Cascade Campground, near Salida, Colorado, is a fantastic choice for those seeking a peaceful escape surrounded by nature. With spacious sites tucked among the trees, campers can enjoy a sense of privacy while still being close to the amenities that make camping comfortable.

This campground is known for its clean facilities and friendly campground host, who many visitors have praised for being helpful and approachable. The sound of Chalk Creek nearby adds a soothing backdrop, making it easy to unwind after a day of exploring. As one camper noted, “We could hear the roar of Chalk Creek and hardly noticed any car noise,” which speaks to the tranquil atmosphere here.

Outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty to do, with hiking trails nearby and the charming ghost town of St. Elmo just a short drive away. The area is also great for dog walking, with lots of forested paths to explore. Visitors have enjoyed the mix of sun and shade at the sites, making it a comfortable spot for both relaxation and adventure. Whether you're setting up a tent or parking your RV, Cascade Campground offers a welcoming environment for a memorable camping experience.

## Overview

 Cascade Campground is located in beautiful Chaffee County,\_\_Colorado. This popular facility sits near Cascade Falls and is within 5 miles of a private hot springs resort, making it an ideal location for rest and relaxation. \"First come, first served\" does not necessarily mean that the site will be available when you get there. Someone may get there before you. This is a popular campground and is normally full starting on Friday, sometimes as early as Thursday, so plan accordingly. 
## Recreation

 Stream fishing is best above Cascade Falls, just accross the road from the campground. Nearby Chalk Lake is heralded as a great family fishing lake with rainbow, brook and brown trout. Plenty of off-road vehicle trails are a short distance away.\_\_Recommended rides include Mount Antero, Baldwin Lake, Tincup Pass, Hancock Pass, Pomeroy Lakes, Hancock Lakes. Hiking in the area includes the Colorado Trail, The Narrow Gauge trail and the Cascade Loop Trail (Across from Chalk Lake Campground)
## Natural Features

 The campground is situated in a dense forest of Douglas fir and aspen at an elevation of 9,000 feet in Chalk Creek Canyon, which gets its name from the soft, white, chalk-like kaolinite canyon walls. Kaolinite is a clay mineral that was deposited by percolating hot springs. Chalk Creek is just across the road from the campground. It flows 27 miles eastward from the Collegiate Peaks before joining the Arkansas River. Chalk Lake is a mile east of the campground. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Take a day trip to the historic ghost town of St. Elmo, just 15 minutes from the campground. An old saloon, county courthouse and many other historic structures remain from the days of its mining glory. The city of Salida and Town of Buena Vista are only a short drive away where visitors can enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops, incredible art galleries and a large selection of antique shops. The area boasts more than 100 miles of Arkansas River to raft, fish, float or kayak in. as well as fifteen 14,000 ft mountains. Visitors choose from recreational activities like hiking, biking, ATVing, kayaking, rafting, fishing, horseback riding, zipping, swimming 
## Contact Info

 For facility specific information, please call (661) 702-1420.
## Charges & Cancellations

 Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.

Cascade (colorado)

Searching for the best camping near Nathrop, CO? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Discover great camping spots near Nathrop, reviewed by campers like you.

Nathrop

The Best Camping Near Nathrop, Colorado

The campground was nice and the creek was nice to look at. But go up to the north pole its really rad if you have kids but don't let then lick the ice pole because its super unsanitary. 

Northpole

Beauuuuutiful

this campground is very nice, nice pool, basketball, nicely stocked store, restaurant, friendly staff

beautiful 

This is a lovely little campground not too far from Mt Princeton (hot springs and peak). There are a lot of trees at the campground, providing nice privacy between the sites. We had a sure on the inside of the loop. I'd recommend a site on the outside of the loop to get a little more space from your neighbors. Good spot to camp before hiking Mt Princeton or Antero. Bathrooms we're clean and stocked. It was a lively stay.

Scenic, quiet, off the beaten path

Spent 3 nights in June at this cozy camoground. Ghost town at the top of the valley. Hot springs at the bottom. Fishing all along.

Quaking Aspen

I wasn't familiar with the hot springs which jut up all though the mountains in this area and for that I am sad!! Turns out at the bottom of the mountain just a short hike you can find a pretty nice spring to soak the time away, but since I didn't know about it at the time I took in the other parts of the natural beauty around me (guess that just means I will have to return).

I was there late in the year and technically a lot of the camps along the road to St Elmo were "closed" however there were some rogue camps using the sites which welcomed me to come and join the mix. One was a photographer who actually had some great insight to the area and made me feel right at home. Apparently closed doesn't mean you can't use the pads, you just can't use facilities and park inside so they come to places like this in droves to snow camp, and while I wasn't wanting to snow camp I now know that there is a group of brave nature photographers out there who do just that all winter in the Colorado Mountains.

Because it was post season there were NO amenities so basically it was a free site to just have an even space for a tent. During the regular season sites are $22 and peak season ends September 28th. Following the end of peak season the closures are based on discretion of rangers.

Campfires are banned in much of the area unless in an approved campsite, this is on of those sites so they have adequate preparation with camp rings. They do recommend sourcing wood locally as this is a part of the National Forest and they do not want foreign tree diseases to take over.

The site is cozy with placement so during the more busy season I could see it feeling like a community. There is room for smaller RVs at this camp and there are toilets available as well.

During my stay it was a stay like no other and it encouraged me to come back perhaps during the warmer weather.

