Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Cañon City? Finding a place to camp in Colorado with your tent has never been easier. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Colorado tent camping excursion.
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
We have everything you need to have a great time in the Colorado Rockies. Tent sites, RV sites, and Camper Cabins! Relax in your shady site or take a dip in our heated outdoor pool. We also have a fishing pond, stocked with rainbow trout, a retro arcade, 24/7 lounge serving locally roasted coffee each morning, playground, and laundromat.
We’re outside the city lights at the base of Pikes Peak- 7600 feet elevation – yet our proximity to all the area’s many attractions makes us an ideal location for families looking for a summer adventure or folks just passing through for a couple of days. We strive to make every stay special. You will love it here at “the Duck”!
$40 - $87 / night
Located adjacent to the Temple Canyon trail that takes you to delightful Grape Creek and beyond The Temple. Operated by the City of Cañon City. Vault toilets, fire rings, some picnic tables, no water. Four different campsites spread apart to allow you to enjoy the solitude of this area located 8 miles southwest of Cañon City. Open year-round. (Free)
Davenport Campground was one of the first Forest Service campgrounds, and is near the now-abandoned Squirrel Creek Campground, the very first Forest Service campground in the country. In 2010, Davenport was rebuilt to evoke the original 1920s design. Adirondack shelters and a common cooking shelter with stone fireplaces were built and old-style log picnic tables add to the historic character of this campground. The campground offers access to an array of hiking, mountain biking, motorcycle and off-road vehicle trails.
The 4.5-mile Squirrel Creek Trail is open to hiking, biking, horseback riding and motorcycle riding. This trail meets the original Squirrel Creek Campground site where a major flood, in 1947, washed out the never-reopened road and campground. Silver Circle, Second Mace, and South Creek Trails can be accessed nearby, too. Anglers enjoy casting for brook trout in Squirrel Creek.
The campground sits in a grassy meadow surrounded by aspen and spruce trees at an elevation of 8,500 feet. Squirrel Creek runs alongside this scenic facility in the Wet Mountains of southern Colorado.
Bishop's Castle, a replica of a medieval castle, is about 2 miles from the campground, just off Highway 165. The always-in-progress structure is an interesting display of labor-intensive masonry and intricate wrought ironwork. Beautiful Lake Isabel is less than 10 miles away. Visitors enjoy canoeing, kayaking and fishing in the stocked lake. Several mountain trails weave through the area. Pueblo Mountain Park in Beulah Valley is about 7 miles east. This scenic park offers hiking trails, educational programs and a stone labyrinth.
Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.
$25 / night
Shelf Road is home to many quality sport routes, vertical limestone. A sport climber's mecca with nearly 1000 routes on bombproof pocketed limestone. Routes vary from 5.7- 5.13 mostly bolted routes. There are two camping locations at Shelf Road. The lower area, Sand Gulch has 14 campsites and 1 group camping site. The upper area at The Banks has 11 campsites and 1 group camping site. Just before you arrive at Shelf Road, you will pass Sand Gulch campground on your left. This is quality, spacious camping and access to the Sand Gulch area, home to many moderates about a 15 minute walk from the campground. There is day use parking at the northwest end of the campground, and overflow parking at the north end, where the Free form trail begins. Shelf Road also has ample-sized trailhead parking for equestrians with corrals. Adventurous anglers can hike to Fourmile creek for fishing. Hiking and hunting are popular in the area as well as a short drive on a 4X4 loop. For more information, please contact the Royal Gorge Field Office. ACTIVITIES Climbing Camping
The most stars you will ever see. The most beautiful sunsets over the mountain ranges.
$50 - $200 / night
Guide
I did not stay here but pulled through on my way from Canon City to Beuna Vista. I had ATT coverage for cell and data. Looked very nice and right by the river.
Traveler
The park is fairly remote from Cañon City and has plenty of trails to explore. Sites are large and relatively easy to access by dirt road. The area gets a fair amount of activity from others hiking and horseback riding. I stayed for 3 nights in the middle of April and it stayed above 40 degrees. It’s a good option for the colder season when camp sites further into the mountains can still drop below freezing.
