Are you in need of a campground near Windsor, CO? Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Windsor. Find the best campgrounds near Windsor, CO. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
$25 / night
"This would be a perfect first backpacking trip for beginners! Once you park, you sign in to the backpacking log to the right of the main entrance by the kiosk. The sites are first come first serve."
"Great sunrises and away from traffic noise tho you may have to deal with a little bit of noise from the hiking trail but other than that horse tooth has 3 back country sites that are perfect. highly recommend"
$30 / night
"The water also will go from so far above the trees that there is no shade to so far below that you're hoofing your gear 100 yards from the boat in the mud up to your campsite."
$35 / night
"Best place to camp in Estes Park/Northern Colorado! Wooded sites mean privacy from your neighbors and shade during the day. Vault toilets are very clean, well kept."
"Very conveniently located, only a short drive into Estes Park. Lots of trails for hiking and biking in the park. Each campsite had a bear box, picnic table, and fire ring."
$18 / night
"We did a quick overnight backpacking trip to one of the backcountry sites at the top of the Timber trail. It’s a beautiful meadow with wildflowers in the summer."
"We did a quick overnight backpacking trip to one of the backcountry sites at the top of the Timber trail. It’s a beautiful meadow with wildflowers in the summer."
"So the Gordon Gulch dispersed camping area has around 15 numbered sites that are ok... but if you keep driving further down 233.1 you will find many more unnumbered campsites."
"Prior campers have left some trash, bullet casings and obviously neglected to dig cat holes. After a quick clean up, the site was fine for my purposes."
"Our spot was near the creek, the sound was beautiful. The only downside was absolutely no cell service."
"Fire ban was in effect when we went, but lots of fire circles available otherwise. Bring bug spray, the flies are bold."
"Clear skies at night, but tree cover if you prefer. Quick drive to Estes Park. No Verizon cell service."
"Awesome scenic drive, great spacious spot. But only for one party. If someone else is there, you're outta luck. Fire road is gated off so no other options."
"The camp sites near the top of Longs Peak in the Boulderfield are worth the long hike (6 miles up steep terrain)."
"Amazing hikes and plenty of wildlife. The spaces are small but accommodate an RV or a single tent. Bear boxes and toilets close to everything."
TravelerThis Rocky Mountain National Park campground is fantastic. I tent camped with my husband for 3 nights in Loop B. We saw tents and all sizes of campers many with families. Our tent site included a nice tent pad, picnic table, fire ring, and a shared bear box. The fire ban had been lifted and we could buy fire wood each evening-and ice cream! Clean bathrooms with flush toilets. This campground is very close to a number of trails. We hiked the Sprague Lake Trail. It’s 2 miles round trip and pretty easy. Breathtaking views. If you don’t hike, you can drive all the way to the Trail Ridge gift shop and cafe at the top. This park fills up quickly-amost 3 million visitors a year-so plan to get started early. We love RMNP. We will be back this fall!
LegendSites: 46 20 sites FCFS
Reservation: 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov
Sites that fit tent, trailers, RV's
Open Mid May - Mid Oct
Firewood from camp host, picnic table, fire ring/grill, bear box at tent sites, pit toilet, water, trash, no electric, hookups, dump station or showers
Sites are very small
Great sightseeing to check out. Several historic mining towns and some great hiking trails. Views of the surrounding mountains are totally amazing.
AT&T and Verizon service but it is spotty.
The Mountain Pine beetle is decimating the forest and it is so sad to see. The forest service is working very hard to keep up with the removal of dead trees and it is creating expansive open area. The plus side of the removal is for solar. They are also removing the stumps thank goodness. Be very careful while walking in the forest for falling limbs or trees.
Directions: About four miles south of Nederland, Colorado, on Colorado Highway (CO) 119, watch for the entrance to Kelly Dahl Campground on the east side of the highway at mile marker 22.
LNT
Better than when you found it
Stay safe and happy travels
LegendThis campground is in the middle of Rocky Mountain NP. Our site was in loop D. The sites are a little packed but give you enough space to spread out. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring with a shared bear box. The tent pads are level as d have plenty of shade. The bath rooms have no showers and are a little dated but adequate for a national park. It is centrally locates to bear lake and Estes Park. We will be back.
ScoutMy husband went to this campsite with a group of Scouts and took me and our 1 year old a few weeks later. I had never been backpacking up until this point because I was always intimidated by the experience. This was an excellent "beginner" foray into backpacking!
This semi-primitive campsite requires a permit from the Open Space Office of Jefferson County, CO. The permit is free, however you must pick up the permit in person at their offices. Be prepared with a valid ID. This is a popular campsite for Scout Troops, so calling ahead for availability is a great idea.
There is an exact address available on the website and at the Open Space Office that you can put into your GPS and drive straight to the parking lot of the trailhead.
My husband and I came in through the West Trailhead. It is a 1 mile, easy hike. The first 1/3 of a mile is dirt, the remainder is gravel. It is fairly hilly, but easy enough that we actually opted to push our Jogging Stroller with our kid the entire way (which is very doable) whilst wearing our backpacking gear.
The campsites are well maintained and quite spread out from one another. So although there was a group of scouts, a group of friends, and a bigger youth group who all hiked in, it did not feel crowded or noisy.
