Difficult Campground

Quiet campground, off grid, no cell signal, no wi-fi. Busy campground due to proximity to Aspen. Adequate space between sites. Pit toilets, dumpsters available. May pose access challenges for larger rigs. Each site has picnic table, fire ring, bear box. No amenities, no laundry, no showers, no electricity. Smallest amount of road noise, depending on what site you are in. Day use parking lot available.

Clean campground. Nice amount of privacy between campsites, friendly campground host who even gave us free firewood when they were sold out right after a holiday weekend. There was a bear raiding vehicles at night so make sure you lock everything and use the bear boxes provided at each site! Was a great experience. No cell service. Close to town and nice walking trails.

Campsite nestled amongst aspen trees, moose regularly passed through, but all five minutes from Aspen. Sites are exactly as they look in the pictures providing seclusion with nice fire pits.

As with CO state campgrounds it is about the nature/privacy of the campsite so minimal additional features perfect for those that want to camp in the Colorado. Easy to incredible hiking and town.

We just finished a month-long camping trip and this was one of our favorite locations.

What a beautiful campground in a beautiful location! Cleanest vault toilets I have ever seen. There are good amounts of trees between sites for privacy and the hiking trail nearby is great. Only problem is that it books up super fast!

Clean, well organized, insanely well kept/managed, great amenities, and of course breathtaking views and surroundings. Was easy to find coming down Independence Pass and upon pulling in found out spot in a cinch. Each lot is marked by name which made it easy. Wood is sold here for $7 per bundle. Difficult Trail is within walking distance. There was a bear sighting a few days prior to us but nothing to speak of personally. Did see a moose though in the early morning!

The sites are spread out and private. Bears are active so it is important to use the bear boxes but they have plenty of space for storage. One of the best campsites I have ever been to.

I rooftop tent camped here before hiking Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop. The campgrounds have easy access to the hike/bike trail into Aspen. Restrooms were clean, my site had shade and bear boxes and was easy to get into. I will definitely be back.

Like everything in the Aspen area, Difficult Campground is beautiful but tricky. We entered the Aspen area from the north on 82, and the instant we hit the town we were greeted by numerous signs visually screaming at us to proceed no further on 82 with a rig longer than 35’ because rigs longer than that are banned from Independence Pass. We were quite alarmed, as our truck plus trailer measure out to about 37’, and we had no idea where the campground was in relation to the pass. We weren’t sure what to do or who to ask, and we ultimately decided to risk it. We found that the campground is RIGHT at the bottom of Independence Pass, and you are allowed to get your rig up to that point. The campground itself is beautiful and private (each site is enveloped in aspens and you’ll see features like massive rock walls, a creek, and marshland). It is quite tricky to navigate through; the drives are VERY narrow, and backing our 19’ trailer into our site (12) was an adventure. Some of the sites are definitely not suitable for RVs, so do your research. The campground is primitive but spotlessly clean. Getting water into an RV can be a real pain as the water spigots don’t have threaded connections. The campground is close to numerous trails, a nature preserve, and the town of Aspen. There are definitely bears in the campground; I saw scat right across from our site. There is no cell service or WiFi whatsoever. I’d recommend staying here, but it’s not without its challenges!

Nice setting. Very Narrow roads. There are no showers and only pit toilets. Only two, somewhat inconvenient and narrow spots to fill us RV water tanks.

No cell service (AT&T or Verizon)

Pretty good gravel areas in the aspen trees. Picnic table. Large site.

We stayed here for two nights. The campsite is well maintained and the the aspens help make each site feel secluded. A little on the pricy side for rent camping ($30/night). Close to many activities such as biking, fishing, and trailheads.

Small campground with two loops located on Difficult Creek. The sites are a mixed bag– some more appropriate for tents while others are pull-through or have very long driveways. Our site (7) would have been better suited for a tent, but we made it work in our campervan. It would not have accommodated a large RV. Some of the sites (32-38) are more private and you can hear the creek. Did not hear road noise from any sites. 

There is a day-use area with picnic tables scattered around, some very near the creek.

Vault toilets only and at least the one we used was clean. Fortunately, the issues with the “mean” host mentioned in previous reviews were not an issue when we were there! In fact, with Covid, we had no contact with the host at all during our stay. 

