Carpios Ridge Campground — Trinidad Lake State Park

Wonderful campground. Pretty empty in off season. Showers were free and hot.

Some spots shady, some not. Fresh water available, but not at each site. I am here on Labor Day weekend and although the campground is full, it is pretty peaceful. Make sure you stop and pay for an entrance permit even if you paid for your campsite.

To keep it succinct, this place was so nice I decided to book another day before I fully unpacked my gear. Perhaps it was the perfect weather conditions, but with a view of the lake, not too far away, if just only a short walk, I knew that this would be a place for prime relaxing. What’s more, if you have a pull-behind vehicle or a small rig like me, you can go into town.

Clean bathrooms, coin operated showers, spots a little closer than I'd like but not close to full when we visited. Good easy hike/strolls in the area with views of the lake.

Camped in a small RV in site 13 which had a fairly level gravel pad. There was a tent site, but it looked to have been washed away. This site had great views of the mountain and lake. Enjoyed the short hike on Levsa - a one mile loop with up high views of Lake Trinidad. The Carpios trail was steep and rocky. Didn't have time for the 3 other trails. Showers and Laundry nice. Saw some deer and a wild hare. Somewhat nearby is Capulin Volcano National Monument. Highly recommended.

First off - we tent camped in this RV heavy campground. sites were a little too close for comfort. Coin-operated showers were nice but got dirty and gross quickly. Not far from town, and lake has lots of fun opportunities.

This is a beautiful peaceful place. I heard no road noise during my stay. All camping sites are nicely maintained. There are a few hiking trails that lead from the campground but stay away from 0.5 mile ridge trail that is very washed out and treacherous.

Well kept and quiet place to stay.

Most sites have a gravel tent pad to use, if you do not have an rv or trailer.

Several water spigots throughout the park as some sites are FHU, mainly near the front of the park. 

Several trails to hike and wonderful views to see as well.

Heads up, the main restrooms/showers and laundry close from Nov to Mar. There are smaller ones on the Eastside of the building that are accessible.

This place has something for everyone: camping, hiking, fishing, boating on the lake, playground for kids, and close to Trinidad for supplies and dining. Camping spots are spread out enough and have some sites with great views of the lake and surrounding mountains. You can see plenty of wildlife walking around the campground and trail. Bathrooms, showers, and laundry are very clean and well kept. All the staff that we have met were very friendly and informative, and there is another state park opening near by called Fishers Peak which looks like it will have some good hiking. This is my second time visiting here (first was just an overnight) and we will definitely stop back here anytime we are in the area.

We really loved camping here with our two kids, ages 8 and 10. We enjoyed the playground. The trails, archery range, fishing and paddle boarding on the lake. There are a lot of gorgeous Lakeview sites which we had for one night but then we moved to another site. There are several sites that fit our long 38 ft rig. No water at the site, but there were several spigots throughout that we were able connect to hoses to to fill up our freshwater tank. Sites are mostly spacious and we were able to even see some deer and rabbits.

We camped here in early April, before it gets too hot. The campground was still pretty full but quiet, not a lot of parties or anything. The Visitor's Center was closed on this weekend which I thought odd but it was probably too early in the season?

The young one had fun on the playground and finding an easy to get to geocache. I enjoyed the views from right off our campsite. Our campsite didn't have a tent pad (duh, my mistake when reserving), but the one next to us did. It was also right next to the public picnic areas, which if it was summer I might have found disruptive. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the night sky here. This park is a very close drive to the new Colorado State Park, Fishers Peak, which has newer hiking trails.  This state park campground's website offers a description of each campsite that is very helpful (and rare!) We would stay here again at this site in an off season.

We stayed three nights in Site# 33 with our 17 foot Casita travel trailer. Level back-in sites close together. Many of the sites have tight back-in access from a narrow roadway. A 35 ft trailer gave up trying to back into a site near ours. If you have a larger rig, check the map carefully before reserving. There are some larger, easier access sites.

