Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland

This is one of my all-time favorite places to hike and camp in Colorado. I have not yet stayed in any of the campgrounds but have backpacked to the top of the American Lakes Trail. Not only is this hike fantasticly beautiful and full of wildlife (tons of moose especially) but there is great dispersed camping along the trails. You simply cannot find more scenic and free camping in Colorado. I would highly recommended camping anywhere in State Forest State Park!

Also, there are quite a few huts, cabins and yurts that can be rented year round in SFSP!

Beautiful spot to rest before a long day of hiking. My dogs and I loved our stay

Awesome camp site, great staff, beautiful right on the river, fresh water. Showers are located in center of KOA so be ready to walk or drive over. Very dog friendly and well maintained tent sites!

Something for everyone. My dog could swim in north Michigan reservoir. The kids could ride bikes in trails and throw rocks in the water. Hiking was fun. Beautiful views. Bathrooms close and super clean.

This spot was nice and just a quick drive outside of Fort Collins. There was tons of shade and easy access to trails. Loved the river nearby to play in and let dog swim.

Amazing views and something for everyone. My 4 year olds threw rocks in the reservoir, they bikes on nearby trails. The bathrooms were clean too. My dog was able to cool off in the reservoir on a hike. Overall, it was a great trip we will be headed back!

We went up in Mid-sept with our dogs to photograph fall color change and were not disappointed. There is a short trail around the reservoir and we even got pictures of a couple beavers. The campground itself is decent and I've never seen it crowded. Road is impassable in winter.

I love camping. I love the opportunity to connect to the wild spaces that surround us. I love finding people who share that same passion. What I don't love, is sharing a campground with someone who obviously has no regard for the safety of their fellow campers or the wild animals that call those wild spaces home. Over Labor Day weekend I got the opportunity to camp at State Forest State Park in Colorado and a 'fellow camper' 2 sites down from us made choices that put us all, and one of the coolest cow moose and her calf in danger. Despite knowledge of moose being present in the area, the campers would go to bed every night and leave all of their trash out, and various food and drink sources scattered around their campsite as well. The moose quickly learned she had easy access to food there and frequented their site. Each time they would honk their horn and blow a whistle and clang pans, but moose are typically not afraid of humans at all, so she did not deter easy. Not only did they lure her into their trap, they then harassed her and disturbed the peace of the other campers. They clearly had no regard for the rules of campground and had their dogs off leash many times, one evening one of their dogs chased the moose out of their site, much to their amusement. I reported them to the rangers, and was assured they would be talked to, but their behavior did not change. If that moose decides to 'fight back' instead of run off, it will be her that pays the price. My sisters and I made sure our site was clean and tidy and even when the moose visited during dinner one evening all that was needed from us to scare her off, were a few claps and shouts. My point is this, we have a responsibility to utilize our wild spaces responsibly, and in my opinion, if you can't do that, then you lose the privilege to use them. Enjoy some of the pictures from that weekend, and remember to recreate responsibly, and if you see something, say something!

Stayed for 3 nights w/ my dogs. Campground was about 40% occupid the entire time. Bathrooms were clean. Limited cell service. I have t-mobile and could pick up a few bars at the entrance but not at campsite. Grab groceries before bc you’re in the middle of no where. About 2-3 miles of gravel to get to sites but well maintained.

If you like camping, rafting, and fishing, then this is the perfect site! We've gone back year after year and it never disappoints. Each site has a picnic table, a fire pit, and a drive way that can squeeze 2 cars and trailers if they aren't huge. You have to find flat ground to set your tent on, but it exists. We love that there is a boat ramp right on site so we can push off from there and go as far as we want. There is some firewood, but bring an axe to break it down. Each pit has a grilling platform which makes it easy to grill out. Freshwater can be filled at the gas station in town for free. They are super nice and make sure to purchase something from there at least once during the trip. Dogs are allowed but most people don't have theirs on a leash, so be aware if you dog is one that may not get along with others well. The bathrooms are a toilet over a hole in the ground. Bring extra TP just in case. There are some great hiking areas around as well, just be aware of bears, mountain lions, and moose. Absolutely love this site; can't wait to go back this summer.

We stayed here for a night with our dog while passing through Wyoming. The area is BEAUTIFUL. Lots of wildlife and scenic views. Bathrooms were clean and conveniently scattered throughout the sites. Easy to find if you just follow the signs for camping! We made it back pretty far in our all wheel drive lower clearance Subaru. LOTS of mosquitoes though, so make sure to bring bug spray or cover up!

