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Elizabeth W.
Guide
GuideNorth Round Mountain
Great packed road into the camp. We stayed in November and had the place to ourselves. Lots of sites. We stayed back near the end of the camping area and had a beautiful sunrise and sunset.
Tent Camping near Parker, CO
7 campgrounds with availability this weekend
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Tent campsites near Parker, Colorado provide access to diverse landscapes in the foothills and mountains west of the Denver metro area, ranging from developed tent campgrounds with fire rings and picnic tables to primitive hike-in sites. Osprey Campground in Sedalia offers tent-specific sites along the South Platte River with established fire rings and picnic tables. For more remote experiences, the Idylease Campground at Reynolds Park requires a half-mile hike to reach five designated tent sites, while dispersed camping opportunities can be found at Mt. Herman Road areas.
Most tent campgrounds in this region have basic amenities but require campers to be self-sufficient. Osprey Campground features vault toilets but no drinking water, making water supply planning essential. The tent pads are generally flat but with minimal shade in some sites. At Idylease, campers must pack gear for the half-mile trek, though the sites include bear boxes and clean outhouses. As noted in feedback on The Dyrt, "It's a 0.5 mile hike in to the campsite, so plan and pack accordingly." Fire restrictions are common during summer months, particularly in dispersed camping areas, and many locations require campers to pack out all trash.
Higher-elevation tent sites offer escape from summer heat but may have lingering snow into late spring. Areas farther from town provide deeper seclusion and less road noise, though campers seeking total isolation should look beyond the popular South Platte corridor. A camper wrote about Platte River Campground, "I went in mid-October so off season and there was only 2 other campers in the campground. I chose site #8, furthest away from the parking area but also more trees." Tent campers will find Dutch Fred Trailhead provides primitive sites with no facilities but excellent trail access. Most tent campgrounds in the region fill quickly on summer weekends, but mid-week and shoulder season visits offer greater solitude and camping options.
Best Tent Campgrounds near Parker (39)
1. Osprey
"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."
Check AvailabilityCampground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $24 / night
2. Bear Creek Lake Campground
"Nice big sites, open space without a lot of trees, beautiful views, clean restrooms, showers (pay for) water fill stations, dump station, several restrooms."
"Super close to Denver and offered through the City of Lakewood. The sites are for tent/RV and have electric hookups. Beautiful area."
Check Availabilityfrom $34 - $40 / night
3. Lone Duck Campground and Cabins
"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."
27 Sites AvailableAvailable this weekend
from $40 - $87 / night
4. Platte River Campground
"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."
Check Availabilityfrom $24 / night
5. Dutch Fred Trailhead #679
6. Rampart Range Area Dispersed Campsite
"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."
7. Idylease Campground
"Make reservations in person at Jeffco Open Space in Golden - those ladies are the best! Easy drive and a half-mile hike with moderate increase in elevation from parking to tent pads, numbered 1-5."
Check Availabilityfrom $12 / night
8. Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2
"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 😔"
9. Winiger Ridge at Gross Reservoir
"Came here for my birthday a few years ago, and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking—mountains, lake views, the whole deal!"
"Stayed at campsite 18, had great views and nice weather, no water though but there is a lake down the road. 4x4 Required as roads were rough"
10. Jefferson County Reynolds Park Idylease Campground
Check Availabilityfrom $12 / night
Drive Time
- 23 min from Denver, CO
- 48 min from Boulder, CO
- 51 min from Colorado Springs, CO
- 1 hr 12 min from Greeley, CO
Recent Tent Camping Photos near Parker, CO
150 Photos of 39 Parker Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
OspreyM
Idylease Campground
Platte River Campground
Staunton State Park Campgroundg
Sawmill Hiker Campground
Rampart Range Area Dispersed Campsite
Dispersed Camping - Pike National Forest DivideC
Glen Isle Resort
Rifleman Phillips Campground — Golden Gate Canyon
Truman’s Rock
Aspen Meadows Campground — Golden Gate Canyon
Lone Duck Campground and CabinsB
Tent Camping Reviews near Parker, CO
1456 Reviews of 39 Parker Campgrounds
Daniel K.
