Looking for the best campgrounds near Steamboat Springs, CO? Steamboat Springs is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.
"Many options to stay including walk in camping and covered wagon cabins. There is a long steepish trail that leads to many camp sites along the river."
"The creek runs right behind a number of the campsites. The owners have planted trees and flowers at every site and the wildflowers were also in bloom."
"Spots for dispersed camping around the reservoir are only around the one end of the road and there are a good half dozen or so but they are all pretty good sized."
"We spent the weekend near Crosho lake and had an awesome time! The trail to the lake is bumpy, and I would recommend a 4x4 vehicle to get to this lake."
"The site was really clean and even though we headed up Friday morning there were still a ton a spaces. There was enough space that even our group of 8 was secluded. Fishing in the lake was great."
"The campground is an hour north of Steamboat Springs and on Hahn’s Peak Lake. Steamboat Lake State Park is 15 minutes away. Spots are large and 5 are FF."
"What a beautiful drive to the campsite. Our girls had a blast exploring and making their "fort". A very clean and peaceful place with an amazing view."
"Please make sure you are leaving no trace! There are a lot of people around this area, please do your part to keep the land as natural as possible. The poop fairy does NOT live here- pack it out!"
"However what I found was designated site only camping mostly on the side of the road and they were not free. $10/night"
TravelerBeautiful quiet campground but a little hard to get to. Road from the east is much better than from Steamboat Springs. Quiet , well maintained, more suited to car/tent camping. Great views of lake from many sites. Grills, tables, trash and toilets, No water. Went on weeknight in July and it was about 3/4 full
GuideGreat little campground with picnic tables, fire pits, clean vault toilets & dumpsters. Pretty quite location, you can hear the water here & there which was nice & an occasional airplane would fly by. Campground was very clean, well maintained. Great location! 20 mins from the town of Craig (Walmart, gas stations, restaurants) & about an hour from steamboat springs. The only thing we were kind of missing were some trees.
LegendWe found State Forest State Park on a whim this past July 2018. We were on a road trip from California to Colorado for a wedding in Granby, CO. We were camping in Utah at Dinosaur National Monument, but due to the smoke from a nearby wildfire and the high heat of the summer, we decided to cut our stay one day short, and head over to the Rockies a day early. We wanted to be fairly close to our final destinations, Granby then RMNP, but wanted to go somewhere we hadn’t been before. My boyfriend and I are both animal lovers, and our dream was to finally see a moose on this trip out to Colorado. In researching moosey areas on the internet, we found the Moose Visitor Center at State Forest State Park. We figured that a place with a Moose Visitors Center was as moosey as it comes, so we reserved a site online and headed out to Colorado.
It was late afternoon when we arrived, but since we had already eaten, we didn’t have much to do besides set up our tent and sleeping pads for the night. Getting to the campground and visitors center is easy as they are both right off the highways 41 and 14, but it is quite a drive to get to, in general. The scenery is so pretty, that we did not mind the drive to or from SFSP. North Michigan Campground is right by a lake, it is pretty.
The sites are primitive - each site had picnic benches and a firepit, but at the time we visited there was a Stage 2 fire ban in place, so we couldn’t have a campfire. The fire ban included the burning of wood and charcoal - using a propane stove was OK.
There were pit toilets, and they were well maintained. The sites appeared to have once had more in the way of trees and shade, but it looks as though SFSP was hit by the pine beetles, like so much of Colorado. It’s sad to see the destruction the beetles left in their wake, and fewer trees mean less privacy and less shade for tent campers. We would have had a hard time setting up extra tarps in case it had rained that evening. Bringing an easy-up or canopy would be smart in the summer to protect against sun and heat, or a passing thunderstorm.
WARNING: You ARE in bear country and there were no bear bins in the campground - be bear safe and bear smart, lock all of your food and toiletries inside your car at night. I was once told by a ranger in Yosemite NP that bears can recognize coolers when peering into car windows, so we always put a towel and gear over our coolers when keeping them in the car overnight.
