Best Cabin Camping near Colorado Springs, CO

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. We were out and about during the days, but Lone Duck was nice to return to each afternoon.

Reservations were easy to do online. They had the site ready for us when we arrived.

Site 45 was great for our pop up. If we had our 30’ trailer, we wouldn’t have had room for our truck. The site is right next to a lovely stream that really drowned out any road noise. We slept great with the white noise the stream produced. Our site had a picnic table and fire pit (with grill grate). We had water and 30/20 amp electric.

The bathrooms/showers were in the main office. The men’s restroom had a couple of stalls and three showers. They were sufficient for me. The women’s restroom was small and cramped according to my wife. It appears the floors and walls had been coated with a garage floor or bed-liner material. It wasn’t the most appealing but again was sufficient. We did use the laundry room and all machines worked fine.

There is a store, small dining area, and arcade in the main office along with the restrooms and laundry room. Wifi was hit or miss from the campsites. It was better inside the office. The check in staff was aware of the wifi and mentioned they were working on it. (We weren’t here for the internet so again, not an issue for us).

The kids did swim in the pool. The water was warm and they seemed to enjoy playing with other kiddos there. There is a small playground next to the pool and fishing pond. Kids played there frequently until quiet hours.

There are a few small cabins on the grounds and separate sections of the park for tents. There are houses just across the stream from our site but we never heard from or noticed any of the neighbors.

There is quite a bit of greenery throughout the campground. I thought the place could use a mowing or weed eating, but maybe it’s normal to have local grasses/plants left alone to grow.

As others have mentioned it is a bit tricky getting in and out. If you leave toward Woodland Park, you’ll have to cross a couple of lanes and make u-turn. Same thing of your coming to the campground from Manitou. You’ll make a u-turn.

Overall, we liked the place and would stay again.

We love this CG!  It is in a beautiful part of Colorado, centrally located to many attractions.  The CG itself is large, but spread out well.  All sites are paved and fairly level, all have electricity and there are even a few cabins for rental.  What makes this park great is the huge trail system, trails are all around and all at various levels of difficulties and lengths.  Wildlife is abundant and the sites themself are well maintained.  Each site has a fire ring, electrical hook up and picnic table.  Water spigots are nearby, RV dump is included with stay (and you can fill up with fresh water too).  They have a laundromat and shower house as well as several bathrooms located throughout the campground with flush toilets.  They have nightly educational programs and the rangers have always been polite to us.  Firewood is available for sale at the CG entrance.

I typically rate campgrounds as they fit into 1 of 5 categories. This campground will be rated as a Basecamp — grounds that offer a comfortable home base that you’re happy to return to after a day of exploring the surrounding area. Ratings for this category are based on: Value to cost: 4 Overall grounds: 4 Utility of sites (hookups, layout, accessibility): 4 Local Attraction Proximity: 5 Reservation Process/Ease of Getting a Site: 5 Amenities: 4 Customer Service: 5 Cleanliness: 4

In the mountains of Manitou Springs/Colorado Springs, just off the 24 highway, Loneduck Campground is tucked away down a driveway you will surely miss if you’re not paying close attention (look for the empty sign post sticking up from the highway, see my video). The grounds are quite nice... not luxury but rustic mountain vibe. Large trees and greenery with sites surrounding a small pond.

This is clearly a favorite destination for locals... lots of groups of friends with kids gathering and spending time together. If you dislike kids, you may want to reconsider. Kids laughing and enjoying fishing, the pool and playground up until quiet hours. We don’t have kids but enjoyed the sounds. Nights were quiet, even with the highway overhead. We slept every night with the windows open and the car noise was not an issue. It only got louder in the mornings. Barking dogs were much louder, but still not an issue.

The utilities were good enough, though water pressure was pretty low, especially once our neighbor arrived and fed off the same pipe.

While we didn’t use any, the amenities looked nice. Pool looked lovely and the playground was... beloved by the kids. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the pond with fishing. Fire pits were out of use due to the ban and there was a large dishwashing station for tent campers. There is an arcade which looked perfectly retro. We did use laundry, the machines were fine (takes quarters) but the room itself was a bit dingy. Can’t speak for showers or restrooms. The picnic table at our site had seen better days. Our biggest point of confusion was the placement of the dump station, right at the exit, so in some cases, people that don’t have to dump still have to wait for people to dump in order to leave. There was a long line on a Sunday morning but we managed to squeeze thru after about 10 minutes.

