Columbine Campground, near Idaho Springs, Colorado, is a fantastic spot for those looking to immerse themselves in nature without straying too far from the city. With its spacious sites and well-maintained facilities, it’s a great place to set up camp and unwind after a day of exploring the surrounding Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests.

This campground is known for its friendly atmosphere and clean bathrooms, which visitors appreciate. Many campers have enjoyed the smooth roads within the site and the convenience of nearby restrooms, making it easy to settle in and enjoy your stay. One visitor noted, “Really well managed space with great bathrooms,” highlighting the campground's commitment to cleanliness and upkeep.

Columbine Campground is also a prime location for outdoor adventures. It’s just a stone's throw from numerous hiking trails and ATV routes, perfect for those looking to explore the rugged beauty of the area. While the campground can get busy, especially on weekends, the layout allows for good spacing between sites, giving you a bit of privacy to enjoy the great outdoors. 

Whether you're pitching a tent or parking your RV, Columbine Campground offers a welcoming environment for all types of campers. With its blend of natural beauty and convenient amenities, it’s a solid choice for a weekend escape or a longer retreat into the Colorado wilderness.

## Overview

 Columbine Campground is located just off the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway/Highway 119, west of Denver, in north central Colorado. This campground is popular with off-road enthusiasts and many jeep roads can be reached from the campground.
## Recreation

 Many hiking and biking trails are found nearby. Scenic driving is available along Highways 119 and 72, which is also known as the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway. Numerous creeks, rivers and lakes in the area provide fishing opportunities. Off-road enthusiasts will find many jeep roads in the vicinity.
## Facilities

 This campground has 46 sites on two loops. Five of these sites are suitable for tents only; the others are suitable for both RV and/or tents. Each site has a picnic table, campfire ring and grill. Other amenities include: vault toilets, water spigots and trash service. Bundled firewood is for sale by the onsite campground manager. RV units are not permitted to fill tanks from the water spigots. All of the sites are non-electric.
## Natural Features

 The campground's two loops are situated in a grove of aspen and lodgepole pine, at an elevation of 9,200 feet. Highway 279 is gravel to the campground and the interior campground road is dirt. Due to the mountain pine beetle infestation and removal of hazardous trees, there may be little to no shade available in the campground. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The historic mining town of Central City is nearby. Popular events there include Lou Bunch Day and the Central City Opera and Jazz festivals. Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a short drive from the campground. This scenic park offers over 35 miles of hiking trails. Mountain biking and horseback riding are allowed on some trails. Every stream and pond in the park is open to fishing. 
## Contact Info

 For facility specific information, please call (530) 529-0578.
## Charges & Cancellations

 A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees.Modifications for this campground must be made through [Recreation.gov][1] or by calling the call center at 1-877-444-6777 PRIOR to your reservation start date. Customers and contact center agents cannot modify reservations on or after the check-in date. 

[1]: http://Recreation.gov

Columbine Campground - Outside of Denver

Searching for the best camping near Black Hawk, CO? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Black Hawk and user-submitted reviews.

Black Hawk

The Best Camping Near Black Hawk, Colorado

Great campground ! Easy to access from Black Hawk/Central City. Tons of forests to explore nearby. It was very busy- sign said campground full but after a drive around all the sites we found one that was open! A little noisy with many off-road dunebuggys driving around. It was a great time though, would definitely visit again because of the easy access from Denver.

Last Minute Getaway to Columbine 

Does a have fire pits does have cows come thru watch your step

Only few campsites but private 

Beautiful area, clean sites, water, clean bathrooms but no showers. No bodies of water here. We enjoyed our stay with the exception of late night guns going off. (After 10 pm and later). My dog and teen did not appreciate it. 

Nice. 

A close drive from Denver and a beautiful and clean campground. I want to come back in fall for the Aspens. We went with family so the close spots were nice. We will be back. 

Close and beautiful 

Upon arrival, my girlfriend and I were stopped outside the camp managers RV for a few minutes and no one showed, which was odd however, understandable due to children’s toys being near the RV. We proceeded to our camp site and were relieved to see the amount of room we had for our tent, kids and dogs. Beautiful surroundings, well maintained area, bathrooms were spotless and bear boxes were plentiful. Would definitely go back. 

Relaxed

This campground is kind of a hidden gem. The proximity to Central City/ Black Hawk is crazy ( less than 2-3 miles) but the proximity to i70 is what makes it a hidden gem. Not many people travel up highway 119 because they think the only thing back here is the casinos- they are wrong. 

