Looking for the best campgrounds near Bailey, CO? Bailey is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Colorado camping adventure.
Located just south of Littleton, about 45 minutes south of Denver, Chatfield State Park is a 5,800-acre nature preserve and recreation area situated around the Chatfield Reservoir. Before the 1960s, there was no reservoir, and the South Platte River flowed freely through the wide valley. But after several disastrous flooding incidents, the Chatfield Dam was constructed on the river to prevent further damage to local homes and farms. The land around the new reservoir was developed into a recreation area, and the state park was opened to the public in 1975. The dam and park are named for Isaac W. Chatfield, who served as a Lieutenant of the Union in the Civil War. After the war, he migrated west and farmed this land along the Platte until the late 1800s. With its proximity to the wider Denver metro area and suburbs, Chatfield State Park is the place to go to get outdoors and beat the summer heat. Campers at Chatfield State Park have access to nearly 200 tent and RV campsites in four loops. The majority of sites are equipped with full hookups, with the rest having electrical hookups. Parking pads are both back-in and pull-through, and can accommodate vehicles/trailers up to 45 feet. Some sites are ADA accessible. All campsites have picnic tables, cooking grills and tent pads, and have access to drinking water, flush toilets, hot showers, and laundry facilities; a dump station is located near the campground entrance. There is also a group camp area with 10 sites that can accommodate up to 36 people each. Most sites are open and grassy, with minimal shade; all are within a short walking distance to the reservoir. Park residents include deer, elk, foxes, prairie dogs, songbirds, eagles, owls, snakes and salamanders. For water fun, there’s swimming, paddling, water-skiing, and fishing on the reservoir. Boaters have access to two launch ramps, and anglers can fish on the lake or from the fishing piers for walleye, rainbow trout, bass, perch and sunfish. During the winter season, trails are open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and ice fishing is a popular pastime.
$36 - $41 / night
We provide year-round access for camping and day use. Whether you’re interested in an overnight stay or just plan to visit during the day, we offer a wide variety of activities: from camping to fishing, swimming and canoeing, mountain biking, hiking, and more. In winter, activities also include ice fishing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Wellington Lake, one of our greatest attractions, is a privately-owned natural wilderness area. The 167-acre lake is managed as a trophy fishery with an emphasis on conservation. Just a short drive’s distance from Denver and Colorado Springs, we welcome all visitors looking for a relaxing mountain getaway in the great outdoors.
*Jefferson County is in a Stage 1 FIRE BAN.
**Due to extreme fire danger a Red Flag warning has been issued and NO CAMPFIRES are allowed in the park at this time.
$40 / night
The Indian Paintbrush Campground is located within the county-run Bear Creek Lake recreation area outside Denver, CO. In close proximity to the city of Denver and popular tourist destinations like Red Rocks amphitheater, the Bear Creek Lake Park camping blends urban and rural qualities to make one of the finest camping destinations around Denver. The campground has 47 campsites, 3 cabins, 2 yurts and 1 group site.
$35 - $65 / night
Golden Gate Canyon State Park offers multiple campgrounds, cabins, yurts, RV sites, group sites, and a guest house.
From Memorial Day to early October, there are 132 campsites in two campgrounds: Reverend’s Ridge and Aspen Meadow.
Reverend’s Ridge offers 38 tent sites and 59 sites with electrical hook-ups. Facilities at Reverend’s Ridge include flush toilets, shower, ice machine, laundry facilities, and a dump station.
Aspen Meadow offers 35 tent sites and vault toilets.
As of January 1, 2019 both campgrounds will be Reservation Only.
Golden Gate also offers 20 backcountry tent sites and four backcountry shelters. Our backcountry sites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis year-round. Please register for backcountry sites at the Visitor Center.