This campground is about 20 minutes from the town of Aspen and convenient if you want to visit Maroon Bells (and cannot get into the smaller, closer campgrounds). Sadly, although the campground indicated it was full, there were many empty sites. This campground (with vault toilets only) is what I’ve come to expect from a basic forest service campground, and it suited our needs perfectly.

You can reserve these sites online which helps with planning. The sites are well situated just up independence pass a short ways out of Aspen with great views and the sound of the roaring for river. It is close enough to town that you could grab supplies and/or dinner at one of aspens great restaurants once situated if desired. The amenities are great considering there aren’t many more campgrounds around aspen for RVs. It is a bit of a trick getting an RV up independence pass. If continuing SE be sure the road restrictions are followed.

We stayed here Oct 1-Oct 4 in sites 9 and 43. The campground is in a rather narrow, scenic valley with beautiful views. The sites all seemed good and well-spaced with trees between for privacy. The bathrooms were clean and the camp hosts were hospitable.

Site 43 was wonderful! It’s a very large, private site with room for an RV and multiple tents. There is a path from the site to the creek, and we saw a bear across the creek one evening!

I’ll definitely stay here again.

Quiet private sites lots of tree close to town lots to explore

Due to the location and reservations are accepted, this a convenient backup plan for some of the first come - first serve campgrounds on nearby Maroon Creek Road. I think some of the better campsites at Difficult are 4, 8, 19, 21, 33, 43, and 46. In June the columbines start blooming and in September the mountain ash trees are looking great. There are tons of Aspen trees here. This campground is equipped with bear bins to store your cooler and stuff.

We have stayed at this campground several times as it is convenient to Aspen and Maroon Bells, gives great access to Independence Pass, and each site has a secured bear box and tends to have some privacy.  However it has come to our attention that the information in the online reservation system regarding this campground is incorrect.  The Camp Host does nothing to alleviate the confusion, if fact she seems to take pleasure in adding to it, then announcing to campers they must depart once they have paid for their campsite and set up camp.  We witnessed this happen to about a half dozen campers over a recent weekend trip.  She behaves more like a Land Baron than a Camp Host, the title of her job.
I would take great care before setting up here, even if you have confirmed a reservation online.

Definitely one of the better sites we've camped at. Plenty of space between sites (we could only see the site across the street from us, all others were behind tree cover), so lots of privacy. Bathrooms were immaculate and had no odor whatsoever. About a 15 minute drive into Aspen, so easy to get into town…but if you want to catch Maroon Bells at sunrise, I'd suggest staying at Silver Bells or Silver Queen as it's a good 30-45 mins to get to the Bells from here.

Firewood is available for $7/bundle (cash only)

It's a great campground. Had bear box for food storage and a grill.

All the campsites seemed secluded because of the trees around.

One downside we faced was even though we reserved our campsite, someone had already occupied ours probably because we ended up reaching the campsite at 8:40pm. So be careful!

#40- the campground exceeded my expectations! This site is perfect for easy access to all the outdoor activities in the area. We enjoyed biking and walking on the nice trails that lead from the campground directly to Aspen (approx 7mi round trip). There is also a calm river nearby for fishing and SUP. The campground was well maintained with plenty of trees for privacy.

Bears are around, quiet time 10-6. Families camping, great views

Dog friendly, clean, quiet. Nice views all around. Bear box provided

I booked two spots on recreation.gov for a spot to camp the night before we started our Four pass loop trip. I honestly wasnt expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. The camp host came round and was super friendly. Bear boxes as well as picnic tables at every site. You are within walking distance to the river, which was gorgeous. The camp is only about 5 miles from downtown Aspen and a grocery store. Surrounded by beautiful Aspen trees, quiet, and clean. We had a wonderful stay.

We stopped here after a late drive from golden, CO. independence pass was beautiful! The site is on the left as your are driving from independence pass to Aspen and could be missed if you arent paying attention. There;s some really nice(but hard) rock climbing just before the campsite as well.

Campsite was right next to the Roaring Fork river and we saw tons of wildlife, rafters, and fly fishing. Sites were pretty basic, but worked. the fire ban was on, so no campfires but we could use our stoves. Vault toilets, running water and great hiking trails nearby!

So much of Colorado is impressive, let me just start with that. I wanted to swing through Aspen to check out the John Denver Sanctuary before heading to Denver and found the Difficult Campground on a listing for the area.