This area is full of history, hiking and a healthy dose of camping!  Columbine campground is the perfect spot for someone exploring this area. 

Be aware this campground is very popular with the 4WD crowd but they were all very friendly. 

There are some amazing old, and historical graveyards on your way into the campground along the dirt roads. Definitely worth exploring. The grave sites vary from the civil war to the early 1900s gold miners!

Ghosts, Graveyards and Gold Mines oh my! 

Overall good campground especially for being only about an hour outside of Denver with no traffic. Good spacing between sites and good terrain. Tons of closed off ATV trails right out of the campground for good hiking spots at least with little kids. 
The only thing I’d say that was almost a deal break for the site was how noisy the area was. It is a huge hit spot for ATVs and dirt bike trails so the noise can be a bit annoying. 
Bathrooms could use some work as well from a clean standpoint and the women’s bathroom was out of service when we went. 
The campground has 47 sites and is split into two sections. Pick the 2nd half of sites that starts at #24 and there will be less noise (hopefully). 

Great spot close to Denver 

Beautiful , one of the best camping spots in the area! 

Words can’t describe 

Loved this area, so close to home, great views and lots of family fun! 

Beautiful and close to Denver! 

We stayed at sites #27 and #28 over Memorial Day weekend, 2021 which are on the outer loop. Both sites had tons of space for tents, large picnic tables, large bear boxes, and grated fire rings.

There was one site kind of close to us, but they never showed up so we had a lot of privacy. Site 28 I believe is the one that is further back and more private. 

Parking was kind of confusing for the tent sites. There were 7 designated spots in a small lot for 4-5 sites that could each have two cars. While there are other places cars can park on the side, the host told us you could get ticketed by park rangers. We didn’t have any issues, as the lot got full and one person had to park there, but we still were unclear of where our allowed two cars could go. There is a huge OHV lot not far you could probably park in overnight. I think the sign said no camping, but not sure about overnight parking. When we arrived at 11AM we saw that there were still 5-6 first come sites available for the weekend (although rain was forecasted and probably had an impact). 

I was the only one with cell service (1 bar with T-Mobile). The host was really nice and came by to say hi. They sell firewood at the host site. Usually there is water, but they had a temporary outage when we went.

The road getting to the campgrounds is pretty bumpy, but lots of RVs and cars made it fine.

If we went again, we would probably get an RV site so we knew we’d have enough car space. Less than an hour from Denver and nicely maintained, would return again.

We didn’t have any issues with noise like some reviews state. We were up until about 2:30 AM each night and couldn’t hear any other sites still up (although they probably kept things quiet after hours like we did).

Nicely Maintained, Would Return

We came on a first come first serve basis on a Friday evening and when we go there it looked like we were going to be out of luck but the grounds manager helped us find a space and moved a few things around and we were so grateful. Really well managed space with great bathrooms. 

The nearby town doesn’t have much so don’t depend on it for supplies 

Really lovely space 

It is a nice spot with actually 1 bar of TMobile service from the site.  Close to Denver if you want to check out the city as well. We were here Sunday night to Thursday so it was quiet.  You can tell this place would be loud if you came for the weekend due to all the OHV traffic and parking. 

Nice Place 

1 Mile bumpy road into the site low clearance vehicle is fine non-winter months. It is actually $24 a night. Site itself is very smooth roads. 2 small loops, means bathrooms near by. Been here a couple of times 
I like the first come first serve loop, however be absolutely certain to leave something behind if you leave your site at all. Last time I was there I secured and paid for my sure site, put the tag on the post, come back and someone was in my site. The campground host told me that I should have at least left a folding chair behind and then they wouldn't have given my sight away. I did get a refund. This only happened the one time.

Bumpy ride in

We didn’t end up staying here because it was booked, I think. When we drove through all the sites had reserved signs on them but some were for dates that had passed. We stopped at the camp host camper to ask about it and no one was there.
The sites were all on top of one another with no privacy so I’m okay with not getting a spot.

An okay looking place for a night

Gorgeous views up here! The drive up is super bumpy but we made it here in a class A just fine. Close to Central City/Black Hawk if you need a quick trip to the grocery store. Quiet most of the time, though there are quite a few ATVs flying past and a shooting range nearby. Campsites are relatively close together but the trees offer decent privacy. The sites are mostly level, which is to be expected when you’re parked on dirt. Love it here and will likely be back!

Photos of Columbine Campground - Outside of Denver

Real photos from real campers