ScoutPepper Pod Campground
Affordable, basic living. Mostly full time so openings are usually on a waiting list.
Kylee R.
RangerCherry Creek State Park Campground
Cherry Creek State Park
Bathrooms 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.
Kevin H.ScoutCastle Mountain Recreation Area at Wellington Lake
Beautiful family and dog friendly campground!
Lake 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!
Shannon F.ScoutPikes Peak RV Park
New owner are not good people
I 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.
- HHeidi
TravelerCastle Mountain Recreation Area at Wellington Lake
Great spot - except for flies
If 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.
- MMary A.Scout
Forest Road 332 Dispersed
No T-Mobile signal
Rough road but doable in a minivan. About 12 minutes from Nederland, which had a lot of good restaurants, bars, and a fair size grocery store. Saw a moose and mountain lion.
- LLori M.Guide
Mueller State Park Campground
Nice and well kept
Our 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 ...
- RRyan U.Scout
Badger Flats
No longer free!
We 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.
Guide to Parker
Dispersed camping sites near Parker, Colorado offer outdoor recreation options within a 45-minute to two-hour drive of the town. The camping areas range from 6,000 to 8,500 feet in elevation, with temperatures often 15-20 degrees cooler than Denver metro. Many sites in Pike National Forest and Jefferson County Open Space require fire permits during summer months, with restrictions varying based on seasonal conditions.
What to do
Fishing access spots: Platte River Campground provides immediate access to fly fishing. As one camper noted, "We were in the area to fish as much of the river as possible and this was a great site." Another visitor mentioned, "Right on the South Platte River where you can walk straight out your tent and into the streams."
Trail hiking options: Idylease Campground at Reynolds Park connects to moderate hiking trails. A reviewer explained, "Easy drive and a half-mile hike with moderate increase in elevation from parking to tent pads, numbered 1-5." The area features deer sightings and trail options beyond the campground.
Lake activities: At Winiger Ridge at Gross Reservoir, visitors can access paddle sports opportunities. "Beautiful views. Great place for water activities, but no swimming allowed," reports one camper. Another notes, "There are a lot of inlets to paddle into and trails to explore."
What campers like
Wildlife viewing: Multiple camping areas report wildlife sightings. At Mt. Herman Road Dispersed Site 2, one camper had a unique experience: "Found a great little campsite and had a fox as a neighbor!" Deer sightings are common across multiple locations.
Seasonal timing: Mid-week and off-season camping offers significantly more solitude. "I went in mid Oct so off season and there was only 2 other campers in the campground," reports a camper at Platte River Campground. Similarly, another visitor mentioned, "This spot was perfect for us because we were the only ones here mid-week."
Elevation advantages: Rampart Range Area provides higher-elevation options with expansive views. "There are amazing views of Pikes Peak from up here," notes one visitor. Another adds, "We ended up at the top of the mountain and the view is gorgeous. Gets a bit windy and definitely colder but a great site."
What you should know
Road conditions: Access to best tent camping near Parker requires preparation for rough forest roads. At Rampart Range, a camper advises, "Definitely recommend going slow on the road, the bumps are pretty bad." Similarly, at Winiger Ridge: "All-wheel drive and higher clearance car helped getting in, as the road is pretty bumpy."
Weather variables: Mountain weather differs significantly from Parker or Denver forecasts. One Osprey Campground visitor notes, "Denver's weather will not tell you what the weather here will be and most forecasts are inaccurate. It will be at least 20 degrees colder at night than Denver most likely."
Facility limitations: Most dispersed camping areas lack amenities. For Osprey Campground, a camper details: "Cell service- none (t-mobile), Firewood- none, Camp host- none, Water - none, Toilets- port a potty, Fire ring- yes, No leveled tent sites- generally flat land."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent
campsite near Parker, CO?
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Parker, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Parker, CO is Osprey with a 3.6-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find
tent camping near
Parker, CO?
What is the best site to find tent camping near Parker, CO?
TheDyrt.com has all 39 tent camping locations near Parker, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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