35 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Primitive tent camping areas surround the Rockvale area in Colorado's high-desert terrain, with popular options including Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites and Red Canyon Park. Both offer walk-in tent sites situated along scenic canyons and creek beds that provide natural backcountry camping without developed facilities. The Bureau of Land Management maintains several dispersed tent camping zones along Phantom Canyon Road, where established fire rings mark previously used campsites.
Terrain at most tent campsites consists of uneven ground that requires careful site selection. Phantom Canyon Road features numerous pull-offs leading to primitive tent sites, though access roads can be narrow and sometimes challenging. A visitor commented, "Small creek that follows the road to camp along with pre-existing fire rings." Most tent campgrounds along this route have no drinking water, requiring campers to pack in all supplies. Vault toilets are available at limited locations, with two noted approximately 3 miles into the BLM area and another near mile marker 18. Bear activity is frequently reported in these tent camping areas, making proper food storage essential.
The tent camping experience varies significantly depending on how far up Phantom Canyon Road campers venture. Areas closer to the highway fill quickly on weekends, while tent sites farther into the canyon offer greater seclusion. A camper wrote, "The further down the road you go, the better the spots and further from road traffic." Tent campers frequently encounter wildlife, including black bears that have been spotted approaching campsites. Seasonal considerations affect these tent campsites significantly - summer brings hot conditions in exposed sites, while spring offers flowing water in the creek. Fall provides more moderate temperatures with fewer crowds at the primitive tent sites. Phantom Canyon Road features interesting geological formations, including tunnels cut through the mountains that add to the scenic drive to these backcountry tent camping areas. Campers planning a tent camping trip near Rockvale should note that all 30 listed sites are primitive, with no hookups or developed amenities, making self-sufficiency essential.
"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."
"I’m a rooftop tent camper and the views are amazing but was hoping to be close to the water and isolated from other campers."
"It is in a canyon so you won't have any cell phone signal, though I had my Starlink set up and it worked flawlessly. We will go back, and I hope to get that spot before any other!"
"We're happy to have this property on our platform. Check them out and come back here to leave them some love!"
from $50 - $200 / night
Check Availability"Every summer I go on a road trip , camping ,backpacking and visiting national parks , while driving through Colorado we drove through phantom canyon road and we stopped about 20 times through our drive"
"Did the shelf trail from cripple creek to canon city. Was good place to camp for the night quite a few spots, flat, big. Amazing views! Incline getting up to isn’t bad, TT’s might have some trouble."
"Good tent sites. Have to carry gear to camp site but only shoeRt hike to campsite. Maybe 50 yards. Has a couple of sires with shelter. Picnic tables are big and heavy."
"Has a fire pit with grill, picnic table, and sites 2, 5, and 9 have the log covering. The sites are pretty close together, but we had no problem with our neighbors."
from $25 / night
Check Availability"There are vault toilets that are clean and have toilet paper. One vault toilet part way on the hike to the walls did not have TP."
"Wonderful access to Shelf climbing. Very peaceful."
"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"It’s an easy drive from Westcliff. Too easy. I expected crowds of out of state tourists and maybe a few locals."
"Plus you can hear the traffic from the highway but again not enough to disrupt anything."
"We found GMP in Colorado City and was told they never turn away a tenter. There are a number of spots aligned below a bluff, and a large open field for additional tents."
"Well spaced and shaded sites. Bath house is far from most of the primitive sites. The showers are clean and the water is hot."
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.
TravelerBasic amenities, but clean and easy to find. The campsite is very close to the highway, so if you're looking for something more off the beaten path, keep looking. However, if you just need a place to sleep with great views, this is a solid spot. We saw bighorn sheep and even heard what sounded like a bobcat possibly mountain lion at night.
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.
ScoutEasy access with a Honda. Chilly nights
TravelerGreat camp with several trails starting there. Set back from the dunes by a short trail, but that gets you away from the crowd at the main parking area.
Go barefoot on the sand!
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 ...
LegendThis middle section of the road has mixed spots some are wooded some are wide open it really just depends on whats available. People pour in around dusk so get there early and get a good spot with a mountain view and maybe you will see a moose like i did. Road is good cell is 1-2 bars in this secrion
Dispersed camping options surround Rockvale, Colorado at elevations between 5,400-7,000 feet in the eastern foothills of the Wet Mountains. This high desert terrain features dramatic temperature shifts, often dropping 30-40 degrees from day to night, even in summer months. Most primitive campsites sit on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land with minimal or no facilities.