Staff was quite nice but if you’re very worried about COVID, be warned that virtually nobody wears a mask and high touch surfaces don’t seem to be cleaned frequently.

For everything they offer at the grounds, I think the price is very reasonable. They’re right next to the Pikes Peak by way and so close to so many other attractions/adventures. Also, there’s a running/walking path that brings you to Green Mountain Falls town just 1/2 mile away but you have to walk on Rt 24 for about 100 yards to get to the next street, so be careful.

The reservation process was a breeze and they were very responsive and accommodating when we wanted to add a day. A great spot to spend time.

This is a lovely park about 30 minutes south of Colorado Springs. We camped here for 5 nights in a back in spot with full hookups, site 51. The site was extremely spacious with room to park our truck to the side and still have a big yard. There is a fire pit and picnic table and we were shaded by some big pines. We saw deer wander around the campsites every morning and evening. The sites are terraced so that everyone has a beautiful view. There is no cell service for AT&T or T-Mobile, but you are able to do wifi calling with their WiFi and we streamed a movie one night. From here we visited Garden of the Gods, Royal Gorge and Pike’s Peak, all within 30 minutes to one hour’s drive. The bathhouse is extremely clean, with several private bathroom/shower rooms. There is also a laundry with 4 washers & dryers. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and the folks are all friendly. I highly recommend!

We stayed at the Lone Duck campground for two nights in September 2017, with the intention of hiking Pike’s Peak. We were in the middle of a road trip from Southern California to Denver, CO, for a pole dance competition that I competed in. After the road trip out, the mental exhaustion of competing in an international competition, and the HEAT, we decided that we would hike Pike’s Peak some other time and just spend our day relaxing before heading to RMNP to camp and hike. Lone Duck Campground is the perfect place to relax!

We are tent campers, and prefer to be in more “traditional” outdoor campgrounds in parks or forests, etc, but for an urban campground, Lone Duck was great! While the layout of the Lone Duck Campground certainly accommodates for RV campers, the campground also has nice little tent sites with grassy areas to pitch a tent. Our site had grass, shade, a picnic table, and a fire ring - everything you need for a basic campsite.

The tent sites are fairly small and open to the neighboring sites, but that is to be expected in these more urban campgrounds. However, we had site T-25, and due to the surrounding shrubbery, it was more secluded than most sites. The campground is right off the highway, so there is some noise pollution from the nearby traffic. Overall the campground was peaceful and everyone seemed to respect the set quiet hours. It is $36 for two people to stay in a standard tent site WITHOUT hookups…the nightly fee increases with added equipment hookups and additional people.

The benefit to camping in an urban campground like Lone Duck is all the extras you don’t find in all traditional, basic campgrounds! Lone duck had a pool, free wifi, and CLEAN, HOT, COIN-FREE showers! After sweating in the summer sun all day, returning to camp and showering is the best feeling in the world.

The camp hosts were very friendly, and provided nice home-cooked breakfast in the morning for only $5! As much as we enjoy cooking when we camp, it was soooo nice not having to dirty up then clean our camp kitchen. The breakfast was very well worth $5!

Lone Duck also had a small pond/lake to fish in, a jungle gym, a game room and a basketball court. We did not partake in any of those amenities, but they make Lone Duck a very family friendly campground where kids can stay entertained!

Since we decided to be lazy and forego hiking Pike’s Peak, we slept in, enjoyed the Lone Duck breakfast, and researched what we could do to beat the heat. We knew we wanted to go to the Garden of the Gods later that afternoon after it cooled off and to see the sunset, but needed something to do before then to escape the heat. We ended up backtracking back up towards our previous stop in Denver, and went to the Coors Plant in Golden, CO. I’m not much of a beer drinker, let alone Coors, but my boyfriend likes beer and enjoys going on different brewery tours. The Coors tour was free and air conditioned, so why not?! The brewery tour was actually very interesting, and at the end of the tour you could choose three glasses of beer in their tap room. Cold, free beer on a hot day? Even I couldn’t say no to that!

