Best Tent Camping near Commerce City, CO

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!

Note there's a 3 day limit on tent camping.

When traveling in this area and looking to explore Rocky Mountain National Park or the surrounding areas finding camping ahead of time is very important. During summer months campground fill quickly and overflow camps like this become your backup plan which sometimes can be difficult to squeeze into last minute. 

From May until September this campground opens its doors to the masses for only$12 per night. Clearly a lot less expensive than some of the campgrounds offered in the area, this camp is quite appealing for those who wish to find inexpensive camping and can enjoy their time in nature without all the frills of an improved campground. This campground is first come first serve which is very important to know if you are wanting to stay in the area and will be arriving later in the day or near a weekend. 

When I visited the season had just opened, literally the day of and there was no one on a weekday at the campground early in the day. I took a stroll around the campground and noticed there is an honor box for paying camp fees and that rangers were in the area driving through the various properties placing kiosk signage up and checking sites. 

This campground offers no running water for those camping here. There are toilets but they are primitive and non-flushing. The sites looked comfortable and like they would be great for camping in a tent or mid-sized RV however they could become a little cramped if visiting in larger units. 

The floor of the campground is blanketed with pine needles which give a fragrant welcome. 

Each campsite has a picnic table and bear box on the site in addition to a fire ring with a small grill on top. You are encouraged to bring your own fire wood and not collect the fallen and absolutely cannot cut firewood in this area. 

Just across from the campground is a pull off and picnic area for Roosevelt National Park which does not offer camping but does have additional areas for hiking and enjoying the nature of the area. There is also another restroom in this area. 

One of the things I found to be very helpful about this campground for controlling traffic and also for accommodating groups was the placement of a few larger sites with additional parking toward the front of the campground. I noticed when I pulled in that in the front portion of the loop there were wider areas which made navigating a bit easier for RVs and also near the dumpsters in this area there seemed to be additional parking. Again during the first part of the season with no traffic passing through this might have been deceiving but it looked to be a great option. 

TIPS: 

• Check out Lucy Lake and the Camp Church in the area. The lake is an amazing location to see some of the picturesque views of Long’s Peak and hike without having to actually go into the park. The church is an actual Catholic Church build originally for a summer camp, its unique design and location are worth a pull off. 
• Bring everything you might need with you. The closest store is more than 15 miles away so you will not be able to pick up last minute supplies without running into the larger community. Make sure you bring plenty of water for everyone and anything you might need for your stay. 
• Check the reports for the area before you tent camp. This area has bear and upon occasion they have a few rogue bears visiting camps. You can find information in advance by checking out tourism centers in Estes Park or by looking at the Rocky Mountain National Park site.

I checked in. The wind was blowing. Too cold for tent camping. Will be back. 🎃

Great tent camping nice space. Beautiful area! The camp host was very nice made us feel welcome.

Nice site. Reasonably clean and flat. Electrical hookup didn't work, but I was tent camping so I didn't mind. Water was great and easily accessible.

if you pick a tent site it’s your best bet the electric sites are too close to RV’s

We had a blast and thanks to this site we plan on doing much more camping. Good tent sites, clean bathrooms, fire pits, and fun trails.

Small campground with tent sites, RV sites, and cabins. Main building has camp store with a variety of items available for purchase. Nice bathrooms including showers available.

There are RV, Tent and Yurt camping sites. Bathrooms, showers, dishwashing area and laundry facilities but still in nature and beautiful views and trails, especially in the non-electric tent sites. Great staff at the check in area.

Site #7 was clean, maintained. One official tent site and a good spot for another two person tent. Partial sun depending on time of day. Between two other campsites so possibly noisy in the evening depending on your neighbors.

Tent camped on a weekday. Walk-to site was well spaced from other sites and had some nice shade. Pit toilet could have been cleaner. A rowdy rv party was noisy in the day but calmed down at night. Could see it being noisy on the weekend

Stayed at a tent site one night and wish we had planned for two. Beautiful facilities and well-kept sites. Would love to explore all the trails next time. A place to go back to.

We camped here after a Red Rocks show. The spot is a great area. About 20 minutes off of I-70. There are many pull offs along this road that could theoretically be good camp sites. However there are “no camping” signs, which is why I gave it 3 stars. Everything is great besides that: beautiful stars, good tent site, safe parking area.

The spot we chose is a bit farther down the road than the one listed here. It’s in between the bend in the road. We parked at the pull off and walked down a small hill to find a good tent site and a fire ring.

Also be aware it’s pretty chilly compared to just a few miles up the road. It was in the mid 30s at night.

I’d give it a 5 but the vault toilets need a little care. Also wasn’t stocked with TP so we ran out.

Everything else was very good for a large group. Plenty of tent sites. Good water supply. Bear proof storage containers.

Large campsites, clean bathrooms with mountain/water views just outside the city. Great no matter if you tent camp or pull a trailer. Just a short hike to the water for paddle boarding or a picnic with a view. Some people need to be in the mountains to enjoy nature but Chatfield is the perfect getaway for us.

We used a tent site, but the site they assigned to us was not the best for a Tent Trailer, but we made it work by moving the picnic table and pushing the trailer into the site. It was a small space, really close to the other tent spaces, small parking space.

We really needed showers, but realized you have to pay separately.

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.

This is a somewhat typical NF rustic campground, but with seating and meeting sites for large groups (like scouts, youth groups, etc.). Recreational opportunities nearby (e.g. fishing) are limited, but some hiking is adjacent to the campground, Tent sites are well-marked and level, and the campground is very quiet at night.

First class camper services with hot showers and clean campsites.  We were tent camping in space 7.  This campsite loops is located in a mature portion of the campground with NICE shaded trees.  The Camper Services bldg was located about 50 yards away with v clean facilities and hot showers.  A vault toilet was about 20 yards away.  

The only Con to report was the heavy roadway noise pollution from nearby I-25.  In a tent, earplugs are definitely needed.

Great! Great! Great! Big campground but still peaceful. Not far from Denver but a world away.

Generously sized tent sites accommodate a variety of tent sizes. Be aware you cannot hang hammocks.

Bathrooms were clean. Showers cost $1. There are facilities for washing clothes and dishes and even vending machines.

There is some great hiking in the park and a couple of trailheads right out of the campground.

We got there earlier in the day, many spots were open. Our senior access card got the rate reduced from 13$ to 6.50$. The campground was very clean and quiet, only thing you could hear at night was the distant sounds of the highway. Ground was pretty hard and tent sites were medium sized but overall highly recommend!