Highlands Ranch is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Highlands Ranch, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Highlands Ranch camping trip.
$36 - $200 / night
"Very near relatives in Highlands Ranch, CO. It is a cool place to visit and relax. Even better if you want to fish and/or boat!!! Very great for day visits."
"It's very close to Denver, with every amenity you could think Of! This isn't how we usually camp, but after 4 days of driving and hiking we needed this mini oasis!"
$28 - $432 / night
"Arapahoe Group Loop has a great pavillion with outdoor kitchen and bathroom. Overall Camper amenities are great and very clean. Many well shaded individual sites are available."
"Very pretty campground with tidy tent spots and on-site bathrooms, showers for rent, and laundry. Very easy to access even from the RTD bus stop."
"This was our first time staying at Bear Creek Lake. The park is not part of the Colorado Wilds or CPW State Park system, but daily vehicle fees are included with your camping reservation."
"We chose this campground to be close to Red Rocks for a show. We didn’t expect much from it, but we really liked it! Yes– as some reviews say– you can see Home Depot from the campground."
$50 - $170 / night
"The elite spots are spaced out more and have paved patios with propane fire pits and Adirondack chairs. Spots are level and make set-up easy."
"Propane fire pit looks nice but could not use. Must have a 20 pound tank. Store was closed as we arrived at 5 pm.
Train and traffic noise as expected for location. Lot of stuff for kids."
$18 / night
"The campground office restrooms were open, heated and clean. Trash dumpsters were available as were recycling cans. The electric hookups were on."
"The drive from Golden up into the park is beautiful and you truly feel like you are leaving the noise of Denver and the metro behind."
$34 - $40 / night
"Super close to Denver and offered through the City of Lakewood. The sites are for tent/RV and have electric hookups. Beautiful area."
"Super friendly staff.
The Bad: Day use Denverite humans on bicycles who run their mouths as the peddle past. (Get a job, Chad)."
$40 - $120 / night
"Currently they don't have day-use open, so there's plenty of space at the lake to set-up and spend the day playing with the kids."
"You could only use the lake if you had existing reservations so it was pretty open and empty.
The sites were well spaced out and there was plenty of space for tents and vehicles."
$24 / night
"This wasn't the campground we were supposed to stay at, but our spot was not ready, so we were able to stay here while we waited."
"Trash dumpster. Peaceful and perfect for relaxing. Lovely views, and did I mention you can just walk all over in the river?"
$35 - $55 / night
"The ranger crew is serious about conserving the area’s natural eco system, but still very inviting and kind!"
"There’s no hook ups for water, electric or dump sites although there are water spigots that can be used to fill fresh water. The shower is an outdoor shower."
$28 / night
"Most, if not all sites, have a picnic table and fire pit. During reservable season (Memorial Day to Labor Day I believe), the campground host usually has firewood for sale."
"Sitting along the banks of the South Platte River, this site features on site toilets, campsite host, and quick access to the water for fly fishing or just dipping the toes in."
GuideLone 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. We were out and about during the days, but Lone Duck was nice to return to each afternoon.
Reservations were easy to do online. They had the site ready for us when we arrived.
Site 45 was great for our pop up. If we had our 30’ trailer, we wouldn’t have had room for our truck. The site is right next to a lovely stream that really drowned out any road noise. We slept great with the white noise the stream produced. Our site had a picnic table and fire pit (with grill grate). We had water and 30/20 amp electric.
The bathrooms/showers were in the main office. The men’s restroom had a couple of stalls and three showers. They were sufficient for me. The women’s restroom was small and cramped according to my wife. It appears the floors and walls had been coated with a garage floor or bed-liner material. It wasn’t the most appealing but again was sufficient. We did use the laundry room and all machines worked fine.
There is a store, small dining area, and arcade in the main office along with the restrooms and laundry room. Wifi was hit or miss from the campsites. It was better inside the office. The check in staff was aware of the wifi and mentioned they were working on it. (We weren’t here for the internet so again, not an issue for us).
The kids did swim in the pool. The water was warm and they seemed to enjoy playing with other kiddos there. There is a small playground next to the pool and fishing pond. Kids played there frequently until quiet hours.
There are a few small cabins on the grounds and separate sections of the park for tents. There are houses just across the stream from our site but we never heard from or noticed any of the neighbors.
There is quite a bit of greenery throughout the campground. I thought the place could use a mowing or weed eating, but maybe it’s normal to have local grasses/plants left alone to grow.
As others have mentioned it is a bit tricky getting in and out. If you leave toward Woodland Park, you’ll have to cross a couple of lanes and make u-turn. Same thing of your coming to the campground from Manitou. You’ll make a u-turn.
Overall, we liked the place and would stay again.
ScoutWe stayed in one of the glamping tents at Bear Bottoms and it was truly an unforgettable experience. The tent was spacious, beautifully decorated, and incredibly comfortable. All tucked away in the woods! The bed was cozy, the lighting created a peaceful ambiance, and we loved having little touches of rustic charm with modern comfort.
The property itself is serene and so well-maintained. We enjoyed relaxing by the stove in the evenings, listening to the sounds of nature, and just soaking in the peaceful atmosphere. It was the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation (there is some light traffic sounds that died down at night). Us and the dog enjoyed roaming and hiking in the area.
The hosts were fantastic! Debbie and Justin were friendly, responsive, and clearly passionate about creating a special place for guests. Every detail felt intentional and welcoming.
If you're looking for a unique getaway that blends the beauty of nature with the comforts of home, Bear Bottoms Glamping is a must.
