Best Tent Camping near Somerset, CO

General: A mix of pull-thru RV sites, back-in van sites, and walk-in tent sites. We called about two weeks prior and were happy to secure a site on a Saturday at the very end of April. This campground is located right on I70 so you will definitely hear highway noise (and occasional train noise). The sites are stacked on a hillside and as would be expected in an RV park, there is little separation/privacy between sites. The road in is a bit rough but so were many of the area roads after a harsh winter. 

Site Quality: Sites are gravel. Site 55 was just long enough for our 18-foot van to fit. Not all of the van sites had picnic tables, but our site had a table where we could set up our camp stove and we ate inside our van. It also looked like there was a gas grill that might be shared for the van sites, but we didn’t inquire about it/use it. We had a fire pit but didn’t use it. Fires are NOT permitted in the RV sites and although there was a sign indicating a fire ban, you could speak with the office to see if fires are currently permitted in designated campfire pits. 

Bath/Shower house: Was very clean and nicely appointed. Did not use the shower. 

We chose this campground knowing we would hear highway noise, but it was a convenient location for our hike to Hanging Lake the next day. Craig was very welcoming both on the phone and upon our arrival.

What a hidden gem this campsite was! The bathrooms are cleaner than any campsite I've ever stayed in and were always well stocked with toilet paper. There's running water, and secure dumpsters around the grounds. Each campsite also has its own secure bear box that was large enough to fit my 50qt cooler. Firewood is available for sale, and the campground hosts are very friendly and helpful! 

The campground is adjacent to the reservoir and is within walking distance of the marina grounds. With plenty of beachfront access, many campers were able to set up day tents by the lake, anchor boats, and launch paddle boards and canoes easily. There are a wide variety of campsites available, with everything from larger RV pull-throughs, to small tent-only sites. Some are a bit more shaded than others, though, and I do wish we'd been able to snag one with more tree cover. 

This campground was easy to reach and maneuver around in my RWD low-set sedan, and the roads are very well maintained. There is no cell service at all out here though, and it is easily a 20-30 minute drive to Basalt. 

This was such a delightful find, though, and I will definitely be back!

This is one of the smaller sites alongside the main road you will find just a short distance outside of Aspen. I was passing through late in the season, technically during "closure" but was able to snag a site because it had not yet been closed due to unusually warmer fall. There had been some snowfall higher up but where I was there had not so the camp had not been closed. They had however turned off the potable water source but vault toilets and sites remained open.

I was located in site 5 which had a small back in area, a picnic table and fire ring. There were also bear boxes throughout camp, which you need to use if you are here because there is a population of bears that will raid camp. I made sure to keep any food in the car behind doors and cleaned up away from camp with my own water source so as to not attract anything to come near. Bears do scare me a bit!!

The site for my tent was lush and grassy, it had not yet frozen or died for the season so it felt very fluffy underneath my tent.

Temperatures dropped dramatically at night and I was happy there was no fire ban when I visited because I used my fire for a heat source in the evening and then hand warmers inside extra socks at night. It was pretty peaceful at the camp as a whole.

While there I enjoyed hiking on the Weller Trail which heads directly out from the parking area near the camp and treks a short distance with some amazing views. I was so happy to have found this site for only $21.

TIPS:

• Typical season is May to the end of September if it is before or after this time check with the Forest Service to see if they have opened camp for season.

• Bring a flashlight there is no external light at the campground so you will not be able to see anything without one.

We arrived at Soap Creek Campground around noon on a Friday in mid-July and found several wonderful sites to choose from. We selected site 8 as it was fairly close to the restroom, had decent shade, and large enough to accommodate our large tent and two vehicles...with room enough to spare to play washers! Vault toilets only, but they were very clean...host normally sells firewood, but they were out, however they did allow us to gather our own. No water at this time as it is spring fed and was low. Mostly surrounded by tent campers, but a few RV's made it down the narrow, windy and bumpy dirt road to the campground...but for the most part they kept their generators off (no electricity at this campground) during quiet hours. We were able to walk to the creek and what a view! Would definitely recommend and can't wait to go back!

This campground is on NPS land, so there is a fee ($16 in season+ water/$8 off season no water) that can be paid at the nearby ranger's station on the honor system. All 13 sites are in a single loop at the end of the road on the North Rim and are all first come first served. Pinyon and juniper offer shade and some visual privacy, however sites are all close so there is little audible privacy. Pets are OK if leashed. There are nice sized BearSaver boxes at each site, plus a fire ring and large picnic table. Vault toilets and potable water are both in the center of the camping loop, where you can also find other tables and lots of shade. Chasm trail begins near the end of the loop and there are great views of the canyon a short distance from all sites. Beware: drought year, so lots of yellow jackets - they swarm vehicles in search of water! Also, water is a limited resource brought in by truck to this canyon, don't be wasteful :)