Iron City Campground

I loved this location, maybe it was the snow alongside the road, maybe it was the pine and aspen trees but it was beautiful. Traveling in this area I had been able to bend the rules a couple of locations due to dumb luck but this one wasn't one of those. I had to admire the campground from a walking tour only and make plans to come back sometime after May when it reopens.

Walking though I was very impressed by the layout of the campground, plenty of space for someone like myself who travels in a small car and takes my tent. It didn't look ideal for longer RV units however.

It is a very small campground with only a handful of spots and they do not take camping reservations at this site so you have to make sure you arrive early to stake your claim. It is popular amongst ATVers I later found out so weekends can be a bit tough, so come if you can during the week.

There was a river/creek running and the sound of the water was amazing, I can only imagine sleeping at night with that sound nearby being very peaceful.

This campground does not offer amenities like hook ups and has vault toilets, even those were closed up for the season unfortunately when I was there, in fact there wasn't anything on the mountain nearby even remotely looking open for restrooms. So note to travelers be prepared to make your potty or hold it.

TIPS:

• Check out Chalk Lake campground also if this one is full they are both very close to one another and small but that one doesn't usually have as many ATVers.

• Bring your fishing pole. There is fishing allowed in the area water including Chalk Creek and Chalk Lake.

This US Forest Service campground in the San Isabel National Forest northwest of Salida is the 4th one on County Road 162 off Rt 285. It's way off the beaten path, about 15 miles from Rt 285. The first three campgrounds (Mount Princeton, Chalk Lake and Cascade) have a total of 62 sites, and you can make reservations on recreation.gov. We ended up at Iron City because all three were full on a Monday afternoon in June. We were glad we did!

There are 15 first come/first serve sites. A photo of the layout is included here. We had site 15. The parking area is listed as 10' x 23' but it is definitely longer than that. Our trailer and car are about 30 feet, and they fit with no problem.

All sites have a picnic table and fire ring. As of June 2018, fires are not allowed due to forest fire danger. There is plenty of room at each site for tents. There are bear-proof boxes (but not at every site), and there is a vault toilet and a water pump (with non-chlorinated water).

The altitude is 10,000 feet and the area is pretty well shaded by all the tall pines. It cools off quickly at night in June.

At the end of the campground is the Iron City Cemetery. Wow....rough life out here in the late 1800s into the 1900s. Mining accidents and disease killed a lot of people.

If you drive past the campground entrance, you'll be in the ghost town of St. Elmo. There is an effort to restore it...43 buildings. There's a small store, and the owner was helpful when we asked about hiking in the area. The hike from the abandoned town of Hancock to the Alpine Tunnel is beautiful and not difficult as it follows the old railroad bed. You can continue on to Tunnel Lake. On the drive to Hancock, you'll see abandoned mine buildings.

The store owner said we were lucky to get a place at the campground. It's popular because it's the only one of the four USFS campgrounds on this road that allows people to drive their OHVs into the campground.

This is such an out of the way place that I'm not sure anyone would come here except to hike, bike or go off roading...or maybe just to look at the mountains and forests. And you'll pass a hot springs resort on the way in where you can soak in the hot springs for $20.