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Established Camping

Sweetwater Lake

Sweetwater Lake offers camping near Gypsum, Colorado, surrounded by mountainous terrain and forested areas. Temperatures can range from lows in the 30s Fahrenheit during spring and fall to highs in the 80s during summer. Nearby attractions include the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, providing opportunities for hiking and wildlife viewing.

Description

US Forest Service

White River National Forest

Bear activity has been increasing. For this reason a "food storage order" is in effect at all developed campgrounds on the Eagle/Holy Cross Ranger District, and the Piney Guard Station, Tigiwon Lodge, Mount of the Holy Cross Overlook, Homestake Road FSR 703, and Nolan Creek Road. This order requires all food and refuse to be stored in hard-sided vehicles, approved bear-resistant containers, or supended at least 10 feet clear of the ground at all points and four feet horizontally from any supporting tree or pole. This order has been issued to provide for public safety and wildlife conservation. Hopefully it will reduce wildlife habituation problems. Click here to see food storage order. NATURAL FEATURES: Sweetwater Campground, elevation 7,740 feet, is on the south end of 72 acre, Sweetwater Lake. The vegetation surrounding the campground and the sites is scrub oak, serviceberry, wild rose and willow. High limestone cliffs tower above the area on two sides. FACILITIES: Sweetwater Campground has 9 partially shaded campsites with picnic tables and fire ring grills. This campground has small sites. Six of the sites can accommodate vehicles up to 30 feet long. There is one vault toilet. ATTRACTIONS: TRAILS - There are three popular hiking and horseback riding trails beginning at the end of the campground. The Ute Trail, #2031, (9.4 miles) goes up to Deep Lake on the Flattops. The Cross Creek Trail, #1855, (6.5 miles) travels through sagebrush flats full of wildflowers and aspen forests to the Sweetwater Trail, #1854. The short Scenic Overlook trail, (500 yards) has nice views of the lake and a waterfall. FISHING - Sweetwater Lake offers good fishing from the shore or small boats for brook, brown and rainbow trout, as well as kokanee salmon. BOATING - Canoes and rowboats are popular on this lake, but some electric motors are used. No gasoline-powered motors are allowed on Sweetwater Lake. Hand-launched boats only since there is no public boat ramp. Sweetwater Campground is the only public access to Sweetwater Lake. There is a printable Recreation Quicksheet for this campground which is complete with directions, details, and other information about this campground.

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Location

Sweetwater Lake is located in Colorado

Detail location of campground

Directions

Directions from Eagle: Travel 12 miles west of Eagle on I-70 to Dotsero. Go north on Colorado River Road for 7 miles. Turn left onto the Sweetwater Creek road. Stay on road for 10 miles, then turn left at the sign for Sweetwater Campground.

Coordinates

39.79700008 N
107.16100055 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

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

Site Types

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

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

Drive Time


Reviews

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5.0

out of 5

4 Reviews

Reviewed Jun. 16, 2025

Beautiful, Peaceful Spot

We loved camping here, there was so much to explore. The drive is gorgeous, we kept stopping to take photos.

The campsite has 1 single-stall campsite potty near the entrance. There are trails from the campsite that go around the lake. There’s also horse trails around the campsite, and we saw quite a few people on horseback riding through.

The other reviews were right in that there are very limited campsites. There’s only 7 and they’re relatively small, some are very close together- especially sites 2 & 3. It would be a good idea for a larger groups to reserve those spots.

We stayed in site 2 and enjoyed our setup. The fire pits are great, they’re tall so they collimate the smoke up and away. The sites also have a bear-proof cabinet you can store food in. They were large enough to fit a large cooler and our dry foods.

Would definitely recommend, we had a fantastic experience.

Site2
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Sweetwater Lake by Louise F., June 16, 2025
Reviewed Jan. 4, 2020

Quite

This is a great quite place but has limited spots and fills up early. Also trailers larger than 30 feet will not fit at this campground and the tow vehicle will need to use the entire road to keep the camper from going off the edge at to loop.

  • Review photo of Sweetwater Lake by Dan S., January 4, 2020
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2017

disappear

9 quiet, small campsites on a beautiful lake. first come sites.

Site8
Month of VisitJuly

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the max vehicle length at Sweetwater Lake?

Sweetwater Lake allows vehicles up to 30 feet.

Are fires allowed at Sweetwater Lake?

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