Explore historic mining tunnels: Travel the Phantom Canyon road where tunnels cut through mountain rock provide interesting stops. "This is a fun spot to camp. Theres a cool tunnel to drive through too. Will definitely come back," reports a camper at Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites.
Mountain biking at Oil Well Flats: Located 15 miles northwest of Rockvale, the area offers technical single-track trails with minimal shade. "Did the shelf trail from cripple creek to canon city. Was good place to camp for the night quite a few spots, flat, big. Amazing views!" notes a visitor at Oil Well Flats.
Climbing at Shelf Road: The limestone cliffs provide over 800 sport climbing routes ranging from beginner to advanced. "The Banks campsites are perfect if you're climbing at Shelf Road. You can hike from the campsite," explains a climber who visited the area.
Rock hounding: Search for quartz crystals and other minerals throughout the area's canyons. "There's AMZING crystal finds here," mentions a camper at Red Canyon Park, though they caution about "cacti mats everywhere" when searching.
Riverside camping: Many sites along Phantom Canyon offer creek access. "We found an amazing camp site that was down a slope. We parked up top and lugged everything down the slope. It was tough but so worth it. There was 5 different camp site areas at the bottom right next to the water," explains a camper at Phantom Canyon.
Digital disconnection: Most tent camping areas have no cell service. "Stayed for the weekend, found a place tucked back away from the road and felt completely secluded from the world. No service, no noise, just the sound of the creek and an occasional car driving by," reports a visitor.
Dark skies for stargazing: The remote location provides excellent night sky viewing. "At night the site was amazingly dark. This was my first real time seeing the Milky Way," shares a camper who stayed at Davenport Campground.
Wildlife viewing: Mule deer frequently visit campsites, especially at dawn and dusk. "We woke up one morning at our tent site with deer walking and eating down the creek right next to us," notes a visitor to the area.
Road conditions vary: Many access roads deteriorate further from highways. "Fairly steep and rough road up into the campground. Once your in the roads are decent," explains a camper at Oil Well Flats.
Insect management essential: Biting flies and mosquitoes can be problematic, especially near water. "The worst and only bad part was the insane amount of biting flies. It was unbearable at times and our dogs were very stressed from them all over them. Bring those fly bags that attract them away from you unless you're prepared to get eaten up by the flies," advises a camper at Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites.
Limited drinking water: Almost no tent camping areas have potable water sources. "No potable water so be sure to bring your own," reminds a visitor to Davenport Campground.
Campsite selection timing: "Camped along this canyon road a few time and will never forget it. It is magical, always visit during the week, weekends spots are gone," recommends a camper at Red Canyon Park.
Look for sites with toilets: Some dispersed areas have vault toilets. "Bathrooms are a bit of a drive from our site. They are nothing lavish (bring sanitizing wipes) but they were nice for the kids who weren't comfortable going outside," advises a family camping at Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites.
Choose protected campsites: Seek spots with natural barriers for younger children. "Also great to utilize this if you have young children who like to wander. We didn't have to worry about them being near the roads," notes a parent who found an ideal spot for tent camping near Rockvale.
Consider Davenport for amenities: This established campground offers more amenities for families. "Designated tent spots. Some spaces have a shelter with table. Outhouses are clean. Fire pits are built and work great. Trail right off campgrounds is an easy, beautiful hike," reports a visitor to Davenport Campground.
Pack extra layers: Temperature drops can be extreme after sunset. "Gets warm during the day but it does get pretty cold at night," warns a camper at Phantom Canyon.
Limited large vehicle access: Most dispersed sites accommodate smaller RVs only. "Upwards of 20 spots to park. There is no service which is fine but something to leave in a review. It is a very populated area so if you plan to go on a holiday weekend plan accordingly," explains an RV camper at Phantom Canyon.
Bring leveling blocks: Terrain is uneven throughout the area. "I'm a rooftop tent camper and the views are amazing but was hoping to be close to the water and isolated from other campers. Definitely was isolated and found one spot that worked out well for rooftop camper," shares a visitor to Phantom Canyon Road Pull-Off.
Consider alternatives during peak times: "The coordinates will take you to where the paved road turns to dirt. You need to go a few more miles and you will see signs for BLM land. The farther you go the better the sites. We camped next to Eight Mile Creek and the tunnel," advises an RVer about finding the best tent camping near Rockvale, Colorado.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Rockvale, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Rockvale, CO is Phantom Canyon Road BLM Sites with a 4.6-star rating from 40 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Rockvale, CO?
TheDyrt.com has all 35 tent camping locations near Rockvale, CO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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