1 campground with availability next weekend
The Dyrt has some of the top tent camping spots for the Calhan, Colorado area. Tent campers can choose between established campgrounds like Lone Duck Campground in Cascade, which offers dedicated tent sites with grassy areas, or dispersed camping options in Pike National Forest. Rampart Range Area Dispersed Campsite provides more primitive tent camping approximately 20 miles west of Calhan, while Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2 offers tent-only sites with established fire rings. The Turkey Roost Group Camp at Cheyenne Mountain State Park provides tent pads for larger groups about 30 miles south.
Sites may be set on dirt, gravel, or forest duff with minimal grading. Most dispersed tent camping areas in Pike National Forest require campers to bring their own water and supplies, as these locations lack facilities. Lone Duck Campground provides more amenities for tent campers, including drinking water, showers, and toilets. Dispersed camping in the national forest typically follows a 14-day stay limit. Fire restrictions are common during summer months, particularly in the Pike National Forest dispersed camping areas. Walk-in tent locations are available at several sites, though most tent camping areas near Calhan can be accessed by vehicle, with some forest roads requiring higher clearance.
Areas farther from town offer deeper seclusion and less noise for tent campers. The dispersed camping in Pike National Forest Divide provides tent campers with mountain views and relative solitude. A camper wrote, "This dispersed camp site has numerous spots with rock fire pits. Each spot is far away from another, especially if you drive further down." Tent sites at Lone Duck Campground feature shade trees and some sites border a small stream, though highway noise can be noticeable. Tent campers at Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2 have reported wildlife sightings, including foxes. The Turkey Roost Group Camp offers "beautiful tent pads and facilities with space to wash dishes and store goods from wildlife," according to a visitor.
"Our site had grass, shade, a picnic table, and a fire ring - everything you need for a basic campsite."
"Lone Duck Campground was a good home base for us during our visit to Colorado Springs. The campground is several miles down from Woodland Park and about the same down to Manitou and the Springs."
Available next weekend
from $40 - $87 / night
"Some have pre existing fire rings. Would definitely come back."
"Most spots are taken by the weekends but if you’re fine with a more sloped spot, there can be some open ones for late arrivals."
"I recommend not attempting road with 2WD… seems quite rough in spaces. Having the extra support made me feel better. A bit of an incline but I found plenty of space to set up my tent!"
"Found a great little campsite and had a fox as a neighbor! Only downfall was there was broken glass everywhere 😔"
"There are a lot of dirt bikes and atvs driving during the day however I didn’t find it overly disruptive."
"Restrooms at base of road. Found our spot 2.5 miles up the road, definitely needed AWD."
"Wonderful tent pads and facilities with space to wash dishes and store goods from wildlife."
from $144 / night
"Has fire rings and picnic tables. Closed for good, apparently because of bears, but far down the road so it’s very unlikely you’ll be bothered"
"Camp site has everything you need without the hassle of pitching your tent and packing it up."
from $99 - $150 / night
"It is very small and easy to miss if you're going by on the highway."
ScoutGreat spot for relaxing weekend getaway for our family. Plenty of room for the kids to explore and they even had a blow up bouncy house for them during the day. Hot tub under the stars at evening time. Very clean bathrooms!
