Dowdy Lake Campground

Just over one hour from home, we take frequent day trips and early fall camping trips.

We arrived on a Monday morning hoping to get a first come first serve spot and we’re lucky enough to get one. But online said they had more available then they did so just be sure to check.

We had an electric spot, all that was left, but it was great. Spots were spread out and big. All pretty close to water access. Some spots were right on the water too. Super quiet area and everyone seems respectful of noise. Lots of dogs but leashed.

Nice walking area around the lake. And day area was empty.

Status: Open year round 

Reserve mid spring through September 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov 

weekend reservations recommended 

70 sites including 10 walk-in tent 30 sites year round $24.00 tent sites $32.00 electric $64.00 double sites 

Vault toilets, water during season ,tent sites have bear boxes, picnic table, fire ring/grill, trash no sewer or water hookups The campground has beautiful Ponderosa Pines but the Pine beetle is beginning to take its toil. 

The back loop closes early fall. all sites have electric except the tent sites. There are 5 double sites. The campground can accept various size rigs. The day use area with a boat ramp and pit toilet with a nice size parking lot. There were a lot of people fishing from the shore. The lake is beautiful with small islands and rock formations. The road to and in the campground is gravel and rather dusty. Potholes 

Directions: Drive 21 miles north of Fort Collins on US Highway 287. Turn left (west) onto the Red Feather Lakes Road (County 74E) and travel approximately 22 miles. Turn right (north) and travel another mile to signed campground entrance on the right.

LNT

Better than when you found it 

Stay safe Happy travels

Loved this campground and the nice lake. Camp hosts were very nice and accommodating. Was lucky to get a site w/o a reservation as runs pretty full. Lots of kids on weekends but quieter during week. Good fishing, kayak, etc access- no wake lake, no swimming. Lots of paddle boards. Electric sites, vault toilets very clean, no shower. Sites are nicely spaced and most are shady. Forest service so got a discount w my Lifetime NP pass

Beautiful. No swimming. Loved it.

Very nice and clean campground. Since this is an hour from Fort Collins and the front range and has a large day use area attached expect a lot of people. Evenings and early mornings are great but on the weekends expect crowds of trail walkers going by your campsite and floatillas of SUPs, kayaks and canoes on the lake. The wind also gets really strong in the late morning through the afternoon. Bathrooms are very clean. Campsites area well spaced and large.

Love love love this campground! The hosts are super friendly and helpful. The lake is gorgeous!!! If you’re camping with friends, they have multiple double sites available. We plan on coming back here every year!

First time to Dowdy Lake and I've fallen in love with this campground. It's so peaceful here. The lake is beautiful. The sound of birds and the wind going through the trees is so calming.

Some technical notes. There is no dump station and I noted on the water hydrants that filling RV potable water tanks is not allowed.

So while there is 30 amp power count on tankering in water for your stay.

This camp ground seems so underrated. While it doesn’t boast views of the mountains as much as other places, it’s a great quiet place to get some lake time!

Sites are very easy to pull into/out of. We had electric hook ups. Camp sites are not super level, but there is plenty of space.

The lake is amazing. Super great for fishing /and paddle boarding.

Now we know why it's so hard to get a spot at this campground. Not only is the lake beautiful, the sites are well maintained, the bathrooms are clean, and the fishing is good!

Very nice camping not far from Fort Collins. Great lake for non-motorized boats. 

Leave no trace.

This is one of the great campgrounds of the front range. At 8,000 feet A great small wakeless canoe and kayak lake. Most sites have electric.

Beautiful lake. Very peaceful. Campground host was wonderful. Campground is clean. The Free Birds- #livefree www.livefreebirds.com IG: thefreebirdsrv

Easy to navigate. Unfortunately we did have 1 set of rude & loud neighbors who happened to be middle aged adults. The college kids on the other side of us were extremely polite & quiet. Stayed Sunday of Memorial Weekend. First time with small children in a tent. Beautiful sunset over the lake.

This campground is gorgeous. The lake is amazing and the sites are very spacious. I love the addition of the bear boxes. This campground was found on a whim about 5 years ago and now it’s the one we have to go to every year. The hosts are always very friendly and the town is adorable. It’s an amazing place to get away from the world for a bit and to become one with nature. It truly looks like it’s snapshotted from a postcard. I have multiple pictures of dowdy lake on canvases and in picture frames around my house. I took my husband up there for the first time last year and he wasn’t used to this kind of camping (he was military so think non leisure) and he just loved fishing out on the lake and taking me fishing too. It’s simply incredible.

This campground is absolutely gorgeous. The lake is great for crawfish and rainbow trout. The town is very near by and a great resource for any needs you may have.

We went camping mid August and pulled into our campground that was pre-paid for and was tagged with our reservation about half an hour before our check in time. We started unloading and setting up. We brought our two large dogs with us and they were anxious and barking. After constantly consoling the one that kept barking, he was starting to settle in. It had only been about half an hour since we arrived. The hosts at the campground drove up and stated that we could not camp here because it was reserved. Neither of them asked our names or if we had a reservation. We explained that, yes, the reservation was made by us. Next they went on to explain that someone had called and complained about our dog barking. One of the hosts stated, your dogs will need to be quiet or we will have to call animal control... We all stated that they would settle down once they got used to their surroundings and that would not be necessary because if they continued barking we would take them home. The campsite was great overall, clean and easy to get into. As for the hosts, they could use some manners and maybe a better approach to making all their guests feel welcome... even the furry ones! There were dogs barking all over the park the rest of the weekend, but it didn’t come from our site.

This campground is great! The lake is wonderful to kayak on and to fish. The sites are very clean and large. They have a picnic table and fire pit. Of course the sites very in size. There is electric hookups in most sites with the exception of the tent sites. The hosts are very friendly and welcoming. Lots of trees for shade and beautiful views.

What a joy! Clean bathrooms, sites spread out nicely and lake access for paddleboarding. Unique Colorado location.