Upper and Lower Ansel Watrous Campgrounds

Camped here a few times in shoulder seasons when it’s FCFS. I love that you can get a site without a reservation when it’s colder and the riverside sites are great. Bathrooms are some of the cleanest I’ve experience in a National Forest Campground! And a great hiking trail is across the street.

We stayed for three nights and loved every bit of it except there is some road noise. The river drowned it out most of the time and no one bothered us with drive bys. Toilets clean. Host friendly. Firewood was sold and nice and dry. Level site. Bear box. Fire ring. LOTS to do in that canyon would definitely stay again.

Utterly amazing experience here!! Despite being right off of a road, I was surprised that of the 4 nights we spent out here maybe only one or two cars drove by after dark. There's a biker bar not too far away that we took a walk to, folks were kind there. During the day, you'll see people ride down the river in rafts, and they can be a tad noisy BUT you won't be able to hear them over the sound of the roaring rapids if you disappear into the treeline to relax in a chair or hammock! Equipped with grills, flat plots, and a water well, this site was perfect for our large group. Great view of the stars at night, too. Not a ton in the way of hiking, but if you're adventurous you can wander off into the bluffs.

It was a great spot! Really kind camp operator helped me and my people get what we had to get and it was a great time with amazing views.

Good place to camp

This small campground is a beautiful spot on the river. Sites along the road have no shade but you can retreat to the river to cool off. Watch for rattlesnakes in this area- we heard the screams of hikers who encountered one ahead of us on a local hike. As this is one of the first campgrounds on 14, there are lots of people who drive through looking for spots so that is a small downside.

Excellent little overnight right off the road, but with the river right next to the sites, you won't notice the sound of passing vehicles. Make sure tp store your food in the onsite bear boxes!

Close to the highway but river drowns out the traffic.

Right off highway 14 but the river drowns out the noise of the cars 🤘🏻

Open: All year 

Reservations: 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov 

Out of season FCFS 

Fees: Reservation on line $9.00 call enter $10.00 

water, pit toilets, picnic table, trash, bear box for tent sites, fire ring/w grill 

No sewer hookups The sites are on the small side and a bit cramped. The Cache La Poudre River runs along the back side of the campground and provides a beautiful backdrop along with the tumbling towering rock bluffs. The drive along the canyon is a delight. 

Directions: Drive 11 miles north of Fort Collins on US Highway 287. Turn left (west) onto Colorado Highway 14 (Poudre Canyon) and travel approximately 13 miles.  

LNT 

Better than when you found it 

tay safe and travel happy

Fees: $23.00 standard single $7.00 for 3rd vehicle 

Reservations: 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov 

Out of season: FCFS 

Firewood for sale by camp host located at Upper Ansel Watrous Campground. The Upper Loop stays open during the winter. Picnic table fire ring/grill pit toilets water trash There is a very sharp turn into the campground so watch your trailer length. 

This campground has a beautiful back drop to the National Forest and the Cache La Poudre River. Great spot for fishing and hiking. The drive along the Poudre Canyon is well a visit to this campground. The drive in the valley is truly beautiful.

Directions: Drive 11 miles north of Fort Collins on US Highway 287. Turn left(west) onto Colorado Highway 14(Poudre Canyon)and travel approximately 13 miles. LNT Better than when you found it Stay safe and happy travels

So thankful we stumbled upon this campground! The sites are a bit small and the walk-up tent sites are pretty close together, but overall it was a great stay. The bathrooms were very clean. While it is right off of the highway, the sites are down an embankment so you're not right next to the road and the sound of the river really drowned out a lot of the traffic noise. There is great hiking right down the road (we did the Greyrock Trail) and it was not that far of a drive into Fort Collins. Overall, we were very happy! 

Side notes: Site 10 does not have water access nor a great view of the river, but it was really nice to be at the end of the walk-in sites having two dogs. Also, one of the nights was very windy and it was a little scary, so be sure to bring rope to tie your tent down somewhere. And lastly, I saw other reviews about rattlesnakes being an issue. We didn't see any nor did the camp host mention them as being problematic, but we stayed vigilant just in case.

