Best Equestrian Camping near Eagle, CO

The 7 campsites at East Marvine Campground were surprisingly empty in mid-July and the neighboring Marvine Campground was only half full.  Site 1 is a pull-thru near the restrooms.

Open late-May to late-October 

First Come First Served

$20 per night +$5 for horse corrals 

50ft max RV length

The big attraction in the area seems to be the East Marvine Trail and Marvine Trail that leads into the Flat Tops Wilderness.  Very popular for pack trips.  We saw quite a few horse trailers in the area.

This campground was less than half full.  Trailhead for East Marvine Trail and Marvine Trail is not far from the campground entrance.  Both trails lead into the Flat Tops Wilderness and are popular for pack rides.  Horse corrals are available at the trailhead and nearby East Marvine Campground for an additional $5 / night.

South Fork is located in the Arapaho National Forest and administered by the Sulphur Ranger District. Situated on the banks of the South Fork of the Williams Fork of the Colorado River, this campground reminds me of days gone by when reservations were not a "thing".

Southfork is a first come, first served campground with 21 sites. While there is generally a resident Host, the lightly used campground has the feel of what campgrounds were like 50 years ago. Individual sites are mostly flat. All sites have picnic tables, fire rings, and tent pads. All will fit tents, most will accommodate travel trailers, and some will allow 5th wheels/large RVs well over 40' (some spurs are 50'). There is also a group site that fronts the creek which is available by reservation. There are two well maintained pit toilets and two functioning hand crank water wells available. For equestrians, there is a small corral on the south end of the campground though I've never seen it in use. Like the Sugarloaf campground, Southfork was cleared of trees a number of years ago.

When I first camped at Southfork some 8 years ago, the sites in the center were all open with small seedling Lodge pole pines beginning to take root. Spruce trees along the creek were not cleared and are very large making for nice shady sites (these are the most popular and always fill fast). Today, the seedlings have grown quite fast and are in the range of 5-7 feet tall providing a nice screen between the formerly open sites. Note that this is not always the most quite campground as there is a tramway that connects the Henderson Mine with it's Mill located off the Ute pass road. When the tram is running, it creates a fair amount of background noise. While I have no problem just hanging out at the campground, there are many other activities available in the area.

For those with a restless spirit of adventure, trout fishing, hiking, and Geocaching are available in the Southfork area. If you are interested in more detail, check out the review of Sugarloaf campground located just to the south.

Due to a lack of amenities, Southfork may not be for everyone but if you're looking for a campground that has the spirit of bygone days, this place is well worth a look.

My first winter camping trip in Colorado. Just south of Glenwood Springs and west of Carbondale is Sunlight Mountain Resort, an awesome little mountain with great tree skiing and untracked powder that can be found days after a storm. It sits in the western side of the White River National Forest in the Sopris Ranger District. From Glenwood or Carbondale follow directions to the resort and just about a mile before you get there you'll take a right to stay on Four Mile Rd or county road 117. Travel about 2 miles after turning and you'll come to a parking area on your left, in the winter its mainly used by cross country skiers and snowmobiles. From here we took off on foot in our winter boots down 2 miles of groomed snow covered road until you reach an intersection with a bunch of signs giving you several different options in directions and places to go. We strapped on our snow shoes and headed west up Fourmile Park- North through 16 to 24 inches of snow for an additional mile and settled at the 2nd camping spot we came to on our left. The low that night was 19 but I stayed warm most of the time until around 4 or 5 and finally had to get up and move around. The best part about the trip was we got to ski before and when we got back the bar was still open. I loved living in Glenwood Springs and choose this area for its proximity to so many awesome places, can't wait to get back.

Drive to the camp ground and you can keep driving to find campsites. There are sites along the creek and along the road. There is a pit toilet and it's a long road with lots of sites. 

No service

Road was very easy to find and was very smooth. The first couple sites on the water were already taken so we headed up further. Found a steep, secluded pull-off just past marker #6 that looked like an old off road trailhead or access road that didn't seem to be in use anymore.

The site was a good size but there wasn't a great flat option for the tent but it would be great for a van or small trailer and could easily fit 2-3.

The views were absolutely amazing which is why I'm giving 3 stars. The mosquitos and thunderstorms were insane. Shout out to the REI base camp tent holding dry and not too many bugs in the tent.

We also had the pleasure of a bunch of night riders on the first night traversing up and down the road all night which was incredibly loud. 2nd night was much quieter. I also moved the car to block the entrance to the site so people could see it was taken instead of driving up right next to us just to turn around the first night.

Overall, easy access to the site, views were stunning, easy to get to Glenwood Springs.

Edited to add that this site did have cell service

Easy to find the site, ours was near the river. Lots of bugs so bring bug spray. Very calming and felt safe. Would recommend!

Pretty good spot with ok views. Used starlink with no issues. Driver further up the road and found a good spot on the side of the road with a fire pit.

This place is very windy. You can book lakeside or fireside. Lake has composting toilets and a large pavilion. The fire side has vault toilets and a nice group fire pit. This place has to be booked well in advance unless you are looking for a week day stay. It is $232 a night.

We visited this campground and lake the middle of June 2016. The campsites were clean and easily accessible. The fishing was great from the bank and also from a float tube. We are going back this month.😊

Limited sites...about 40 I think. Good fishing.

We prefer using our higher ground clearance camper.

Perfect to relax and unwind. Hiking, fishing, wildlife are great!

Watch out for the bears!! :)

If you’re looking for a camp spot with lots of close activities this is the place. Great fishing, paddle boarding, close hiking trails. We went late July and there were tons of mosquitos, but other than that it was great. If you’re looking for more secluded camping there are dispersed sites all up and down the dirt road.

Although not very large, this campground offers great outdoor enjoyment! The sites are well laid out with good space between them allowing for a bit of privacy. There is a creek that runs through many of them and they are all set up as expected with picnic tables and fire rings. The best part of this campground is the hiking and fishing possibilities all around you! The vistas were stunning and the cool weather in the area for summer was a welcome break from the heat. We will definitely be back!

Great base camp for all the activities around you. Good hiking and fishing near by. Absolutely stunning views when you are at the reservoirs. Bring your kayak if you have one! There are no views of the lake from the sites but some of the sites have nice views of the mountains. The campground is nice and the sites are spread out which was great. We had tons of mosquitos which is the only reason I am not giving it 5 stars. Even with the mosquitos, we would go back!

There are multiple campgrounds in this immediate area that all surround Yamcolo Reservoir, Bear Lake, and Stillwater Reservoir. There are 3 established campgrounds (Bear Lake Campground, Horseshoe Campground, & Cold Springs Campground) as well as many dispersed campsites with established fire rings. We stayed in Site #15 which was right next to a bathroom and just on the other side of the reservoir wall. There are many trailheads for hiking, 4x4 routes, small boat ramp, and plenty of hammock trees. Tree coverage can be hit or miss depending on what site you manage to snag. Phone service is minimal, practically non-existent. The sites are clean and well kept (even during Covid-19). Yampa is a 15min drive for anything that was forgotten and you can also snag firewood on the way in. I’ll absolutely be returning to camp here again!

We drove in on a Sunday at 5:00 pm and they had 2 vacancies. Loved our site! Nice host, quiet campground, and friendly fellow campers! Highly recommend!