Nestled among aspen and tall Douglas fir trees, St. Charles Campground is in a quiet part of the Lake Isabel Recreation Area. Located on the banks of St. Charles Creek, the campground is popular with campers who enjoy the sounds of water tumbling through the shaded boulders.
Recreation
Lake Isabel is stocked with brown and rainbow trout. The accessible lakeshore path provides ample fishing spots. Brook trout can be found in St. Charles Creek. Several trails begin at the recreation area. Hiking opportunities include the Snowslide Trail and the Cisneros Trail. Both trails are also open to motorcycles, and Cisneros is a challenging ATV route.
Facilities
Campsites can accommodate small trailers; tent pads are provided for tent campers. Each campsite contains a bear-proof food locker, picnic table, fire ring and fire pedestal. Campground amenities include accessible vault toilets, drinking water from a hand pump, and bear-proof trash dumpsters. Firewood is sold by the on-site campground host.
Natural Features
The campground sits a mile west of Lake Isabel in the Wet Mountains, a beautiful range in the San Isabel National Forest. At an elevation of 8,600 feet, Lake Isabel was designed and constructed in the 1930s as a recreational haven from the dusty plains far below. Rugged mountain peaks in the area provide water for the abundant wildlife and fish populations.
Nearby Attractions
A nearby lodge offers paddle and rowboat rentals, groceries and a restaurant. Golf courses are about 15 minutes away.
ADA Access: N
We spent 2 nights in site 13 which is a great site that backs up to the forest. The downfall of this site is it is next to the vault toilet and it was very smelly. The camp host was non existent throughout the weekend. Never saw them once service the restroom and they did not give us our lake pass to provide us with access during the day. Being the weekend it was busy and they were not enforcing campsite occupancy so there were several sites with 4-5 cars and lots of extra people which led to a lot of noise. Overall I would definitely go again but only during the week and I would not stay near a bathroom again.
We lucked out on a first come-first served spot on a Friday - spot #10 is tent only, by a creek and several private trails. The camp was quiet with a vault toilet nearby. We were visited by several mule deer and very friendly chipmunks. Bears are in the area, but a bear-proof locker is on the site. The lake itself is pretty developed with boat rentals and fishing, but if you drive past the group camping there is a great hike that knocked us out. Highly recommend! (July 25, 2020)
The lake was beautiful! There were several trails nearby and a restaurant that was open on the weekends.
Finding wood was a little difficult but need be, the restaurant sold it for $6.99 a bundle.
I definitely want to come back and backpack the Cisneros trail to see the mines.
Family has been coming for years. The family has property in Colorado city and we still love to come to local mountain! Great fishing, clean, quiet, & plenty of space
Nice campground above San Isabel lake. Good fishing in the lake, we rented a paddle boat while staying there.