We loved this sight, we were the only people there. The National Forest staff came down and said hi. They were very kind. There are places to play by the creek, and it's absolutely beautiful.

Great well kept sites. Will be going back for sure. Caught trout 20 yards from my tent from the Cache La Poudre.

This campground was beautiful and the owners are SO NICE. Each campsite is right next to the river and have the nicest little set ups. We will be coming back!

If you need to be close to Fort Collins or early in the season this is an ok campground. To close to the road and usually very busy. Sites are nice and shaded though and really close to the river. But there are much better camp grounds on up 14.

It's a very small campground with sites right along the river. There is a hairpin switchback to get into the lower loop and the website states that it is not accessible to trailers longer than 20 feet. Our friends cancelled because of that statement, but we watched some large trucks with long trailers negotiate it without issue.

The Greyrock Trailhead is close by and  we enjoyed hiking to the rock.

The only drawback to this campground is the rattlesnakes. The camp host warned us not to walk in the tall grass because they have caused trouble to other campers and their dogs. We didn't see any slithering around, but we found two dead rattlers on the road near our site so I don't think she was exaggerating.

We stayed here for three days in the beginning of August. The sites were fairly close to one another. The river provided great trout fly fishing and mountains provide a beautiful backdrop for camping.

Couldn't be happier with our stay at this campground!! The site was right by the river in a small cluster of 3 tent only walk in sites. The walk in is only a few feet for this site so it's not really a walk in site, perfect if you don't want to wander too far from your car. The site is right on the banks of the large rushing river that will lull you to sleep at night. The two other sites are close by and there isn't much privacy but they are set apart enough so that you don't feel on top of each other at all. The bathrooms are very close by as well. No showers at this campground and only pit toilets, no cell phone service. Go down the street to the Mishawaka, great bar and food and amazing bartender.

We loved this little campground! It is the perfect getaway from Fort Collins being easy to find and not too far. We loved going in the winter and enjoying the sounds of the river lack of cell service for a weekend. Lots of hiking, mountain biking and rafting opportunities nearby.

Its right on the river!! You get the sound of the rushing water 24-7. Fun spots for kids to play later in the summer when the water isnt as high!!

We came into this campground on a Tuesday after camping through Wyoming. We stopped at the NFS visitor center to get a map of the Theodore Roosevelt National Forest and a list of all the dispersed campgrounds as we thought all campsites would be full. They had several people in them, but were definitely not full.

We were tent camping and were thrilled when we came upon this great walk in site. The site was very close to the parking lot, but didn't matter because of the beautiful terrain.

On one side of the campground (across from the road) is an enormous grassy hill. We looked for bighorn sheep with no luck! The other side of the campground is surrounded by the Cache la Poudre River.

Each site had a great tent pad (tough ground though, bent some tent stakes), a great picnic table, and very nice fire rings. There is a nice little trail that meanders through the campground. There were two other campers in the campground, but due to the terrain, we didn't even notice them.

The bathrooms are vault toilets and were very clean. There is drinking water available via a hand pump that was very easy to use.

We camped in a Big Agnes Tent and were very glad that we put every single guy line out! There was some amazing wind coming through the canyons during the night! It was very clear overnight and the sky view was awesome.

There seemed to be a lot to do in the area, lots of outfitters putting people in the river on rafts and kayakers around.

We stayed here only one night but it was amazing. it was not the destination but it came upon us when we needed it. we got a spot and the guy with the huge RV came over and gave us a warm welcome and told us he sells bundles of wood for 5$. it was a great campsite, with the river running right next to it. we saw a guy on a mountain bike. this spot was relatively close to fort collins where we got coffee in the morning. i would go back to this campsite anyday.

This campground is in a great location for hiking with Grey Rock and Hewitt Gulch about a mile or 2 a way. This campground is also only about a mile from the Mishiwaka Amphitheater so it makes a great option for show camping. It is also right on the Poudre river for water access.