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Activities

Established Camping

Lakeview Campground

Closed For the Season

This campground is closed for the season from September 6, 2024 through May 26, 2025.

Lakeview Campground, near Leadville, Colorado, is a fantastic spot for those looking to soak in some breathtaking mountain views. With a mix of tent and RV sites, it’s a great place to set up camp and enjoy the great outdoors.

The campground is known for its clean facilities, including well-kept pit toilets and easy access to drinking water. Campers have mentioned that the sites offer moderate shade and are generally well-spaced, though privacy can be a bit limited. As one visitor put it, “The campground was quiet and dark. A perfect spot!”

For adventure seekers, Lakeview Campground is just a short drive from Twin Lakes and Independence Pass, making it easy to hit the trails or enjoy some water activities. The surrounding area is perfect for hiking, biking, and fishing, with stunning views of the mountains and lakes that will leave you in awe.

While some campers noted that the campground can get dusty and that the water may not always be available, the overall experience is enhanced by the friendly hosts and the beautiful scenery. Whether you're here for a weekend or a longer stay, Lakeview Campground offers a memorable escape into nature.

Description

National Forest

PSICC

Overview

Lakeview Campground, with wonderful views of the Twin Lakes Reservoir, is located about 20 miles south of Leadville, Colorado. The campground attracts many hikers looking to explore nature and the hiking trails in the surrounding area. Boaters can launch their craft at the nearby boat dock and fishing enthusiasts can find numerous locations at Twin Lakes Reservoir for fishing.

Recreation

The Continental Divide Trail, which runs from Canada to Mexico, is a non-motorized trail that passes Lakeview Campground. Mountain bikes are allowed in the section from Halfmoon Road south to Twin Lakes. Approximately 300 miles of the trail goes through Colorado. South of the campground lies Twin Lakes, Colorado's largest natural glacier lakes. Sailing and water skiing are among the popular activities here. Fishing includes lake, rainbow and mackinaw trout.

Natural Features

Lakeview is situated in a ponderosa pine and sage habitat at an elevation of 9,500 feet. The site is between Mt. Elbert Forebay and Twin Lakes. The Twin Lakes Reservoir spans 2,805 acres and Mount Elbert stands tall at 14,433 feet. To the north is the Mount Massive Wilderness area, 30,540 acres encompassing Mount Massive, Colorados second highest peak at 14,421 feet. To the south is the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness with 8 peaks over 14,000 ft high. Much of the wilderness is above timberline with many alpine plant communities and permanent snowfields.

Nearby Attractions

The Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway leads to Independence Pass, one of the highest paved passes in Colorado. The historic mining town, Leadville, is a half hour away.

Charges & Cancellations

Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.

Fee Info

Extra Vehicle Fee $10.00

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Location

Lakeview Campground is located in Colorado

Detail location of campground

Directions

From Leadville, Colorado, drive south 15 miles on Highway 24, turn right on Highway 82 and travel 4 miles to Lake County Road 24. Turn right on Lake County Road 24, and go 1 mile north to the Lakeview Campground on the left.

Address

LEADVILLE RANGER DISTRICT 810 FRONT STREET
Leadville, CO 80461

Coordinates

39.0997222 N
106.3611111 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Good
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Good
  • T-Mobile
    Available

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Equestrian

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

Contact

General Info

Reservations

Drive Time


Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

18 Reviews

Reviewed Jul. 24, 2023

Lakeview campground

Moderate shade, not a lot of bugs, dusty, sites seem more for RV camper set up based on layout but we were able to find spots with this site specifically to set up 3 tents (other sites seemed like this would have been difficult), trial right by site where mountain bikers, hikers & backpackers may go by but wasn’t a whole lot of traffic, privacy is minimal, about 10 min drive roughly from site to twin lakes, separate pit and grill, picnic table but no bear locker, bathrooms were nice & well kept

Sitelakeview campground E009-E
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Jinho T., July 24, 2023
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Jinho T., July 24, 2023
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Jinho T., July 24, 2023
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jul. 2, 2023

Great views in all areas

Definitely best of all worlds. If you want more trees, stay further in or closer to the road. If you want to stay close to the edge of the mountain, there's that too. Little more off-road in this area but lots of spots. It's just north up the pay Lakeview campground.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Seth H., July 2, 2023
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Seth H., July 2, 2023
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Seth H., July 2, 2023
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Jul. 8, 2022

Wow, just wow.

