White River National Forest Heaton Bay Campground

Heaton Bay Campground, located near Dillon Reservoir in Colorado, offers a stunning lakeside camping experience with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. The campground is set in a picturesque location, making it a perfect spot for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy water activities, hiking, and enjoying the serenity of nature.

The sites at Heaton Bay are spacious, well-maintained, and equipped with picnic tables and fire rings, providing a comfortable setting for both tent campers and RV travelers. There are flush toilets and potable water, but no hookups for RVs, so keep that in mind when planning your stay. The campground is nestled among tall pines, providing some shade and a peaceful atmosphere, though there are few trees at some sites, so be prepared for full exposure to the sun.

One of the biggest highlights of Heaton Bay is its proximity to Dillon Reservoir, where you can enjoy kayaking, paddleboarding, and fishing. The campground is also just a short drive from the popular town of Dillon and the many hiking opportunities in the area, including access to the nearby Swan Mountain Trail and many 14ers.

The only downside is that during peak summer months, the campground can be busy, as it’s a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Be prepared for crowds, especially on weekends. The nights can also get chilly, so it’s essential to pack warm layers, even in the summer.

Overall, Heaton Bay Campground offers an excellent lakeside camping experience with a perfect balance of nature, water activities, and mountain views, making it an ideal spot for a Colorado getaway.

You are right between two towns Frisco and Silverthorne. There is some traffic noise from I-70 and a trail next to camp so lots of people passing through. The sirltes are nice but there is no personal hook ups for water. The sites are small and sometimes close together.

Well maintained campsite with moderate privacy. It is a walk on site but parking is right by the site so not far to haul stuff at all. There are trees all around the site but there is an opening/walkway to the neighboring campsite so not 100% private No one on the other side of site so there is an opening in trees that makes for a perfect hammock/ hang out spot which also provides more shade & privacy.

Bear locker, fire pit and picnic table. Bathrooms nice & well maintained. Close to stores and restaurants in case you need anything. Right on lake Dillon so paddle boarding and trials close by too.

This was our first time camping at Heaton Bay. The campground's location on the Dillon Reservoir is ideal for enjoying the multitude of trails and outdoor activities near Frisco, Dillon, and Silverthorne. We stayed on Loop B where sites have a bear box, picnic table, and fire ring. Our 29' Class C was able to fit in Site 13 with no issue, and we also squeezed in our tow dolly and towed vehicle (with some creative parking!)

If you're setup for boondocking, this is a great place to camp. We got plenty of sun on our solar panels to keep our batteries at 100% for most of the day and it was nice being so close to the water spigot and walking distance to pit toilets and dumpsters. 3 bars of AT&T 5G and 3 bars of T-Mobile LTE during our stay was more than enough to work and enjoy streaming video at night.

There wasn’t any campsites available. The FCFS spots are reservable. I didn’t know this. But the camp host helped us find another campground! We got the last spot! T-Mobile I had 4 bars.

Easy access, easy to find. Campground rangers were extremely friendly and helpful. A little close to other sites, but that’s to be expected in the area. Would definitely stay again!

It was lovely! Reservations were made just a few days in advance and there were plenty of spots. We got one right near the water and ended up having a secret path straight to a teeny beach. Wear shoes in the water as this is a popular fishing spot. We were able to catch and release fish, float on a giant pineapple and keep our food in the bear box provided. The campsite was clean, and it was generally quiet and respectful after sunset. Picnic table and a tall hook (we hung our water jug from it) are available next to the tent spots and the are small walking paths along through the trees. Bathrooms and pump water available, but it's not for cleaning things. Make sure you have your watercraft checked before putting it in the water if you're bringing it from another state, they will check. Edit we were there in late July

This is a well maintained campground. There is water available on every loop. There is electricity and water available at each site on loop A. The driveways and streets are paved. There are walking and bike riding trails everywhere. The town of Frisco is under a 10 minute drive with great grocery stores. Most sites have a fire ring and picnic tables along with bear proff storage containers. Heaton Bay is quiet and lovely. Firewood is for sale at the local grocery stores. There is really something for everyone. We will definitely return when back in this part of the country. Have fun and safe travels.

We stayed at site 11. It was large enough to fit our 40 ft 5th wheel. The site is open and spacious behind the paved parking for the rig. Bear proof containers are at each site. Our site wasn’t 100 level. It was a little lower on the left side. We drove onto some blocks to level it out. We have automatic jacks and the site wasn’t level enough initially for them to come down. You are right next to the bathroom, water and dumpster. It’s enough space in between.

Beware that there is no dump station here. We stopped at the The Blue River Wastewater Treatment Plant . They take cash or personal check $3 for RV.It was easy and self service!

Heaton Bay is extremely scenic and relaxing. It is an easy bike to Frisco for provisions. Walmart, whole foods, great coffee places.... Then back to a nice natural environment.

Stayed at E80, limited shade, though cool views of the white caps! All sites seem dusty, that is true of this one. Walk about 5 minutes through the sites and you reach the water through the D loop. Could only really notice I70 at night but it was not bothersome at all. Bathrooms clean. Firewood sold at site.

We had a great time with our small RV: really nice campground with friendly host, wonderful landscape directly at the lake, very central but quite, clean toilets and affordable firewood available. We woke up at 6 AM and watched the beautiful sunrise at the lake.

