Best Equestrian Camping near Red Cliff, CO

This is a bare bones remote campground with assigned sites and vault toilets. There is no potable water on site, so bring plenty of water for your stay. The 18 sites are on a first come basis and can't be reserved.

I don't own horses, but have seen some in the area so it is equestrian friendly. The campground is located in a canyon with high cliffs and there are several hiking and backpacking trails that branch off from the campground. The south fork of the white river runs through the campground affording good fly fishing.

While you can get to the campground in a standard automobile the gravel road is rutted in places as you get close to the campground and can become dicey in heavy rain or snow for the last mile or two. 

I have been there numerous times as early as July and as late as September when snow can be expected.

This was a great stay, conveniently located just down 285 for a short get away during the work week.  We stayed for 3 days and during that time there were only a few other campers here. All of the sites are surrounded by trees, there is quite a bit of shade, and  even though it is very close to 285 I thought the road noise was pretty minimal.  The campground is very clean, the camp sites were nicely spaced out, the vaulted toilets were very clean, even though we had brought plenty of water there is a water pump (we did not use it so can't speak to it), and having a trash dumpster on the grounds was convenient.  The camp host, Dan, was very nice and we saw him on multiple days so it's nice to know there is someone around day or night.  The trailhead for section 6 of the Colorado Trail is right next to the campgrounds so we checked out a portion while we were here and loved it.  There is no Verizon service anywhere on the campgrounds

Located in the Arapaho National Forest, Sugarloaf is a small campground found on the Williams Fork of the Colorado River. The valley was once heavily forested but is much more open these days.

Cleared of timber a few years back due to Pine Beetle infestation, the campground is spartan with little shade or site separation. It's at the end of a dead end road making road noise minimal. The good news is that it's uncrowded and easy to secure a first come, first served site, and the trees are growing back.

There are 11 spaces many of which will accommodate RVs (we were able to fit our 30' class C), most will fit small travel trailers/pop-up campers, and all have space for tents. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring with a horse shoe pit located in the middle of the campground. There is a pit toilet and water well though the well has not been functional for some time. Trash dumpsters are on site, and water is available at South Fork campground a short distance away. While amenities are limited, activities are plentiful.

Fishing on the Williams fork is fair to good for Brook Trout with the occasional Brown Trout being caught. Pressure is generally light upstream from Sugarloaf and a bit more congested downstream where the stream is slightly larger. Once you're tired of fishing, there are numerous hiking trails to be explored.

Leaving from the the immediate area are the Darling Creek trail, the South Fork trail, the Kinney Creek trail and 4x4 road, the Ute Peak trail, and further north, the Williams Peak trail. There are also multiple Geocaches located nearby. Best bet here is to purchase a trail guide for more specifics on the area. Be sure to check with the Hot Sulphur Springs Ranger district as fires have damaged or closed many locations.

If you're looking for a laid back peaceful camping experience, Sugarloaf may just be the place for you!

South Fork is located in the Arapaho National Forest and administered by the Sulphur Ranger District. Situated on the banks of the South Fork of the Williams Fork of the Colorado River, this campground reminds me of days gone by when reservations were not a "thing".

Southfork is a first come, first served campground with 21 sites. While there is generally a resident Host, the lightly used campground has the feel of what campgrounds were like 50 years ago. Individual sites are mostly flat. All sites have picnic tables, fire rings, and tent pads. All will fit tents, most will accommodate travel trailers, and some will allow 5th wheels/large RVs well over 40' (some spurs are 50'). There is also a group site that fronts the creek which is available by reservation. There are two well maintained pit toilets and two functioning hand crank water wells available. For equestrians, there is a small corral on the south end of the campground though I've never seen it in use. Like the Sugarloaf campground, Southfork was cleared of trees a number of years ago.

When I first camped at Southfork some 8 years ago, the sites in the center were all open with small seedling Lodge pole pines beginning to take root. Spruce trees along the creek were not cleared and are very large making for nice shady sites (these are the most popular and always fill fast). Today, the seedlings have grown quite fast and are in the range of 5-7 feet tall providing a nice screen between the formerly open sites. Note that this is not always the most quite campground as there is a tramway that connects the Henderson Mine with it's Mill located off the Ute pass road. When the tram is running, it creates a fair amount of background noise. While I have no problem just hanging out at the campground, there are many other activities available in the area.

For those with a restless spirit of adventure, trout fishing, hiking, and Geocaching are available in the Southfork area. If you are interested in more detail, check out the review of Sugarloaf campground located just to the south.

Due to a lack of amenities, Southfork may not be for everyone but if you're looking for a campground that has the spirit of bygone days, this place is well worth a look.

I absolutely love this campground. There are two loops on either side of the main road and I recommend the one by the creek. There are 4 sites that are down by the creek in the trees that are walk-in only but have the most space between them and are right on the creek. They are my favorite spots on site.

There are pit toilets available that are well maintained and there is water access. There is also a dumpster for trash. This site is better for large rigs too. There are multiple sites where you can easily back right in.

It is really quiet at night and the creek gives off a beautiful white noise for those that are close to it. This campground is very busy during the weekends in Colorado but you can most likely find a spot any day during the week.

This area is an absolutely gorgeous forest setting and is totally what you might have imagined for a Colorado camping experience. Easy access to the Bierstadt trail if you are a 14er hiker and a really fun road bike route up and down Guanella Pass. You are also less than 20 mins from Georgetown so it is also a good spot for you to have a basecamp.