This has to be in one of the most beautiful areas I have ever been to. Campground is dry at the moment (working on replacing plumbing). So we brought water. Vault toilets are very clean and fresh smelling. Host was super nice and helpful. Campground was quiet and dark. A perfect spot!

SiteC2
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by AJ G., July 8, 2022
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by AJ G., July 8, 2022
Reviewed Jun. 3, 2022

Beautiful Views, Great Campground and Hosts

This campground is located in some of the most spectacular country.
The campground itself is clean, quiet, and the hosts are extremely nice and helpful. They run a tight ship and it shows. I'll be back!

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Tina S., June 3, 2022
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Tina S., June 3, 2022
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Tina S., June 3, 2022
Reviewed Aug. 18, 2021

Clean, Friendly, Views for Days

Lakeview was a great home for a few days of breathtaking views and relaxing nights. Daniel the Host was welcoming and gave some great notes for our trip to the area. Loop E has brand new toilets that were maintenanced at least once a day, so clean! I’m glad we always pack water bc I was surprised that the water was out for the season- I didn’t see anything during my reservation or confirmation emails. But hey, there would’ve been a way to survive with towns nearby, just a note for the Amenities in 2021 season. We will definitely be back to Lakeview for more hiking and water sports in the area.

SiteE7
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2020

Amazing Views, Great Sites

I love this campground. The views are perfect. Twin Lakes is completely ringed by rocky summits, and this campground provides numerous elevated views of the lakes below. The bathrooms are clean, camp hosts friendly, great hiking nearby, and fun towns populate the Arkansas River Valley. This has been a must-visit campground for my family for the past several years.

Reviewed Jul. 6, 2020

Fantastic Campground

Great campground located across the street from Twin Lakes and close to Independence Pass. Many sites are wooded and well separated but best sites are reservable. Walk in sites seem less desirable but a great campground all around.

Stayed at site C3. Large pad for at least one 4-8 person tent and room for additional tents next to the pad. Plenty of shade trees and close to pit toilet.

  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Ken A., July 6, 2020
Reviewed Jul. 31, 2019

Pleasant High-Country Camping.

This is a basic Forest Service campground, but it's good one with lots of space at the sites and ample room to drive in and out. Access to the South Mt. Elbert Trailhead is a short walk, and it's a short drive to swim in Twin Lakes, drive up Independence Pass, or fish in the Arkansas headwaters. Only 10 minutes to Leadville, as well. 

The pit toilets were clean and there's water spigots throughout the campground so you don't have to walk far for dish water or drinking water. Firewood bundles were available at the campground manager's trailer for $5. 

It's not luxury camping, but it's pretty darn good.

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jul. 30, 2019

Amazing Views!

Drove in on a Saturday afternoon in June without a reservation thinking we had a slim chance of getting a site. Luckily this is a large campground with three (I think) loops of first-come, first-serve sites. Plenty of sites to choose from. Some not great for tents, but we happened to come upon a site with one of the best views of any campsite I’ve ever stayed at. Amazing!

Credit cards are not accepted at the campground, so if you don’t have a reservation, be sure to bring cash.

