camping trip. Facilities were well maintained, and the camp host was great, stopping in to let us know about the weather for the night. One thing to note is you can make reservations here through campspot.com 

Great time

Cañon city view and rock climbing minutes away. 

A gooden 

This campground used to be free when I first found it years ago while visiting the Royal Gorge. Since the city has invested money into fixing up the campsites with fire rings, tent pads, and what seems to be pretty good county road maintenance, it’s definitely understandable why they charge a fee. 

No water is available. There are vault toilets.

There are NO bear boxes.

Rules worth nothing (according to the sign upon entering camp):
1. no alcohol (that didn’t seem to stop anyone from enjoying themselves at their site)
2. You can only stay for 72 hours per visit unless otherwise noted.

There’s lots of hiking and mountain bike trails near the campground, which brought lots of mellow mtb riders in during my stay. 

Because of the rules/amenities, i felt the price was a little steep as others have mentioned. However it is clean, close enough to Cañon city that you can go to town if needed, but far enough away to “unplug” from the world in a beautiful location. Overall I’d recommend visiting this campsite! I’ll happily return.

Pricey but beautiful

There are toilets but no showers. There are mule deer wandering through at dusk. The sounds of crickets and gentle breezes will help you sleep soundly. There are other campers but it is lovely, clean and beautiful. 



Quiet, clean, beautiful 

Tucked away and very nice campground close to the Royal Gorge and Canon City if you need to get camping supplies. Get water and ice at the filling station by the Goodwill store for a great price.

Nice campground 

My partner and I really enjoyed this campsite and the surrounding area. We got site 23 and IMO it’s the best spot with the most privacy. Other spots were a bit crowded and close together. Highly recommend camping here, enjoy the trails nearby by foot or mtn bike. We white water rafted the Arkansas River which was tier 1. Also, restaurants are nearby about 10 minutes. We recommend whitewater bar and grill. 

We went end of May. We would not camp here much later than that as it starts to get very hot. 

Great Campsite!

I liked this for a one night visit.  Close to the Royal Gorge near Canyon, CO. Primitive with vault toilets for each loop (2). Vault toilets were in decent shape. There are no water stations in the campground. You have to bring your own water.  


Photos of East Ridge Campground - Royal Gorge

Real photos from real campers