Best Equestrian Camping near Collbran, CO

Stumbled upon this place accidentally one weekend. There are some reserve able sites near the lake, and some first come/first serve sites as well. Also dispersed camping on the way up to the campground. Place for your horses, group sites, small sites, lakeside site, trailer sites, this place has it all! Great fishing on the lower lake, hike up to the pass or upper lakes. Great trails surround this campground . Spectacular fall foliage! Camp host you can get wood from. Bathrooms and great hammock spots, nice pull in spots for your car, accessible in any vehicle! Fire rings and picnic tables, everything in great shape.

Lost Lake Campground near Crested Butte, Colorado, is a hidden gem that combines serene alpine beauty with a peaceful camping experience. Tucked away in the Gunnison National Forest, this campground offers stunning views of wildflower-filled meadows, dense forests, and the pristine Lost Lake itself, which mirrors the surrounding peaks.

The campsites are well-maintained, spacious, and thoughtfully spaced for privacy, with some offering lakefront views. There’s a charming rustic vibe, with basic amenities like vault toilets and picnic tables, but no hookups. The nearby trails, including the popular Three Lakes Loop, are perfect for hiking, fishing, and soaking in the mountain scenery.

What sets Lost Lake apart is its tranquil atmosphere—especially if you’re visiting during the off-season. It’s the ideal spot to disconnect and enjoy Colorado’s natural beauty, whether you’re kayaking on the lake or simply relaxing by the campfire.

Be aware that the road to the campground is a bit rough and narrow, so it’s best suited for smaller campers or tents. Also, temperatures can drop quickly at night, so pack warm gear even in summer.

If you’re looking for a quiet retreat near Crested Butte with postcard-worthy scenery, Lost Lake Campground is hard to beat. It’s the perfect blend of solitude, recreation, and breathtaking views.

If you have ATVs, dirt bikes, horses, etc. this is a great place for you. It’s just 4 miles off of I-70 but still secluded. It is a designated OHV area so no worries about people stopping you from ripping around and exploring.

That said - I’m a quiet camper and prefer to avoid OHV areas calling them Obnoxiously High-noise Vehicle areas. I’m kidding, obviously. Seriously, everyone enjoys the outdoors in their own way and I don’t begrudge anyone their enjoyment. I took the chance and it was very quiet while I was there. Only one couple other than me that I’m aware of.

The weather was mild in mid-April during my stay - got to about 70 during the day and around 40 at night. It was windy during the day but it is a very open space and it is western Colorado. When the wind died down, the mosquitoes came out and they were persistent. I hiked around and they weren’t just at my campsite. There is a water treatment facility in the area and just down from the main camping is a treatment pond so I’m guessing that’s the culprit.

The road in is unpaved once you leave the small town but very easy. I base those sorts of claims off of the VW Jetta Scale - the vehicle I had for 8 years before my current vehicle. There are a few low creeks crossings but the beds are small and both were dry when I came through. Even if they had water, I still would have crossed if I were still in my Jetta. The roads were washboarded so don’t bring the nice china.

The pull offs are plentiful and large. Most could hold a few trailers or several vehicles and some have fire rings. I did not have a fire because the fire danger was too high (ALWAYS CHECK BEFORE HAVING A FIRE). The road is a loop so just follow it around until you find the spot you want.

The space is wide open and surrounded by 360 views of mountains. Sunset and Sunrise were great but - for you photographers - the light changes really fast so scout the compositions you want ahead of time.

No wildlife that I was aware of aside from birds and our mosquito friends. I didn’t hear coyotes, I didn’t even see deer tracks. Just horse and tire tracks.

Oh, on the way in there was a sign that said “Private Property, No Trespassing” and it looked like it was for the road going in; however, the other signs revealed that it was for the area around the water treatment plant. There isn’t a lot of signage, just one saying it’s an OHV area and one saying it’s a Limited Use area. Other signs are just to protect the sensitive areas.

We towed a 35 FT 5th wheel heading west on 105 until we discovered the perfect campsite by turning south at the intersection with 108. The road was very rough but doable by moving along very slowly. Our site was hidden by trees off a short dirt drive which wasn’t too bad. There was plenty of space for us to turn around, and a fire pit had been constructed of large rocks (with a resident chipmunk hanging out among them).
We loved being surrounded by tall trees on one side and having a long distance view across the meadow on the other side, watching storm clouds approaching every day. We were far enough from the road that we barely heard any traffic passing. However, the sound of cattle lowing was frequent, and there was evidence of their presence all over the ground! One bull approached and stood there bellowing at the camper before finally moving along, and another morning we looked outside to see several cows munching on the remains of our campfire. Apparently they like to eat ashes and charcoal for the minerals because it happened twice!
We camped there 6 nights and hated to leave. Our only reservations were driving on the long bumpy roads and cattle manure being everywhere. Otherwise, it was the best boondocking place we’ve stayed because of the scenery and remoteness. It was very quiet except for the cattle lowing. We rode our bikes down 108 one day and discovered that it was way too rough to drive with our dually pickup. Another day we rode all the way down 105 and then back on 100 which is Land’s End Road. There are lots more dispersed campsites further down 105, but many have huge potholes turning into them. Some are located next to reservoirs and have lovely views, but we were happy with our site because we didn’t have to drive that far to reach it. If you had a smaller rig, it would be worth trying those places.

Mud springs is a small campground tucked away on top of a national monument. To enter the monument, there is a fee, but if you are going to mud springs you can tell them that and not pay the park entrance fee. It's up on glade park but kind of off the beat and path. The road was wet from recent rain and a small stream flowed down the washboard surface. The park itself is small but nice. Quiet. A bit muddy when it rains. We saw deer in the morning. We had a nice tent pad and firerings. Room for hammocks. It's a good place with pit toilets. But it's quiet. We did have a couple things walk through our site, we weren't sure what they were but it put our dog on high alert. One had a bell so that was strange. The other we aren't sure of but our dog watched as whatever it was walked past the tent. There weren't many people there so it probably wasn't another camper but some sort of critter. There is also a fresh spring that you can collect water from I think. We looked at it but didn't opt to collect any water. Lots of trees though which is nice. It seems to rain in July there, although they go through severe droughts and then all of a sudden, rain for two days. But both times we've gone in July, it has rained.

Spent three nights here (5/13 - 5/16). To start, we camped with a teardrop trailer, but once you pass the White River National Forest sign and parking lot for the babbish trail head, it’s not easy to turn around unless you find a campsite. Once you pass this you’ll see the first two campsites after about 4 bends in the road, both are walking distance to the trailhead. The first is a larger open space right off the road and the second is a much more private spot. The road to access this is just beyond the first campsite, which is where we stayed (see photos). We loved this spot!

If you continue up the road you’ll eventually reach a fork, if you hang right and continue up there are 4 more dispersed sites. These would not work for trailers but are great tent spots. We had a very hard time trying to turn around.

There are no services (no bins, no toilets, no cell service) and these sites are super clean so let’s keep it that way. The aspens hadn’t bloomed quite yet but in a few weeks it’ll be pretty spectacular.

Additionally the main trailhead with access to beaver creek trail is not open until June 14th so most other dispersed sites won’t be accessible until then.