  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by James M., July 30, 2019
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by James M., July 30, 2019
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by James M., July 30, 2019
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Sep. 30, 2018

Great camping near Leadville

Sitting above Twin Lakes Reservoir is Lakeview Campground.  There are several loops of camping, with no real separation between RV and tent camping. We got here late in the afternoon after checking a few other campgrounds and not finding any sites and were lucky to get one of the last two sites available. The camp host was friendly, but not much help in deciding between a slightly sloped site and a site lower down that might be breezy. We rolled the dice and took the lower site (loop E I think) and lucked out when the wind died down with the setting sun. There are no showers but fairly clean vault toilets and lots of access to water pumps. And of course, the usual picnic table, fire pit, and a nice addition of  standing grills. There was plenty of dead sage and some downed limbs to gather for our campfire. There wasn’t much privacy from other sites as there really isn’t any underbrush and no real trees. Which means nowhere to hang the hammock in our site (it looked like some other sites had a couple nice trees for hammocking, but not all sites were so lucky). The Continental Divide Trail goes right through the middle of the campground, so you have access to great hiking. There is also a nice trail that goes partly around the reservoir; or at least I thought it was a trail until it petered out into nothing, not even a game trail.  The campground is close to Mount Massive Wilderness, Leadville, and Independence Pass, so lots of hiking and sightseeing nearby.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Annie C., September 30, 2018
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Annie C., September 30, 2018
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Annie C., September 30, 2018
  • (11) View All
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2018

Beautiful views, exceptional facilities

This is a large campground, however given its proximity to so many great outdoor adventures and beautiful views, it was full by Friday afternoon. Your neighbors are close but there's cover to keep things semi-private. We enjoyed a primitive site, large enough for two tents, for three days. The drinking water was safe and the out house was clean. I would absolutely stay here again.

Reviewed Aug. 9, 2018

Great campground near Twin Lakes

Finally checked out this campground and will definitely return. The campground’s location on the hillside allows for an excellent view of Twin Lakes and the surrounding mountains. Also close to the South Mt Elbert and Colorado Trail for easy hiking. Basic amenities (toilets, drinking water, trash, etc.) and no showers.

Reviewed Jul. 13, 2018

Beautiful views and just enough amenities!

One of my favorite campsites! We pulled in late night and were able to find a site(it was a thursday). The self pay system was easy and convenient. the campsite was small but nice with a great picnic table and fire ring. The current fire ban in that area meant no campfire, but the stars were amazing. You have a great view of Mt elbert and the twin lakes. There are also hiking trails down to the lake and vault toilets dispersed throughout the campground.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Cory D., July 13, 2018
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Cory D., July 13, 2018
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Cory D., July 13, 2018
  • (13) View All
Reviewed May. 25, 2018

Great camping spot near Mt Elbert Trailhead

very remote! high altitude. no showers, so come prepared. the camp manager is very helpful and gave us great tips for the mountain hike. it is some distance from the trailhead (although there is a trail from the campsite to the trailhead if you want to add another 8+ mi to your hike). very shady campside, which was nice and cool. stunning view of the Twin lakes Reservoir.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Sarah L., May 25, 2018
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Sarah L., May 25, 2018
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Sarah L., May 25, 2018
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Jul. 18, 2016

Relaxing spot

I only stayed for a couple of nights, so that me and a couple of buddies could climb Elbert. The camp was absolutly beautiful, and a perfect place to relax after a long day. The South trailhead for Mt. Elbert is less than a minute drive down the road, and is a beautiful path to take up the mountian. Would recommend!!!!

  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Andy G., July 18, 2016
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Andy G., July 18, 2016
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Andy G., July 18, 2016
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jun. 15, 2016

Great views from sites on the B Loop

We stayed here for a little summer vacation and used a tent. I looked for a site with great views and found Sites B4 and B1 with prime views of Twin Lakes. The facilities were just what we needed, no showers, but we made due with a water pump nearby and vault toilets very close. The location was great and central to many great hikes. I appreciated the view and not many sites have as great a view as the two we stayed at! A definite return sometime!

  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Brent R., June 15, 2016
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Brent R., June 15, 2016
  • Review photo of Lakeview Campground by Brent R., June 15, 2016
  • (4) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the max vehicle length at Lakeview Campground?

    Lakeview Campground allows vehicles up to 60 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Lakeview Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Lakeview Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Lakeview Campground have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Lakeview Campground does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Lakeview Campground?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is good, AT&T is good, and T-Mobile is available.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Lakeview Campground?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Lakeview Campground. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Lakeview Campground, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Lakeview Campground?

    There are 53 campsites at Lakeview Campground and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts