Camping Boulder, CO

Recent Reviews in Boulder

2414 Reviews of 345 Boulder Campgrounds

• 

  Paulina B.

  Ranger

  

  Dec. 20, 2024

  Robbers Roost Campground

  Secluded Mountain Camping

  Robbers Roost dispersed camping area near Fraser, Colorado, is an excellent spot for campers seeking a peaceful retreat close to nature. Located just outside Winter Park, this camping area offers easy access to the Rockies while still being relatively convenient to town for supplies or activities.

  The campsites are well spread out, providing plenty of privacy and space to enjoy the outdoors. The views are breathtaking, with towering pines and a mountain backdrop that’s hard to beat. It’s a great base for hiking, mountain biking, mushroom foraging or simply relaxing and soaking in the fresh air.

  Since it’s a dispersed site, there are no amenities like water or toilets, so campers need to come prepared with everything they need and pack out all trash. The dirt road leading to the camping area is manageable for most vehicles, though a higher-clearance option is recommended if conditions are wet or snowy.

  One of the highlights of Robbers Roost is the proximity to Winter Park and stream access. You can explore the local trails by day and head into town for dining or entertainment in the evening. At night, the stargazing is spectacular, thanks to the minimal light pollution in the area.

  If you’re comfortable with primitive camping and love the outdoors, Robbers Roost is a hidden gem worth discovering. Just be sure to practice leave-no-trace principles to help preserve the beauty of this spot. Finally beware of the busy nearby road, especially if you are traveling with off leash pets.

• 

  Paulina B.

  Ranger

  

  Dec. 20, 2024

  Kirby Gulch

  Worth the Rough Drive

  Kirby Gulch is a fantastic spot for anyone seeking a peaceful, off-the-grid camping experience near Grant, Colorado. Situated off Route 1038, this dispersed camping area offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains and easy access to outdoor activities like hiking and wildlife watching.

  The campsites are well-spaced, providing plenty of privacy, and the area is generally clean, thanks to considerate campers. Since it’s a dispersed site, there are no amenities like water or toilets, so make sure to come prepared. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended for accessing some of the sites, especially after rain or snow.

  What makes Kirby Gulch truly special is its tranquility. You can enjoy the sound of the wind through the trees, the crisp mountain air, and dazzling stargazing at night. It’s also a great starting point for exploring nearby trails or simply soaking in the serene environment.

  If you’re comfortable with primitive camping and leave-no-trace principles, Kirby Gulch is a hidden gem worth checking out.

• 

  Kay S.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 17, 2024

  Cherry Creek State Park Campground

  Easy Access GO EARLY IN AM

  If you want to get into the Park, suggest you go EARLY, EARLY, EARLY in the day. Traffic backs up all the way from the Entrance on Parker Rd to the Entrance Booth on weekends and holidays. Plan on an hour OR MORE to just get to the booth. Once the capacity for the Park is reached, you will not be allowed in.

  Nice Swim Beach with brand new Bldg. Many covered Picnic sites, but again, you MUST arrive at the break of day to secure one.

  Please plan to pack your trash out. Seems to be a severe shortage of dumpsters or trash cans and people leave behind huge bags of trash - or, sadly, just trash strewn around. Please respect our space!

  Campground is usually fully booked all season. Reservations can be made six months out. Two week limit.

  I live close to the Park and visit every month of the year.

• 

  Paulina B.

  Ranger

  

  Dec. 6, 2024

  Rainbow Trout Ranch and Campground

  Peaceful Riverside Retreat

  A hidden gem in the Colorado Rockies, Rainbow Trout Ranch offers a serene mountain retreat. With its riverside setting and towering trees, this campground is perfect for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. The sites are rustic but well-kept, and the peaceful environment is ideal for disconnecting from the hustle and bustle of Denver. Nearby hiking trails and wildlife add to the charm.

  AIM for a site along the creek. And beware of the rules. No wildfires nor swimming in the creek.

• N

  Naomi K.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 20, 2024

  Camp Chandler Dispersed

  Beautiful Place.

  Bumpy ride up, but we were able to do it in our car SLOWLY. Absolutely beautiful place. Lots of campsite options. I was under the impression fires were allowed, as there were fire pits, but signs everywhere stating no campfires. Columbine Lake is a pretty hefty hike from the trailhead, but so worth the view. Had the entire place to ourselves pretty much all Friday. Beautiful beautiful beautiful

• V

  Vanessa H.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 20, 2024

  Boulder County Fairgrounds

  Big rig friendly first come first serve

  Clean shower and rest room. Easy self check in.