Like many campgrounds in Colorado, facilities are limited in fall and winter as they prepare for cold weather. The campground itself was no exception. CLOSED! I was so upset, however I stumbled upon a ranger in the area and he said I could stay if I parked and walked in from the entrance and would not have access to toilets.

Seemed fair, backcountry style camping with some amenities like a fire ring and table. I thought Indeed it would be a winning experience!! Boy was a right!!

The river flows alongside the campground and makes for such a relaxing sound throughout the evening. I saw several small animals as I hiked in, mostly squirrels, birds and a small fox.

The tree coverage of the area cut the wind in the evening just enough. I had the campground to myself and it was one of the coolest feelings ever!

There was no cell service at the campground.

I had to bring in my own small firewood because they discourage you from foraging for fallen branches at the campgrounds typically. I have seen that during the regular season there is a small store that has firewood available near the entrance area.

I look forward to getting back to this site during the summer season!!

TIPS:

• Bring your own firewood. While sometimes it is available in the area, you will want to bring your own just in case to make sure you are keeping it in the fire ring.

• Check the website first. I was looking online at this campsite and discovered if they have weather related closings or fire bans they list them very vividly on their site which can be very helpful in helping you determine if you would like to stay here.

This Forest Service campground is just outside of Aspen in the White River National Forest. We hadn't planned to come as far south as Aspen, but fires kept us from getting to another campground and a dispersed camping area. Sites are reservable, but we were able to get a site on a rainy Sunday evening for two nights. The campground filled up both nights (although there were no shows for reserved sites both nights.

This campground is tucked away east of Aspen in a beautiful forest of aspens between mountains covered with pines. For the most part, the sites are carved out with plenty of space and cover between you and your neighbors. Everything is lush and green, but no campfires and no outdoor smoking are allowed (July 2018) because of fire danger.

Our site (#9) must have had a 20 foot buffer between us and our neighbors. (See 360 degree video.)

Cool sites in addition to #9:

12 and 13 - there is a steep boulder field behind these sites which looks like a fun climb

18 and 40 - pitch your tent way back, or the driveway is good for a camper and tow vehicle

43 - nice view, deep site

Activities:

1. Difficult River runs along one side of the campground, and the Difficult Trail begins near the entrance. The trail starts at about 8,000 feet and is not maintained after 3 miles (according to the camp host) but continues on for 3 miles up to an elevation of more than 10,000 feet.

2. Bike the paved/packed stone bike path known as the East of Aspen Trail Extension into Aspen. It's an easy ride and goes through a wetlands area with viewing stops. There's supposed to be a moose in the area, but I only saw a fairly large fox early one morning. The host had warned us that the fox would go after anything you leave out.

3. In Aspen, you can connect with the Rio Grande Trail, a 42 mile paved trail (with a small portion of gravel somewhere that I didn't see). This trail connects Aspen to Glenwood Springs and goes through the towns of Basalt and Carbondale. It follows an old railroad bed, so it doesn't have steep climbs although the trail brochure mentions some short, steep climbs into Aspen from the north. We didn't bike that part. The trail between Carbondale and Arciero/Old Snowmass Trailhead has great scenery - Roaring Fork River, Cottonwood Pass, Basalt Mountains, ranches. There are several points where you can catch a bus if you want to do a one way ride. Here is the URL for an excellent brochure: https://www.rfta.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/trailmap.pdf

This is your basic campground with vault toilets, not much to see from the sites themselves. You can catch some trails easily from here. Close to town. Small sites.

You can fill up your RVs water tank at this location! Town is real close by like 6 miles. Great bike paths hang out areas. And the sound of the creek is nice. I've camped there twice and love it! We took the bikes and explored we also took the dogs for a bunch of little mini hikes to Tire them out the Water Creeks were easily accessible with a short hike. We've been here before and we definitely will be back.

Had an good time camping at Difficult Campground. The Campground was full but it didn’t seem crowded because of the separation between sites which was awesome. Great location, only 5-10 from Aspen. Will definitely be back.

Campground managed by the Forest Service. we went on the first weekend it was open, which was the weekend before Memorial Day. the campground has access to the roaring fork river, the flow was too high to fish but i’m sure in a few weeks it would be prime for some fly fishing. we stayed at campsite 41 which features a new. fire pit and nice bear boxes. this site was surrounded by trees but open with plenty of space for tents. The bathroom was a short walk and the water spout was right next to the site. We really enjoyed the site and the sounds of the river to put us to sleep.