Timber Creek Campground — Rocky Mountain National Park

$35/night. What a wonderful place to camp under the stars. One of the cleanest NP campgrounds I’ve come across. Closed until May 2025.

Loved this campground in Rocky Mountain NP! Full of new growth pine trees. Elk wondered through on some days. Depending on site, lots of privacy. Not for big rigs, but perfect for vans, tents and smaller trailers. Bathrooms clean, flush toilets. Only drawback to this stay - the dump station was already closed down for the season. Water was available. We found a dump station down the road in Stillwater Recreational area.

Wonderful place. Moose in campground, and elk calling at night.

My wife and I camped on a 19.7 sprinter van last year. We loved it so much that we are returning this year.

Not a spectacular campground, but it is in the RMNP and that makes it special. Sites are only modestly separated. Young pines are starting to provide separation between sites. A few more years and this will be very nice. Flat campground. Near US34 so during day there is road noise. All night we heard elk bugling. Nice. Restroom is rustic and functional with dish washing sink. All sites have tent pads. Overall a good place to start or end a trip to the park.

Went for this over some of the more expensive campsites. Wouldn’t have been as bad if we didn’t get covered in about 6 inches of snow during tent setup (late May). That’s our fault but still, it’s a really far drive from any of the main parts of the park and don’t expect any cell service whatsoever.

Grand lake side is so much more sane than the Estes Park side. This campground is no exception. There's a bit of road noise from trail ridge road traffic but we didn't think it was too bad. Views are great. Lots of wildlife sightings including 6 moose! Only concern is that whoever was last in the campsite right next to us must have spilled something that the elk really liked because there were 3-4 elk in the campsite next us the whole trip at all hours of the day licking the dirt at the campsite. Not even the park rangers could pull them away. The elk never bothered us but it was a bit nerve racking in the moment because elk are still huge wild animals that can ruin your day in a hurry if they wanted to. Fortunately they never did but it put us a little on edge. Amazing campground otherwise

Has it all. Trails nice staff. Great views

The pros seem to be that it’s on the back side of the park so not as many people or traffic. Gorgeous views. Bathrooms were in great shape.

My one and only con is that it is close to the road so you hear every single car that drives by regardless of the time.

Aside from that the campground was just perfect. Plenty of parking for everyone even if you do have to hike (like at most 50 ft) to your actual site.

Beautiful campground on the west Rockies. We even saw two moose! No showers, but clean bathrooms.

Very near for a really nice walk along the Colorado River.

Great location, great sites, but a little cramped. However the generators were loud and took away from the experience of being in nature. Loved seeing the elk that came into the campground early mornings.

Basic restrooms and facilities but the views make this place 10 stars! At night there were elk everywhere.

Overall this was my favorite campground of the trip. Herds of elk passed right through the campground. Also had blacktail deer and a moose. If you’re looking for a PEACEFUL quiet campground, the west side of the park is the way to go. Also right along a river!

It’s amazing because you’re in RMNP but the campground itself is nothing special. It’s efficient, easy to find, right off HWY 34, bathrooms not a far walk. The views are great of course because, again, it’s in RMNP. If it weren’t in RMNP it probably would get at least 1 or 2 less stars. It’s not a campground to go and stay at but one to go and sleep at in between adventures in RMNP. I will say it’s right by the headwaters of the Colorado River, which is more like a large stream at that point, and there were people going fly fishing so that me another reason to camp at this campground.

Timber Creek is set down in the valley just off of Trail Ridge Road near Grand Lake, CO. The smell of campfire smoke fills the air. Campsites are very well maintained and all have fire rings.

One of the most amazing campgrounds I’ve ever been to! Wildlife everywhere! Sites were close together but very well maintained, very nice bathrooms. Will definitely come back here!

This is an awesome campground after finishing trail ridge road. There were lots of elk near our campsite. Fires are allowed & pets are also welcome. The bathrooms were super clean & there are washing sinks outside of the bathrooms for dishes, etc.

