Best Campgrounds near Manitou Springs, CO

Critical Review of Diamond Campground (Woodland Park, CO) – July-August 2024 Stay: • Construction Disruption: Active construction adjacent to the campground caused constant noise and disruption. Our RV site bordered the work zone directly. • Owner Retaliation: After rebooking our RV site online to avoid construction noise, the owner became livid and placed us on her so-called “hate list.” This hostility escalated until her militant enforcement forced us to leave abruptly, despite being paid long-term guests. • Hostile Staff Interactions: Staff members (described as “militant”) stalked, yelled at, and physically blocked my laundry room exit. Police intervened but cited private property laws, leaving us no recourse but to depart immediately due to Jan forcing us to leave. Also questioned several times about our religious affiliation as CHARIS students.
• Dilapidated Resident RV Sites: Many long-term senior residents live in permanent structures surrounded by clutter and junk, creating an unsightly environment. • Extreme Pet Policies: We were threatened with eviction unless we used a shock collar on our dog for minor barking. Avoid This Campground If: • You value privacy, flexibility, or peaceful stays. • You expect clean, well-maintained surroundings. • Your dog might bark (even briefly). Alternatives: Meadow Ridge Campground or Rampart Range Resort offer better amenities and respectful management.

We were lucky enough to arrive here during moth season and I'm talking hundreds of thousands of moths (I think they were Millers moths). No matter what we did, we had moths all over the place.

Anyway,  the park was really nice, the people friendly, the walks were cool.

I wish I took some pictures.

Great spots in here! Lots of shade in the morning at our spot. We were by a dirt road and did have a few vehicles drive by but not bad. There is bear scat, not old and not new, in the area but no wildlife was seen.

These are blm campsites. There are pit toilets right when you cross into blm land and a sign that explains that you have to camp in designated areas. Like most blm locations there is a 14 day max.

We got our 19 foot travel trailer into a spot with icy conditions, but the road does get quite a bit rougher if you keep going in. Great T-Mobile and Verizon service (2+ bars of 5g)

I started camping this area a couple of years ago and have been coming back several times a year. Over 30 dispersed campsites along a moderately smooth dirt road. Sites are spaced well apart, some sites are covered in trees while others are wide open. I haven’t seen one there yet but it’s good to stay BEAR AWEAR. Sites are clean. I camped at sites 15, 18, 22(twice), 26 (twice ), and there’s two sites close to Wellington lake that I’ve stayed three times . Yes it’s a good place to camp and only about a hour from Denver. My visits were between May to October. Only a fire ring is provided,everything else you’ll need to bring……AND PACK OUT when you leave so the next camper can enjoy the site like you did.

My first experience was a couple of years ago (2022) I paid for three days camping . It snowed and was unable to camp….no refunds… The following year I bought 6 day passes to go fishing and only used 3. They said no refunds….. told them to keep the money and give the passes to the next three people who came in and wanted one….they said that they couldn’t do that.. So, I still tell people about how beautiful the place is…..and I also tell them that they WILL keep your money no matter what happens…. I’ll camp in the dispersed camping sites on the road that takes you to the private over priced campground….. Oh by the way…it’s catch and release. So, if you want fish for supper you better bring your own.

A hidden gem in the Colorado Rockies, Rainbow Trout Ranch offers a serene mountain retreat. With its riverside setting and towering trees, this campground is perfect for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. The sites are rustic but well-kept, and the peaceful environment is ideal for disconnecting from the hustle and bustle of Denver. Nearby hiking trails and wildlife add to the charm.

AIM for a site along the creek. And beware of the rules. No wildfires nor swimming in the creek.

There were a lot of options for us to pull off and camp. We had gone the day after a snow storm and the road was decent. I guess snow plows go through often since there’s nearby residential. Each campsite was decently spaced and far enough from the road so that you can U turn it and it doesn’t feel like you’re just pulling off to the side (accommodated out RTT nicely) There were great views and the pups enjoyed it.

This is a lovely campground, overlooking Colorado Springs. There are some pull through sites and many back in. The wind can be a little fierce. The showers and other facilities are clean and well-maintained, and my only complaint is the showers are more lukewarm than hot.

Very accommodating staff. Most camping grounds in the area weren’t answering their phones after 16:00, others had automated systems and others had phone numbers that weren’t valid anymore. This camping ground not only was it open until 7pm on. Saturday but they had super friendly staff that did a great job and accommodated us last minute. We called at 18:50 and arrived at 21:00 and everything was ready for us! Would definitely recommend to anyone passing by!

Beautiful location. Clean, modern restrooms. Well maintained services building with showers and laundry. Nice level sites.

The road here has some gnarly washboards. I had to slow down to a crawl at points because it was thrashing my rig around so much. There is also one turn on the road where if you’re not careful, I could imagine getting stuck. However, the views are incredible and it was well worth the effort. Cell signal from Verizon is extremely good, I am getting 5G UWB and download speeds of 180mbps. There’s some cool hills to climb and many great views.

Very clean, very well maintained. Large spaces near the lake.

Finally, a nice campsite on a road that isn't horrible. There are 30+ designated, numbered, dispersed campsites on this road. Each of them have a parking area right along the road with a fire ring a short distance away surrounded by awesome rock outcroppings. The parking areas tend to be very unlevel and there are only a few that you can pull right up to your campsite. #6 had a level spot large enough for my van and the camping area just a few steps away. These are great campsites and the area is really awesome. After so many horrible roads and places closed, it was a blessing to find this spot. The road is a bit of a washboard, but that is nothing compared to most of the forest roads in Colorado. Highly recommended! Cell service with At&t in site 6 is decent. Calling is 2 bars. at least half of the sites are big rig friendly. All of the sites are 100% free.

Pretty great dispersed site. Beautiful sun sets. I had great phone service. There are three campsites running along three different fingers. The second one has a portable bathroom. I talked to some locals who said grabbing deadfall was fine for fire wood. Quick 20 minute drive to get back into town for supplies. No water sources so you’ll have to pack out water. All the fire pits are hand build and being on the finger you’re pretty exposed to the wind keeping the fires small and not very hot. Most of the sites are not flat. If you enjoy camping with little amenities you’ll like this site 

Was pretty busy, hard to find a spot at first but found a campsite across the stream that you cross a log on. Beautiful drive to get to.