Sam B.
Traveler
TravelerRampart Reservoir Dispersed
Lots of options for spaces and the road was fairly easy to get in! Just a little bumpy but fine if you take it slow
Tent Camping near Fountain, CO
2 campgrounds with availability this weekend
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Tent camping near Fountain, Colorado ranges from free dispersed sites along creek beds to designated tent pads at group camps, with options across forested and canyon terrain. Tent campsites near Fountain span rugged canyon settings and high-elevation forest, giving campers direct access to hiking trails, climbing walls, and creek-side solitude. Dispersed camping is available along Phantom Canyon Road where tent campers can find secluded sites along creek beds. Rampart Range Area provides primitive tent setups with free camping in forested terrain. The Turkey Roost Group Camp at Cheyenne Mountain State Park features designated tent pads for larger groups.
Road access to many tent campsites varies significantly by location. Phantom Canyon requires driving on bumpy dirt roads that may challenge low-clearance vehicles, though most passenger cars can navigate the main routes. Many primitive tent campgrounds lack drinking water, requiring campers to pack in their own supplies. Most dispersed areas have minimal facilities, with fire rings at established sites but no picnic tables or restrooms. A camper noted, "It is a canyon so you won't have any cell phone signal," highlighting the remote nature of these areas. During fire restriction periods, which frequently occur in summer months, tent campers should bring alternative cooking methods as open fires may be prohibited.
Backcountry tent camping experiences near Fountain provide varying levels of solitude. The dispersed sites along Phantom Canyon offer creek-side camping with natural privacy barriers. "Sweet spots along the creek side. Dispersed area that is very spread out so you are not near others," mentioned one visitor. Tent campers at Pike National Forest sites often encounter wildlife, including deer, chipmunks, and various bird species. These primitive tent areas provide direct access to hiking trails and climbing opportunities, making them ideal bases for multi-day outdoor adventures. Phantom Canyon sites offer nearby climbing walls accessible directly from some tent campsites. Higher elevation sites in the Rampart Range area provide cooler temperatures during summer months but fill quickly on weekends, particularly during holiday periods.
Best Tent Campgrounds near Fountain (25)
1. Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites
"Driving down to this campsite I was happy to have a small car because the road is very narrow to say the least. I cannot imagine the feeling of driving a large rig here."
"We arrived the Phantom Creek Road around 4:30pm. 10miles and 30 minutes later we found our spot."
2. Lone Duck Campground and Cabins
"Our site had grass, shade, a picnic table, and a fire ring - everything you need for a basic campsite."
"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."
27 Sites AvailableAvailable this weekend
from $40 - $87 / night
3. Turkey Roost Group Camp — Cheyenne Mountain State Park
"Wonderful tent pads and facilities with space to wash dishes and store goods from wildlife."
Check Availabilityfrom $144 / night
4. Wye
"Has fire rings and picnic tables. Closed for good, apparently because of bears, but far down the road so it’s very unlikely you’ll be bothered"
5. Rampart Range Area Dispersed Campsite
"Some have pre existing fire rings. Would definitely come back."
"Most spots are taken by the weekends but if you’re fine with a more sloped spot, there can be some open ones for late arrivals."
6. Phantom Canyon
"I’m a rooftop tent camper and the views are amazing but was hoping to be close to the water and isolated from other campers."
"It is in a canyon so you won't have any cell phone signal, though I had my Starlink set up and it worked flawlessly. We will go back, and I hope to get that spot before any other!"
7. Phantom Canyon Road Pull-Off
"Every summer I go on a road trip , camping ,backpacking and visiting national parks , while driving through Colorado we drove through phantom canyon road and we stopped about 20 times through our drive"
8. Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2
"I recommend not attempting road with 2WD… seems quite rough in spaces. Having the extra support made me feel better. A bit of an incline but I found plenty of space to set up my tent!"
"Found a great little campsite and had a fox as a neighbor! Only downfall was there was broken glass everywhere 😔"
9. Dispersed Camping - Pike National Forest Divide
"There are a lot of dirt bikes and atvs driving during the day however I didn’t find it overly disruptive."
"Restrooms at base of road. Found our spot 2.5 miles up the road, definitely needed AWD."
10. Shelf Road Sites
"There are vault toilets that are clean and have toilet paper. One vault toilet part way on the hike to the walls did not have TP."
"Wonderful access to Shelf climbing. Very peaceful."
Drive Time
- 17 min from Pueblo, CO
- 21 min from Colorado Springs, CO
- 1 hr 14 min from Denver, CO
- 1 hr 37 min from Boulder, CO
Recent Tent Camping Photos near Fountain, CO
131 Photos of 25 Fountain Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Turkey Roost Group Camp — Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Phantom Canyon
Lone Duck Campground and CabinsB
Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites
Rampart Range Area Dispersed Campsite
Shelf Road Sites
"Glamping" Pike's Peak Camping Spot- Reservation Only SiteA
Dispersed Camping - Pike National Forest DivideC
Mydnyt Mountain
Truman’s Rock
MountainAirNMeI
Davenport Campground
Tent Camping Reviews near Fountain, CO
1103 Reviews of 25 Fountain Campgrounds
Amira B.
