Established Camping

Riverside

Riverside is located in the Pike and San Isabel National Forests near Florissant, Colorado. The terrain consists of forested areas and riverbanks. Weather in this area typically sees highs around 80°F in summer and lows near 20°F in winter. Nearby attractions include the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and Mueller State Park.

Description

National Forest

Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands

Overview

Riverside Campground lies across the road form South Platte River, providing a scenic base camp for fishing, hiking and rock climbing. The campground is tucked in the Eleven Mile Canyon, a delightful place to view polished granite walls surrounding the open valley of the river. Wildlife is abundant in the surrounding areas, with opportunities to see elk, mule deer, chipmunks and porcupines.

Recreation

Hard Rock Interpretive Trail, accessible from the campground, is a 1-mile self-guided interpretive walk that leads to an impressive overlook of the canyon. The trail explores the diverse life of the region and offers a chance to see plenty of wildlife and take photos of the sweeping views. Rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout can be caught from the South Platte River. Benches along the river allow anglers to relax in comfort while waiting for fish to bite.

Natural Features

Riverside has large, open campsites at an elevation of 8,000 feet. The South Platte River flows on the other side of Route 96. Eleven Mile Canyon was carved by the river and is bordered by polished gray granite cliffs. Downriver is the Eleven Mile Reservoir, spanning 3,405 surface acres and 5 miles in length.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (661) 702-1420.

Nearby Attractions

Visitors enjoy the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. Petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide and thousands of detailed fossils of insects and plants reveal the story of a very different, prehistoric Colorado.

Charges & Cancellations

Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.

Suggest an Edit

Location

Riverside is located in Colorado

Detail location of campground

Directions

From Lake George, turn off Highway 24 onto County Road 96. Follow the road for about one mile. Turn right at\_\_Eleven Mile Canyon entrance. Riverside Campground is located on the left side, not far from Eleven Mile Canyon entrance.

Coordinates

38.9438889 N
105.4411111 W

Open in Google Maps

Is Riverside sold out?

Quickly grab cancellations!

Learn More

Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

Add Review

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

50%
50%
0%
0%
0%

4.5

out of 5

2 Reviews

Reviewed Aug. 26, 2019

Peaceful

The camp hosts were informative and friendly. The sites and toilets were very clean. Sites on the river or just off. Easy trails to the river to relax and enjoy.

  • Review photo of Riverside by Emma M., August 26, 2019
  • Review photo of Riverside by Emma M., August 26, 2019
Reviewed May. 31, 2018

A beautiful spot!

This was our second stay at Riverside. We loved it the first time and loved it the second! The grounds are well kept and vault toilets are always clean (something my girls judge very critically!). The tent sites are walk-in. We lucked out last year and picked a site that was a short walk from the parking lot, but some are very far and are quite the hike. Perfect for if you want to be further away from fellow campers, but not good if you have littles that need to use the toilet in a hurry. We chose the same site this time, knowing what our choices were.

The campground will get a bit of drive by traffic as 11 Mile Canyon is a great place to fish. Mostly early morning and later in the day.

We love being able to cross the road and be at the river. The girls love fishing and skipping rocks and the river is shallow enough in many spots to wade and play in.

The camp site we chose (#6) is close to trees and a meadow and so wildlife is abundant! It has been very dry the last two summers, so please mind your fire! Our site is also very close to a hiking trail, so some hikers do wander by.

Overall we love it here and will be back for more adventures!

  • Review photo of Riverside by Cynthia W., May 31, 2018

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the max vehicle length at Riverside?

    Riverside allows vehicles up to 50 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Riverside?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Riverside, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Riverside?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is good, AT&T is unknown, and T-Mobile is unknown.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Riverside?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Riverside. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Riverside, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Riverside?

    There are 19 campsites at Riverside and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts