Best Tent Camping near Hartsel, CO

Dispersed tent camping dominates the landscape surrounding Hartsel, Colorado, with several established options within a 30-mile radius. Matukat Road Dispersed Camping offers free primitive tent sites with fire rings and is located approximately 15 miles east of town. Boreas Pass Road Designated Dispersed Camping near Breckenridge provides walk-in tent sites at higher elevations with mountain views. Kite Lake Campground, situated at 12,000 feet elevation near Leadville, serves as a popular basecamp for hikers attempting nearby 14,000-foot peaks.

Most primitive tent areas require campers to be self-sufficient with all supplies. Fire rings are common at established sites, though seasonal fire bans frequently restrict open flames during summer months. Vault toilets are available at Kite Lake Campground but absent at most dispersed sites. The access roads to many tent camping areas require high-clearance vehicles, particularly at Kite Lake where the 5.5-mile approach features significant ruts and uneven terrain. Dispersed camping typically follows Forest Service regulations with 14-day stay limits and requirements to camp in previously used sites at least 100 feet from water sources.

Tent campers in the Hartsel region experience significant temperature variations, with overnight lows dropping into the 30s even during summer months at higher elevations. Sites along Boreas Pass Road offer expansive mountain views with some tree cover, while Matukat Road camping areas provide more shade from surrounding forest. The region's high-altitude tent sites serve as excellent basecamps for hiking, fishing, and wildlife viewing. Campers should prepare for afternoon thunderstorms during summer months and rapidly changing weather conditions year-round. A visitor to Kite Lake noted, "The campsite sits at over 12,000 ft so right away the temps will be much colder than other places. Also if you are not from the area or visiting from out of state, remember that you are staying at 12,000 ft and the altitude will effect you much more."

Best Tent Sites Near Hartsel, Colorado (76)

    1. Kite Lake

    13 Reviews
    Fairplay, CO
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (719) 836-2031

    $5 - $15 / night

    "Did see a Porsche, but they did not drive all the way to the end. People drive up to camp and to park to hike the Quad."

    "most reasons to head out to the kite lake area are to try and summit 4 fourteeners in one day. Mt. Democrat, Mt. Lincoln, Mt Cameron, and Mt. Bross."

    2. Matukat Road Dispersed Camping

    16 Reviews
    Lake George, CO
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (719) 553-1400

    "Rock fire pits, wood around. No water, garbage, nor toilets. Cool temps, road in is rough go slow. Nice shady trees. First few spots you encounter left, then right seem ok."

    "We drove a couple of miles up the decently maintained dirt road and found the second dispersed camping spot and decided to set up our roof top tent for the night. "

    3. Boreas Pass Road Designated Dispersed Camping

    45 Reviews
    Blue River, CO
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (970) 468-5400

    "Found this spot at about 7PM on a Friday night near the Breckenridge end of the Boreas Pass Trail (39.451441,-106.014294)."

    "This this is a long Winding Road up the mountain that has many nice places to pull over and Camp right off the road. Some are a bit further back than others. Most are accessible to any vehicle."

    5. Rich Creek Campground

    1 Review
    Granite, CO
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (719) 836-2031

    "Dispersed camping only is allowed along the trail but be sure to follow the rules about how far away you need to be from the trail and river (1/4 mile)."

    6. North Cottonwood Trailhead Dispersed Camping

    9 Reviews
    Buena Vista, CO
    27 miles

    "After a nice meal in nearby Buena Vista, Co, we headed out on the 7-8 mile drive to the trailhead. Now 7-8 miles on a CR isn’t always the same as a similar distance on a paved road."

    "A lot of spots the further up you drive towards trailhead. Found a spot right next to the creek with room for several cars and framed in by trees. Sounds of water is awesome."

    7. Chaffee County Road 390 Dispersed

    12 Reviews
    Granite, CO
    29 miles
    Website

    "Located near the town of Granite, this forest service road is host to trailheads and lots of dispersed camping."

    "* Great views and access to a stream.

    • Great sites and fire rings.
    • Access to trails nearby and Buena Vista if you need to supplies.

    Cons

    • Little to no privacy. "

    8. Twin Lakes Dispersed Camping - Site 2 West

    14 Reviews
    Granite, CO
    31 miles

    "If you go up 24 toward the South Elbert trailhead, you’ll find lots of dispersed camping options for everything from RVs to tent camping."

    "A few spots allow you to pull off and set up a tent with great views. The site we stayed in was about 50 ft from the trailhead and could accommodate a group!"

    9. McCullough Gulch Designated Dispersed Camping

    9 Reviews
    Blue River, CO
    29 miles
    Website
    +1 (970) 468-5400

    "I would recommend a 4x4 or offroad vechicle for most of the pull off roads in the area. Campsites have signs designating them and fire rings. Look for signs and pull offs from the main road."

    "As the other reviews describe, it’s a groomed dirt road entrance near the parking lot for the Mount Quandary trail."

    10. Railroad Bridge

    1 Review
    Buena Vista, CO
    21 miles
    Website

    $28 / night

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Tent Camping Reviews near Hartsel, CO

2461 Reviews of 76 Hartsel Campgrounds


  • Amanda M.
    Aug. 31, 2018

    Gore Creek Campground

    Gore Creek - Rocky Mountain camping off Highway 70

    We stayed at the Gore Creek Campground last summer 2017 on a drive from Southern California to Denver, CO. We took highway 15 through Nevada and Utah, and connected to Highway 70 in Utah to Colorado. To budget this trip, we tried to camp most of the way out and back to California - we saved our Airbnb rentals for Denver, where I️ was competing in Pole Theatre USA, an international pole dancing competition. We wanted to find a spot to camp for the night that was close to highway 70 and not toooooo far outside of Denver - Gore Creek Campground was the spot. It’s about 10-15 minutes outside of Vail, and about and hour and a half outside of Denver.

    Campsites at Gore Creek are reservable ahead of time on recreation.org - we planned this trip about 6 months in advanced so had no problem reserving a site for one night on a weeknight. This campground is fairly small, however, with fewer than 30 sites, so I️ imagine it fills up quickly during the peak summer months. There are mostly drive-in sites in this campground, but there were some neat walk-in sites in a loop beyond the drive-in sites.

    Gore Creek is a beautiful wooded campground that sits next to Gore Creek. There are a few ‘riverside sites’ in the campground, that were 60 yards or so from the creek. We had our pick of the sites that many months in advanced, so we chose site 9 as it appeared to be well secluded and close to the river - both were true! The area is densely wooded, so the sites have a lot of privacy, and the sound of the river is relaxing and peaceful at night, and drowned out most of the noise pollution from the nearby highway.

    Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. The camp hosts were extremely kind and welcoming, and kept the grounds and the vault toilets very clean. There is NO WATER available at Gore Creek, so make sure to bring in plenty of water for cooking, washing, and drinking.

    WARNING: You ARE in bear country - be bear smart and safe and use your bear box! We had our own bear box in our campsite - I believe each site has its own food locker. Try to lock all of your food and toiletries inside the food locker - they are large, and we have always been able to fit our big cooler into locker. If you do have to leave a cooler in the car, I was once told by a ranger in Yosemite NP that bears can recognize coolers when peering into car windows - he suggested putting put a towel and gear over your coolers when keeping them in the car overnight in bear territory.

    There is a lot of beautiful hiking trails in the Vail - Gore Creek area. We did not have much time to explore as I️ had an appointment in Denver in the afternoon, but the area is absolutely gorgeous.

