34 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
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.
"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."
from $40 - $87 / night
Check Availability"Some have pre existing fire rings. Would definitely come back."
"Most spots are taken by the weekends but if you’re fine with a more sloped spot, there can be some open ones for late arrivals."
"I recommend not attempting road with 2WD… seems quite rough in spaces. Having the extra support made me feel better. A bit of an incline but I found plenty of space to set up my tent!"
"Found a great little campsite and had a fox as a neighbor! Only downfall was there was broken glass everywhere 😔"
"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."
"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. "
"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."
from $24 / night
Check Availability"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."
from $24 / night
Check Availability"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."
RangerBathrooms were very nice and clean. Lots of sites with minimal privacy. Pretty packed and noisy in October. Our site had electrical hookups and its own water. Picnic tables and fire rings available as well. Looks like a very family friendly campground. Stayed one night.
ScoutGreat spot for relaxing weekend getaway for our family. Plenty of room for the kids to explore and they even had a blow up bouncy house for them during the day. Hot tub under the stars at evening time. Very clean bathrooms!
RangerCool spot. I like there were different sized spots and a clearly marked line where a 4WD/AWD vehicle is needed and no large rigs. I found a spot that was visible by the road, but there was water access and cool surroundings. The main road was well paved, but turning into my site was a bit rough and I needed the 4WD. There were large animal (I assume black bear) prints to give that extra bit of camping excitement, but no actual sitings (one day, Juliana. One day). Some mosquitos but not overwhelming. The scenery was gorgeous. Definitely a bit desert-esque but it was legitimately perfect weather in mid September. Cool creek rocks and a stunner of a sunset. Would absolutely return again. No numbered sites. Toilets about 1/4 mile beyond the drive through boulder.
ScoutLake Wellington is a beautiful family and dog friendly campground just about 90 minutes from Denver. There are 75 sites, and even when it's pretty full they are decently spaced out that you don't feel too on top of other guests. We brought our dogs and a group of friends and had a great few nights, even seeing Bald Eagles mating!
ScoutI want to start on a positive because that is the type of person I am, and because this review is going to have a lot of negative. This park is a great location for sightseeing, especially if you are going to Pikes Peak by way of the Cog or shopping in Manitou. My GM and I worked hard to make the park as great as we could with the very little funding that we got. As seen in the reviews we had excellent customer service and had high standards for keeping the park clean. I was very good at my job and I loved doing the work until the new owners took over. When the park was sold, we had high hopes that the new owners would be good people and want to put real work into the park. We were very disappointed that they turned out to be money grubbing horrible people. Ken, one of the owners, treats people and his business very Trump like. He and his wife must state that they are religious more than a few times when having a conversation; I personally think this is to make themselves look good to cover the toxicity that truly lies under the surface. When they meet people, they put on a façade and lie and say whatever they think people want to hear to get what they want; proven to me by the broken verbal promises they made to me. They are not community driven; they are money driven; you can make money and still be good people, but they chose not to be. They practice wage theft just like big corporations by over working employees and under paying them; in their words“you must wear all hats”. They are the type of people that use others until they don’t need them then throw them away like garbage. I was bullied into quitting on a phone call where Ken was very disrespectful and unprofessional with me. The phone call was me trying to explain that I could no longer do the FB post due to our deferent ethical viewpoints, and he would not let me talk by saying“you are not doing your job, are you going to quit” repeatedly. I found out that I was not allowed to post about Manitou Pride parade because he said,“it is not family friendly, and the company and I do not promote the LGBTQ+ community”. I am a proud member of that community and so I should not be the one to post on FB for the company. The groundman quit a day later because of disrespect and broken verbal promises. Then a few days later my boyfriend was fired and then Sheryl the GM was fired.(I believe they were fired for retaliation) Ken only wants employees that are easy to exploit or controlled, because he is incapable of managing people without fear and bullying. He boasted that he is called the grim reaper in business, but I don’t think that is the flex he thinks it is. But yes, he was the destruction of the community we put so much work into. I also want to voice my disappointment in Dana, who Sheryl worked hard getting to be allowed to come back as an employee. Dana did great work her first summer with us, so it was a shock to see her true colors show when she started to brown nose Ken. She spread multiple rumors, I feel the worst one was about Melinda’s daughter and the things she wrote about in her diary. I also did not like how she used David, the guy that does the golfcart tours in Manitou, was nice to his face then talked so badly about him when he was not around. I truly think Jesue and her father would be ashamed of her for how she acted to get her new position.
TravelerIf you are going to camp at a lakefront spot definitely have something you can sit in else you will be attacked by flies. Super quiet during the week - got busy over the weekend.
ScoutFound a great spot a bit further in surrounded by Juniper trees and a bit of grassy patches and rock fire pit. Love the open space and secluded spots! Definitely not ideal for the cacti. Our pup ended up sniffing one and got the needles in her muzzle. 😬 Weather is pretty nice with highs in the 80s and lows in the 40s
GuideOur Campsite was nice, very clean and well kept. It did seems like the sites were a bit to close together and every spot filled. Pads were level, area around the picnic table spacious. Pit toilets were clean. The dump station was very nice and easy to use. We were driving down through Colorado to view the Fall Aspen leaves. I wish we would have stayed longer at this campsite. We stayed at the Conifer Ridge loop site 46 ...
ScoutWe absolutely love Badger Flats, and even though it’s no longer free ($15/night), it’s still our go-to campground. If you don’t mind the occasional dirt bike/ATV and no services, and love a beautiful area with camp spots spread out - then go to BF.
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.
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."
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."
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!"
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."
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 36 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 34 tent camping locations near Monument, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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