TIPS:

*   Bring your supplies there are no stores at this facility.
*   Be careful on roads which begin to narrow the closer you get to the ghost town of St Elmo. Snowfall and ice appears throughout the year due to elevation and roads quickly can become slick.
*   Try ATV trails which will take you to an additional ghost town on the Tin Cup pass not accessible without a 4 wheel drive.

Sad I Missed The Hot Springs On My First Trip

This campground lies across the road from Chalk Creek. It has pit toilets and a few ants, but otherwise is quite nice. There are still plenty of trees, nice fire rings, etc. Outdoor activities do not abut the campground, so you'll get back in your car to visit trailheads, fishing locations, the local ghost town, or the hot springs.

The area is spectacular. The Colorado trail passes nearby, fun in all seasons. St. Elmo offers tame chipmunks to feed and a look at our mining history. Sunrise turns the Chalk Cliffs a beautiful rose hue. Civilization and pampering (or just a shower) are available down the road at the hot springs resort and spa, complete with restaurant and general store. Four-by-fours tackle Tin Cup pass above the campground. Bikers can head over to nearby Cottonwood canyon for a classic Colorado road ride.

Typical CO campground in awe-inspiring surroundings.

This is probably my family's favorite area to camp in Colorado. Off the beaten path enough that traffic is minimal. But nice and close to some great four wheel and off roading areas.

One of our favorites

Stayed in a pop up camper with no hookups. Great place to stay, nice host  and and clean campground, not for the huge campers.  I would recommend this campground. 

Nice and cool

I was able to get a reservation for spot 18. Got in late and set up and tanked out.  Woke up to views of peaks overhead and dense woods around.  While this spot is along the road, there’s little traffic and it was nice and quiet.  It’s a very large camp spot with plenty of room for trailers and easy flat pads for tents. I would recommend this spot for exploring up the valley to St Elmo or a nearby hot springs.  

Quiet and Beautiful

This campsite has it all. Views, shade, and spaciousness. River (across the road), lake, hiking, hot springs, St. Elmo all near by. The campsite host was great. 

Great spot for many things

After three weeks on the road, we extended our trip for one last hurrah before heading East. And so glad we did! This site was amazing! Nestled around some rocks and trees for our kids to be able to wander, this was what we were looking for. Host was great, sites were spaced and had trees to provide some privacy. Good mix of sun and shade. Chipmunks were aplenty which was maybe the only downside- ha! Aspens were changing, chilly nights, did a little 4x4 down the road. It was a great time! 

Our Favorite

Blue skies, snow-capped mountains, Chalk Creek, trails along creek,  hiking mountain biking,  space between sites... amazing views!!

Heavenly

This place is beautifully positioned in the trees.  Clean facilities, a wonderful camp host and fellow campers were great.  15 minutes from Buena Vista and 30 to Salida.  Easy access to hiking trails and OHV. I'm headed back the end of the month.

Pristine

I am relatively new to camping, but my wife said this was the nicest campground she has ever been to.  Tucked right in between Mt Princeton and Mt Antero, the walls around you climb straight up.  There is a long cascading waterfall that creates a constant (but subtle) white noise that made it hard to hear any of your well spaced neighbors. Just up the road is St Elmo, a  cute little ghost town with a historic district. 
One note: we stayed in site 13 with a pop up trailer.  Since we had to back in, our front door didn’t face our pad, so we had to walk around.  The driveway was a bit short too.  Lots of great other sites in the campground.

Beautiful, quiet location

Check out: 12 pm Quiet hours: 10 pm to 6 am

$22.00 per night and $7.00 day use fee if not camping. Pay by cash, check or money order by way of a self-servicing tube. 

Season: mid May to mid Oct Prior to Memorial Day weekend, and after Labor Day, sites may be FCFS and host and water may not be available. 

Reservations: During peak season dates, some sites can be reserved by calling 877-444-6777 or on line at recreation.gov. 

Accessible tent, trailer, or small RV camping with a picnic table, toilets, drinking water, fire ring/grill 

The drive up the Chalk Creek Canyon toward St Elmo, a mining ghost town established in the 1800's is a beautiful drive and well worth the trip even if you are not going camping but the campground is rather nice and check out the hiking. We had snow on our trip up the mountain. 

Directions: from Highway 285, turn west on County Road 162, past the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs resort, for about 9.5 miles. Cascade campground is located on the left side of the road just after the Cascade falls

LNT

Better than when you found it

Stay safe happy travels

Beautiful High

We really needed to find a campsite. We drove through. All the sites seem to be full. We were sitting near the entrance and the Bob the camp host walked up and said he had two sites available! There were people picnicking in the site we eventually took. Bob asked them to move. We stayed there four nights. Great place. Great host. No cell service or internet though.

Quiet yet easy to get to 

Loved our first time experience here! Probably one of the best campgrounds we've stayed at. Spacious and private sites, super clean restrooms, and a friendly but not intrusive campground host. We stayed in #15 which where we could hear the roar of Chalk Creek and hardly noticed any car noise. There is a trail from the east end of the campground that almost connects to the Narrow Gauge trail , but be careful, we almost lost our dog who got out of her harness and into the road when descending down the short but steep part of the trail - then it's a short walk to the Narrow Gauge (along the road).  Lots of forest to walk the dogs as well. Some sites had circular "forts" made of the many rocks in the area -  amazing fun for kids. Would absolutely stay again if we can get in!

Photos of Cascade (colorado)

Real photos from real campers