ScoutI want to start on a positive because that is the type of person I am, and because this review is going to have a lot of negative. This park is a great location for sightseeing, especially if you are going to Pikes Peak by way of the Cog or shopping in Manitou. My GM and I worked hard to make the park as great as we could with the very little funding that we got. As seen in the reviews we had excellent customer service and had high standards for keeping the park clean. I was very good at my job and I loved doing the work until the new owners took over. When the park was sold, we had high hopes that the new owners would be good people and want to put real work into the park. We were very disappointed that they turned out to be money grubbing horrible people. Ken, one of the owners, treats people and his business very Trump like. He and his wife must state that they are religious more than a few times when having a conversation; I personally think this is to make themselves look good to cover the toxicity that truly lies under the surface. When they meet people, they put on a façade and lie and say whatever they think people want to hear to get what they want; proven to me by the broken verbal promises they made to me. They are not community driven; they are money driven; you can make money and still be good people, but they chose not to be. They practice wage theft just like big corporations by over working employees and under paying them; in their words“you must wear all hats”. They are the type of people that use others until they don’t need them then throw them away like garbage. I was bullied into quitting on a phone call where Ken was very disrespectful and unprofessional with me. The phone call was me trying to explain that I could no longer do the FB post due to our deferent ethical viewpoints, and he would not let me talk by saying“you are not doing your job, are you going to quit” repeatedly. I found out that I was not allowed to post about Manitou Pride parade because he said,“it is not family friendly, and the company and I do not promote the LGBTQ+ community”. I am a proud member of that community and so I should not be the one to post on FB for the company. The groundman quit a day later because of disrespect and broken verbal promises. Then a few days later my boyfriend was fired and then Sheryl the GM was fired.(I believe they were fired for retaliation) Ken only wants employees that are easy to exploit or controlled, because he is incapable of managing people without fear and bullying. He boasted that he is called the grim reaper in business, but I don’t think that is the flex he thinks it is. But yes, he was the destruction of the community we put so much work into. I also want to voice my disappointment in Dana, who Sheryl worked hard getting to be allowed to come back as an employee. Dana did great work her first summer with us, so it was a shock to see her true colors show when she started to brown nose Ken. She spread multiple rumors, I feel the worst one was about Melinda’s daughter and the things she wrote about in her diary. I also did not like how she used David, the guy that does the golfcart tours in Manitou, was nice to his face then talked so badly about him when he was not around. I truly think Jesue and her father would be ashamed of her for how she acted to get her new position.
TravelerThe park has recently been renovated. It is very small and easy to miss if you're going by on the highway. If you pass it and don't go around the block use the alleyway behind the park the streets behind the park have very large tips in them we bottomed out in our class A. The parking area is small but level. Probably room for two large drinks and five or six small. It is right off the highway so there is Highway noise but stops during the night. There are train tracks on the other side of the highway we only heard one train come through. I would stop here again.
GuideOur Campsite was nice, very clean and well kept. It did seems like the sites were a bit to close together and every spot filled. Pads were level, area around the picnic table spacious. Pit toilets were clean. The dump station was very nice and easy to use. We were driving down through Colorado to view the Fall Aspen leaves. I wish we would have stayed longer at this campsite. We stayed at the Conifer Ridge loop site 46 ...
LegendThis middle section of the road has mixed spots some are wooded some are wide open it really just depends on whats available. People pour in around dusk so get there early and get a good spot with a mountain view and maybe you will see a moose like i did. Road is good cell is 1-2 bars in this secrion
LegendThis middle section of the road gas some of the best views of pikes peak. Just cruise along the road there are a couple prime.spots you could get a trailer in and then several car sized spots for vans and smaller rigs. Road is 2wd safe but cell is a little spotty
LegendGreat view of pikes peak. Located between woodland park and colorado springs this place is a good launch pad for mountain adventure. Its on a hillside directly facing the mountain, directly off the highway. The good thing about that is hwy 24 chills out alot at night so there wont be a ton of road noise. The downside is it can get busy in the morning and afternoon so pulling out directly onto the highway with a big rig could be a challenge
LegendSmall place right off hwy 24 at the base of the mountains. Coffee place across the street and an auto parts store out front, not a bad combination for an RV park. Ita pretty much just a gravel lot but there are some trees. Not a bad stop but not a destination
LegendClean place right in town but has a woodsy feel to it has decent amenities and feels really safe. Its close to town whixh is great if you need any supplies or just need to get something hot to eat. Great apot in Woodland park decent 5g cell signal
Tent camping around Calhan, Colorado offers access to the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains at elevations ranging from 6,500 to 9,000 feet. The area experiences typical mountain weather patterns with afternoon thunderstorms common in summer months and nighttime temperatures that can drop below 50°F even in July. Most campgrounds in this region sit within Pike National Forest, where ponderosa pine and aspen groves provide natural shelter at primitive campsites.
Fishing at Rampart Reservoir: Located about 20 miles west of Calhan, this area offers catch-and-release fishing opportunities in a mountain setting. Camper Liliána S. noted, "Quite a few people on a weekday night, but not bothering. Very good network coverage (T-mobile). Aprox. 1 mile of the road was bad, other quite good."