Electricity but no water at sites. Water faucets distributed throughout campground. Clean restrooms with coin operated showers.

Lots of people, lots of music, lots of boats

Nice campground amongst pinons and juniper trees. Not your typical rows of spaces. Sites are spread out along several wandering loops.

Different size spaces and tent sites! No walk ups, must reserve online.

WalMart just south of Trinidad CO; which is full of interesting history.

Fire pits and firewood available.

Full hook ups at $41 and nine dollar park fee daily.

Lots of shore birds at the lake. Lake wasn’t visible from our site but nearby. 

Very nicely kept campground with some great motorcycling roads. Some very great sites with lake views, but they go fast. Book early. Just 10 minutes to get supplies and ice. The attendant at checkin was kinda rude, but our park host was great. Brings firewood to your site daily.

Nice, level gravel sites. Only a handful of FHU’s. Most are water/electric in the section nearest the ranger station. Lots of electric only sites in a pretty area with Great Lake views. Many tent sites. This campground has a laundry facility with 3 washers and 3 dryers. Also has vending machines with snacks and cold drinks. Restrooms are super clean. You have to pay to take a shower, it takes quarters only and based on time. There are great hiking trails and you can hike to the lake. Sites are fairly close together, and many are not long enough for large RV’s. This is an expensive park that is well maintained. We paid $41 a night for a FHU, and on top of that there is a $9 per day park entrance fee.

Make sure to get a reservation. We'll maintained sites and facilities.

Really nice camp ground, cool play ground for the kids, fire place, picnic table and she'd with great views. Views where great from ever angle. We stayed right after Christmas and the snow was an added bonus. Plus a dish washing sink at the bath house. I thought it was a kool feature.

We arrived here on a Friday afternoon during the middle of a small snowstorm that cleared up by the evening to make for a beautifully sunny yet snow-covered campground weekend. The office was practicing safe COVID prevention measures and we were able to check in safely. The view of the lake and surrounding mountains is truly awe-inspiring. This seems like a very family-friendly park that feels so far out despite its easy accessibility. Keep in mind that if you stay during the cold months they will not have water hookups available. Electricity worked great though!

I didn’t know what to expect but this was really a great campsite and park overall. We stayed in site 54 in early October. This site and many near it had very good lake views. The facilities, walking trails, biking trails, playground, etc. were all very well maintained. Well marked hiking trails, which I always appreciate. Outer loop sites seemed best, but if you have young kids, consider that some outer loop sites with water views have a very steep drop off. Piñon trees throughout offer some privacy but not much shade. As other have said, good wifi signal. We will definitely be back!

We’ve stayed here numerous times and will be back. The campground is beautiful and the lake is gorgeous. Would recommend to anyone that is looking for a beautiful spot!

Spaces: good 

Privacy: not much 

Shade: Nope 

Cell service: great 

Camper center: Amazing! Laundry, clean restrooms and showers(coin operated, but so worth it) and even a dedicated place to wash kitchen dishes. Wow! 

Not sure I would give it extraordinary marks for beauty and interest, but its nice and definitely a great stop for getting caught up on laundry and internet chores.

We stopped here on our way in to Estes park and really enjoyed our stay. I wasn’t expecting much but the campground is beautiful, we were right on the lake and a walking trail. There was electric but no water, and not a ton of privacy. We will definitely be back!

The views were spectacular. The campgrounds were easy to access.

Very nice Pinon Pines and other small trees for cover. Up on the top of a hill next to the lake, so not much access to the water. One year, when the water was low, it took about 15 min both ways up/down pretty rough and rugged trails. Or you drive around to other places to access the lake.

Nice place to stay, but gets VERY HOT. And can also have some unpredictable weather roll through with high winds. Remember this site is on a hilltop. 

One photo you can see another campground, across the lake, that has almost no cover, not much sagebrush even, but is right next to the water. We choose the Ridge with Pinons, and the hike to water. But some may want more water access.