We brought our dog, as pets are allowed on a leash. We set up our tent on the graveled pad at each site and boiled up some soup on the provided picnic tables. The website as of 2018 will tell you that fires are permitted in the designated fire rings, however a permanent fire ban has recently been put into place (which is too bad!) and all the fire rings and wood piles have been removed from the area - so really, NO FIRES ALLOWED. The pit toilets are very accessible and clean. It is technically Bear Country, so bear boxes and trash cans are provided for the overall campground.
My favorite thing about our particular campsite (site 15) was the view. At night you can see all the city lights of sprawling Denver, but then have a perfect view of the sunrise in the morning. Witnessing the sunrise from this spot will always be one of my favorite memories. Seriously so amazing!
We hiked out the next morning, simple as that, but realized we had misplaced our car keys...after 2.5 hours of searching and walking back and forth between the campsite and our car, we found our keys in the bottom of our tent. So really, if I could offer one piece of advice, always know where your keys are! Despite this incident, the location was great and the experience worthwhile! And I feel like it gave me a good taste of what to expect when backpacking in the future, which is exactly what I was looking for.
LegendStatus: Open year round
Reserve mid spring through September 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov
weekend reservations recommended
70 sites including 10 walk-in tent 30 sites year round $24.00 tent sites $32.00 electric $64.00 double sites
Vault toilets, water during season ,tent sites have bear boxes, picnic table, fire ring/grill, trash no sewer or water hookups The campground has beautiful Ponderosa Pines but the Pine beetle is beginning to take its toil.
The back loop closes early fall. all sites have electric except the tent sites. There are 5 double sites. The campground can accept various size rigs. The day use area with a boat ramp and pit toilet with a nice size parking lot. There were a lot of people fishing from the shore. The lake is beautiful with small islands and rock formations. The road to and in the campground is gravel and rather dusty. Potholes
Directions: Drive 21 miles north of Fort Collins on US Highway 287. Turn left (west) onto the Red Feather Lakes Road (County 74E) and travel approximately 22 miles. Turn right (north) and travel another mile to signed campground entrance on the right.
LNT
Better than when you found it
Stay safe Happy travels
ScoutThis campground is beautifully designed. The spaces are slightly spread out and staggered to offer more privacy than others in the area. Lots of trees and big rocks to add to the privacy. Very clean facility, with easy access to bathrooms, water and bear boxes. We were very pleased with the quality of the tent space and table. (Technically we tent camped at a site for an RV, but it still has a level tent spot). It was one of the best in the area we have camped at. Also walking distance to a shuttle that will take you to nearby touristy trailheads (like Bear Lake). Only disappointing thing is the full fire ban currently in effect- so no campfire.
RangerAspenglen is located just inside the Fall River Entrance Station. Once you have entered the park it is the first left that takes you down to the Aspenglen campground. There are a few more trees in this area, so you are more likely to find shade. There are some sites that are specifically for tents and others that accommodate small to medium RV's. There are no hookups for electricity or water and cellphone service is mostly non-existent. The sites are spaced more widely apart than at Glacier Basin. There are bear boxes to store your food, fire rings, and tables. Three loops, and some walk-in sites compose the layout. There was a host at the campground. They did sell firewood near the check-in post.
LegendI had the fortune of being invited along on a backpacking trip this past weekend in Rocky Mountain National Park. I say fortune in particular because obtaining Wilderness Permits for popular backpacking destinations can be difficult during the high season of tourism at RMNP. Thankfully, my friend had reserved this permit months in advanced so we were all set for our adventure!
To get to this campsite, backpackers typically park at the Lawn Lake Trail Head and hike the beautiful Ypsilon Lake trail. The site is located 4.2 miles from the trailhead just past Chipmunk Lake. The hike is moderately strenuous in my opinion, and is made more difficult with a full backpack of course. The approach to the site is all uphill (2100 feet of elevation gain) but that makes the hike out quite easy as your tired legs will be going downhill the entire way! From the campsite, the hike to Ypsilon Lake isn’t far and makes for a great additional day hike once you’ve set up camp. We also pushed on to the higher Spectacle Lakes, which is a very strenuous hike which requires some scrambling and route finding but 100% worth it. From the top there are amazing views of Long’s Peak, Estes Park and the Spectacle Lakes themselves which have the most magnificently glacial blue water.
About the campsites-
There are two designated sites, we stay at the one on the right. At the site there is a designated space for tents which is relatively flat and free of rocks. There is plenty of shade from the dense surrounding pines. No fires are allowed at this site so a camp stove is necessary for cooking. Bear canisters are required and leave no trace ethics should be strictly followed. I was surprised to find that this site also had access to a privy. The privy itself was decently clean and signs indicated that no toilet paper should be thrown into it, although this rule was clearly not being followed as there was a good bit of trash in the toilet. Overall, the site itself was spotless and free of any trash. The views from the site were limited by the trees, but the nearby scenic lakes offer plenty of panoramic views. This is a great backcountry camp site and a fun backpacking trip overall. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone that enjoys the solitude of backpacking and has the time to obtain the necessary permits!
For more info, check out this site specific informational PDF: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/upload/019-Upper-Chipmunk-2017-2.pdf
TravelerCampsites were nice sized, large food storage cabinets and the comfort station was new and cleaned well. Rangers were very helpful and happily answered questions for our kids. No electric at the campsites and no showers-par for the course at a National Park. Had a great stay
Windsor, Colorado, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for beautiful scenery and recreational activities.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Windsor, CO is Backcountry Campground — Horsetooth Mountain Open Space with a 5-star rating from 3 reviews.
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