We returned in late August. The bugs are almost all gone. OHV traffic in the middle of the week is fairly quiet. There are only 5 dispersed sites along this road and it fills up on the weekend. Handcart and Hall Valley campgrounds are now closed for the season so it will fill up fast.
Beautiful location. 10 sites. Some are on creek. Basic campground with picnic table and fire-ring at each site. Bathroom, water pump and trash are the amenities.
Sites are all designated. You can’t come for the 1st mile along the road. Once you get past Geneva, campground and head up the small hill the sites appear on each side of the road. The ones on the left have the opportunity to be on the creek. The ones on the right are more sheltered and probably better for tents. Sites 25,26 and 27 appear to be good and site number 31 may be on the creek. It’s exposed but it’s big but it might be on the creek. The road to get in there is pretty gnarly. Definitely need four-wheel-drive. Lots of rocks and deep holes and even some flooded areas. It looks to be about 34 sites which is when we turned back there may be even more.
With dispersed camping on Guanella Pass now closed, Buno Gulch and Kirby Gulch are very popular. There are 19 sites at Buno. Sites 19-14 are on the creek. Sites 1-8 are massive and can accommodate anything. There is also a horse corral. This place is now getting so popular that people are leaving their rigs and tents in their sites during the week and coming back for the weekend which is not cool.
Spruce Grove Campground
$20 per night. It looks like it has a fire pit and a picnic table for each site. There are big rigs in the area with trailers and there is a campground host on the site. There are restrooms available. There is a parking area for a walk in camping area. The sites do not have electric or water or sewer hook ups.
And the other sites are right on top of you
Twin Eagles campground
$17 per night. It sits right on Tarryall Creek. There is a bridge that crosses the creek that takes you into a picnic area. The roads down to the campsite is a little bumpy, so not ideal for low clearance vehicles. There is no manager on site. It is a pay at the fee station. It is first come first serve. We pulled in on the Thursday night and the place is almost deserted. There are restrooms only but there are no sewer hook ups or electric hook ups or really spaces for RVs. The total number of sites is three sites total with one directly on the water - 3A. There are restrooms but no showers Site numbers one and two are up on the hill away from the creek. This is not worth $17 per night. There is better dispersed camping in the area. Sites number one and two are right next to each other so unless you were in a group, you would be right next to your neighbors
County Road 239 dispersed camping.
Once you turn off Tarryall Road before you go up the hill, you need to stop and immediately take a look at the waterfall cascading down on your right hand side that flows out of Tarryall reservoir and feeds Tarryall Creek. Once you get to 239 the road is pretty rough. It’s designated for OHV‘s so there is noise in the area. The sites are fairly wide-open at the top so they’re great for big rigs. Lots of broken glass and cans so cleanup may be required
The coordinates take you to the intersection with 239B. There is no sign of a camping area around there. Everything on the west side slopes down too much and on the east side there is no motor vehicle access and no areas to camp.
China wall.
It is on County Road 212. It is designated camping area only. Once you turn onto China wall, there are 8 open spaces before you reach the really steep hill for the OHV area.
The sites are big enough for big rigs. We saw a couple of probably 25 foot plus trailers in there. There is not a lot of coverage for tent campers. Also, since this is dispersed camping, there is no water, no sewer, no electric hook ups, etc. My biggest concern is that there’s also no firewood available in the area. Make sure you bring plenty with you.
The number one thing this area has going for it is the views. They are almost 360° panoramic views of the mountains all around you. It is incredible Colorado scenery. There are a total of eight designated sites before you go onto the China wall trail system, which is the OHV trails.
Round mountain campground
$20 per night. There are no electrical hook ups or sewer hook ups for big rigs. It looks a little bit like dispersed camping. Each site has a picnic table and a designated fire pit. The sites are pull through in some situations. Not all of them, but some of them. There are restrooms on site with your credibly clean. The camp management seems to do a good job of keeping the area well organized. It’s nestled down in the trees and he’s very pretty and secluded. The issue in this area is that it is all designated for OHV usage so there is some noise. We pulled it on a Thursday afternoon and could see three or four ATVs riding around. The campground has designated quiet hours from 10 PM to 6 AM, but that won’t stop you from getting disturbed during the daytime. The other issue in this area as there is no firewood. They sell bundles for eight dollars at the managers office. My recommendation would be to come well prepared and bring lots of your own firewood. At the time we got in their water pump was also not working, but they were selling bottled water again at the Campground managers station.