• 

  Landon C.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 19, 2024

  Bailey Area Dispersed

  Difficult road to get to but beautiful views

  The road here has some gnarly washboards. I had to slow down to a crawl at points because it was thrashing my rig around so much. There is also one turn on the road where if you’re not careful, I could imagine getting stuck. However, the views are incredible and it was well worth the effort. Cell signal from Verizon is extremely good, I am getting 5G UWB and download speeds of 180mbps. There’s some cool hills to climb and many great views.

• 

  Chris P.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Timber Creek Campground — Rocky Mountain National Park

  Seasonal CG in The Rockies

  $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.

• U

  UT801

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Denver West-Central City KOA

  Nicest KOA we've been to

  And in fact I believe they were KOA of the year 2023 or 2024. More expensive than we're used to, but has nice amenities. Sites level with concrete pads, fairly large. Some space between with trees. Nice metal patio furniture provided at each site(chairs, table, fire pit). Has decent showers, hot tubs, and off leash dog park. Inexpensive pancake breakfast and pizza/wings to your site are available, also an onsite store. Kind of at the top of a rise, so good views but also kind of chilly for July (60s/40s). Massive thunderstorms with hail and heavy rain two evengings (CO mountains tend to get afternoon t-storms). Communicate via text to let you know about goings on. Good radio station out of Idaho Springs KYGT 102.7 and 103.9

• U

  UT801

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Chief Hosa Campground

  Good proximity to Evergreen CO/EZ I-70 on/off

  Stayed in spot RV24. Easy access right off freeway and convenient to TPB start. Some nice small trails in area for easy walking. Mostly pine trees. Orderly, camp hosts seem inclined to enforce rules. Quiet.No campfire pits so no burning allowed at all and most folks seem to knock off early. Showers are available for.25/2 min with a 4 min max. Appeared old, clean.

  For road cyclists: Good place to stay for Triple Bypass

  Food aside: Cooked Hatch green chile sausage and added to Sprouts Hatch mac and cheese and put into burritos. Ate leftovers for breakfast. Low FQ (fart quotient).

• 

  870VERLAND

  Guide

  

  Oct. 16, 2024

  Glacier Basin Campground — Rocky Mountain National Park

  Awesome!

  Great trip. Beautiful campground. Beautiful scenery

• 

  870VERLAND

  Guide

  

  Oct. 16, 2024

  Estes Park KOA

  Amazing

  Great trip. Beautiful campground. Beautiful scenery

• A

  A A Ron J.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 16, 2024

  Base Camp at Golden Gate Canyon

  Way too expensive

  I spent the night at Base Camp because the campgrounds North and South of Ned were full and it was dark and getting late. You have to be lucky with those ones to get one of the few good spots that are there. I have been to the convenience store at BC before and it was closer to Idaho Springs (I was going there the next day to meet a friend). $39 per night for a tent site is INSANE. I could have stealth camped and there was another spot I could’ve gone too but BC was close and I was tired. I guess that’s how they make their business. Begrudgingly it worked for what I needed.

• A

  A A Ron J.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 16, 2024

  Gordon Gulch Dispersed Area

  Trash+long term campers

  The place fills up on the weekend. I drove through most of the trail system and did not find a spot. Came back during the week and took a closer spot so as not to risk it. Trash is everywhere. Multiple poop spots are within 100ft of the fire pit with copious amounts of used tp lying around. Trees are slashed, cut, and the forest is not doing well. There are multiple long term campsites here so watch out for squatters. I stayed near the start and then a bit deeper, which prompted me to take photos. I forget the site numbers but honestly it’s not looking good in most places. At the very back are what look like a few nicer spots because they are hard to get to with a non off-road vehicle. It breaks my heart how this campground exists.

• A

  A A Ron J.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 16, 2024

  West Magnolia Campground

  ‘Long term’ campsites&trash

  Couldn’t find any spots over the weekend. Drove through the whole campground. There is an absurd amount of trash everywhere, especially at closer campsites. There are multiple ‘long term’ campsites by the looks of the trash, gear, and supplies left out. The forest is not in good shape either.

  Came back mid week and stayed at site #4 because it was close and I did not want to roll the dice on not securing a spot again.

