Collegiate Peaks

While this campground gets mostly stellar reviews for the beauty of the campsites and proximity to a creek, all sites are on the dirt road loops so much car traffic and dust. Sites are close enough to one another that you wake up to people having breakfast and heading out to early morning hikes. Same if there are night owls. Bathrooms were very clean, probably the cleanest I’ve seen at a campground. The pump water is non-chlorinated and has sediment so it must be filtered. We arrived on a Sunday and host was available through Monday, but then “off-duty” but on site for the next 2 days so I wasn’t able to ask questions (no biggie).  Very few bugs. 

Proximity to Collegiate Peaks hikes, Buena Vista and Mt. Princeton hot springs cannot be beat.

Campground was spacious and had direct access to the river from site. Host was decent but tough to access. Water pump near us was broke so had to get to site 18 for other water spigot. No water hookups really for travel trailer. Honestly a great spot to get remote and back into nature.

Went with the family and had a great time. We got a site because of a cancellation and, unfortunately it was next to the bathroom. Didn't bother us though. It was our first trip using our new popup and it was def a learning experience. That all being said we were able to hit up Mount Princeton hot springs AND visit the St. Elmo ghost town. By the end of the trip the kids were begging to go back asap.

This is a place that where you stay makes a massive difference in how much you like this place.

The road in the back is very bumpy but sites near entrance a great.

My site was super nice for having a dog, but my truck could not fit in the site with a 22 foot camper. Although almost every site but mine was plenty big enough.

Level was off 10-14" in all the sites I tried.

My wedding party and I stayed here for my bachelor's party camping trip! The campground was great! There was good tree cover and great sites. It seemed very safe and we had no issue leaving camp set-up while spending the day golfing and hitting the hot springs in Buena Vista! Their was some rain but that can never bring down an awesome stay!

About 15 min from Buena Vista up Cottonwood Pass. Everything I want in a campground: roaring river, Aspen, trails views. Plenty of shade and the sound of the river at night was wonderful. We took our trailer and were in site 14. Not next to the river, but could still hear it. Friendly hosts will visit again. Price is now $24/night cash or check.

We got rain every day. I should have brought a tarp for over the picnic table. My site was also a bit hilly and took a while to find a reasonably flat tent site. Water required a drive to the pump near site 18

Two couples and one dog stayed four nights in this campground.  This is one of the nicest campgrounds we've ever stayed in with mostly huge spaces, so a sense of being in our own private space.  We got a site next to the roaring creek and all was clean.  Unfortunately a lot of the reserved spots were never occupied, which is a shame in July when so many were turned away.  Try for one of the sites with letters which are next to the creek.  No bears when we were there.

This is one of my top 5 campgrounds. Tons of trees and shade, spots for hammocks, the water access throughout most of the spots, and even some trails. The hosts were so friendly!! Our dogs loved it too. We had no issue, but some spots are really tight for 2 cars.

Mixed tenting and trailers with a congenial host.

Great large campground close to Cottonwood Pass and about 20 mins from Buena Vista. Most sites are nice, spacious, and wooded. Firewood for sale, pit toilets but no other services nearby unless you go into Buena Vista. Great campground, highly recommended.

This is a great campground just up Cottonwood pass outside of Buena Vista. The sites are clean and well organized and there is a beautiful creek nearby. The camp hosts were very nice and helpful. There are restrooms and firewood available on site as well as picnic tables. This is the second time I’ve camped here and definitely recommend it.

We arrived without a reservation (mid-week) and got one of the last available sites. The site was large and sloped down right to a stream that was simply gorgeous. The toilets were as clean as you can get in vault toilets and there was garbage disposal. We didn't see too many other people and the site was so large you could have a group of at least 4 or 5 tents there.

I gave this a 4 star because of the crowds.I backpacked to a high alpine lake called Kroenke Lake in the Collegiate Peaks wilderness area near Buena Vista, CO in August to catch some high country Cutthroats. This is a very popular hike during the summer. Camping can be congested but there are enough trees in between spots for some privacy. The designated camp sites we kept very clean by the previous visitors. There was not any trash in or around the fire ring that I often come across in other areas. The people that have previously visited, practiced leave no trace with the exception of the designated fire ring. The scenery was beautiful with a gorgeous lake with peaks of granite in the background. All of the people on the trail were friendly and courteous. It does get congested on the weekend being so close to Buena Vista and Salida. If you go little further, you can escape the congestion. I would highly recommend this hike to anyone looking for a weekend backpack trip.

This campground is very nice with good space between most sites. Water and vault toilets available. The stream runs through the campground with some sites along the water. We encountered lots of flies/mosquitoes when we camped so be prepared for that. The ranger was very frIemdly and forthcoming about the two baited bear traps In the camoground so be sure to keep food Items pIcked up. The drIve up to cottonwood pass was beautIful

We stayed at Collegiate Peaks in July 2017. It was my first time ever camping and now I'll never quit! This campground was just perfect. The sites are evenly spaced, the restrooms are clean, but best of all is the creek! The sound of the water is just glorious. I would highly recommend this site to anyone looking for a quiet retreat near Buena Vista.

We stayed here in July 2017. It is a heavily aspen wooded are outside Buena Vista. The sites are very rustic and not well maintained. They are beautiful if you like a dense forest. The bathrooms were not maintained and did smell. The other problem is that there is only dumpsters at the front of the campground and none close to the campsites. Makes it difficult to load trash up at night and drive it all the way to the front of the campground. This is a big campground. By the way it is Bear country. we did have some visitors at night roaming around our trailer.