## Overview

 Dowdy Lake Campground is located 48 miles northwest of Fort Collins, Colo., near the village of Red Feather Lakes. Visitors enjoy the area for its canoeing, fishing and trail opportunities.
## Recreation

 Canoeing and fishing are popular activities on the 115-acre, no-wake Dowdy Lake. Motorized boats are allowed on the lake, but a 10 mph speed limit is enforced. Anglers cast for brown, brook, cutthroat and lake trout. Several additional lakes are in the vicinity. Many hiking, biking and horseback riding trails are in the surrounding area, including the 4-mile Mount Margaret Trail. Several off-road vehicle trails are located within five miles of the campground. Other popular activities include viewing wildlife and visiting the nearby Redfeather Visitor Center.
## Facilities

 The campground offers 60 accessible single and double family campsites with electric hookups. Ten sites are designated for tent camping only and do not have hookups. Each site contains a tent pad, picnic table and campfire ring with grill. Vault toilets, drinking water and trash collection are provided. Dead and downed firewood may be gathered in the forest or purchased in bundles from the campground host.
## Natural Features

 The campground is situated in a ponderosa pine forest on the shore of Dowdy Lake, at an elevation of 8,200 feet. Afternoon thunderstorms can be expected during spring and summer months. Due to the mountain pine beetle infestation and removal of hazardous trees, some sites have reduced shade. 
## contact\_info

 For facility specific information, please call (530) 529-0578. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The small village of Red Feather Lakes is nearby, offering limited dining options, gift shops, general stores, a library, post office and a golf course.

Dowdy Lake Campground

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. 

An unexpected family tradition 

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


Perfect Paddle Spot

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.

Beautiful Campground

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. 

Beautiful spot, less than friendly hosts 

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

Enjoyable lakeside campground

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

Beautiful 

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. 




One of the best campgrounds on the Front Range   

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

  

Leave no trace.

Beautiful Lake

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!

Now we know

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. 

Quaint Quiet Camp Ground

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.  

Mountain Lake Peace and Charm

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!

Beautiful and clean!

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.  

Beautiful but busy

Great Time

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

Reflections

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. 