Spacious, friendly staff, friendly visitors, beautiful sites from your tent area, beautiful drive to get there, just all around the most perfect camp site I’ve been too. (A bit cold at night so bring blankets!)

When I was a teenager, my family came here every year. The trout fishing was always great, wildlife viewing fantastic, and stargazing doesn't get much better. The beetles damaged many trees, causing a safty issue: no one wants a tree falling on their tent or camper at 4 a.m., so all of the mature trees in the campgroud were taken out a few years ago. Bathrooms are available within easy walking distance of each camping area. Showers are not available here, but there is a place in nearby Grand Lake that offers pay showers (always clean in my experience, as well as other reviews I have read) Bear-proof lockers are available. It is highly recommended you use them. Make sure you take the trail out the back of the campground to the nearby Holzwarth Ranch (Also known as Never Summer Ranch) If you're lazy, you can drive, it isn't far. Lots of great hiking trails, and it is quite near Grand Lake if you need to replenish supplies.

No electricity. Nice sand pads for tents. Marked disabled sites.

Great views! Basic sites. No electricity. Nice sized pads for tents. Marked disabled sites, which is nice for those that need easy access to bathrooms.

A small first come first serve campground, but not very busy. There were many spots open around 10 am in late May. There isn’t many trees though to provide shade. Nice clean bathrooms as well.

This campground on the west side of Rocky Mountain NP is a great base for touring the entire park. And you'll most likely see a herd of elk behind the campground because the Colorado headwaters are right out back. Elk wandered through the campground in the early evening. The west side of RMNP is less crowded and has many opportunities for close views of wildlife. You still need to get up early...for wildlife and to beat the crowds.

Our site 30 was nothing special but there weren't many sites available at 8 am. Getting there early is good, but sometimes too early works against you because you're not sure who's leaving. I don't like to bother people by looking at the permit on their post unless there aren't any open sites or if they look like they're packing.

Campsite observations

• No reservations so checking in early is a necessity in July.

• The walkin tent only clusters are what I liked most although I'm not tent canping anymore.

• Most sites are back in, but there are some pull through. Some back ins are very short and seem to be designed for a vehicle with a tent. A few double wide back ins accommodate a vehicle and trailer.

• Scattered food storage lockers are more prevalent in clustered tent areas.

One of the best and fairly close attractions on the west side of RMNP is the hike to Cascade Falls in Grand Lake. It's just under 7 miles roundtrip and not difficult. We saw moose 4 times. Two bulls were in a meadow less than one mile in, but you should go all the way to the falls. It's beautiful! There are lots of great hikes with wildlife potential on the west side. The Kauweneeche Trail Guide that's available at the Visitor Center has more info than the standard RMNP brochure and newspaper you get when you enter the park.

If you need a shower, Elk View RV in Grand Lake offers extremely clean, private shower rooms with a dressing area from 1 to 3 pm for $7. The people in the office were so nice, and they let us in outside of those hours.

We went to RMNP for the weekend to Camp. We stayed on the West Side of the park which we have never been. It was a first come first serve campground and we were able to get a spot! The first night we could hear the elk bugling and saw tons of mule deer and cow elk. the first morning my husband and kiddos saw a bull moose in the campground. There are tons of trails near and around where we camped and the campground was located right next to the Colorado River so easy access for fishing. we saw several more moose throughout the weekend. we will definitely go back and camp at this Campground. only drawback is that there are no showers available at the Campground. they do have running water and a place to wash your Camp dishes and flushing toilets. the camp ground for my understanding is open year-round but only 10 spots during off-season. there was a recent Beetle problem so all the trees have been cut down so very little shade is available for the majority of the campground.

