Best Campgrounds near Watkins, CO

This was a great site! Trails everywhere, lots of beautiful sites. Some have mountain views, others are more covered by trees. I stayed in a loop site that was super cozy. All sites have fire rings and plenty of dead trees/branches in the area to gather for firewood.

A beautiful and peaceful place to chill out! The spots are plenty spaced out from others. Just a heads up that many of the spots aren’t flat for parking or even for a tent.

I drove for an extra half an hour and still didn't find this site. I ended up at a nearby trailhead which was nice and quiet. I think there are multiple entry points to this site and most of them were closed. The trailhead was nice, had bathrooms and was quiet.

Stayed here for a month and a half with electric only (full hook up spots for extended stays were already taken but that was okay). Staff is extremely helpful and accommodating. They have extremely clean bath houses cleaned daily and coin0op laundry (office has quarters available). Along a gorgeous walking path to the mountains, within immediate walking distance to multiple breweries and restaurants, and extremely accessible to the mountains. Love it here!

Sites 8 & 9 are extremely unlevel, but the other sites are pretty fine.

Super close to Denver and offered through the City of Lakewood. The sites are for tent/RV and have electric hookups. Beautiful area. There's a few playgrounds within the campground and park area, with access to trails to the lake, a boat launch and boat rental, equestrian stables, and archery. You get a bench and fire pit at your site. Only drawback might be the bathrooms have no night lighting and you have a dumping station instead of sewage hookups. Also water is available but not at the site. But all in all a really great find and affordable for the area!

The coordinates on Dyrt are a little off from the actual location but if you drive down roads that lead to toward views of the canyon, you’ll get there. The road passes through lots of private property, which can trick you into thinking you’re driving down the wrong road. The trailhead parking lot has one giant rut that you must be careful to navigate around. 2 Wheel Dr. and low clearance vehicles can do it, but should be extremely careful in how they approach. Parking lot is a short walk to some beautiful views of the canyon! Please be respectful as many people live within eyesight of the trailhead

Our family loves this spot, the privacy and natural beauty all easily accessible for a 1 night trip for a family breaking in some unruly toddlers to the camping experience.

Panorama Point offers amazing views that even my 70 year old parents were able to join us on.

PP gets really busy but get there early enough after camping and you'll have it mostly to yourselves.

Frazer Meadows is also a fun hike that you can easily accomplish with a kid carrier.

Great spots in here! Lots of shade in the morning at our spot. We were by a dirt road and did have a few vehicles drive by but not bad. There is bear scat, not old and not new, in the area but no wildlife was seen.

I started camping this area a couple of years ago and have been coming back several times a year. Over 30 dispersed campsites along a moderately smooth dirt road. Sites are spaced well apart, some sites are covered in trees while others are wide open. I haven’t seen one there yet but it’s good to stay BEAR AWEAR. Sites are clean. I camped at sites 15, 18, 22(twice), 26 (twice ), and there’s two sites close to Wellington lake that I’ve stayed three times . Yes it’s a good place to camp and only about a hour from Denver. My visits were between May to October. Only a fire ring is provided,everything else you’ll need to bring……AND PACK OUT when you leave so the next camper can enjoy the site like you did.

My first experience was a couple of years ago (2022) I paid for three days camping . It snowed and was unable to camp….no refunds… The following year I bought 6 day passes to go fishing and only used 3. They said no refunds….. told them to keep the money and give the passes to the next three people who came in and wanted one….they said that they couldn’t do that.. So, I still tell people about how beautiful the place is…..and I also tell them that they WILL keep your money no matter what happens…. I’ll camp in the dispersed camping sites on the road that takes you to the private over priced campground….. Oh by the way…it’s catch and release. So, if you want fish for supper you better bring your own.

Had a great time here with hardly anyone there so very peaceful.

If you want to get into the Park, suggest you go EARLY, EARLY, EARLY in the day. Traffic backs up all the way from the Entrance on Parker Rd to the Entrance Booth on weekends and holidays. Plan on an hour OR MORE to just get to the booth. Once the capacity for the Park is reached, you will not be allowed in.

Nice Swim Beach with brand new Bldg. Many covered Picnic sites, but again, you MUST arrive at the break of day to secure one.

Please plan to pack your trash out. Seems to be a severe shortage of dumpsters or trash cans and people leave behind huge bags of trash - or, sadly, just trash strewn around. Please respect our space!

Campground is usually fully booked all season. Reservations can be made six months out. Two week limit.

I live close to the Park and visit every month of the year.

A hidden gem in the Colorado Rockies, Rainbow Trout Ranch offers a serene mountain retreat. With its riverside setting and towering trees, this campground is perfect for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. The sites are rustic but well-kept, and the peaceful environment is ideal for disconnecting from the hustle and bustle of Denver. Nearby hiking trails and wildlife add to the charm.

AIM for a site along the creek. And beware of the rules. No wildfires nor swimming in the creek.

Clean shower and rest room. Easy self check in.

The road here has some gnarly washboards. I had to slow down to a crawl at points because it was thrashing my rig around so much. There is also one turn on the road where if you’re not careful, I could imagine getting stuck. However, the views are incredible and it was well worth the effort. Cell signal from Verizon is extremely good, I am getting 5G UWB and download speeds of 180mbps. There’s some cool hills to climb and many great views.

Stayed in spot RV24. Easy access right off freeway and convenient to TPB start. Some nice small trails in area for easy walking. Mostly pine trees. Orderly, camp hosts seem inclined to enforce rules. Quiet.No campfire pits so no burning allowed at all and most folks seem to knock off early. Showers are available for.25/2 min with a 4 min max. Appeared old, clean.

For road cyclists: Good place to stay for Triple Bypass

Food aside: Cooked Hatch green chile sausage and added to Sprouts Hatch mac and cheese and put into burritos. Ate leftovers for breakfast. Low FQ (fart quotient).

I spent the night at Base Camp because the campgrounds North and South of Ned were full and it was dark and getting late. You have to be lucky with those ones to get one of the few good spots that are there. I have been to the convenience store at BC before and it was closer to Idaho Springs (I was going there the next day to meet a friend). $39 per night for a tent site is INSANE. I could have stealth camped and there was another spot I could’ve gone too but BC was close and I was tired. I guess that’s how they make their business. Begrudgingly it worked for what I needed.

Very clean, very well maintained. Large spaces near the lake.

Beautiful, but really need a compact 4x4 to get into and out of parking lot and there are tent sites only. We almost didn’t make it out with our 24 ft van (checked it out but didn’t stay overnight). Very crowded on a Saturday at 4:30pm.

Idk who did this but luckily there is service but anything nearby is outta the way. Says need permit online access filled it all out $10 plus camping. Dispersed without wheels requires a $4 fee too

Finally, a nice campsite on a road that isn't horrible. There are 30+ designated, numbered, dispersed campsites on this road. Each of them have a parking area right along the road with a fire ring a short distance away surrounded by awesome rock outcroppings. The parking areas tend to be very unlevel and there are only a few that you can pull right up to your campsite. #6 had a level spot large enough for my van and the camping area just a few steps away. These are great campsites and the area is really awesome. After so many horrible roads and places closed, it was a blessing to find this spot. The road is a bit of a washboard, but that is nothing compared to most of the forest roads in Colorado. Highly recommended! Cell service with At&t in site 6 is decent. Calling is 2 bars. at least half of the sites are big rig friendly. All of the sites are 100% free.

We camped a very short walk from the parking lot. Amazing camp site with not many people around.

Busy and right off highway