Best Tent Camping near Steamboat Springs, CO

Right outside of Steamboat Springs is Steamboat KOA. This campground has so many perks. Not only is there a beautiful Mountain View but it also has the Yampa river running through it. It has Rv sites, cute cabins, and tent sites. The Rv sites are separated in areas by what you need(electric, water, sewage). The RV sites each have picnic tables and a fire ring. There are regular cabins and deluxe ones which both include tables and fire rings. The tent area is located across the river and is so peaceful. There is a general store, putt putt, propane fill, a small dog run, bikes for rent, swimming in season and the city bus comes to take you to town for free. Although it is located right off the road, it was still peaceful and I felt safe. My favorite part about this campground is the fact you can stand on the bridge or sit by the Yampa River and enjoy the beauty and sounds, and watching people fly fish.

I tent camped at Ranger Lakes. I was the only one tent camping among all the RV’s. I didn’t mind that the spaces were visible from each other since I was camping alone. The pads were very spacious and flat. The lakes are very pretty and are a short walk from the campground. The trails around the lakes were nice to walk around. I wish there were facilities since there really aren’t any within most of the campgrounds of State Forest State Park. But Ranger Lakes is just a short drive from Cameron Pass as well as several beautiful trails. I’d definitely stay here again.

Beautiful tent sites by the lake. 186-188 are quiet and beautiful. Especially during the week! Highly recommend!

Well kept campground with nice visitor center. Showers & laundry available. Electric at site for RVs. Also tent camping. Some noise from Route 40 but not bad. Nice stay.

Well appointed campground on the water. Seems to cater more towards families with RVs, no privacy or shade for tent camping. Clean facilities overall with great proximity to the water and marina.

Awesome camp site, great staff, beautiful right on the river, fresh water. Showers are located in center of KOA so be ready to walk or drive over. Very dog friendly and well maintained tent sites!

We got to the campground after closing time for the park headquarters and visitors center and so just had to drive the many loops to find a spot. The main area has power and costs more, but after walking around some we found what we wanted, tent sites. There are only a few, they are powerless, and there is a barbed wire fence between you and the Yampa River, but there was trees and quiet and plenty of elbow room. We will go again but aim straight for the tenting sites next time.

We were told by Google that this campground was permanently closed, but we went with The Dyrt's info, and it really panned out. We were the only ones there, it was a short walk down to the Platt (flys and lures only), and the tent site, fire-ring, and picnic table were in top notch condition. Would definitely stay here again.

Walk-in availability only and about 11 sites which worked out fine. Only about 9 were filled when we were there. The bugs here got pretty annoying pretty quickly so be prepared. You will need a bear bag or vault. There are vault toilets and bear proof trash cans available. Water is also available. The tent sites were decent. You can fish in a nearby stream and check out the Green Mountain Falls accessible by day hike. They are worth seeing!

We just returned from a quick overnight at Freeman Res Campground and enjoyed it more than any other camping this Summer. The campsites are well separated, and screened by trees for good privacy. Despite a mostly full campground after dark it was very quiet, no generators, no barking dogs, and no big parties. There is a mixture of pull through, back in, and some tent sites for all camping types. Multiple trailheads start at the campground or close by it. The reservoir is for non-motorized watercraft only, not all campsites can see the reservoir but one loop of sites can. We will go back and hope to enjoy multiple seasons from this campground.

I'm not a huge fan of State Parks, but when it's time, it's time.  This one has showers (included in the fee), laundry, wifi at the entrance building.  The RV sites are a bit close together, the tent sites are much more private.  The RV sites have an awning-like structure with an enclosed side to the west.  It provides nice cover for the summer afternoon showers.  There are lots of mosquitos as it's in Yampa river bottom land.  There is a nice reservoir and swimming beach at a nearby state run park (your fee for camping at YRSP will get you into the other park).  We stayed 2 nights after dispersed camping for a week - showered, did laundry, battled the mosquitos.

Visiting steamboat springs all the nearby state parks and private campgrounds were full but there was plenty of sites open here. Many of the campsites have a slight slope/grade and require a little imagination to find a level spot to put up a tent but overall not bad. Plenty of trees for tarps.

We tent camped at Arnica Loop for 3 nights in early August and we would definitely come back. It’s a solid camp ground, a half mile hike or short drive to the marina and swim beach. You can buy ice and firewood at the marina The descriptions of each site are helpful. Bring a shade to sit under if your site doesn’t have as many trees (check the descriptions). There are two flush toilets on the first loop of Arnica and a vault toilet in the second loop. The flush bathroom gets cleaned regularly and is fine. Another set of flush toilets would go a long way to making it even better and tidier as the day goes on. Hosts were just the right amount of friendly and helpful without being intrusive. Only 4 stars because some of the groups can be... trickier. Most around us were very self contained and fine, but it only takes one group or neighbor. Still enjoyed our time!

The 26 campsites at the Crags Campground in State Forest State Park were very basic and accessed by a road that was steep and narrow. No RVs or trailers allowed or able to make it up the narrow one lane access road, which made it nice and quiet for tent camping. Fire grills and picnic tables provided, but no designated tent pads, no bear boxes, no electricity, and only a tough to use hand pump for water in the center of the campground. As of August 2018, there was an appallingly old and poorly maintained pit toilet for the campground use--with a brand new, nice looking pit toilet complete with handicapped parking--locked and roped off with construction netting. We were visited by a moose at dinner time two nights in a row as she had unfortunately become accustomed to eating from people's unsecured trash and had a special liking for hot dogs and potato chips. Beautiful place, with neat animals, but be aware how basic it really is.

This campsite is (I believe) in Gilpin County and offers very nice views from several trails nearby. The drive to get there is stunning (Peak to Peak Highway), and the campground sits right off the road. There is road noise because it's so close to the road, so if that bothers you, beware. Because of that, and the fact that the spots are built into a hill on the side we stayed on, I give it 4/5. Some may like it as it may in some cases offer a little extra privacy. We have an RV and set up shop in the parking pad which had a set of stairs up to a fire pit, picnic table, and a flat tent area. Not as popular as some other sites along P2P, and you can reserve in advance. Because of the location, the site is probably going to rate really high with people unfamiliar with the Front Range. For tent camping or those up for winging it on the chance of a walk up spot, check out Rainbow Lakes or Pawnee @ Brainard Lake a bit further North on P2P first. No hook-ups.

Stayed here for three nights on September 11, 2020. Nice view of the reservoir. Close to Steamboat Springs, CO. Nice hiking trails.

Very nice spot close to Steamboat Springs. (Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest) We arrived a little before noon on a Saturday in July. The road in was fine and very manageable with the OP 15 and a 1/2 ton truck. We found a beautiful spot 1.9 miles in on the East (left) side of the road. We saw 6-7 other campers set up on the way in… Mostly tent campers and a van or two. (Later in the weekend we did see some fairly sizable rigs occupying some “spots” along the 1.9 mile route to our spot) There may have been a place or two open that we could have chosen on the way in, but I’m glad that we kept going and settled in this spot. We had a beautiful view and the weather was perfect. Only downfall was the mosquitos. They were pretty bad this time of the year. Bring bug spray, or better yet, a misquote tent. We bought one in Steamboat Springs on our second day here and it was well worth the money! Verizon service was good and we had 2-3 bars all of the time. There was a little traffic on FR 302 but only about 1 car every 4-6 hours or so. Overall… Highly recommend!