    CAMPSITE SPECS

    Fees: $25/night

    Plumbed Toilets: NO - vault

    Water: NO

    Showers: NO

    Picnic Table: Yes

    Firepit: Yes

    Cooking Grate: Yes

    Shade: Yes

    Cell Service: Yes

    Trash: Yes

    Animal Bins/Food Lockers: YES

  • Staci W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 23, 2022

    East Ridge Campground - Royal Gorge

    Pricey but beautiful

    This campground used to be free when I first found it years ago while visiting the Royal Gorge. Since the city has invested money into fixing up the campsites with fire rings, tent pads, and what seems to be pretty good county road maintenance, it’s definitely understandable why they charge a fee.

    No water is available. There are vault toilets.

    There are NO bear boxes.

    Rules worth nothing (according to the sign upon entering camp):

    1. no alcohol (that didn’t seem to stop anyone from enjoying themselves at their site)
    2. You can only stay for 72 hours per visit unless otherwise noted.

    There’s lots of hiking and mountain bike trails near the campground, which brought lots of mellow mtb riders in during my stay.

    Because of the rules/amenities, i felt the price was a little steep as others have mentioned. However it is clean, close enough to Cañon city that you can go to town if needed, but far enough away to “unplug” from the world in a beautiful location. Overall I’d recommend visiting this campsite! I’ll happily return.

  • Mike S.
    Oct. 12, 2018

    West Chicago Creek

    Great place to stay, but Mt. Evans is 10 miles away

    I love this place. The campground is full every weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day due to reservations made at recreation.gov up to 6 months and more than 48 hours in advance, and being so close to metro Denver.

    The campground has 16 sites; 4 Walk-In, 1 host and 11 are reservable. Check in after 2:00 and check out by 1:00. If someone has a reservation, like a hotel, their site is held until 1:00 the next day because of the Forest Service rule that the campsite must be occupied the first night and they could have had delays.

    The campground is at 9600’ and the last mile of the dirt road is a bit rough, but I have seen low profile cars and 42’ Class A motor home with a towed vehicle. Well water normally supplies the campground to faucets, but has not been productive the entire 2019 season and there are vault toilets. Each site has its own bear box and fire ring. The creek is less than 100 meters from the campground and fishing this year was poor... water level was low. Lots of great hiking and climbing in the area. About a 40 degree difference between day and night. During the fire ban, dispersed camping is limited to just a few areas so the campground is a great place to stay and you might still be able to have a fire in the fire ring. Privately owned cabins can be seen as you walk through the woods. Hell’s Hole Trail is a few hundred yards from the campground. I’m looking forward to going back there as host next year.

  • Renee H.
    Jul. 2, 2024

    Chapman Campground And Group Camp - White River NF

    Remote, off grid camping in the mountains

    This remote campground might pose some access challenges for larger rigs. Clean pit toilets, no showers, no laundry. Fresh drinking water and dumpsters are available. No dump station in campground. Mixture of river and non river sites. Plenty of room and privacy between sites. No mobile phone coverage, no wi-fi, no amenities within 30 miles of the campground. 2 campground hosts on site. Small reservoir lake nearby for fishing and canoeing. Hiking and fishing nearby. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and bear box.

  • k
    May. 6, 2024

    Ruby Mountain Campground — Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area

    Beautiful spot

    Really gorgeous camping spot with easy access to tons of different outdoor activities. Tent sites are very well maintained and very beautiful. Walk-in sites are very close to parking, I would barely consider them walk-in sites. My only complaint is that the tent pads are made of gravel and therefore extremely hard to properly stake down tents.

  • William C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 5, 2023

    West Chicago Creek

    Quiet Campsite

    Quiet campground- especially early in the season.

    $22/night; Firewood bundles on-site for $9.

    Each site has a picnic table and a bear box for food storage.

    Bathrooms were clean. Sites are smaller and very close together. Little privacy if visiting during a busier time.

    Sites 7, 9, and 11 have trails that connect back to Chicago creek just a short distance away. Hiking trails are close by to nearby forests land. No cell service.

