May Queen, near Leadville, Colorado, is a picturesque campground that offers a serene escape right by Turquoise Lake. With spacious sites and stunning views of the surrounding mountains, it’s a fantastic place to unwind and soak in nature.

The campground is known for its easy access to hiking trails, making it a great base for outdoor adventures. Visitors have enjoyed the nearby creek, which is perfect for kids to play in, and the proximity to the lake for fishing and other water activities. As one happy camper noted, “The campground was well kept and the sites were very spacious.”

Amenities include basic facilities like toilets and drinking water, but keep in mind that there are no showers or electric hookups. Campers appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, especially on the quieter side of the lake, where you can truly escape the hustle and bustle. 

If you’re looking for a place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors, May Queen is a charming option. Just remember to pack warm clothes, as the elevation can bring chilly evenings, even in summer.

## Overview

 May Queen Campground is located at the far western end of Turquoise Lake in a shaded lodgepole pine forest. Conveniently perched near the Charles Boustead Memorial Tunnel, May Queen offers easy access to boating, fishing and hiking. Incredible views of the Holy Cross and Mount Massive Wildernesses can be seen from the area, and visitors are likely to see native wildlife like chipmunks, beavers and porcupines. The Charles Boustead Memorial Tunnel is a 5.5-mile tunnel that transports water from the Fryingpan and Roaring Fork River Basins through the Continental Divide to the Arkansas River Basin by emptying water into Turquoise Lake. 
## Recreation

 Explore the 6.4-mile Turquoise Lake Trail, which parallels the shoreline of Turquoise Lake from May Queen Campground to the dam. The trail offers moderate hiking with spectacular views and a variety of flora and fauna, as well as remnants of old mines. The Timberline Lake trailhead is 1/2 mile up the road. A 2-mile hike to this lake is rewarded with stunning views and high alpine lake fishing. The Colorado Trail can also be accessed from this trailhead. On Turquoise Lake, sailing, boating and canoeing are enjoyed. Anglers seek out mostly mackinaw and rainbow trout. 
## Natural Features

 The campground sits at an elevation of 9,900 ft. on Turquoise Lake. Most campsites are situated on a level, open field along a creek, feeding into the lake. Six first come-first, serve-sites are perched on the wooded hillside above the creek. Nearby is the Mount Massive Wilderness area, a 30,540 acre expanse encompassing Mount Massive, Colorado's second highest peak at 14,421 feet. Much of the wilderness is above timberline with many alpine plant communities and permanent snowfields. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Nearby is the abandoned bed of the Colorado Midland Railroad, built in the 1890s. The trail is hard to trace, but visitors may find artifacts in the gulch it once crossed. The town of Leadville, a historic gold and silver mining town, is a fun place to explore with the family. Drive on the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway to Independence Pass, one of the highest paved passes in Colorado. Continue over the pass to the town of Aspen, a well-known ski resort town. 
## 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.

May Queen

Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Leadville, CO has a lot to offer. 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.

Leadville

The Best Camping Near Leadville, Colorado

We like the west side of Turquoise Lake better, due to less traffic and access to trails. The Timberline Lake trail is right near the campsite, which provides access to a smaller lake with grear views. There are toilets and drinking water. The campsite’s elevation is close to 10,000 feet, so make sure you have warm clothes for the evening. We found snow in June, which the dog was happy about!

Quiet location

We stayed here in Mid September, the last day the campground was open. Note about this spot compared to the other campgrounds around Turquoise Lake is that even after the campground closes for the summer they keep the gates open so you can still camp here.

The spots are large and set back against the forest with the lake at the end of the road. Each spot has a driveway big enough for a couple cars. There are some spots that offers areas big enough for a trailer. 2 bathrooms are located in the campground, one on either end. There is a campground host located in the middle of the grounds during open season, which runs from Memorial day to September 17th. All other campgrounds around the lake close on the Tuesday after Memorial Day.

Each site has a fire ring, picnic table and a standing charcoal grill. The spots had their numbers removed when we were there but we camped in the second spot on the left and we could have easily fit 5+ tents. The campground also allows dogs! the must be leashed up though. The opposite side of the campground is Butcher boy picnic area which offers grills and tables overlooking the lake for day use.

This side of Turquoise Lake is much less trafficked and quieter, but with less spots. Great camp spot for a night or a few. Leadville is at 10000+ ft so it gets chilly, dress warm.

Quiet Location on Turquoise Lake

It was a little farther from the lake than we’d have liked, so we prefer baby doe campground over this one. It’s clean and quiet, but there are no showers, and it has a hassle hauling all our stuff the several hundred yards to the lake. 

Nice sites, too far from lake 

We ended up at this campground because it was the only one near the that had spaces left. We LOVED this site. The campground was well kept and the site were very spacious. We loved the little creek that ran along the campground. It was very tame and easy for the kids to play in. It was also a short walk to the lake and the hiking trail that runs along the edge of the lake.

This was the only campground on the far side of the lake, so it has far less foot traffic and people in general. We loved our stay here!

The Quieter Side of the Lake

Not a bad spot! Pretty secluded right on Turquoise Lake. There was only one space left open for us to camp on, but it was right near the stream that leads to the lake. Plenty of fishing for Brown and Rainbow trout. There are some good trails nearby including Haggermans, which was pretty moderate.

Pretty quiet on the lake

A beautiful site with a great location. Easy drive into Leadville and great access to the Colorado Trail. Nice put toilet, huge sites really give everyone space at this site. Great views of the lake and mountains on the other side. Picnic table and fire pit, totally recommend!

Beautiful location. Great hiking nearby

We had an amazing time! Showed up later on a Thursday and got super lucky with and awesome site. The lake is super close and the campground is surrounded with amazing trails. It’s a short drive from Leadville as well.

Excellent 

We reserved site 1 and paid in advance based on the Recreation.gov photo, which was misleading. First this site is on a slope. The picnic table is level but there is no level place to put your tent, not even close to level. Secondly, surprise, you have to walk 500 steps uphill to get to site 1 from parking. We were disappointed but noticed the host advertised four vacant tent sites “first come first served.” The sites had level tent pads and were close to parking. Great! We’ll just swap our defective site for a decent one. Wrong! The host told us we had to pay for the decent site and would forfeit our defective site payment, too late to cancel. He said his boss at ExplorUS insisted on this policy. So we must pay double. Welcome to May Queen! We won’t be back.

Bad site? Pay twice.

This is a beautiful little campground along turquoise lake. But...the host is not keeping up. The toilets a very dirty especially the men's. The sites were neglected by the last concession and the new one advenco hasn't had a chance to fix anything? There is no water unless you filter from the lake or brought enough to put out your fire. We rolled in an an active unattended fire was across from the host site. I couldn't get an answer at his door so I took a jug of water from his cart and put it out as the wind picked up and it flamed. There were open abandoned reservations. Trash is a constant where ever we go and though not as much as some it was obvious the host does little to check the sites. He is sweet but....

Photos of May Queen

Real photos from real campers