Off-road trails for OHVs: Dispersed Camping - Pike National Forest Divide has multiple trails for off-road enthusiasts. According to Linnell B., "Wanted to stay for two nights but only did two days, because a mountain lion tore a deer to shreds about a day or two prior to my arrival by my campsite and i was spooked. Had two dogs but had an eerie feeling and left early but it was gorgeous. Loads of OHVs tho."
Wildlife watching: Many tent campsites near Calhan, Colorado provide opportunities to spot local wildlife. At Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2, camper Amanda D. reported, "Found a great little campsite and had a fox as a neighbor! Only downfall was there was broken glass everywhere."
Tent platforms at group sites: Turkey Roost Group Camp at Cheyenne Mountain State Park offers dedicated tent platforms with amenities. According to 'Chelle S., "Wonderful tent pads and facilities with space to wash dishes and store goods from wildlife."
Privacy between campsites: Many campers appreciate the spacing between sites at dispersed camping areas. Brianna K. shared about Pike National Forest Divide: "This dispersed camp site has numerous spots with rock fire pits. Each spot is far away from another, especially if you drive further down. We didn't hear anyone late into the night due to the distance."
Level camping areas: Finding flat spots for tents can be crucial. Alyson M. noted about Mt. Herman Road, "Endless sites on this road. If you feel like spending some time searching you are bound to find the perfect site. Only saw one site taken on a cold Thursday morning in May, not sure what it's like in warmer months. Big and small spots!!"
Road conditions vary significantly: Many tent camping locations near Calhan require driving on forest roads. At Rampart Range Area Dispersed Campsite, Bernie D. shared, "There aren't many sites and everyone was taken except the turn around at the end of the road. Wasn't sure if you were able to camp here but there is a fire pit so setup camp for the night."
Navigation challenges: Finding some dispersed sites can be tricky. Wild Berries B. advised, "We were going from direction Divide town using provided coordinates. All went fine until we ended up in a dead end road with private residence... make sure you follow the 'Rampard Range Road Reservoir' to get there and it looked using Apple Maps for this part was better than Google."
Weather changes quickly: The mountain elevation means rapid weather shifts. Chris P. noted, "There are amazing views of Pikes Peak from up here. Other than the ohv noise, there is also a lot of target shooting in the area so you will hear gunfire."
Consider private campgrounds for amenities: Lone Duck Campground and Cabins offers family-friendly facilities. Tessa S. mentioned, "The staff was super friendly and helpful! The facilities were always very clean. They had breakfast for you in the morning if you wanted for $5. We woke up one morning at our tent site with deer walking and eating down the creek right next to us."
Plan for wildlife encounters: Children often enjoy wildlife sightings, but preparation is important. Cam P. shared about Pike National Forest Divide, "Lots of camping spots and fairly easy access. The road gets rougher the further you go in but no problem for a 4x4. Even a small car could get to some nice sites."
Look for tent-specific areas: Some campgrounds offer areas designed specifically for tent camping. Chester R. noted about Lone Duck Campground, "We have stayed here twice once in campsite 46 very nice 47 even nicer two best lots here for us cuz we like being the by the water. The rush go by all night let's just sleep so good."
Know the fire pit situation: Dutch Fred Trailhead #679 and other dispersed sites may have different fire regulations. Tim S. noted about Mt. Herman Road, "The road up is rough but totally doable with pickup truck with slide in camper. This campsite was nice and level."
Check ground conditions: Soft ground can be problematic for vehicles. Lily R. commented about Pike National Forest Divide, "Tons of level, large spots. Road is meant for ATV use, and was a fair amount of traffic throughout the day but tolerable. Hardly any at night. Restrooms at base of road. Found our spot 2.5 miles up the road, definitely needed AWD."
Watch out for OHV traffic: Some tent campsites near Calhan have regular off-highway vehicle traffic. Jon G. warned about Rainbow Falls, "Its an OHV and dirtbike area and nobody has any common courtesy. They will ride loops around your camper. Right off the road with non stop traffic."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Calhan, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Calhan, CO is Lone Duck Campground and Cabins with a 4.2-star rating from 36 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Calhan, CO?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Calhan, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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