Very beautiful and scenic campground not to far from town. Reservations and checking in was a little confusing, and no showers here but those are the only downsides I could think of. Enough space between campsites to make it feel private. Lots of trails and hiking surrounding the campground as well as a large lake.

Last minute decision to car camp here but worth it. Easy access to lake from camp spot, walked our paddle boards to beach 20 yards from camp site and had great Mountain View’s.

Great place! By the lake... there are some electric and water hookups. Best location on loop E is E78 On loop C, C43 is also great You are secluded but you take your bike and you are 10 minutes to a market place with coffee and food and everything. Picture is from site C 43

Just call ahead and reserve a spot. Right on the water and really beautiful. Lovely groundskeeper.

Get the right campsite and you’ll have great access to Heaton Bay. A nice place for being just off I-70. Only negative is you can hear I-70 through the night.

Campground is on the water, making it perfect to launch and paddle around the lake.

We camped at E70 and there was a trail right to the lake. It was beautiful! It was a little noisy from the highway but we were far enough away that it was really white noise.

There were a lot of wasps, so I recommend bringing a wasp catcher for your site.

Great campsite, easy 1hr to get here from Denver. Great for beginner campers, since the town of dillon is a short 10 minute drive incase you forget any essential gear. The campsite we had was pretty small for the two tents we had. But still a beautiful little hike down to the water. Great sunsets. Was awesome renting a pontoon boat for the day!

The reservoir is beautiful but the campsites are right next to I 70 and you can hear the traffic all day and all night. That said, if you’re going, bring your paddleboard or kayak or rent a sailboat. And you can bike along the trail that runs all the way around the reservoir.

Breathtaking views. Nice campsites with easy access. Clean. Close to the interstate so there is a slight background noise. Only drawback is signage at the entrance. Its easy to miss because the sign is back parallel to the road not perpendicular so you can see it easily. No dump station but one is nearby. Otherwise a great place. I’ll come back again.

Very close to home. Lake Dillon Res is cold water. Always, even in July and August. Were at about 9000 feet, weather can change rapidly, and forecasters can be wrong. Be prepared for all 4 seasons. It can snow in July. No lie.

Update on getting in water, it is open seasonally. When allowed, you can try to swim and get into the lake. Very short season that this is available.

The ski resorts listed are NOT open year round. There is "shoulder" or "mud" season as we call it, where the resorts close, the restaurants close, shops, everything on the mountain stops. Towns still are fully open. But not the base of the ski resorts.

Only Reservoir in lower 48 with Arctic Char. Also have Kokanee Salmon. In addition to many species of trout. Lake, Rainbow, and Brown.

Lots of space in campground. Our usual spot has trees still and cover. Helps when it gets windy. Access to lake is great. Clean and up kept. It can be beautiful but chilly for most folks. Can even shore up boats in certain camp sites.

Lake is extremely low this season (2019) and camp will be further away from any water access.

So close to everything, no worries if you forgot anything.

The campground was more or less deserted when I was there. It was also very cold and windy but incredibly beautiful. With easy access to area attractions, I chose to stay here because there is was just off my route between Grand Junction and Denver. There are several areas that are specifically for tents although it didn't look as if all of the tent sites had great spots to actually pitch a tent. It's also a deceptively large campground and I drove around for quite a while before finding a good site.

Pros: This campground has direct access to Dillon Reservoir which is great! Several of the campsites back to inlets of the reservoir and people were dropping in their kayaks, paddle boards, etc. The reservoir is no body contact, so there is no swimming allowed. We were able to follow deer trails throughout the grounds to access the water and do some fishing. It is easily accessible from the highway and right outside Frisco, so if you forget anything or need Starbucks it is just minutes away.

Cons: It is just minutes from Frisco, and I70 which makes it a noisy campground all day and night from vehicle noise. The sites are over used so they are extremely dusty. Plan on leaving covered in dirt head to toe especially if you have a tent. There are no tent pads so there is flexibilty on the size of tents. Our 10'x16' tent fit no problem. The sites on the inside of the loop are backed up very closely to each other. Our neighbors tent ended up about 15 ft from ours.

Site E64: Too close to neighbors to the back. Descent space between side to side neighbors. No shade over fire ring/picnic table area. There is shade around to set up chairs or tent in a shady spot. The bathrooms are pretty far away if you take the road, there was a deer trail between the sites behind leading straight to the bathroom if you feel inclined. You park up higher and have to descend 4 steps to enter the site.

Heaton Bay is our favorite spot in Summit County! There are lots of walk up sites that open up in the mornings for last minute camping, and every site we’ve stayed in is close to the water and secluded from other campers. Lots of trees for shade and lots of space in each site. We go several times each summer.

Easy to access and they have a TON of spots. Close to the lake and town.

• 14 day/night stay max.
• $24 a night for tent or RV camping (there are way more hook-up sites over tent sites. Loop D is one of the two options for tent camping and I highly recommend any of the sites in that loop.)

Bring your fishing pole, SUP, kayak, or hammock to hang out by the lake. This is my favorite campground in Colorado for the accessibility to the lake and town nearby.

Campground right on Lake Dillon with stunning views. Nice paths that allow you to walk right down to the river. The campground hosts were also super friendly and helpful