## Overview

 Echo Lake Campground is located on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in central Colorado near its namesake lake at the base of Mount Evans along Hwy 103. Visitors enjoy hiking, fishing and taking scenic drives along Mount Evans Road.
## Recreation

 Activities in the area include hiking in the Mount Evans Wilderness, fishing, scenic driving and wildlife viewing. Several trails leave directly from the campground.
## Facilities

 The campground offers 11 sites more suited to RV camping and seven sites designated for tent camping only. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Also, there are vault toilets, hand pumps with potable water and trash service.
## Natural Features

 Echo Lake sits in a spruce forest near the shores of Echo Lake. The campground\'s 10,600\' elevation creates cool to chilly nights, even in summer, and its location on a mountain pass makes for windy conditions year-round. The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland on the foothills and slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The forests and grassland cover 1.5 million acres and extend north to the Wyoming border, south to Mount Evans and west across the Continental Divide. The area encompasses mountains, lakes and five scenic byways, designated by Congress for their scenery, wildlife or history, including the highest road in North America. Mount Evans Road, also known as Colorado Highway 5, allows visitors to drive from 10,500\' to 14,130\' above sea level in just 14 miles. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Nearby Idaho Springs, a former mining town, makes for a nice outing. History buffs will appreciate the Argo Gold Mine and Mill Museum. The City and County of Denver Mountain Park, Echo Lake and Echo Lake Lodge are located adjacent to the campground. 
## contact\_info

 For facility specific information, please call (530) 529-0578.

Echo Lake Campground

Echo Lake campground is situated off Squaw Pass Rd next to Echo Lake and the start of Mt Evans Rd. The campground has all the facilities: fire ring, picnic table, tent pads, toilets, water, firewood... there's even a lodge right next to it. This is a good campground if you're not trying to rough it. If you're looking for some peace and solitude though, I would not recommend. Being at the base of Mt Evans Rd means a lot of cars driving by and people walking around the lake. For good reason though, because the lake is beautiful and driving to the summit of Mt Evans is a must do. Overall this campsite is at a prime location because the surrounding scenery is great and there are many hikes to do nearby. There's multiple hikes to chose from of different difficulty. Ranging from nature walk status - the Echo Lake Trail, a flat 1 mile walk around Echo Lake - to quick but tough hikes like Chief Mountain Trail, a 3 mile uphill hike to the top of Chief Mountain - to rewarding day hikes like the Chicago Lakes trail, a 9 mile strenuous hike to the Chicago Lakes. Mt Evans Rd also offers great views; it is the highest paved road in North America and from the top at 14,264 ft you can see for miles. There is a per vehicle fee to drive on Mt Evans Rd.

Echo Lake

why pay to stay at echo lake when you can go up 103 and find great dispersed spots? I frequently camp here due to views, fire pits and close proximity to Denver.

free dispersed camping nearby

Good amount of space between spots, lots of lovely tree cover and near a great hike. 

There is a lodge close by in case you want a hot meal at some point as well.

Pit toilets were exactly as you’d expect. 

I came in from out of state and got pretty altitude effected so we had to cut the trip short, but it was lovely nonetheless.

Aside from the one at the picnic table,  photos are from the hike and not the campground.

Lovely forest area near a lake and hiking areas

I stayed here in a tent for 3 days. It was a blast and a great experience! The campground is right next to the gate to drive up to the top of Mount Evans. You have Echo Lake Lodge right there with a great gift shop, a bar that also serves food! There is Resthouse Trail #57 that is a nice little hike to one hell of a view! This is now going to be a yearly trip for me! 

Awesome little campground with a great location

We arrived on a Sunday morning without a reservation and were lucky to snag a first-come first-served site. Our site was very spacious and private, which is exactly what we were after. The site offers both shaded and unshaded areas. The camp host has firewood for sale just in case you run out. The campground is less than a 10 minute walk to Echo Lodge and Lake. 

Perfect Experience

Just completed 2 nights at Echo Lake. Decent overall campground with quick access from Denver area.  Water pump is not functioning as of 6/24, so bring your own water. Busy area with tourists and traffic to Mt Evans. Road noise settles down after dark. Ok privacy. We were on site 6 with two tents. Tent pad only big enough for one tent. We had a 3 person tent on the pad. Site 6 also has a bench next to fire pit. Fires were allowed as of 6/24. Lots of hiking trails connected to the campground. Being near echo lake lodge gives you an option for a hot meal or goods you may have need.

One thing to note, there were a lot of no shows on reserved sites. You might get lucky in getting a site by showing up and asking for the one where someone hasn’t checked in. We saw a lot of empty sites that were supposed to be reserved. Could be weather chased em off, but might be worth a shot by looking at reservation cards at an empty site.

Nice spot not too far from Denver

Lovely campground, very well maintained with great trails all around. No mosquitoes (early September).