GuideGreat campground here at this state park. We have always stayed in the Arapahoe Group Loop for holiday weekends. Arapahoe Group Loop has a great pavillion with outdoor kitchen and bathroom. Overall Camper amenities are great and very clean. Many well shaded individual sites are available. Campsites are far from other park amenities like Dog Park, Shooting Range, Marina. Swim beach is a 10 minute walk-able distance from campground. Recommend driving to get around the park.
GuideBeautiful lakeside camping just outside of Denver. Campsites are a bit close together, but great for groups! No hookups here but you have bathroom facilities and a visitor center where you can buy firewood. Campfires allowed in the fire pits. If you have an RV beware quiet hours from 10pm to 8am, no generators allowed. Lake is perfect for paddleboarding, kayaking and fishing and you will most likely have phone service if you are with AT&T or Verizon. Many day use areas, however vehicles and individuals are charged. For campers, if you bring more than one vehicle you will be charged daily for any additional ones. No drinking water is available, you must bring your own. Dirt roads to the lake are rough and narrow. Close to Deckers for incidentals. Intersects with the Colorado trail for hiking and biking and close to the Colorado River for tubing!
GuideBase Camp at Golden Gate Canyon is everything you expect it to be and more from the overview! Nestled right in beautiful Colorado, even!& I love camping! Okay, I admit, I love‘camping’ in parks where there are cabins with beds and air! So of course, we stayed in a climate controlled cabin! Reminded me of KOA Campgrounds and similar price except this park is in COLORADO with amazing views and KOA’s are just barely outside of boring iowa/SD cities(the ones we stayed in) the scenic walks were worth it themselves!
But they have all sites, not just cabins, of course.(: I have 3 children and not one of them wanted to leave!!!(Made my sanity go a bit crazy, but says a lot when children stay somewhere for vacation and aren’t complaining and becoming bored before the end!) When we didn’t understand something they jumped to explain without being annoyed or irritated. They really hooked us up there! A little note: in my experience, and I’m sure everyone there is great, but Dillon, especially, took so much time to answer our questions show us around and ensure we had a quality time! He was so kind and has that approachable personality of someone who loves to help others and ensure you have the best possible time!! 10/10 would stop again!
LegendWe 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
GuideIt’s a small campground at the entrance to Mount Evans. Some of the sites are very close proximity, while others are pretty spread out. The camp host Rick was awesome! If your looking to party it up all night, this is not the place for you. Rick follows the quiet hours to a T! I would recommend this place for a night or 2. Also recommend the drive up to Mount Evans, spectacular views! There is a store/restaurant across the street from the campground, but it’s mostly touristy things, no camping supplies.
LegendI typically rate campgrounds as they fit into 1 of 5 categories. This campground will be rated as a Basecamp — grounds that offer a comfortable home base that you’re happy to return to after a day of exploring the surrounding area. Ratings for this category are based on: Value to cost: 4 Overall grounds: 4 Utility of sites (hookups, layout, accessibility): 4 Local Attraction Proximity: 5 Reservation Process/Ease of Getting a Site: 5 Amenities: 4 Customer Service: 5 Cleanliness: 4
In the mountains of Manitou Springs/Colorado Springs, just off the 24 highway, Loneduck Campground is tucked away down a driveway you will surely miss if you’re not paying close attention (look for the empty sign post sticking up from the highway, see my video). The grounds are quite nice... not luxury but rustic mountain vibe. Large trees and greenery with sites surrounding a small pond.
This is clearly a favorite destination for locals... lots of groups of friends with kids gathering and spending time together. If you dislike kids, you may want to reconsider. Kids laughing and enjoying fishing, the pool and playground up until quiet hours. We don’t have kids but enjoyed the sounds. Nights were quiet, even with the highway overhead. We slept every night with the windows open and the car noise was not an issue. It only got louder in the mornings. Barking dogs were much louder, but still not an issue.
The utilities were good enough, though water pressure was pretty low, especially once our neighbor arrived and fed off the same pipe.
While we didn’t use any, the amenities looked nice. Pool looked lovely and the playground was... beloved by the kids. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the pond with fishing. Fire pits were out of use due to the ban and there was a large dishwashing station for tent campers. There is an arcade which looked perfectly retro. We did use laundry, the machines were fine (takes quarters) but the room itself was a bit dingy. Can’t speak for showers or restrooms. The picnic table at our site had seen better days. Our biggest point of confusion was the placement of the dump station, right at the exit, so in some cases, people that don’t have to dump still have to wait for people to dump in order to leave. There was a long line on a Sunday morning but we managed to squeeze thru after about 10 minutes.
Staff was quite nice but if you’re very worried about COVID, be warned that virtually nobody wears a mask and high touch surfaces don’t seem to be cleaned frequently.
For everything they offer at the grounds, I think the price is very reasonable. They’re right next to the Pikes Peak by way and so close to so many other attractions/adventures. Also, there’s a running/walking path that brings you to Green Mountain Falls town just 1/2 mile away but you have to walk on Rt 24 for about 100 yards to get to the next street, so be careful.
The reservation process was a breeze and they were very responsive and accommodating when we wanted to add a day. A great spot to spend time.
TravelerYes Mountain High!! 8100’ high. 7 miles off I-70 at Idaho Springs. 25 miles into outskirts of Denver. Don’t worry they have oxygen! Not kidding!!
Nice campground, friend staff, laundry, fun little gift shop with some food stuffs, beer and liquor. Pizza cooked there but we didn’t try it.
Our space was a big rig space on concrete pad with ample seating, a table, a fire pit, and a propane grill stove… use you own propane! Full hook ups. It was still reaching freezing at night and so we didn’t hook up our water.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Highlands Ranch, CO is Chatfield State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 77 reviews.
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