Best Tent Camping near Vail, CO

• 14 day/night stay max.
• $24 a night for tent or RV camping (there are way more hook-up sites over tent sites. Loop D is one of the two options for tent camping and I highly recommend any of the sites in that loop.)

Bring your fishing pole, SUP, kayak, or hammock to hang out by the lake. This is my favorite campground in Colorado for the accessibility to the lake and town nearby.

I stayed here in 2016 on a bicycle tour across America. It featured some fantastic views of the nearby lake and mountains and had very clean facilities. Only problem, from a camping in a tent perspective, is due to its location if a storm rolls in the wind can really hit from every angle. Otherwise the price is very reasonable.

Gore Creek Campground is a true gem of the National Forest Service. If you are looking for a great boondocking location that is close to great trails and breathtaking views, this just might be the place for you. The entrance to the campground is ~2 miles off of I-70 Exit 180 on Bighorn Road. Only 10 minutes from Vail Village and 25 minutes from Frisco.

We stayed in Site #8, which provided plenty of room for our 22’ travel trailer and pickup. The sites each have a large picnic table and fire ring.

Pit toilets are spread through the campground and were very clean and well maintained. The campground hosts do a great job of keeping everything tidy and looking great. They also have bundles of firewood for sale for $7 at their site just inside the entrance to the campground.

I can’t say enough about this place. It’s probably my favorite spot to camp in Colorado. I almost didn’t post this review for fear of the secret getting out.

Limited number of tent sites, which is wonderful, for privacy and enjoying peace and nature! Camp hosts were wonderful.

Found a great spot on the creek. Level and had a turn around for a larger rig. Many tent sites around. Road is in good shape.

We had a blast and thanks to this site we plan on doing much more camping. Good tent sites, clean bathrooms, fire pits, and fun trails.

Small campground with tent sites, RV sites, and cabins. Main building has camp store with a variety of items available for purchase. Nice bathrooms including showers available.

We were tent camping on motorcycles and rode into Leadville late in the evening. This campground was open (with staff) late, and were very friendly and accommodating. A very nice camp with everything we needed. They had tent pads that were flat and soft. We just barely missed the ice cream social. We will visit again.

Originally quite nice, tent camping, clean area, nice sites, water available, bathrooms, and access to fishing. Weekends tend now to religious services... :( Been 4 times but now prefer less commercial/church interuptions. RV crud makes for noisy generators, bouncy houses, karaoke... :( Some people swim. Boating. Good perimeter trail, biking allowed.

We camped here after a Red Rocks show. The spot is a great area. About 20 minutes off of I-70. There are many pull offs along this road that could theoretically be good camp sites. However there are “no camping” signs, which is why I gave it 3 stars. Everything is great besides that: beautiful stars, good tent site, safe parking area.

The spot we chose is a bit farther down the road than the one listed here. It’s in between the bend in the road. We parked at the pull off and walked down a small hill to find a good tent site and a fire ring.

Also be aware it’s pretty chilly compared to just a few miles up the road. It was in the mid 30s at night.

We used a tent site, but the site they assigned to us was not the best for a Tent Trailer, but we made it work by moving the picnic table and pushing the trailer into the site. It was a small space, really close to the other tent spaces, small parking space.

We really needed showers, but realized you have to pay separately.

This is a somewhat typical NF rustic campground, but with seating and meeting sites for large groups (like scouts, youth groups, etc.). Recreational opportunities nearby (e.g. fishing) are limited, but some hiking is adjacent to the campground, Tent sites are well-marked and level, and the campground is very quiet at night.

Nice campground in Leadville about a 10 minute drive from town. They have a general store, water spout at each site, decent bathrooms & free showers. The tent sites are a little close together and parking is limited if you have more than 1 vehicle. Overall a great spot to camp if you are hiking/exploring Leadville.