$18 - $90 / night
The Buffalo Creek Recreation Area contains over 50 miles of multi-use, non-motorized trails that tie into the Colorado Trail in several places. There are numerous options available for riding or hiking. Some of the old logging roads provide two-track while connecting trails offer single track. It takes about an 1.5 hours to drive to this area from Denver. Please know and respect local area restrictions including; parking and camping in designated sites only. Developed camping is available at nearby Forest Service campgrounds including Buffalo, Green Mountain, Kelsey, and Meadows Group Campground.
At an elevation of 9,000 feet, Prospector Campground is in the heart of Summit County in the White River National Forest. The sites offer open views to Dillon Reservoir and several mountain ranges, an ideal setting for guests seeking recreation and relaxation. Due to the pine beetle infestation and removal of hazard trees, there is little or no shade in the campground.
Dillon Reservoir, often referred to as Lake Dillon, is the greatest draw to this campground. At 3,233 acres and 26.8 miles of shoreline, Dillon Reservoir is an ideal spot for fishing, boating, and sailing. The reservoir supports a healthy population of rainbow trout and brown trout. Occasionally, a few cutthroat trout make their way into the lake from feeder streams. Opportunities for hiking and biking include more than 7 paved miles of the 50-mile Summit County trail system. From the reservoir, the Old Dillon Reservoir trail is a favorite. This short, easy trail has spectacular views of the Tenmile Range and the Continental Divide. The Old Dillon Reservoir was built in the 1930s to supply water to the original town of Dillon, which is now covered by the new Dillon Reservoir. For those wanting a bit more solitude, hiking in the Ptarmigan Wilderness area is a wonderful escape from the crowds.
Prospector Campground has 105 sites, able to accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs. Roads and spurs are not paved. The campground is equipped with picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets, and drinking water. No electrical hook-ups are available. Firewood is for sale from hosts at the campground. Boat ramp access is available in the marinas located in the nearby towns of Frisco and Dillon.
In the heart of the Rocky Mountains, the 2.3 million acre White River National Forest is a place of serenity and adventure, boasting 8 wilderness areas, 4 defined seasons, and 10 peaks surpassing 14,000 feet in elevation. Wildlife in the area abounds. Bighorn sheep navigate rocky ridges and bull elk bugle at dusk. Scenic rivers sustain populations of cutthroat, rainbow, and brown trout. Alpine regions provide habitat for pika and ptarmigan. These species, along with many others, depend on surrounding undeveloped wilderness, clean streams, and diverse forests to live.
For facility specific information, please call (801) 226-3564.
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Copper Mountain ski resorts are all located within 10 miles from Dillon Reservoir. These resorts stay open year round.
Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.
$26 - $28 / night
Situated between the mountains of Summit County and the bustling excitement of Denver. 141 full-service and premium sites available year round are level and paved. Pull-through and back-in sites are both available.
Mueller's campground has 136 campsites each with a picnic table and fire ring. There are 99 electric sites, many with tent pads and 22 basic walk-in sites in Prospector Ridge (sites 55-66) and Turkey Meadow (sites 100-109) Campgrounds. Sites 12 and 22 are handicapped designated sites. You must have a handicapped placard or license plate.
Campground Amenities The Comfort Station is open year-round. The Camper Services Building is open only in summer (Mid May - Mid October) Both buildings contain flush toilets. On-site accommodations include firewood for sale, a camper services building with coin-operated showers/laundry and modern restrooms, vault toilets, dump station and a playground.
Mueller offers three group campground opportunities nestled in the aspen and conifer forest, conveniently located near the Camper Services Building.
Winter Camping: Mid October - Mid May Mueller has 29 electrical sites available within the Peak View Campground and the Revenuers Ridge Campground (Sites 1 –9, 11-13, 15-22 and 81 – 89) during the winter. The Comfort Station, containing flush toilets, will remain open. Vault toilets will be open at Outlook Ridge, Peak View Campground and across from site #87. Water is available at the outside spigot at the Comfort Station; all other hydrants are closed, so we suggest bringing your own water. The dump station is dry dump only, which means you will not have water to rinse out your equipment.
$18.00 per night Mueller State Park has 4 backcountry campsites located in 2 separate groups. Both backcountry campsite groups require an approximate 1.5 mile hike from the Black Bear Trailhead to the sites. Sites are available to reserve from May 1 through October 31st.
$18 - $396 / night
Guanella Pass Campground is located about 7 miles south of Georgetown on the South Fork of Clear Creek on the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway. Located at an elevation of 10,900 feet on the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest, visitors to the campground can also enjoy hiking and fishing in the area. The Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway follows an old wagon route that linked the mining towns of Georgetown and Grant, Colorado.
Visitors can go trout fishing on the South Fork of Clear Creek. Silver Dollar Lake is nearby, but cannot be reached by car. Instead, the Silver Dollar Lake Trail leads hikers above treeline to the scenic lake.
The campground is split into two loops by the county road and South Clear Creek. There are 18 sites in the campground. Eleven are suitable for RV camping and seven are more suitable for tents. Large RVs are not recommended on the byway. Most of the sites are in the open with some tent sites located among some spruce trees. Each site has a tent pad, picnic table, fire ring and charcoal grill. The roads through the campground are gravel. This facility provides hand pumps with potable water, vault toilets and trash dumpsters.
The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland sit along the foothills and Rockies of 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 includes 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.
Visitors enjoy touring historic Georgetown, a former mining town of about 1,000 residents. Additional ghost towns dot the region.
For facility specific information, please call (530) 529-0578.
$23 / night
Located just south of Littleton, about 45 minutes south of Denver, Chatfield State Park is a 5,800-acre nature preserve and recreation area situated around the Chatfield Reservoir. Before the 1960s, there was no reservoir, and the South Platte River flowed freely through the wide valley. But after several disastrous flooding incidents, the Chatfield Dam was constructed on the river to prevent further damage to local homes and farms. The land around the new reservoir was developed into a recreation area, and the state park was opened to the public in 1975. The dam and park are named for Isaac W. Chatfield, who served as a Lieutenant of the Union in the Civil War. After the war, he migrated west and farmed this land along the Platte until the late 1800s. With its proximity to the wider Denver metro area and suburbs, Chatfield State Park is the place to go to get outdoors and beat the summer heat. Campers at Chatfield State Park have access to nearly 200 tent and RV campsites in four loops. The majority of sites are equipped with full hookups, with the rest having electrical hookups. Parking pads are both back-in and pull-through, and can accommodate vehicles/trailers up to 45 feet. Some sites are ADA accessible. All campsites have picnic tables, cooking grills and tent pads, and have access to drinking water, flush toilets, hot showers, and laundry facilities; a dump station is located near the campground entrance. There is also a group camp area with 10 sites that can accommodate up to 36 people each. Most sites are open and grassy, with minimal shade; all are within a short walking distance to the reservoir. Park residents include deer, elk, foxes, prairie dogs, songbirds, eagles, owls, snakes and salamanders. For water fun, there’s swimming, paddling, water-skiing, and fishing on the reservoir. Boaters have access to two launch ramps, and anglers can fish on the lake or from the fishing piers for walleye, rainbow trout, bass, perch and sunfish. During the winter season, trails are open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and ice fishing is a popular pastime.
$36 - $41 / night
We provide year-round access for camping and day use. Whether you’re interested in an overnight stay or just plan to visit during the day, we offer a wide variety of activities: from camping to fishing, swimming and canoeing, mountain biking, hiking, and more. In winter, activities also include ice fishing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Wellington Lake, one of our greatest attractions, is a privately-owned natural wilderness area. The 167-acre lake is managed as a trophy fishery with an emphasis on conservation. Just a short drive’s distance from Denver and Colorado Springs, we welcome all visitors looking for a relaxing mountain getaway in the great outdoors.
*Jefferson County is in a Stage 1 FIRE BAN.
