Best Tent Camping near Meeker, CO

One of my favorite tent camping spots, most sites are private and right along the creek. The park also provides bins to carry supplies to the tent sites which makes it much easier since you can’t park at your site.

This was a great campground just south (3 miles) from Meeker Colorado. Roads and lots were gravel but well maintained. Sites are packed rock and pretty level. Full hooks ups with sewer, everything worked great. Even had good WiFi that allowed us to work all week. James the host was very friendly and accommodating. Right along the white river, flowing strong in late May. Saw deer 2 mornings. Sites are well spaced out, site 14 had a huge front area next site was ~50 yards away. Occasional road noise, but mostly the sound of the river. It is a no-frills campground, which suited this week stay just fine.

A small but beautiful campground with awesome waterfalls, caves, and hiking.  There are 13 RV/tent sites and 7 walk-in tent sites.  The campground gets crowded during the weekends with hikers and fishermen so parking can be an issue.  The bathhouse has pit toilets only and no sinks.  There are dumpsters and a potable water point.  Great place to get away and unwind for the weekend.

We were in a Lakeview walk-in site. This is the first walk-in site I have encountered that provided wheelbarrows. It's by far the easiest walk-in site I have camped in. There's a gravel path of about an 1/8th of a mile back to the campsites. They're relatively secluded by vegetation and hills from other campers. You can hear your neighbors occasionally, but the privacy level is fairly good. On top of the wheelbarrows, the picnic tables are covered by an awning. Overall, the walk-in sites are excellent for tent camping. I don't recommend trying to reserve an RV hookup site for tent camping because these are open sites with a lot of asphalt.

Well kept campground with nice visitor center. Showers & laundry available. Electric at site for RVs. Also tent camping. Some noise from Route 40 but not bad. Nice stay.

If you are tent camping, this is a great little spot that’s inexpensive and very peaceful and beautiful. Everyone we met here was friendly and respectful. Good place to camp if you are going to Dinosaur National Monument or rafting down the river.

Wonderful, well kept camp grounds! Plenty of space so you don't feel like you're camping with strangers. Clean bathrooms with showers, full hook-up sites along with tent sites. Multiple camp grounds to choose from.

We got to the campground after closing time for the park headquarters and visitors center and so just had to drive the many loops to find a spot. The main area has power and costs more, but after walking around some we found what we wanted, tent sites. There are only a few, they are powerless, and there is a barbed wire fence between you and the Yampa River, but there was trees and quiet and plenty of elbow room. We will go again but aim straight for the tenting sites next time.

Ashley here from The Dyrt! We’re excited to have this new partner online. All RV sites have a fire ring and a picnic table. In addition to RV sites and tiny homes they also have 6 tent sites. Check them out and post some pictures here!

Very nice and well maintained facilities, beautiful scenery and peaceful camping. ADA accessible, and all different sites offered. The reservation process is relatively difficult online, walk-in sites are truly walk in. You have to park and carry your stuff in around 25-50 yards. There are wheelbarrows sitting there that we think are for moving stuff, so that was a nice touch. Toilets are closed in the colder seasons, except for the larger shower houses. Most tent sites are gravel covered. The map is a little vague, the roads pictures on the map are the driving roads. It was 28/night for the walk-in tent sites, which is a little outside of our budget but we decided to swing it because we wanted to shower. Turned out that the showers cost extra, so bring cash. That was a little frustrating to find out, since we felt we had already paid for the facilities.

Rifle Falls is a very small, year-round campground (13 electric sites and 7 walk-in tent sites) but it is very popular for day use. In fact, we waited until after 6 pm on the day we arrived to walk the 1.5-mile path to see the waterfalls and caves because it was so crowded on a Sunday afternoon that it required a ranger to direct traffic. We took an additional walk there on Monday morning and it was quiet until around 11 am, when the crowds started to pick up again. 

There are two vault toilets and they were not very clean, likely due to so many non-campers using them. Seven of the RV electric sites are back-in (1-3 and 10-13) and the remainder are pull-through. Not a lot of physical separation between the sites but the sites are large enough and spaced far enough apart. The tent sites are spaced a very decent amount apart with lots of trees between them and carts are provided to bring your stuff to your site. 

In addition to your camping fees, an annual or day-use pass is required to enter the park (applies to all Colorado state parks). 

The main draws to this park are the waterfalls and caves and both were definitely worth a stay in this park to see them.

I'm not a huge fan of State Parks, but when it's time, it's time.  This one has showers (included in the fee), laundry, wifi at the entrance building.  The RV sites are a bit close together, the tent sites are much more private.  The RV sites have an awning-like structure with an enclosed side to the west.  It provides nice cover for the summer afternoon showers.  There are lots of mosquitos as it's in Yampa river bottom land.  There is a nice reservoir and swimming beach at a nearby state run park (your fee for camping at YRSP will get you into the other park).  We stayed 2 nights after dispersed camping for a week - showered, did laundry, battled the mosquitos.

Tent camped in walk on site #18.

First, the bad: there are a lot of day use visitors going to the falls not many come down by walk in campsites, but all of them drive past the larger sites (and park in front of your site). It was really hot in early July. So hot we left and went uphill, drove around in the AC, until it cooled off. Pit toilets smelled like death and were so-so clean. Bugs everywhere.

Now the good: the falls are really neat. It’s quiet here in the early morning and evening. Walk in sites are very private, and the rushing stream next to them adds a layer of feeling like you’re not in a campground. Sites are spacious. Wheelbarrows to cart your stuff down the hill. Bear boxes a little small, but bears aren’t really a nuisance here either.

This campsite is (I believe) in Gilpin County and offers very nice views from several trails nearby. The drive to get there is stunning (Peak to Peak Highway), and the campground sits right off the road. There is road noise because it's so close to the road, so if that bothers you, beware. Because of that, and the fact that the spots are built into a hill on the side we stayed on, I give it 4/5. Some may like it as it may in some cases offer a little extra privacy. We have an RV and set up shop in the parking pad which had a set of stairs up to a fire pit, picnic table, and a flat tent area. Not as popular as some other sites along P2P, and you can reserve in advance. Because of the location, the site is probably going to rate really high with people unfamiliar with the Front Range. For tent camping or those up for winging it on the chance of a walk up spot, check out Rainbow Lakes or Pawnee @ Brainard Lake a bit further North on P2P first. No hook-ups.

This camp ground is one of the best spots that I ever spent a night at. The scenery is breathtaking, it is very remote and absolutely silent. There is literally no noise whatsoever.

Downside of course is, it is not serviced. So no electricity or water if you are traveling with a motor home. Plus, the camp site is basically only walk-in and mostly designated for tents. With a RV, you will park at some sort of parking lot, close to the actual sites but not really there. That lot is also not big, so if there are a couple more people, it might be hard to find a decent spot for a vehicle. Also you wont have a table right at your spot, since only the tent sites have adjacent tables. However, if nobody is there, you might be able to park right at the river front, which is stunning!

Other than that, and if you are lucky like me - I have been totally alone, it is very, very beatiful. Particularly in October when the trees are all colored in yellow.