  • J
    Jun. 23, 2025

    Rocking Chair Campground — Eleven Mile State Park

    High Winds, Rough Roads - Won't Stay Again

    The reservoir and surrounding areas are beautiful, but we don't plan to return to this campground. The roads in are so rough and created so much vibration that it was actually damaging to our A-Liner camper (with an off-road package). The speed limit is 55 and we weren't able to go much faster than 10 mph without the vibration becoming unbearable. The campsites are totally exposed with no tree cover, but it was too windy to set up our shade tent. The winds were so strong that we slept poorly; a neighbor in a tent said the wind ripped off two of his rain fly straps overnight. We chose Site 612 because the sites in that loop looked more private and spacious, but we failed to note that there was no bathroom on that side of the campground, with the nearest facilities being a short drive away. We left after the first night.

  • J
    Aug. 28, 2018

    Collegiate Peaks

    Beautiful and the people really practice leave no trace.

    I gave this a 4 star because of the crowds.I backpacked to a high alpine lake called Kroenke Lake in the Collegiate Peaks wilderness area near Buena Vista, CO in August to catch some high country Cutthroats. This is a very popular hike during the summer. Camping can be congested but there are enough trees in between spots for some privacy. The designated camp sites we kept very clean by the previous visitors. There was not any trash in or around the fire ring that I often come across in other areas. The people that have previously visited, practiced leave no trace with the exception of the designated fire ring. The scenery was beautiful with a gorgeous lake with peaks of granite in the background. All of the people on the trail were friendly and courteous. It does get congested on the weekend being so close to Buena Vista and Salida. If you go little further, you can escape the congestion. I would highly recommend this hike to anyone looking for a weekend backpack trip.

  • K
    May. 2, 2019

    Mueller State Park Campground

    Amazing Facilities

    Some friends and I camped here in early October. It got a bit chilly at night, two layers, smartwool socks, a Carhart beanie, sleeping pad plus a medium temp sleeping bag kept me semi warm in our tent. The hikes we went on were beautiful and the restrooms were clean and close to our site. Because it was a last minute reservation we ended up in the RV section of the campsite so it was a little nosier than neccessary. We saw the park ranger ride through about every half hour to hour during our weekend stay. I would defintely stay there again!


Guide to Hartsel

Primitive tent campsites near Hartsel, Colorado occupy public lands across Pike and San Isabel National Forests. This high-altitude region sits at elevations between 8,800 and 12,000 feet, creating marked temperature differences between day and night throughout the camping season. Most dispersed areas lack infrastructure beyond fire rings, with campers encountering subalpine forest conditions dominated by aspen, pine, and open meadow terrain.

What to do

Hike the Collegiate Peaks: Access multiple 14,000-foot mountains from North Cottonwood Trailhead Dispersed Camping near Buena Vista. "We hiked the trail to Kroenke Lake in the morning. Great spot!!" notes Kelsie S.

Explore mountain lakes: Primitive tent areas near Twin Lakes provide access to pristine alpine waters. "If you have a 4x4 vehicle and can make your way toward the trailhead for south Mt Elbert, there are some amazing spots...right on the end of Lily Ponds," writes Brielle E.

Wildlife viewing opportunities: Cattle and wildlife sightings are common at primitive sites. At Matukat Road Dispersed Camping, "Livestock do graze in the area, we saw a herd of cows that initially we thought were bears so we had a split second of worry before realizing what they were," reports John M.

Mountain biking access: Forest roads throughout the region provide mountain biking routes with campsites serving as staging areas. "There are a lot of really good options you can just park your car at. You can also get pretty far up the trail in a standard car," explains Brandon M.

What campers like

Solitude and spacing: Most dispersed areas offer separation between sites. At McCullough Gulch Designated Dispersed Camping, "Didn't see another person on a Wednesday night. Very peaceful and plenty of spots to choose from," writes Justin J.