After the tour we drove back down to Colorado Springs and went to the Garden of the Gods (which is probably only 15-20 minutes away from the Lone Duck). The park is FREE to enter, and has some spectacular red rock formations that glow like fire in the setting sun. The park is pretty accessible with wide, flat paths around the perimeter of the park and around the popular rock formations. There are smaller, more rugged trails leading up to various rock climbing areas, and hiking trails that extend out away from the park into the foothills. We climbed on rocks and hiked around for a few hours until sunset. The Garden of the Gods is a must-see - the rock formations are incredible, and you do not even have to be a hiker to be able to see and enjoy them!

We decided not to cook back at camp, and stopped at Rudy’s Country Store BBQ in Colorado Springs. We are from Southern California and had never been to a Rudy’s before, and we loved it! I have to admit that I was skeptical of a gas-station restaurant, but I’m so glad we ate at Rudy’s! It was cheap, it was tasty, and it was fun! And I’m always a fan of unlimited condiment bars, so that was a plus!

Overall, I would highly recommend Lone Duck Campground, especially if you like urban campgrounds with extra amenities. We had been debating over staying at a cheap hotel for the night, but I’m glad we stayed at Lone Duck, it was a much better experience than a hotel would have been.

CAMPSITE SPECS

Fees: $36/night

Plumbed Toilets: Yes

Drinking Water: Yes

Showers: Yes (No coins needed)

Picnic Table: Yes

Firepit: Yes

Cooking Grates: Yes

Shade: Yes

Cell Service: Yes + Wifi

Animal Bins/Food Lockers: NO

Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Colorado Springs, CO.

http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Parks/cheyennemountain

Made our way to Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Colorado Springs. The tent only sites are walk-in and $18…and by walk-in…between 10-100ft from the parking area depending on the site. By midday most were taken and we landed in the available #45 (which was handicap accessible). Pluses and minuses: close to the restroom. Convenience comes at a cost, a motion sensor light constantly tripping on and a tad noisy. Tent pads only…comprised of a small pea gravel base, but elevated two railroad ties high…you will not get standing water, that's for certain. #45 is a handicap site so it is all paved…walkway, picnic table, animal-proof food container and fire pit area…no dust or dirt. Could be a positive or negative depending on your expectations. In April the trees were just budding so there wasn't a ton of concealment or cover from your neighbors provided by the leafless shrubbery and mountain scrub. A water pump is ten feet away. Another site was handicap accessible like this one but the others were situated further back in the scrub in dirt trails offering greater privacy. Hammock hanging was limited on site #45 but could be creatively managed. Restrooms were very clean and well-stocked. The visitor center is beautiful, large, interesting and offers local trinkets to purchase. Camp registration office is located by the campground and also houses restrooms and the coin operated showers and laundry. Water appeared to be at a premium as the water fountains were not operating. Depending on the wind direction, and with no leaves on the trees yet…highway noise could be heard in the distance from interstate 25…but not loud enough to be an irritation… Not to mention the sound breaking the early morning air…revelee from the nearby Air Force base. Signage leaves little doubt where you are or where to go throughout the park. The trails are superb and offer a variety of high plains and mountain views. Trail markings are remarkable, offering both self-guided tutorial placards and strategically located gps coordinates, in case of injury. Runners and mountain bikers frequent the trails. Wildlife aplenty. Mule deer sauntered by throughout the park and tom turkeys strutted their stuff for all to see. Colorful songbirds dotted the trail (my favorite…bright blue mountain bluebird). Keep the elevation in mind when choosing activities. Being a "flatlander," it takes about 7-10 days for your body to adjust to high elevations, so allocate more time on the trails for recovery breaks and hydration. Definite plus or minus…dogs are allowed in the park, but not on the trails and must be leashed at all times. Even on a Monday night in mid April, the park was filled so reservations would be advised. You can choose electric/water sites but there is no privacy from your RV neighbor.

Creative mountainscape photos are necessary to avoid the mountaintop antenna towers from NORAD.

It was a pleasant camping experience and would visit again.

There is so much to do nearby that you need to stay in the area at least a week.

Here are a few of my favorite nearby hikes: -Mt Cutler trail, Mt Muscoco trail, Helen Hunt Falls, Seven Bridges Trail, Red Rock Canyon, The Manitou Incline (parking fee), The Barr Trail (to Pikes Peak summit), Garden of the gods, Palmer Park, and Stanley Canyon Reservoir (on the Air Force Academy grounds)…all are must do's! Only Red Rock Canyon and Garden of the gods are flatter and easy strolling. Countless other trails exist and would take a lifetime to explore…worthy reason to return again and again!