Island Lake Campground, near Delta, Colorado, is a fantastic spot for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors with a touch of comfort. The campground offers well-maintained sites with picnic tables and fire pits, making it easy to kick back and enjoy a meal or share stories around the fire.

This location is particularly popular for its proximity to Island Lake, where visitors can easily access the water for kayaking or paddleboarding. Reviewers have noted that the vault toilets are clean and the drinking water comes from a mountain spring, which is a nice perk. Just a heads up, though—mosquitoes can be quite the nuisance, so don’t forget your repellent!

For those who love to explore, the surrounding Grand Mesa area is perfect for hiking, fishing, and off-roading. The campground host is friendly and helpful, ensuring that your stay is as enjoyable as possible. While cell service can be spotty, the natural beauty and tranquility of the area more than make up for it. If you’re looking for a peaceful retreat with plenty of outdoor activities, Island Lake Campground is definitely worth a visit.

## Overview

 Island Lake Campground is located at an elevation of 10,000 feet on Colorado's Grand Mesa, which is home to more than 300 fishing lakes, near the cities of Cedaredge and Delta. Visitors enjoy the area for its excellent fishing, canoeing and hiking opportunities.
## Recreation

 More than 3,000 miles of trails and routes provide access to areas of rugged beauty and solitude. Many were carved by indigenous peoples, early explorers and miners, offering an experience that connects visitors to the land and its prehistoric and historic past. The topography allows the forest to provide year-round trails for beginners to experts. The mountains, plateau and mesa never fail to provide a breathtaking backdrop.
## Facilities

 The campground offers 39 sites, including electric, non-electric and group sites. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided. Three vault restrooms are located within the facility. Trail access for hiking and off-road vehicle driving can be found within the campground. Visitors will find a boat ramp, fish cleaning station and new restroom at nearby Island Lake. Day-use parking and boat trailer parking are available for a small fee. 
## Natural Features

 Island Lake is just .10 miles from the campground. A few sites offer panoramic views of Grand Valley and several lakes below. A dense grove of mature spruce trees covers most sites. A wide variety of wildlife frequents the area, including deer and elk. 
## Contact Info

 For facility specific information, please call (928) 537-8888. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Recreation opportunities on the Grand Mesa National National Forest and surrounding areas are varied, and millions of visitors come to enjoy nearly 60 campgrounds and 13 picnic areas and more than 3,700 miles of system roads, including national and state-designated scenic byways and other scenic or recreation travel corridors. Thousands of miles of trails for hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, mountain biking and motorcycle riding are available, including sections of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and the Colorado Trail. More than 300 lakes and 3,600 miles of streams are found on the Forest. Six mountain peaks reach more than 14,000 feet in elevation, creating many popular areas for rock and ice climbing, hiking and driving along high elevation meadows thick with colorful wildflowers and nature observation and photography of Colorado's abundant wildlife. A variety of historic mining sites are also found in the forest, including the San Juan Mining area, as well as the Alpine Tunnel Historic District, which includes approximately 13 miles of the former Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad railbed across the Continental Divide. The forest also contains three ski resorts, three lodges, two organizational camps and one marina.

Island Lake Campground

Looking for the best campgrounds near Mesa Lakes, CO? There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Colorado camping adventure.

Mesa Lakes

The Best Camping Near Mesa Lakes, Colorado

The campground is tucked away and a little hard to find. We chose it because it had electric hookup, had availability on Labor Day weekend and it was near a lake.  We were on site #2.  It was one of the few almost level sites. Almost all sites have a parking pad and a picnic pad above or below the parking and shade. There is no cell service. The vault toilets seemed clean but smelled bad most of the time.  Being near the lake was a definite plus. It was gorgeous!  Definitely bring a SUP or kayak. The hiking is minimal from the campground.  However, there are some awesome trailheads a short drive away. Most are hikers only, no bikes or horses.  

Nice Campground in the Mesa

We have been coming here for years. It’s a great spot to go with family and just a short ride from the city. The fishing at Island Lake is always great (we use a troll boat) and it’s there are plenty of great trails and trees for shade. 

Great nearby fishing

Flat, level, FHU, covered picnic table ADA accessible, fire pit, grill, trash and bathrooms nearby.

Nice overnighter

Located adjacent to Island Lake, this campground is beautiful, but watch out for the mosquitos!  We took a non electric pull-through as a stopover for the night.  Our 35 ft 5th wheel fit easily.  The campground is pretty easy to maneuver in, even for a larger camper.  Be sure to take the longer road along the south side of the lake from the eastern most turn off of HWY 65 to get to the campground.  The norther western route is narrow, steep and very challenging for even the smallest RV.

The campground host was super pleasant.  We had to grab the mosquito repellent before we were even done levelling and setting up because they were absolutely unreal, swarming on a cool sunny afternoon.  They were just relentless!  The site was pretty level but we did use some levelling blocks to even things out.  Great spot to base for exploring the Mesa, fishing, hiking or offroading.

The table and recreation areas of each campsite are very well designed and maintained.

If you have an America the Beautiful card, be sure to mention it. I paid a steep discount with the card.

Beautiful campground on the Grand Mesa

I stayed at this campground for four nights after the July holiday weekend. It was easy to find a FCFS site midday Thursday. One thing to look out for when getting to the campground is that Google Maps will have you turn in north of the Lake due to the shorter distance. This upper road is much more rough and narrow. I highly recommend you go past the lake and enter on the south end. The road is better and a little wider. You will also get an awesome view of the lake from the main road before you turn off.

  

This campground is not on the lake, but a short trail across the road leads you to the tail around the lake. The day use parking area is also very close and your hanger for the campground gives you free parking. With how close the day use area is, we were able to just strap two paddle boards and a kayak to the roof of the truck and go back and forth. The vault toilets were very clean and water is potable. The host mentioned it comes from a mountain spring in the area. Most sites had a pull in long enough for a vehicle and small camper, along with a pad for the fire pit/picnic table and a pad for the tent.

  

Cell signal is very spotty. I could get one, maybe two bars of Verizon, but data did not always work well. Sometimes there was a faint T-Mobile signal. The visitor center is also close by, and while not staffed for the 2024 season, it has wifi, flush toilets, and filtered water for bottles. The lakes were amazing due to all the rain and snow this year. We were there just before peak wildflower time, but it was still beautiful.

Nice maintained tent pads

We went back to Island Lake Campground two times this year. The campground continues to be great and has potable water. Be aware that the campground next to the lake, the day use area, and lower road are all closed through the 2026 season for construction. The upper road is narrow and steep, and the day use people fill the shoulder of the road trying to park. We walked our paddleboards across the road down to the lake and did not have to worry about parking. This year our group used the last three sites in the campground, which worked out perfectly. Sun was ample for the solar panels and we used a Starlink this year instead of messing around with cellular antennas. Sites 36 and 38 are definitely our favorites. The lake was a bit low this year but the fishing was great. We plan to try and get back again next year. I did confirm their tent pads are 20x20 for sites with double pads and 20x40 for those with a single pad. I think I found other sizes listed online.

Photos of Island Lake Campground

Real photos from real campers