Rifle Gap State Park Campground

When we got to Rifle Gap the campsite was amazing. It had a little pavilion thing over the campsite, the campsite was enclosed by some logs and filled with gravel, it had a nice fire pit, and a picnic table! We set up and had a wonderful nighT by the fire! However, when we woke up we were covered in ants. Our tent had ants all over it and our campground was covered in thousands of ants. It even rained while we stayed there and the ants did not disappear, they were under the pavilion, in our tent, on our tent, under our tent. It was terrible. On a brighter note, 5 miles down the road from the Gap is Rifle Falls. This place is amazing and so beautiful! There are caves, falls, trails, and a hatchery at the end of one of the trails! There's also an old amphitheater that is super cool!

Rifle Gap

I have stayed at this campground 3 times in the past 2 years and have been very happy every time.  It is clean, and the staff is friendly.  It is nice to be so close to the lake.  We go as a group and they have always been able to accommodate us with sites near each other.  Sunset views are amazing and it is near Rifle Falls and not too far from Glenwood Springs.

Third stay in Two Years

During my trip in August all Colorado State parks had free entry for military members, so I only had to pay the campsite fee. The rangers were helpful when I asked about rifle falls. It is pretty easy to do typical camping, boating, fishing, kayaking, etc...here. No cell service. The sites were clean and well kept. There is not much for shade.

Beautiful resivior 

We had amazing weather and the most amazing view. The only thing that would have beat the view would have been to have a site directly on the water, but having the lakeside view made for a beautiful backdrop. The only negative was that there was no awning in our camp site. Note: if you camp in site 23 lakeside loop - you may want to select another location with an awning. Our camper has an awning and we always travel with our 10X10 tent, it came in handy this weekend!

There is absolutely zero cell phone coverage at Rifle Gap or Harvey Gap (only 4 miles from Rifle Gap), and if you are there, you can understand why you would want to unplug from the world. 

The weather was perfect and the sun was out almost the entire time. It was high 80's for the first week of June. If you are a boater and don't mind the reservoir being busy, there's plenty of room to have some fun. The fishing looked to be pretty good from what we saw being brought back in.

Shade would have made this a 5 star

coming from the Rockies, this is a short drive to warmer weather camping with a lake. This area is great for hiking especially the falls near by. The campground is multiple loops with benefits to each - some have a lot of space with no shade while some have a bunch of shade and trees with smaller area to camp. Bring your kayak and go for a dip on the lake!

Great view with nearby hikes

We had car issues as we pulled into the park. Rangers are all great people here. They helped us get to our site and connect with the tow and repair shop. Water levels are down 10ft, but the boating is still good. Water is clear but bottom is silt. Campsites are very clean, little to no trees. 

Water activity 

We stayed in Cottonwood which is brand new with nice shower facility and gorgeous lake views. There were a few other campers in other parts of the campground but being shoulder season, we had the place almost to ourselves (except for some geese) we were originally going to stay up the road at rifle falls state park but that smaller campground was super muddy due to snow melt. Good cell reception at the visitors center.

Empty off season Campground

Really pretty country, lots too explore around the area. Nice camping. Sometimes  it does get a bit crowded. 

Beautiful area 

We stayed in Site # 60 in the cedar campground it had electric I believe we filled with water. There is a loop with full hook up but there a little further than the lake but nice. Our site had a nice covered area with the picnic table under it &amp; a great view from it. The lake is good for kayaking other than there are some people that come a few times a week to pull kids on tubes and they about swamped up. It's a beautiful lake, the weather is warmer than everywhere else we were in Colorado but still nice. Loved watching the deer get a drink from the lake later in the day. 

  

This park has 4 loops and there is a lot of nice sites. All have differrent things to offer.

  

Rifle falls is close by we spent several days taking chairs over there &amp; sitting near the waterfalls it was cooler there. There is a campground there but it's busier and has a lot more people coming to see the falls. 

  

Close by you have Rifle Falls, Glenwood Hot Springs, Iron Mountain springs a little less busy and really nice.

Campground with a nice view of the lake

Wow. Wow.  Wow. Who knew there was water in Colorado that was a Hawaii turquoise blue!?  
I certainly had no idea!  According to the visitors center the color is due to a unique mineral deposit in the water. Minerals are magnificent!  

Okay, as for the campgrounds- well first they pretty much all overlook the lake so you get a view of that beautiful scenery. 

This is one of those unicorn state park campgrounds that has full hookups as well, What a treat!  

Do keep in mind that in summer months the sun here is intense and there is really no shade to speak of. It can also get very windy!  

Also, super close to the town of Rifle which has plenty in the way of food and groceries if needed.  Great place for water sports if you’re into that! 

Blue Skies and Blue Water 

Was a beautiful drive about 20-30mins off I-70 but well worth it. Beautiful views and so quiet. Very well kept camp ground nice bathrooms and showers. Highly recommend and you won’t be disappointed 

One of the best campgrounds 

Loved the site and the location.. easy access to Rifle Falls and the surrounding trails and climbing walls.. close to access for UTV and off-road vehicle areas as well.  The remote area does not have cell service and there is no WiFi in the park.  If you are trying to remote work it would be difficult.  At the time of this review (09/22/2020) the lake was down over 30ft and was basically not useable except for some fishing. Overall we had a great experience here.

Almost perfect.. 

We just spent a night but like most Colorado state parks, this one is top notch.  The sites are well spaced but since it's wide open, not a lot of privacy.  Cell service was weak but some had a booster and they had a decent signal.

  

The view of the reservoir is very nice.  Would stay again.