ScoutRainbow Falls
Nice spots, beautiful scenery, ruined only by how busy it gets with OHV drivers on the weekends.
- CCarolyn K.Traveler
Witcher's Cove Campground — Eleven Mile State Park
Beautiful Lakeside Camping, Worth the Bumpy Drive!
If you are looking for a place that is close to the water and where you step out of your vehicle and immediately feel the breathtaking beauty and peacefulness of nature around you, this is the place. We were here for four nights over Labor Day weekend. We don’t usually camp in Colorado on holiday weekends because everywhere is so busy. However, our son had Tuesday off from school, so we extended our trip to avoid the Monday traffic. I was pleasantly surprised that even though the campground was fully booked, it didn’t feel busy or overcrowded. We fished for trout and crawfish and caught plenty of both!
We were in site#803. The site was level, we had good Verizon cell service, and we loved being close to the water. We were able to leave our fishing raft and paddleboard on the shore overnight. There are only two campsites on this side of the campground which is great, especially if you have a curious dog! But, there is activity during the day at the boat dock, not a lot, but enough to note. You’ll want sites at the other end of the campground if a few cars coming in and out during the day bother you. No RV hookups at Witcher’s Cove, but if you need that you can camp on the other side of the lake at Rocky Ridge Campground.
The only downside is that the dirt road driving in and out is terrible. It is heavily washboarded and bumpy, for a few miles. We took it slow and still had minor damage to our camper trailer as one of our cabinet doors fell off on the drive in! It was probably loose to begin with, but the bumps were so bad it made the screws come out of the wood. That won’t keep us away, though. We will just tighten everything up before our next trip, and we will definitely be back!
- EElizabeth W.
GuideNorth Round Mountain
Great packed road into the camp. We stayed in November and had the place to ourselves. Lots of sites. We stayed back near the end of the camping area and had a beautiful sunrise and sunset.
Fran K.TravelerEast Ridge Campground - Royal Gorge
Primitive but very clean with lots of trails and great views of the canyon. Only 5 mins from the Royal Gorge Bridge.
Daniel H.ScoutMountaindale Cabin & RV Resort
Great spot for relaxing weekend getaway for our family. Plenty of room for the kids to explore and they even had a blow up bouncy house for them during the day. Hot tub under the stars at evening time. Very clean bathrooms!
Juliana J.
RangerPhantom Canyon
Love a little history/camping combo!
Cool spot. I like there were different sized spots and a clearly marked line where a 4WD/AWD vehicle is needed and no large rigs. I found a spot that was visible by the road, but there was water access and cool surroundings. The main road was well paved, but turning into my site was a bit rough and I needed the 4WD. There were large animal (I assume black bear) prints to give that extra bit of camping excitement, but no actual sitings (one day, Juliana. One day). Some mosquitos but not overwhelming. The scenery was gorgeous. Definitely a bit desert-esque but it was legitimately perfect weather in mid September. Cool creek rocks and a stunner of a sunset. Would absolutely return again. No numbered sites. Toilets about 1/4 mile beyond the drive through boulder.
Lauren P.TravelerFive Points Campground — Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
Very close to the highway
Basic amenities, but clean and easy to find. The campsite is very close to the highway, so if you're looking for something more off the beaten path, keep looking. However, if you just need a place to sleep with great views, this is a solid spot. We saw bighorn sheep and even heard what sounded like a bobcat possibly mountain lion at night.
Shannon F.ScoutPikes Peak RV Park
New owner are not good people
I want to start on a positive because that is the type of person I am, and because this review is going to have a lot of negative. This park is a great location for sightseeing, especially if you are going to Pikes Peak by way of the Cog or shopping in Manitou. My GM and I worked hard to make the park as great as we could with the very little funding that we got. As seen in the reviews we had excellent customer service and had high standards for keeping the park clean. I was very good at my job and I loved doing the work until the new owners took over. When the park was sold, we had high hopes that the new owners would be good people and want to put real work into the park. We were very disappointed that they turned out to be money grubbing horrible people. Ken, one of the owners, treats people and his business very Trump like. He and his wife must state that they are religious more than a few times when having a conversation; I personally think this is to make themselves look good to cover the toxicity that truly lies under the surface. When they meet people, they put on a façade and lie and say whatever they think people want to hear to get what they want; proven to me by the broken verbal promises they made to me. They are not community driven; they are money driven; you can make money and still be good people, but they chose not to be. They practice wage theft just like big corporations by over working employees and under paying them; in their words“you must wear all hats”. They are the type of people that use others until they don’t need them then throw them away like garbage. I was bullied into quitting on a phone call where Ken was very disrespectful and unprofessional with me. The phone call was me trying to explain that I could no longer do the FB post due to our deferent ethical viewpoints, and he would not let me talk by saying“you are not doing your job, are you going to quit” repeatedly. I found out that I was not allowed to post about Manitou Pride parade because he said,“it is not family friendly, and the company and I do not promote the LGBTQ+ community”. I am a proud member of that community and so I should not be the one to post on FB for the company. The groundman quit a day later because of disrespect and broken verbal promises. Then a few days later my boyfriend was fired and then Sheryl the GM was fired.(I believe they were fired for retaliation) Ken only wants employees that are easy to exploit or controlled, because he is incapable of managing people without fear and bullying. He boasted that he is called the grim reaper in business, but I don’t think that is the flex he thinks it is. But yes, he was the destruction of the community we put so much work into. I also want to voice my disappointment in Dana, who Sheryl worked hard getting to be allowed to come back as an employee. Dana did great work her first summer with us, so it was a shock to see her true colors show when she started to brown nose Ken. She spread multiple rumors, I feel the worst one was about Melinda’s daughter and the things she wrote about in her diary. I also did not like how she used David, the guy that does the golfcart tours in Manitou, was nice to his face then talked so badly about him when he was not around. I truly think Jesue and her father would be ashamed of her for how she acted to get her new position.