Scout
My grandson and I stayed there in June for 4 days in a 34ft travel trailer in a pull thru long enough not to have to unhook. The sites were large and plenty of room for my slideout and not too close to next site. About 30 min from Pueblo and 30 from Canon City on Hwy 50 just east of Hwy 115 Full hookup and good WiFi Also had 30 OTA channels. Beautiful sunsets of the mountains Hwy 50 close by but traffic was not loud enough to disturb us Horses on the property as well as a swimming pool and very friendly staff Very nice experience and only 40 min from Colorado Springs or Royal Gorge.
Legend
Cañon City deserves a lot of praise for this fantastic spot that provides a great opportunity to enjoy all the views that the Royal Gorge has to offer.
The campground is accessible via dirt roads via CR-3A. 4WD isn’t necessary to get there, but be prepared for some bumps. The city was working on some improvements to the campground when we stayed here including a new parking lot, new picnic pads for some of the sites, and the creation of some new sites near the bathroom.
There are currently (6) sites on the south loop which can accommodate travel trailers. Some are slightly larger but a few are only big enough for a class C or van. There are no hookups at the sites and no common water available. Each site has a picnic pad with table and a level, mulched area that could be used as a tent pad. The campground and trails are pet friendly, but as with most places in the southern part of the state be on the lookout for cacti.
If you are looking for a great spot to do some dispersed camping, this campground is for you. Only 2 miles from Royal Gorge and 11 miles from Cañon City. Plenty of easy to moderate difficulty trails for hiking and biking. Be sure to take Canyon Vista to the Summit Trail; you won’t be disappointed!
Legend
This KOA journey has a friendly and helpful staff, and offers all of the bare essentials so you can get ready for your next stop. The campground is 8 miles from Cañon City and 4 miles from Royal Gorge.
Sites are a mix of dirt and gravel and as with much of the desert, you should expect it to be very dusty. Our site was very close to our neighbor and in combination with the high winds during our visit, we didn’t spend much time outside. Full hookups are conveniently located and offer water/sewer and 30/50amp service.
The campground has propane refills available on site. The staff was kind enough to let us drop off our tanks and they brought them back to us once someone was available to fill them. The laundry is open 24 hours. There are (4) washers and (4) dryers available at a cost of $2 per load. There is no change machine, so bring your own quarters or stop in the office and the staff can help you with exchanging some small bills.
Guide
Not a place for overlanding or tent camping, this site is strictly catered to RV’s. We had a “primitive tent” spot reserved for one night, but the site was not what we expected. You are not far at all from I-24, I mean maybe 200 yards? There is a house right beside the tent sites with a deck that overlooks the site, and they have a few (understandably) excitable large dogs who were watching our every move. We were tired and trying to make the best of it, so we started setting up our overland tent for the night, when I made the hike up to the restrooms and decided this wasn’t a place I wanted to stay. I don’t understand why the people who do not have restrooms readily available (tent campers) are positioned the furthest away from them. I won’t even get in to the motel crowd. For an RV lot, it’s crowded but convenient so if that’s what you need, this may work for you. For tent or overland campers, you can 100% do better than this place.
Scout
We had a great time in Site #24, camping in a tent. This site is inadequate for an RV or even a camper, as the parking spot is just a widening in the road. But the site was very private and had beautiful views. I left a day early as a new neighbor came to the site across the road and was running his generator a lot….so I just decided to leave….
Guide
Very Clean and convenient location to Colorado Springs. Thought highway traffic noice would be a problem but, could not tell rv park is next to the interstate. Tent camped here and they have special raised beds with pavilions for tent camping.
Ranger
Awesome little campground for both RVs and tent campers. This time we chose to tent camp and it couldn’t have been more relaxing.
There are some great little lakes nearby to walk around and the bathrooms are clean. The camp host was friendly and the trees provide ample shade.
Do keep in mind if you are tent camping, it can be cold here at night- even in the summer!
ScoutCampground had lots of RV sites and fewer tent sites but nice tent sites. Beautiful views of the mountains and close to many of the rafting companies and other local attractions as well as to the Royal Gorge bridge ans hiking. Staff were very friendly. We were there for a few, big, afternoon thunderstorms, one of which caused a little flooding around the office. Tent sites are on slight hill so no flooding but lots of little rivers running through our campsite. We would stay here again- the kids loved thr go-karting, mini-golf and giant slide. There is also a pool onsight which we did not use.
