Best Tent Camping near Monument, CO

Dispersed camping dominates the tent camping landscape around Monument, Colorado, with several free sites available throughout Pike National Forest. Rampart Range Area offers tent campers multiple dispersed sites with established fire rings and access to forest trails. Mt. Herman Road provides additional tent camping options with multiple pullouts and clearings suitable for tent setup. These primitive tent campsites require no reservations and typically operate on a first-come, first-served basis, though campers should verify current regulations with the Pike National Forest office.

Most tent campsites in the Monument area lack basic amenities such as drinking water and toilets. Surface conditions vary considerably, with many sites featuring uneven, rocky terrain that requires careful tent placement. Walk-in tent sites are available at both Rampart Range and Mt. Herman Road areas, providing more seclusion for those willing to carry gear a short distance from parking areas. Fire restrictions frequently apply during summer and fall months, and campers should bring adequate water supplies as no potable sources exist at most locations. Sites typically feature user-created fire rings, though some areas prohibit fires entirely during high fire danger periods.

Areas farther from the main roads offer tent campers greater solitude and fewer disruptions from day visitors. Tent camping on Mt. Herman Road provides panoramic views, though the road can be challenging to navigate. A visitor commented, "The road up is rough but totally doable. This campsite was nice and level." At higher elevations, particularly at Rampart Range, campers should prepare for sudden weather changes and colder overnight temperatures than in town. Most tent sites offer at least partial shade from pine trees. According to one camper at Rampart Range Area, "There are so many places to camp that you do not have to camp in the sites right off the main road. Too much dust from passing cars." Wildlife sightings, including deer and foxes, are commonly reported around tent campsites.

Best Tent Sites Near Monument, Colorado (35)

    1. Lone Duck Campground and Cabins

    34 Reviews
    Green Mountain Falls, CO
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (719) 684-9907

    $40 - $87 / night

    "Our site had grass, shade, a picnic table, and a fire ring - everything you need for a basic campsite."

    "Lone 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."

    2. Rampart Range Area Dispersed Campsite

    12 Reviews
    Green Mountain Falls, CO
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (719) 553-1400

    "Honestly so many spots some trash I picked up. But nothing to crazy. Lots of self made fire pits"

    "Some people left trash, which is annoying. Views are great. Rough road getting there though"

    3. Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2

    5 Reviews
    Palmer Lake, CO
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (719) 636-1602

    "Found a great little campsite and had a fox as a neighbor! Only downfall was there was broken glass everywhere 😔"

    4. Dispersed Camping - Pike National Forest Divide

    9 Reviews
    Woodland Park, CO
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (719) 636-1602

    "There are a lot of dirt bikes and atvs driving during the day however I didn’t find it overly disruptive."

    "Restrooms at base of road. Found our spot 2.5 miles up the road, definitely needed AWD."

    5. Matukat Road Dispersed Camping

    16 Reviews
    Lake George, CO
    29 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. "

    6. Dutch Fred Trailhead #679

    1 Review
    Larkspur, CO
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (303) 275-5610

    7. Osprey

    8 Reviews
    Buffalo Creek, CO
    26 miles
    Website

    $24 / night

    "Cell service- none (t-mobile) Firewood- none Camp host- none Water - non Toilets- port a potty Fire ring- yes No leveled tent sites- generally flat land."

    "Trash and Port a potties are provided. Site is right next to the Platte River. Picnic Table and Fire Ring is provided per site. Very relaxing, great views , and respectful neighbors."

    8. Platte River Campground

    6 Reviews
    Deckers, CO
    24 miles
    Website

    $24 / night

    "It should be noted the higher up sites are right on the road, and the ones closest to the river are by no means far enough to deafen the road noise."

    "Had a nice little hike around the area. My lab loved being able to swim in river. I will make this place my go to place in the middle of the week to get away from the metro area."

    9. Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites

    38 Reviews
    Cañon City, CO
    42 miles

    "Driving down to this campsite I was happy to have a small car because the road is very narrow to say the least. I cannot imagine the feeling of driving a large rig here."

    "We arrived the Phantom Creek Road around 4:30pm. 10miles and 30 minutes later we found our spot."

    10. Rainbow Falls

    1 Review
    Woodland Park, CO
    15 miles
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Tent Camping Reviews near Monument, CO

1312 Reviews of 35 Monument Campgrounds


  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • Hayley K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 8, 2020

    Buffalo Campground

    Great Campground for Hikers and Bikers

    This campground is set a couple miles down road 550 after all the free recreation area campsites.

    The sites are pretty close together but there are well maintained pit toilets as well as a dumpster on site for trash. The surrounding area is filled with hiking and biking trails, including the Colorado Trail. 