Colorado State parks are great

The reservoir has restrictions on all boats so make sure you follow the rules or else they can hit you with a huge fine. 

  

The campgrounds are large and can accommodate a lot of people and large and small rv’s. 

  

There are multiple loops near the water and a larger camping area on the north mesa overlooking the lake. Most of the sites have some sort of shade whether that is a picnic canopy or trees. The lower sites near the lake are tightly compacted but can fit RV's and have tent pads with gravel. There are trash cans placed throughout the park for easy access. 

  

There is a dump station, water on site, and clean bathrooms. Each loop has a camp host so the sites are clean and maintained. They are very friendly but are always on site and the quiet hours are heavily enforced. 

  

The lake is stunning blue and large enough that you will rarely run into other people while out on it. There is a boat ramp for launching on the lake. 

  

There are day use areas with covered picnic tables that you can hang out at and a nature trail through the marsh that you can walk.

Beautiful Lake and Lots of camping options

Our second stop on our epic road trip from MN to AZ. We pulled into Rifle Gap and were just blown any! I mean literally blown away! lol. It was so windy but what can you do? That's nature for ya. It didn't stop us from enjoying this beautiful park. Nice and clean facilities. Nice sites with level pads. 

Will definitely make a trip back

Absolutely stunning area!! Water is gorgeous (still a little chilly in May😬). The campsites/ campground was some of the most clean and well kept I’ve ever been in- even the outhouses were immaculate! Campsites were spacious and very level. Not a complaint about the campground itself, but our only issue was the wind!! We have a rooftop tent and had to pack up early in the morning and just head out. So if there’s wind in the forecast, definitely beware💨💨

BEAUTIFUL

Wonderful, well kept camp grounds! Plenty of space so you don't feel like you're camping with strangers. Clean bathrooms with showers, full hook-up sites along with tent sites. Multiple camp grounds to choose from. 

Room to move

We camped here during a climbing trip to rifle and it was absolutely stunning. Campgrounds are right by the water. They’re not very private, but that’s expected for a state park camping area. Some of them are paved, others are gravel. All camping areas have Colin operated showers and bathrooms and each campsite has a covered bench, fire pit, and some have a water pump right on site. I think it was something like $20 a night which I think is a bit much but there are lots of nice amenities.  

It was hot during the day. The lake smelled kinda gross and was super muddy so we didn’t swim in it but it was really pretty and would be awesome to not and fish at. And at night it cooled down to a super comfortable temperature like 60° or something. It was lovely. 

Great campsite a little pricey

It’s dispersed, it’s got views, it’s got friendly hosts, is got magpies, it’s got full hookups. And the views! If you don’t love this place, well, I just don’t know what you would like. It’s a perfect “In the wilderness close to civilization with civilization basic needs™️” campsite.


Consumate State Campground

Beautiful sunset views

We followed our RV GPS and arrived at the state park with no issues. Check in was quick and easy. We had to pay the$9 a day entry fee upon arrival and our rate doesn't reflect that fee. We proceed to Cottonwood Campground(CG) where we had back-in site 5 with water and 50 AMP. Back-in was easy and the sites in this small area are very nice with a covered patio and spacious spacing between sites, but no sewer. As we did not plan on using our poop tote, we used their restroom and shower house. Showers cost$1 for first 4 minutes then$.25 for additional minutes. Verizon signal was basically nonexistent. We did get some signal on AT&amp;T, but only early mornings. Down at the park entrance/visitors center, you can get a decent Verizon signal. The reservoir was way down and not easily accessible from our CG, so we launched our kayak from the boat launch at the end of the park. The large Lake View CG up on the hill has FHU sites, but we really liked the quietness of the small Cottonwood loop with only 8 sites. There are other campground loop areas as well from FHUs to primitive. We enjoyed seeing deer everyday and the peacefulness as everyone camping at Cottonwood during our stay(that included Labor Day weekend) was quiet and respectful. There is a nice trail that goes up the hill near the restroom/bathhouse towards Lake View CG that winds back around and ends back at Cottonwood CG.

Enjoyed Our Stay

Not my thing but had to stay for family reasons.  4 diff campgrounds and rates are $36 for electric sites and $28 for no electric.  Water spigots scattered around, RV dump above. Vault toilets and dumpsters.  Windy and no sun in many sites.  Cell signal is 2weak bars for ATT and TMobile. Verizon is nothing.  Good place for the new starlinkRV setup...if I had mine..

State park on a shrinking lake

Loved this spot.  Stayed in Cottonwood campground and the site and views were amazing.  Hot showers flush toilets.  Site had electric.  Level concrete pad fire pit and a covered picnic table

Another overnight stop

This campground is great for a family site.  Has a lake to swim/boat in as well as plenty of hiking trails around.  Nice clean bathrooms with hot showers and flushable toilets.  Great views regardless of site.

Great for family

Very nice and well maintained facilities, beautiful scenery and peaceful camping. ADA accessible, and all different sites offered. The reservation process is relatively difficult online, walk-in sites are truly walk in. You have to park and carry your stuff in around 25-50 yards. There are wheelbarrows sitting there that we think are for moving stuff, so that was a nice touch. Toilets are closed in the colder seasons, except for the larger shower houses. Most tent sites are gravel covered. The map is a little vague, the roads pictures on the map are the driving roads. It was 28/night for the walk-in tent sites, which is a little outside of our budget but we decided to swing it because we wanted to shower. Turned out that the showers cost extra, so bring cash. That was a little frustrating to find out, since we felt we had already paid for the facilities. 