  Keeping it brief: -I thought someone had been through my campsite when I was sleeping due to things moved -I might have met the squatter at the site. Couldn’t be sure, but determined there were red flags after talking to the guy and did not want to stick around to find out -so much trash it breaks my heart

  The county needs to do something about this campsite and the similar one North of Ned.

• 

  Ioan P.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 15, 2024

  Chatfield State Park Campground

  Super nice

  Very clean, very well maintained. Large spaces near the lake.

• 

  Lori L.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 13, 2024

  West Magnolia Campground

  Fall camping

  Great location with single tracks for hiking and mountain biking. Camping spots are well-marked. WiFi was decent. The sad part was the trash left behind from former encampments in some of the camping spots.

• 

  Andria R.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Dispersed Camp Near Dream Canyon

  Sketchy

  Two beat up, broken down cars at the entrance. Road is very rough, full of potholes from the start. Did not feel comfortable staying here.

• 

  Andria R.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Dream Canyon Campsites - Dispersed Camping

  4x4 and tents only

  Beautiful, but really need a compact 4x4 to get into and out of parking lot and there are tent sites only. We almost didn’t make it out with our 24 ft van (checked it out but didn’t stay overnight). Very crowded on a Saturday at 4:30pm.

• J

  Jason R.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Forsythe Canyon Trailhead Forest Service Road 357 Dispersed — Golden Gate Canyon

  Not free, golden gate canyon SP

  Idk who did this but luckily there is service but anything nearby is outta the way. Says need permit online access filled it all out $10 plus camping. Dispersed without wheels requires a $4 fee too

• 

  Courtney D.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  Bruno Gulch Dispersed

  Loved it!

  Not super busy! Lots of open spaces when we arrived around 6pm.

• 

  Osborn T.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 10, 2024

  A-Lodge Boulder - Car Camping

  Mazda car stickers

  Want to decorate your car? You can buy mazda car stickers on various online platforms specializing in car accessories. However, I would recommend the site supdec.com. This store offers a wide range of quality stickers for Mazda, which are durable, weather-resistant and easy to install. You will be able to choose designs that will highlight the style of your car. The site also often offers various promotions and fast delivery, which makes the purchase even more convenient.

• M

  Marcus K.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 10, 2024

  Arapaho National Forest Stillwater Campground

  Big campground with great lake view

  I arrived after 6pm and the office was closed. However, self service was available. Though the only option was to pay by cash since the office was closed. Water Dump was not available and some toilets were closed. It has a great view of the lake from some spots, however, you can hear the road during night. Cell phone reception is poor but available.

• R

  Rebecca L.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 8, 2024

  Redskin Creek Rd Dispersed Campsite

  Site #6 of 33

  Finally, a nice campsite on a road that isn't horrible. There are 30+ designated, numbered, dispersed campsites on this road. Each of them have a parking area right along the road with a fire ring a short distance away surrounded by awesome rock outcroppings. The parking areas tend to be very unlevel and there are only a few that you can pull right up to your campsite. #6 had a level spot large enough for my van and the camping area just a few steps away. These are great campsites and the area is really awesome. After so many horrible roads and places closed, it was a blessing to find this spot. The road is a bit of a washboard, but that is nothing compared to most of the forest roads in Colorado. Highly recommended! Cell service with At&t in site 6 is decent. Calling is 2 bars. at least half of the sites are big rig friendly. All of the sites are 100% free.

• G

  Grace S.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 8, 2024

  Stillwater Pass

  Easy Spot, Trash Left Behind

  This spot was really easy to get to and had at least one bar of service for Verizon and T Mobile. The spot was nice and secluded, but there was some trash left behind from previous campers:(

• 

  Alex B.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 7, 2024

  Stillwater Pass over Lake Granby Dispersed Campsite

  Beautiful over look of Lake Granby

  A little off the beaten path and may need 4wd to get down and out from campsite. Overlooks the beautifulu valley and is amazing to Lake Granby on three horizon. A little windy up there and trees are burnt up but the view is worth it. Very secluded at this spot. Did see 4 or 5 other cars/campers at other spots but very spread out.

• 

  Savannah B.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 7, 2024

  Fall River Reservoir Dispersed Camping Trail

  Perfect for a quick overnight trip

  My husband bought a new tent so we just wanted to find something kinda close to Denver but still beautiful for just a quick overnight trip. Our goal was Chinns lake but stupid Apple Maps took us here instead. It was still beautiful and there were a handful of spots still open for us. I wouldn’t recommend for a big group unless you get there early and claim the whole top but we really enjoyed it! The lake was low but still beautiful.