Guide
Stayed One night for Tent Camping, came with everything needed. Clean bathroom and showers. Great scenery and amazing night sky view.
Scout
Enjoyed my site! Felt secluded enough in the tent sites.
Traveler
Very beautiful campground! Great staff, clean restrooms. Beautiful views. Tent sites are awesome!
Guide
There are several spots for tent camping in the Smith Creek Campground. Great area to hike and climb. Great stream that runs most of the year.
Scout
Stayed a couple nights at a tent site and it was really nice set up.
GuideThis was my first time solo tent camping. It went well. The space had a fire ring and picnic table. I might have been the only person at the park and it was quite peaceful!
Traveler
Wonderful walk-in tent camping site in the Turkey Meadow loop. Could view the Aspen trees in full color with Pikes Peak in the background. Peaceful and relatively private the week I was there.
ScoutIn my opinion this place is kind of rundown and dumpy. Maybe it hasn’t been maintained bc of covid closures? Idk either way I wasn’t impressed. We had a tent site. The tent sites were small and along a cliff with the Arkansas below. Our “large” tent site barely fit our big cabin tent, with enough room to park our vehicle. Our tent was literally a foot away from the road you pull in on. We had 2 young kids with us and I would not call it very kid friendly. We were Constantly having to keep an eye on them. Either they fall off a cliff into the river or worry about them getting into the main 2 way camp road that huge rvs and trucks drive by on. It was very hard to “relax” while kids were trying to play. The sound of the river at night was nice that’s about it. The encounters I had with staff weren’t great. A bit rude and unhelpful. I feel the prices are high considering you can’t use any amenities advertised due to covid restrictions. There were a lot of “rules” they had I haven’t encountered in other campgrounds. There are much prettier/nicer campgrounds along the Arkansas River I would stay at.
Guide
Another great Colorado State Park, it sits above Eleven Mile Reservoir. The sites offer everything from tent sites to full hook up. There is limited shade, but most sites are exposed.
Theres beautiful hikes around the lake and the fishing is awesome between the reservoir and Spinny Lake, and 11 Mile Canyon below the dam.
TravelerThis place is great. Quiet. Fun, and beautiful. Short steep hikes. Fly fishing mecca. Long bumpy 11 mile dirt road ride. But worth it. Recommend tent camping. No long or big campers = tough trek in.
Ranger
On our way down from 100-mile overlook one Colorado. We stopped off and got a spot at lone duck.
Very quiet & very clean 🧼 camp. I definitely recommend stopping here. Reservation only. And it seems to be always full. I was there on Thursday Friday and we were the last tent site to set up.
Scout
We tent camped here in late September. Beautiful location with well-kept sites and bathrooms. However sites are close to the road and we could hear the traffic all night. Probably best suited for RVs and quick spot to camp.
GuideAmazing view and location. The walk in tent sites offer a fire pit, lockout food box for bears, picnic table and camp tent area. The bathrooms were not up kept well and very cold. Showers are coin operated.
ScoutVery wooded area, lots of vaulted toilet and water access. If you are tent camping you can set up your tent anywhere in your space (not restricted to just a pad) Can easily camp 2 families (limit of 2 tents and 8 people) Close walk to a lovely little pond for fishing and plenty of beautiful trails and hikes nearby.
TravelerTent sites are on the hill and have lovely views. The tent pads are pretty small though. They are great for 1-2 people, but we are a family traveling with pets, so we have a larger tent. Nice community feel. Lots for kids to do. Close to rafting, Royal Gorge and other attractions.
ScoutI've got a slide in camper was given a tent site in the far back corner of the campground. Staff was AMAZING...they'de give my wife rides to the pool and were extremely courteous and friendly. Going back next weekend.
ScoutWe camped for several nights in our Airstream, and our family camped at a tent site close by. The campground itself it beautiful. You cannot imagine the scenery that this campground gives you. It is quiet, with beautiful trails for hiking.
Cañon City, Colorado, offers a fantastic backdrop for tent camping, with stunning landscapes and a variety of well-reviewed sites that cater to outdoor enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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