We packed up early and arrived at the Moose Visitors Center when they opened. The visitors center was educational and interesting, and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. After studying some maps of the area with the rangers, we decided to try our luck driving along Highway 14 towards Fort Collins.
We stopped at various spots along the highway, and ended up walking around the Joe Wright Reservoir for a while. Thunderheads were rolling in, and some rain and thunder started, so we decided to start making our way back towards SFSP then head down to Granby, our next stop. We were around Cameron Pass and had given up on seeing any moose when we saw traffic slowing and cars stopped alongside the road - there were two young bull moose snacking by a small river on the side of the road! We pulled over, turned our hazard lights on, grabbed the camera, and jumped out to see our first moose. The moose seemed unconcerned by their growing audience, and continued to chomp away on their lunch - there was a small ravine between the moose and their human audience, so neither moose nor humans felt threatened.
According to the staff at the Moose Visitor Center, there are only about 1,000 moose in the entire state of Colorado - and here we stumbled across two moose at once! We were ecstatic, and so happy we made the impromptu, unplanned trip out to State Forest State Park! We returned to the Moose Visitors Center to share the experience with the rangers (they record the specifics of moose sightings in the area on a board), and the ranger gave us a high five for spotting our first ever moose.
I would like to return to the area someday to hike, I imagine the nearby trails must be goregous!
CAMPSITE SPECS
Fees: $18/night
Plumbed Toilets: NO - pit
Drinking Water: Yes
Showers: NO
Picnic Table: Yes
Firepit: Yes
Cooking Grates: Yes
Shade: Limited!
Cell Service: NO
Animal Bins/Food Lockers: NO
LegendThis small CG has 11 FCFS sites. About 1/2 are RV or trailer size. Trappers lake complex is about 5 mi. Campground host onsite, firewood for sale. $22/$12 senior. No cell signal on T-Mobile for me. CG has tables, fire rings, one vault toilet and one dumpster. Bear boxes are at each site. NO WATER, system looks to be kaput. Trail goes down to river for fishing.
RangerWell north of Steamboat Springs, up a beautiful valley and on a nice man-made lake. The sites are on top of each other and the beetle kill of the pines have made this a bit barren looking. Campsite can get loud with lots of family stuff going on. The lake is nice for a canoe and paddle board. Good launching point for hikes and MTB.
Leave no trace.
ScoutThe 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.
ScoutWe were hoping to stop at the loop just beofre this spot coming from Steamboat Springs butt here we're three other vehicles there. This stretch of road has a number of pulloffs but beware they are not flat. I was able to.level our travel trailer but only after busting a jack.
LegendPrimitive camping was great here in the North Camp Area. From what I can tell all the Primitive sites have fire rings. Site 470-480 even have a vault toilet but they are close together. I stayed at site 410 which has a stream behind it and was a beautiful spot. I would also recommend sites 411-414 & 421 for the primitive camper. The hiking is just beautiful and there are several lakes (2 are only accessible by hiking in). Most of the sites around the large lake are for RV or Cabin campers and fill up fast. There is no picnic area near the lake so if you are primitive camping you have to be creative. ALL RESERVATION FOR CAMPING ARE DONE ONLINE. There is no cell serves past the entrance so be sure to book in advance. The vault toilets are well kept there is no indoor plumbing that I could find. There is also Yurt camping here. There is no electric hook up for the RVs but there is a dump station. Water can be found in a few areas around the park.
GuideEstablished campground with basics like a fire ring, picnic table and vault toilets. No water. If you are wanting a few days away from everything and willing to drive on dirt/gravel roads to get here, it is an awesome place to camp. Bring everything you need because there are no quick trips to a store out here. The river that flows into the lake is adjacent to campsite #1 and makes for a great night of sleep. The view waking up to the lake with the snow capped mountains in the background is truly a Colorado experience if that is what you’re looking for.
Nestled in the stunning landscapes of Colorado, tent camping near Steamboat Springs offers a perfect blend of adventure and relaxation. With a variety of campgrounds to choose from, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the beauty of nature while having access to essential amenities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Steamboat Springs, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Steamboat Springs, CO is Strawberry Park Hot Springs with a 3.6-star rating from 5 reviews.
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