Beautiful Aspen groves surround you as you roll on endlessly down well maintained dirt roads. I've put in specific coordinates, but you can follow any of these FS roads after you pass through the "town" of Columbine. I prefer to go up to the right along 550. But you can't go wrong. 

Free range sheep are being guarded by Great Pyreneese dogs, Moose and Pronghorn are all abundant. Bears too, so lock it all up. 

Great easy MTB on the roads and some smaller trails.

Leave no trace.

Recommend 4x4 high clearance to get to the campsites. If you have low clearance, there are a couple right at the start but they don't have much tree clearance. 

We drove about a quarter mile down the road and got a campsite that was lush with a ton of tree coverage. It felt like we were alone in the world, no other campsites in site. We even saw elk walking around the mossy ground. Bring bug spray!

Dog friendly, no amenities.

This place is down a long dirt ride through private property so be kind and mind the hours. When you get to the end, take the right fork and you’ll find two, rather close together, camping areas. When nobody is here it’s wonderful - right next to a creek, dogs can run around, and it is so very quiet and secluded. If I’m ever in Wyoming I’ll head back to this little spot.

There’s also a boat ramp, and I imagine if you fish, the creek would be a nice little spot to fish.

We just returned from a quick overnight at Freeman Res Campground and enjoyed it more than any other camping this Summer. The campsites are well separated, and screened by trees for good privacy. Despite a mostly full campground after dark it was very quiet, no generators, no barking dogs, and no big parties. There is a mixture of pull through, back in, and some tent sites for all camping types. Multiple trailheads start at the campground or close by it. The reservoir is for non-motorized watercraft only, not all campsites can see the reservoir but one loop of sites can. We will go back and hope to enjoy multiple seasons from this campground.

This wooded campground has a very narrow season. Gravel roads (starting at Albany) were snowed in 4 miles out in late May 2019, While there are gendered vault toilets (TP stocked), bring your own water for cooking and cleaning. This fact alone makes it better for RVs than tent campers like us. There are loads of sites, well spaced with fire rings and picnic tables. We got rain and small hail on the 3rd weekend in July and it got to 40 F or below overnight. Deer, chipmunks, and a bald eagle were spotted. There were mosquitoes. There is a boat ramp into the reservoir. Heavily ATV traffic. Dog friendly but must be on leash. Gunfire noted early and late across reservoir. With proper prior planning, you will probably have a pleasant experience.

Right outside of Steamboat Springs is Steamboat KOA. This campground has so many perks. Not only is there a beautiful Mountain View but it also has the Yampa river running through it. It has Rv sites, cute cabins, and tent sites. The Rv sites are separated in areas by what you need(electric, water, sewage). The RV sites each have picnic tables and a fire ring. There are regular cabins and deluxe ones which both include tables and fire rings. The tent area is located across the river and is so peaceful. There is a general store, putt putt, propane fill, a small dog run, bikes for rent, swimming in season and the city bus comes to take you to town for free. Although it is located right off the road, it was still peaceful and I felt safe. My favorite part about this campground is the fact you can stand on the bridge or sit by the Yampa River and enjoy the beauty and sounds, and watching people fly fish.

We stayed in cabin #3 and it was an awesome experience! We had room enough for 4 people and 3 dogs and didn't feel like we were on top of each other. The gas stove kept us nice and toasty all night long! 

There are 4 cabins. Ours seemed to be the smallest sleeping 5. The largest cabin can easily hold 30 people. 

The bathroom was a pit toilet, which was up the hill and farthest from our cabin so it was a chilly bathroom run in the middle of the night. 

We spent a lot of time sledding and snowshoeing and we were basically the only ones out there. There was another large group in the bigger cabin but we barely saw them until they left on Sunday. 

The beds were plastic coated so it was easy to throw a sheet over them and sleep. The Couch was a bit gross, not sure if the cover gets washed much. There were shelves to hold food and an outdoor picnic table in the room to cook on.

The 26 campsites at the Crags Campground in State Forest State Park were very basic and accessed by a road that was steep and narrow. No RVs or trailers allowed or able to make it up the narrow one lane access road, which made it nice and quiet for tent camping. Fire grills and picnic tables provided, but no designated tent pads, no bear boxes, no electricity, and only a tough to use hand pump for water in the center of the campground. As of August 2018, there was an appallingly old and poorly maintained pit toilet for the campground use--with a brand new, nice looking pit toilet complete with handicapped parking--locked and roped off with construction netting. We were visited by a moose at dinner time two nights in a row as she had unfortunately become accustomed to eating from people's unsecured trash and had a special liking for hot dogs and potato chips. Beautiful place, with neat animals, but be aware how basic it really is.