Best Tent Camping near Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands

Tent Camping Reviews near Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands

1999 Reviews of 60 Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands Campgrounds

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  Staci W.

  Guide

  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.

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• k

  kyle

  Guide

  May. 6, 2024

  Ruby Mountain Campground — Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area

  Beautiful spot

  Really gorgeous camping spot with easy access to tons of different outdoor activities. Tent sites are very well maintained and very beautiful. Walk-in sites are very close to parking, I would barely consider them walk-in sites. My only complaint is that the tent pads are made of gravel and therefore extremely hard to properly stake down tents.

• J

  Jennifer F.

  Scout

  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.

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• J

  James R.

  Traveler

  Aug. 28, 2018

  Collegiate Peaks

  Beautiful and the people really practice leave no trace.

  I gave this a 4 star because of the crowds.I backpacked to a high alpine lake called Kroenke Lake in the Collegiate Peaks wilderness area near Buena Vista, CO in August to catch some high country Cutthroats. This is a very popular hike during the summer. Camping can be congested but there are enough trees in between spots for some privacy. The designated camp sites we kept very clean by the previous visitors. There was not any trash in or around the fire ring that I often come across in other areas. The people that have previously visited, practiced leave no trace with the exception of the designated fire ring. The scenery was beautiful with a gorgeous lake with peaks of granite in the background. All of the people on the trail were friendly and courteous. It does get congested on the weekend being so close to Buena Vista and Salida. If you go little further, you can escape the congestion. I would highly recommend this hike to anyone looking for a weekend backpack trip.

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• K

  Kyla K.

  Traveler

  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!

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  Hillary M.

  Guide

  Jul. 5, 2018

  Kenosha Pass Campground

  Scenic campground close to gorgeous Colorado Trail

  Great campground right on Colorado Trail section 6. Family friendly with vault toilets, potable water, and very nice campground hosts. Currently under a fire ban due to the dry conditions but don’t let that discourage you! The campground is right off the highway so there is some traffic noise and a few of the spots are close together but overall a great campground, easy location, and perfect for backpacking!

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  Hayley K.

  Legend

  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.

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• D

  Drew B.

  Traveler

  Jun. 16, 2020

  Twin Lakes View Dispersed

  Great Views, Lots of Camping options

  I travelled to Twin Lakes the weekend after Memorial Day weekend to explore more of Colorado. The drive from Denver was beautiful and the Twin Lakes topped it all. Sitting at the base of several 14'ers this campground featured dispersed camping with options for walk-in, drive-in, and drive-in 4x4 camping. We found ourselves on the North side of the upper side of the neighboring lake since we arrived late Friday afternoon. We found 4-5 sites without anyone around, a quiet spot nestled in the trees for shade. 

  Bears were reported to be active in the area but we didn't see any. Some camp sites, as we walked around, were littered with people's waste and trash. Sad to see but not everyone follows the leave no trace attitude.

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• 

  Cory D.

  Ranger

  Jul. 13, 2018

  Lakeview Campground

  Beautiful views and just enough amenities!

  One of my favorite campsites! We pulled in late night and were able to find a site(it was a thursday). The self pay system was easy and convenient. the campsite was small but nice with a great picnic table and fire ring. The current fire ban in that area meant no campfire, but the stars were amazing. You have a great view of Mt elbert and the twin lakes. There are also hiking trails down to the lake and vault toilets dispersed throughout the campground.