Campground Review

Located in Rocky Mountain National Park, Timber Creek Campground is a first come first serve campground located 8 miles from the Kawuneeche Visitor Center. Timber Creek sites are $26 per night, which is on par with most National Parks that I have visited. It seemed like there were a ton of sites when I was there, some walk-in tent sites, some back in trailer sites, and a few pull through spots for small campers like the SylvanSport GO. Since this campsite is located in bear country, you need to store your food properly in the shared bear proof lockers provided by the NPS. Each site does include its own table and fire ring though. If I remember correctly, each loop had its own bathroom building with a sink on the outside for doing dishes and what not.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. At Timber Creek I tested the Brokk Shirt from Beyond Clothing. I give this shirt a 5/5 because this thing rocks. (PS, it’s also on clearance right now, so I’d go snag one if I were you!)

Here’s what makes it so great:

1. It fits great. It has a nice athletic cut to it which makes it perfect for hiking and other outdoor activities.
2. Its breathable. It has a ton of breathability. The pits, sides, and a large portion of the back are mesh, so you can keep it on as a mid day layer to protect you from the sun.
3. Its waterproof. The parts that aren’t mesh repel water better than anything I’ve ever seen. This makes it great for water sports. Or when it starts raining suddenly and you don’t have your rain gear.
4. Drawstring. It has a drawstring on the bottom to tighten around your waist. This keeps it from rising up on you and keeps water out if you are using it for water sports.
5. Its light. I don’t know the exact weight, but for what it is, its pretty darn light.
6. Pockets. Chest pocket and back pocket. Both zippered. Who doesn’t like pockets.
7. Made in the USA. Nuff said.

Along with Longs Peak, Timber Creek are the only two first come/first served campgrounds in RMNP. Which means that there was a pretty steady flow of traffic late morning to early evening through the campground. Based on other reviews, I was excited to camp here for the first time, but was a little disappointed after a week.

There are four loops in the campground (A,B, C, D), we stayed in Loop D (sites 76-100). Loop D had two water faucets and trash/recycling available, but no restrooms (have to go to Loop C which isn't too far). The restrooms have sinks and flush toilets. Firewood could be purchased from the shed at the campground entrance. Here's a map of the campground. The sites in Loop D are very close together, as if they just wanted to add 25 more sites in a limited area. On the plus side, it appeared that each campsite now has its own bear bin for storage.

The proximity of sites to one another wouldn't have been so bad, but the pine beetle infestation has left the campground with virtually no mature trees, so noise carries easily and there's no privacy. Also, the way some sites were situated in our loop meant that often times people walked through your site to get to their site avoiding the multitude of tree stumps all around.

Basically, no trees meant no shade, wind breaks, hammock, or privacy and a fair amount of noise especially since the campground is down the ridge from Hwy 34.

However, the lack of trees did provide some really nice views as well as good stargazing opportunities at night.

There were usually some elk in/around the campground and our second morning we awoke to over three dozen cow/calves moving through our loop and up the ridge towards the highway, but we saw at least one every day near our site. The Colorado River flows just west of the campground and some times moose can be seen in the area.

I'll be anxious to camp here in a few years once the seedlings have grown some, but our next trip to RMNP I'll be planning ahead to make reservations for Moraine Park or Aspenglen.

First come first serve campground in Rocky Mountain National Park. Has ampitheater that had a movie playing the weekend we stayed. No showers. Sites have a picnic table and fire ring. Can't bring your own firewood but there is a hut with firewood available to buy.

This is one of two campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park that does not take reservations. It’s not open in winter. If you’re coming from Denver this is a very long drive (especially if you’re stopping to look around a bit) and you will most likely not get a walk-up spot in summer. There are more moose here than at the other campgrounds in the park. We’ve stayed in the C and D loops and both are amazing especially with bright yellow Aspen in the fall.

My hubby and I LOVE it here. You aren't too close to your neighbors and you are surrounded by the beautiful mountains. There's always a great chance to see wildlife too. We have stayed here on two separate occasions and want to come back every year. We have seen moose and elk just yards away from our tent. When the sun goes down you can see millions of stars. Everything about this site is perfect.