**Due to extreme fire danger a Red Flag warning has been issued and NO CAMPFIRES are allowed in the park at this time.
$40 / night
The Indian Paintbrush Campground is located within the county-run Bear Creek Lake recreation area outside Denver, CO. In close proximity to the city of Denver and popular tourist destinations like Red Rocks amphitheater, the Bear Creek Lake Park camping blends urban and rural qualities to make one of the finest camping destinations around Denver. The campground has 47 campsites, 3 cabins, 2 yurts and 1 group site.
$35 - $65 / night
Golden Gate Canyon State Park offers multiple campgrounds, cabins, yurts, RV sites, group sites, and a guest house.
From Memorial Day to early October, there are 132 campsites in two campgrounds: Reverend’s Ridge and Aspen Meadow.
Reverend’s Ridge offers 38 tent sites and 59 sites with electrical hook-ups. Facilities at Reverend’s Ridge include flush toilets, shower, ice machine, laundry facilities, and a dump station.
Aspen Meadow offers 35 tent sites and vault toilets.
As of January 1, 2019 both campgrounds will be Reservation Only.
Golden Gate also offers 20 backcountry tent sites and four backcountry shelters. Our backcountry sites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis year-round. Please register for backcountry sites at the Visitor Center.
$18 - $90 / night
The Buffalo Creek Recreation Area contains over 50 miles of multi-use, non-motorized trails that tie into the Colorado Trail in several places. There are numerous options available for riding or hiking. Some of the old logging roads provide two-track while connecting trails offer single track. It takes about an 1.5 hours to drive to this area from Denver. Please know and respect local area restrictions including; parking and camping in designated sites only. Developed camping is available at nearby Forest Service campgrounds including Buffalo, Green Mountain, Kelsey, and Meadows Group Campground.
At an elevation of 9,000 feet, Prospector Campground is in the heart of Summit County in the White River National Forest. The sites offer open views to Dillon Reservoir and several mountain ranges, an ideal setting for guests seeking recreation and relaxation. Due to the pine beetle infestation and removal of hazard trees, there is little or no shade in the campground.
Dillon Reservoir, often referred to as Lake Dillon, is the greatest draw to this campground. At 3,233 acres and 26.8 miles of shoreline, Dillon Reservoir is an ideal spot for fishing, boating, and sailing. The reservoir supports a healthy population of rainbow trout and brown trout. Occasionally, a few cutthroat trout make their way into the lake from feeder streams. Opportunities for hiking and biking include more than 7 paved miles of the 50-mile Summit County trail system. From the reservoir, the Old Dillon Reservoir trail is a favorite. This short, easy trail has spectacular views of the Tenmile Range and the Continental Divide. The Old Dillon Reservoir was built in the 1930s to supply water to the original town of Dillon, which is now covered by the new Dillon Reservoir. For those wanting a bit more solitude, hiking in the Ptarmigan Wilderness area is a wonderful escape from the crowds.
Prospector Campground has 105 sites, able to accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs. Roads and spurs are not paved. The campground is equipped with picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets, and drinking water. No electrical hook-ups are available. Firewood is for sale from hosts at the campground. Boat ramp access is available in the marinas located in the nearby towns of Frisco and Dillon.
In the heart of the Rocky Mountains, the 2.3 million acre White River National Forest is a place of serenity and adventure, boasting 8 wilderness areas, 4 defined seasons, and 10 peaks surpassing 14,000 feet in elevation. Wildlife in the area abounds. Bighorn sheep navigate rocky ridges and bull elk bugle at dusk. Scenic rivers sustain populations of cutthroat, rainbow, and brown trout. Alpine regions provide habitat for pika and ptarmigan. These species, along with many others, depend on surrounding undeveloped wilderness, clean streams, and diverse forests to live.
For facility specific information, please call (801) 226-3564.
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Copper Mountain ski resorts are all located within 10 miles from Dillon Reservoir. These resorts stay open year round.
Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.
$26 - $28 / night