    The campground is over 7k feet of elevation and a lot of trails intersect so make sure you keep track of where you are and what trail you are hiking on for the day. Not many are loops on their own. 

    There are a couple pit toilets places throughout the campground. Clean fire rings and picnic tables at all the sites. 

    Keep your eyes out for ticks and mosquitos. We found a couple of ticks on the dogs after they ran through the tall grass and the creek. 

    Across the road is a creek that is great for water hangouts and light fishing. We were here in May and the weather was about 70 during the day and 35-40 at night with plenty of shade and wind protection. It has sites for RV’s, tent, or van stay.

  • Hayley K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 24, 2019

    Swift Puma Heights Campground — Cheyenne Mountain State Park

    Easy to get to, not the most secluded

    We stayed at this campground in order to help out with the Xterra Race that was taking place the next day. We reserved two walk in sites (30 and 34) and it was easy to find them. The walk in sites are between 20-40 feet form the parking lot and on a slight (and rocky) hill. There was plenty of privacy by way of shrubs so it felt secluded even though the sites are right next to each other. 

    You can only set up tents on the tent pads in the sites so that was a little challenging being that we needed to sleep 10 and could only fit 1 tent per site. But we were able to make it work. Also, the ground is very compact, so stakes were hard to get into the ground and we had to tie off our guy-lines to the bushes to keep them in place during the night.  

    Keep in mind that you are on a military base area so you will hear TAPS periodically throughout the day and night. Campground is open year-round 

    It has:

    51 Full Hook-Up sites 

    10 Basic Tent sites 

    Coin operated showers and laundry (Seasonal; These amenities are for active campers only.)

    Overall the sites were great. Bear food lockers and water at each site. The firepits were large and well ventilated. The bathrooms were super clean and accommodating. Lots of trails and ranger led events happening to keep you (and your kids and dogs) entertained.

  • Cara W.
    Jul. 11, 2018

    Castle Mountain Recreation Area at Wellington Lake

    Private but Crowded

    Beautiful 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!

  • Kristin D.
    Aug. 7, 2018

    Buffalo Campground

    Spacious sites, great trail access

    Love this place. I’m a new mountain biker and it’s currebtly my favorite trail system to ride. There’s currently a fire ban in most of Colorado, and Buffalo Creek is included. We just got creative with a small lantern so it felt like we were sitting around a fire.🔥The sites are very full on the weekends being so close to Denver, so a few people asked to share. The signage isn’t always clear, make sure you only camp where there’s a site number or it’s a $1K fine! It’s a favorite place, but don’t tell everyone! 😂

  • Dave V.
    Sep. 13, 2018

    Colorado Campground

    There are many campgrounds in Colorado, but only one Colorado Campground!

    CAMPGROUND REVIEW: COLORADO CAMPGROUND PIKE NATIONAL FOREST

    https://www.recreation.gov/camping/colorado-campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70684

    Colorado Campground is one of several campgrounds less than 10 miles north of the city of Woodland Park off Route 67 in the Pike National Forest.

    Situated at 7800 feet elevation, even summer nights get cool. Nearby 5 acre Manitou Lake is a trail walk away. You can toss your canoe or kayak in, but unless you are simply trout fishing, it’s tiny size doesn’t offer much variation.

    Numerous foot trails lead into the National Forest, offering wonderfully quiet hikes and exploration.

    There are 81 sites available, but some are adjacent to highway 67, so periodic road noise will be heard. The ponderosa pines assist in muffling highway noise.

    Neighboring sites are visible across the entire campground, but they are situated in such a way that you are not directly on top of each other.

    The back loop sites are larger and set deeper (Site 19, 20,21, 22, 23) which are my choice. Sites can be secured on www.recreation.gov. There are double sites which garner double fees. At the time of this review, sites are $23.00 nightly (a bit pricey for no showers or modern facilities). When there during the week, not including the host and groundskeeper, only four sites were filled. Most sites were reserved for weekends and upcoming Labor Day holiday.

    No RV/Campers over 36 ft permitted. Parking pads are gravel, a few are pull-through. Sites are non-electric with no hookups…no showers Water spigots, metal trash containers and pit latrines are spaced out through the campground. Each site has one stationary picnic table and a fire pit. Most sites appeared fairly level. No specific tent pad locations.

    With the towering ponderosa pines, there is ample shade.

    Plenty of trails permit mountain biking as well as the paved centennial bike path that runs along highway 67 from Woodland Park 15 miles north…that you can walk, in-line, cycle and even ebike.

    You have plenty of local activities to keep you busy, including the Red Rocks a couple miles south…or drive east on Rt 24 to Pikes Peak, or further into Manitou Springs for the Incline, Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Garden of the gods and more!

    Just six miles south into Woodland Park offers every food or shopping option.

    All in all, a nice, clean campground in a great location.

