Best Dog-Friendly Camping near White River National Forest

This campground is located in the town of Frisco, CO, but feels like being in the wilderness. Shopping and restaurants are 10 minutes from the Campground. Very clean campground. This is the only campground around Lake Dillon with flush toilets and sinks. There is walk up access to the lake for kayaks and paddle boards. A few camp sites have direct access to the lake. This campground is part of the White River National Forest and is managed by CLM with 2 camp host couples on site who are very helpful. Make reservations in advance, especially for weekends, because it fills up quickly.

This past August was my first time experiencing this Homestake Reservoir area. Homestake Road is your gateway to a variety of off-road and primitive camping sites in the beautiful White River National Forest. We spent two nights here, each night at a different campsite. One site was just right off the road and the other was one that involved walking up the mountain onto a beautiful, scenic landing. We found one trail and spent the day ascending the gorgeous mountain, which I believe was Homestake Peak. The change in landscape ascending the mountain was one of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen. I plan on returning to this area the next several times I visit Colorado because there is too much to see and experience at the beautiful Homestake Reservoir.

The Prospector Campground in White River National Forest is on the Shadow Mountain Road, off the east end of Dillon Reservoir, easily accessible from I-70 heading toward Keystone and Arapahoe Basin. It's well-managed, with the plentiful toilets getting twice-daily service from the genial hosts. Like most National Forest campgrounds, reservations can be made on line, a good idea during busy summer weekends. In addition to the gorgeous scenery, what was impressive about Prospector is the size and spacing of the campsites ... you're not right on top of your neighbor, but you're still on a level pad with a fire ring at every spot.

Sites were a bit close together but it was still in a beautiful area right on the river. We were very jealous of site #7 it was by far the best of them. On the river, and backed up to trees and a rock face and the most secluded. The rest were sort of out in the open. Definitely far from help so bring some bear spray because we would see some recent bear activity and no cell service. Each site has a food locker which was very convenient along with a fire ring and a picnic table. The grounds had vault toilets but it was very very clean. Lots to do around white river national forest and I would stay here again!

Just a few miles off I-70, in Frisco, CO, is the location of Peak One Campground. This is a very clean campground, and the only one around Lake Dillon with flush toilets and sinks. Frisco shopping and restaurants are only 10 minutes away and Summit Medical Center is 5 minutes. Even with the town being so close, when in the Campground it feels like being miles from everything. This campground is part of the White River National Forest and is run by CLM with two camp host couples living in the campground. There is walk up access to Lake Dillon for kayaks and paddle boards, and a few campsites have direct access to the lake. This is a very busy campground so it is best to reserve a spot on-line. Walk up sites are rare, especially on weekends.

The campground is located on the Ruedi Reservoir just a few miles east of Basalt Colorado. It also sits in the White River National Forest on the Fryingpan River at an elevation of 7,800 ft. Costs are $24 per night for car camping, restrooms and water are provided. We stayed in one of the sites closest to the water which was about 100 yards away, it had a few trees but was mostly an open grass field with great views of the surrounding. Boating, fishing, camping, and hiking are definitely the things to do here but especially fishing. The Fryingpan River is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, both of which are part of Colorado's Gold Medal Waters. We camped on May 19th and 20th of 2018 to great weather of highs in the 50's and a low around 30. Two cool places in town we would recommend if your making the trip would be Capitol Creek Brewing and The Brick Pony Pub. Also this is the best time to go camping to avoid the crowds, the reservoir can be pretty crowded during the summer. Highlight: Seeing mother moose and calf tracks on our morning hike around the lake.

Located 15 miles south of Eagle off of I-70 in the White River National Forest sits Sylvan Lake State Park. This has definitely been our favorite camping spot since moving here a little over 2 months ago. We camped right on the lake next to the boat ramp (no motorized boats allowed) and the bathhouse. At 8,500 ft the weather can change fast so be prepared especially with rain gear and warm close. The sites that are lake front are a little close together which would be my only complaint but for seclusion literally walk away in any direction. Paddle boarding and fishing were by far the most popular things to do on the lake but we stuck to hiking . There's a trail that follows the lake shore around that is also bike friendly, there's also the West Brush Creek Trail which is in the park and a number of gulch trails in between Sylvan lake and Eagle. On your way out of town be sure to stop in Eagle at the Red Canyon Cafe and Bonfire Brewing for a bite to eat and refreshments!