Best Tent Camping near Colorado Springs, CO

Need a day pass and camping pass. Too much money for too little. No hookups, trashy. Winds in evening almost made me leave site. Chairs and equipment will blow away. There are two entrances to this area, second one from Colorado Springs is much easier access.

I have camped and gone boating in Pueblo many times. A quick trip down from Colorado Springs and you're out on the water enjoying some fishing or water skiing. Bonus in the summer is how warm it is in Pueblo so it's ver refreshing to hop into the reservoir to cool down. Always a great time!

Overall a great experience and just a short trip from Colorado Springs. Big, open beautiful sales and plenty of room to tow trailers. Road was a little bumpy and got more challenging the deeper into the space you went, but overall most vehicles can handle it. I came during the off season but still plenty of ATVs, Razrs and guns popping off well into the night. Didn’t bother me much but I imagine it’s a lot worse in the summer. Still a great spot for a night or two.

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.

Amazing location right next to Boehmer Creek. There are 5 or 6 sites mainly for tents. You might be able ti get an rv in there but low hanging trees and narrow rutted trails would be a problem. There were insects around so bring bug spray and flytraps. The creek has trout if fishing is your thing. Not much wildlife but there are great hikes in the area. Skagway reservoir is close and a must see. You can also get supplies in the nearby town of Victor. To get there you are better off taking Goldcamp Road from the Victor side. We approached from Colorado Springs and the road is very rotted due to the amount of rainfall we’ve had. I would not recommend trying to get an RV through that. From Victor, you do have to go through a narrow tunnel with an 11’2” clearance but the road is far better maintained.

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….

I was recommended this spot for a stay by another traveler so I was very excited to have Garden of the Gods in my backyard to say the least as it's name boasted. I drove in and as I started to see the signs I was more and more excited, only to find out that this campsite offers literally every kind of stay but tent camping.

When I went to check into the office I was met by a very nice woman who had to break the news to me. I think she could tell that I was disappointed after seeing the amenities which included an amazing looking pool, which would have been perfect for my weary self after all my driving.

But because she could see it written all over my face she pointed me in the direction of another campsite which would be perfect for me for the night and gave me a few little tips on the area as well including telling me about the backstory of Garden of the Gods which is pretty amazing.

She gave me more than a few brochures for the area before I finally walked out the door and offered me a discount if I decided I wanted to try out one of their cabins on my next stay!! Excellent customer service so needless to say if I am in Colorado Springs in the near future I will stop here! Sometimes the only downside I find to tent camping is missing out on the opportunity to stay at some of these amazing sites with such welcoming people.

Because of her tip however I was very close to Garden of the Gods and was able to explore it and make it to camp with plenty of time to spare!

This campground has a equestrian area and a tent camping area. The tent camping is to the right after you enter, there are two tent loops with bathrooms. Water spigots next to the bathroom. There are a few trails here, some are horse trails. Overall a beautiful spot with some shade!

Campround Review:

Springer Gulch in Eleven Mile Canyon Recreation Area is absolutely beautiful. About 40min from Colorado Springs, its an easy to access escape west of Pikes Peak. When you drive into the Recreation Area, the road continues into a canyon and follows along the creek. You wont get any road noise here or cell reception. There are many picnic areas and campsites along the way.

We stayed at Springer Gulch campsite a few miles in. The road is a little rough so it can be slow going. Each of the established campgrounds have restroom facilities and water pumps. Sites are clean and each campground has a camp host. If you forget to bring your firewood, most of the hosts should have some to sell. All of the sites have a fire pit/grill and picnic table. Sites go fast so make sure you reserve yours plenty ahead of time.

There are a lot of activities in the area to enjoy including hiking and fishing. Overall we loved our little weekend getaway. Would recommend any day.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I get to test products from time to time. At Springer Gulch in Eleven mile Canyon Recreation Area I tested the aramba Waterproof Hard Shell Jacket by Mishmi Takin. The jacket was an upgrade for me from my old waterproof jacket and I'm much happier with it. There were a lot of things I loved about the Garamba.

1. Fit & Function: It fits excellent without being too tight or too large. It leaves enough room for proper layering in colder weather.
2. Adjustability: It has many double zippers, velcro straps, draw strings, etc. to change the jacket to your current needs. All are easy to reach and function easily.
3. Abrasion Resistance: The material feels more durable to the touch compared to many lightweight hard shell jackets. I'm not afraid to wear it on trails with dense growth.

Campground 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.

Enjoyed my site! Felt secluded enough in the tent sites.

Stayed a couple nights at a tent site and it was really nice set up.

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

This is a small campground near Lake George in the Lost Creek Wilderness.  The setting here is great, its a smaller primitive campground without many trees on the trailer side, but the surrounding area is what makes it special... in actuality the tent sites are some of the best we have seen (not being tent campers) and this makes us sometime think maybe we should ditch the trailer for a tent site when coming here.  The tent sites are right along the Terryall creek in the tress and the trailer sites are on the other side.  There are many trails that lead off from this Campground that go above the CG or into Lost Creek Wilderness.  There are many rock formations and the vistas are great.  The CG has picnic tables and fire-pits... all sites and the road are gravel so not always even, but easily manageable.  There is trash and water available, although water is only form a hand-pump.  The host is very nice and the sites and vault toilets are clean.

This 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!

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.

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.