  • Tyler W.
    Aug. 22, 2018

    Swift Puma Heights Campground — Cheyenne Mountain State Park

    Great Walk-In Sites!

    Stayed in the Swift Puma campground, walk-in site 29, great privacy, very clean and well maintained with level camp pad, picnic table and bear box. Short walk from parking spot to the campsite. Close to bathrooms and showers, both very clean, showers are quarter operated, 4min/$1. Several deer nearby, many trails within the park that are worth checking out and accessible from campgrounds! Helpful Staff!


Guide to Monument

Pike National Forest offers numerous dispersed camping options near Monument, Colorado. The forest spans elevations from 6,000 to 10,000 feet with pine and aspen groves dominating the landscape. Many camping areas remain accessible from May through October, with road conditions varying based on elevation and recent weather.

What to do

Wildlife watching: Phantom Canyon Road has camping spots that put you close to wildlife. One visitor noted, "We found an amazing camp site that was down a slope... right next to the water. The worst and only bad part was the insane amount of biting flies."

Fishing access: Sites near water bodies provide fishing opportunities. At Platte River Campground, "These campgrounds have an amazing river right at your finger tips... The stars here are incredible. However if the breeze is up it's gone chilling."

Rock exploring: Many sites offer rock formations for exploration. At Matukat Road Dispersed Camping, campers found "a spot just off the road... had some nice rocks to explore and well built fire rings. Do not forget bug repellent!"

Mountain biking: Forest roads throughout Pike National Forest double as biking routes. According to a camper, "We saw a few cars & mountain bikers on the road each day but nothing too noisy."

What campers like

Seclusion options: Dispersed Camping - Pike National Forest Divide offers varied levels of privacy. "Each spot is far away from another, especially if you drive further down. We didn't hear anyone late into the night due to the distance."

Established sites: Many areas feature previously used sites with stone fire rings. "Found a great little campsite and had a fox as a neighbor! Only downfall was there was broken glass everywhere," reported a camper at Mt. Herman Road.

Accessibility: Multiple forest roads remain accessible to standard vehicles. At Rampart Range Area Dispersed Campsite, a visitor mentioned, "Quite a few people on a weekday night, but not bothering. Very good network coverage (T-mobile). Aprox. 1 mile of the road was bad, other quite good."

Extended stays: Some areas work well for longer visits. One camper at Matukat Road shared, "We spent 10 days at the top of the mountain. There were a few people that came in for a night or so, but not even close enough to hear them or see lights."

What you should know

Road conditions: Expect variable road quality when tent camping in Monument, Colorado. At Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2, a camper advised, "Definitely recommend going slow on the road, the bumps are pretty bad."

Fire restrictions: Regulations change seasonally, particularly during dry periods. Check current status with the Pike National Forest office before camping.

Cell reception: Coverage varies by location and carrier. One camper at Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2 found "Lots of places to walk and explore and there was still phone signal!"

Weather changes: Weather conditions can differ significantly from nearby Colorado Springs. A camper at Rampart Ridge reported, "There aren't many sites and everyone was taken except the turn around at the end of the road... Not sure why others didn't take it since it has an amazing view of Pick's Peak!"

Tips for camping with families

Kid-friendly exploration: Areas with rock formations appeal to children. At Matukat Road, a camper shared, "Camped right underneath a few rocks and kid absolutely loved to climb rocks even with thin air in high altitude."

Wildlife education: Bring wildlife guidebooks to identify tracks and sightings. "We woke up one morning at our tent site with deer walking and eating down the creek right next to us," noted a visitor at Lone Duck Campground and Cabins.

Bug preparation: Pack insect repellent for mosquitoes and flies. "The flies and mosquitos were bad but our bug screens did their job until dark then we had to close up the van," reported a camper at Phantom Canyon Road.

Camping wagon: For sites requiring a short hike, bring a folding wagon. One family explained, "We took a cavas wagon for the heavy items and let it roll backwards down the slope with the help of two people. Not easy but Highly worth the hard work as you're secluded from the road."

Tips from RVers

Site selection: Choose dispersed sites with adequate turning space. At Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites, a camper noted, "It took us three attempts to get our overweight 2-wheel drive van up the hill and back onto the road. There are a lot of loose rocks."

Parking limitations: Some sites restrict where RVs can park. At Platte River Campground, "According to a camp host at lone rock, you can park and camp in your roof top tent in the lot for the same price. However, no trailers are allowed."

Overnight temperatures: Prepare for significant temperature drops after sunset. "The road up is rough but totally doable with pickup truck with slide in camper. This campsite was nice and level," reported a visitor at Mt. Herman Road.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Monument, CO is Lone Duck Campground and Cabins with a 4.2-star rating from 34 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 35 tent camping locations near Monument, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.