Guide to Fountain
Pike National Forest provides tent campsites near Fountain, Colorado, across elevations ranging from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. The area sits within the eastern slopes of the Rockies, creating dramatic temperature drops at night even during summer months. Fire restrictions typically run from May through October depending on seasonal conditions.
What to do
Rock climbing exploration: At Phantom Canyon, climbers can access walls directly from campsites. "Also has access to climbing walls right by sites," notes Josh M., making it convenient for multi-day climbing trips without needing to relocate camp.
Historic tunnel drives: Drive through historic mining tunnels on Phantom Canyon Road. "There's a cool tunnel to drive through too," mentions Evan W. from Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites. Another camper adds, "The tunnels were also super cool to go under."
Wildlife viewing opportunities: Early mornings provide optimal wildlife watching. "We had a moose and deer at our campsite during the mornings so I suggest being weary of wildlife," reports Brianna K. who camped at Dispersed Camping - Pike National Forest Divide.
What campers like
Creek-side camping: Many tent campers prefer spots near water features. One visitor at Phantom Canyon Road Pull-Off writes, "Every summer I go on a road trip, camping, backpacking and visiting national parks, while driving through Colorado we drove through phantom canyon road and we stopped about 20 times through our drive."
High-elevation cooling: Higher elevation sites offer temperature relief in summer. "Gets warm during the day but it does get pretty cold at night," reports Hayden P. about Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites, highlighting the temperature swings campers should prepare for.
Wildlife encounters: Campers regularly report wildlife sightings. "We had a fox as a neighbor!" shares Amanda D. who stayed at Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2, though she warns there was "broken glass everywhere" at her site.
What you should know
Road conditions vary significantly: Access roads range from well-maintained to challenging. "The dirt road to get there can be tricky, but I witnessed multiple sedans driving by without issue," explains Brianna K. about Pike National Forest Divide dispersed camping.
Insect protection essential: Biting insects can be problematic at certain locations. "The worst and only bad part was the insane amount of biting flies. It was unbearable at times and our dogs were very stressed from them all over them," warns Madi G. about Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites.
Weather preparedness critical: Mountain weather changes rapidly. "We went the day after a snow storm and the road was decent. I guess snow plows go through often since there's nearby residential," notes Andrew G. who tent camped at Dispersed Camping - Pike National Forest Divide.
Cell service limitations: Coverage varies dramatically by campground and elevation. "It is a canyon so you won't have any cell phone signal," observes Gregg & Sally W., though they note "Starlink worked great" for internet access at their site.
Tips for camping with families
Group camping facilities: Turkey Roost Group Camp offers dedicated infrastructure for family gatherings. "'Chelle S. describes it as a "Beautiful Space for Large Groups" with "Wonderful tent pads and facilities with space to wash dishes and store goods from wildlife."
Kid-friendly attractions: Some sites include nearby natural features for children to explore. "This is a fun spot to camp," according to Evan W. about Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites. Jayden W. adds these sites are great for "especially families!"
Safety considerations: Secure food storage is essential with children camping. "BE SMART ABOUT FOOD! We did have a bear encounter as we were driving out of the park," warns Abby D. about Red Canyon Park.
Tips from RVers
Campsite leveling needs: Uneven terrain affects RV setup. "This campsite was nice and level," mentions Tim S. about Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site, emphasizing the importance of finding flat spots for RVs and trailers.
Road clearance requirements: Many forest roads require adequate vehicle clearance. "We took our campervan. Needed leveling blocks but saw several occupied sites more level," explains Sue B. about Red Canyon Park.
Dump station availability: Few dispersed areas offer waste disposal facilities. "They're missing sewer attachment," notes Luca L. about Lone Duck Campground and Cabins, one of the few developed sites near Fountain with RV amenities.
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Which is the most popular tent campsite near Fountain, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Fountain, CO is Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites with a 4.6-star rating from 40 reviews.
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