Natural features: Campers appreciate unique landscape elements near tent sites. "We found a nice spot right next to the creek with room for several cars and framed in by trees. Sounds of water is awesome. Couldn't hear any other campers," shares Kelsie S.

Accessibility for smaller vehicles: Many primitive areas can be reached without specialized transportation. On Matukat Road, John M. notes: "Plenty of campsites to choose from and accessible with 2WD (at least during the summer). Arrived mid-afternoon on a Friday and had our pick of the sites."

Strategic basecamp locations: Tent sites serve as starting points for major hikes. A camper at Chaffee County Road 390 Dispersed explains: "We stayed here one night before some 14er hiking the next morning. Rolled in around 9PM on a Wednesday and had a ton of places to camp."

What you should know

Road conditions vary significantly: Access to tent camping areas requires careful route planning. For Boreas Pass Road Designated Dispersed Camping, a camper advises: "Road is fine for high clearance. But all of us with 4WD ask that you move over for us."

Temperature fluctuations: Nights remain cold even in summer. At McCullough Gulch, Justin J. reports: "Temps were high 70s in the evenings and low 40s at night in mid July so prepare with layers."

Sites fill predictably: Weekend arrivals face competition for prime spots. "We drove up from Denver Saturday morning... Great trail. Rained a little but it was not a big deal. Decent amount of traffic on the road throughout the day and into the evening. Really cool to be able to snag a spot around lunchtime on a Saturday," says Luke R.

Limited infrastructure: Most sites completely lack facilities. "These sites are dispersed camping, no amenities. No metal fire rings, picnic tables, restrooms or trash bins," notes Anthony P.

Tips for camping with families

Stream access for kids: Look for sites with natural water features. Near Twin Lakes Dispersed Camping - Site 2 West, "We found a great spot that had several fire rings and lots of space for parking," reports Myrinda G.

Designated camping with clear boundaries: Designated dispersed areas provide structure without strict campground rules. At McCullough Gulch, one camper details: "Campsites are clearly marked 1-6, but there may be others...Campsite 1: We stayed here...Very nice wooded area that even 2 smaller trailers could camp in. Lots of nice places for tents. Might be a good group camping area."

Moderate outdoor activities: Some tent camping areas offer milder recreation options. Along Matukat Road, Chris P. mentions: "There's good hiking the area as well. The road getting in was doable. We didn't need to engage the four-wheel-drive so the only thing I would advise is you need some reasonable clearance to get all the way back in here."

Avoid peak traffic periods: Road traffic disturbs some tent sites. At Chaffee County Road 390, a camper warns: "TONS OF TRAFFIC. Like I said, it was Labor Day weekend so it's to be expected - but the trucks/cars/rvs driving past our site (which was still a little ways off the road) towards the large campsite in Winfield kicked up a lot of dust."

Tips from RVers

High clearance vehicles only: Most tent camping areas have constraints for larger vehicles. At McCullough Gulch, Rebecca B. cautions: "If you are in a tent, these may provide some great options. We went by the first 6 sites. Even with our lifted AWD van, there were sites we didn't want to drive up to."

Limited turn-around space: Consider vehicle positioning before committing to narrow roads. "A large RV or trailer might be able to just pull in to an area straight down road, but it would be facing the wrong direction and backing out would be challenging," advises a camper at McCullough Gulch.

Satellite connectivity issues: Dense forests block satellite signals. "It is heavily wooded, so if you need Starlink that likely would not work," notes Rebecca B.

Parking layout planning: Some dispersed areas require strategic vehicle placement. At Railroad Bridge, Shane W. explains: "You park in a spot in the lot and carry your stuff to your site. The $28 doesn't include a vehicle pass if you don't have a state park pass."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Hartsel, CO?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Hartsel, CO is Kite Lake with a 4.3-star rating from 13 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Hartsel, CO?

TheDyrt.com has all 76 tent camping locations near Hartsel, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.