County Road 31 dispersed camping On entering the area, there is immediately a sign that reads that OHV’s are prohibited. At least in this area you know you’re going to get some peace and quiet. The road to get in is mainly washboard. Totally possible even with a low clearance 2 Wheel Dr. vehicle. The sights designated only. Once you get past the information board you’ll see turn off‘s on the left and right wave Campers and fire pits. If you continue down County Road 31 spectacular. The biggest issue I can see again is a lack of firewood. There appears to be no downed trees or burned trees in the area. You need to bring in your own. There’s also no water source in this area so come well prepared. Since this is dispersed camping, there is no reservation or electric hook ups or sewer hook ups. These sites are plenty big enough for big rigs, and most of them appear to be pull through sites. Tent campers the sites do appear to be a little bit too exposed. There are sites with better tree coverage for tent campers when you go further into the back areas of some of the side roads the downside is you lose the views of the surrounding mountains. If you keep going further back, CR 31 connects to 896, and there are sites way back there that give you the impression that you’re just even further removed from everybody else. There are so many sites in this area. This could be a good back up spot for Matukat Road if it’s not available. There is a site on 896 right before the no camping sign, which is designated as a campsite, and it has some tree coverage, and all the mountain views. 896 is a very tough road requiring high clearance and four-wheel-drive. Numerous places have deep holes and you need to take it very slow.
Round Mountain dispersed campground
Once you pull off Highway 24 you’ll immediately pass round Mountain official campground. Carry-on up the road and the campsites for dispersed camping are in numerous spots all over the backside of the official campground. It is marked as designated campsites only, but there are a lot of options in this area. There yourself is quite pretty. There are rocks for kids to climb and play on. There’s plenty of three cover. The views are not particularly spectacular, but you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere with nobody around you. We pulled out on a Thursday afternoon and there were a few campers up here, but given the amount of room for everybody, you really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. There are some ATVs in the area so there could be some noise issues. There is no creek running through the area so you need to have good supply of water. There is also no obvious supply of firewood, so you better come in well-stocked for the time you’re gonna be staying.
FR 250 dispersed camping
The sites where the coordinates take you are immediately off the road. They’re going to be very high traffic. They are wide-open and big enough for big rigs. The biggest issue would be dust. If you go a bit further in there are better sites that are more Secluded with some tree cover. There are decent views of the surrounding mountain range. There is no water source nearby. There is not a lot of cover for tent campers. This area is more suitable for people with a pull behind. The road once you get through the grate starts to get quite rutted so high clearance would be required. The deeper you go back the better the sites appear to be. You get more privacy and the views are better. The issue just becomes the road is quite rutted and you would want to scout it before trying to pull anything back there. This is not a good area for tent campers as you were very exposed. It is a great area for anyone with a van, pull behind or RV.
CR 290 off Tarryall Rd. Campsites are all designated on 290 but there are numerous firepits on the side roads. The road to get up is very rutted. I recommend a high clearance vehicle. Definitely four wheel drive is required. I did see a Subaru forester up near the top. The sites are wide open once you get onto the plateau at the top. Easily could accommodate a big rig, but the issue would be getting it up the road. The views from the top are really nice. It opens out and you get some spectacular views of Pike National Forest. The sites are spacious with some pine tree coverage for tent campers. This would definitely be a possible back up spot if nothing on Matukat rd was available. Because they are dispersed there is no electrical hook ups or water. There’s no Creek running through the area. I imagine it would be really quiet and remote up here because the road to get in is going to deter a lot of people. We did find some spots with fire pits, but not sure you can camp there given there is no sign post reading designated campsite but they are off the main road so give it a try.
Tarryall creek dispersed camping. The road in is a bit bumpy. I would not trade in a low clearance vehicle. Four-wheel-drive is needed if it should get wet or slippery. Once you get onto the road, the sites are big and spacious. This is dispersed camping, so there is no water no electric and very little cell service. We have periodic two bars of Verizon. The sites are definitely big enough to accommodate big rigs. You just have to take the road really slowly on the way up. If you carry on all the way up to 10, you get to fenced areas where there is no camping so we took 293 off to the left and immediately after the Turner a couple of sites. We followed it all the way down for a long way. The road is incredibly bumpy and four-wheel-drive is absolutely necessary. Along with high clearance. I would not advise it for big rigs. The Site that we got just on the left after the turn walls reasonably wide. Big enough to get a big rig into. It’s pretty flat too but it’s also very exposed. There’s not a lot of shelter for our tent or our gazebo. The views are OK but nothing spectacular.
Goosecreek campground Access is via CR 211 either from CR 24 via Tarryall Road which turns into Matukat Road from Lake George or alternatively from the north from deckers.
The campground is absolutely beautiful. It sits right on goose Creek and the views are amazing. It sits down in the valley, but a short drive, and you’re absolutely up on top looking out over all of pike national forest.
Each site has its own picnic table and a fire ring. Each fee is $23 per night. There is also a day use fee of $10 if you just want to come in and use their facilities. The area is easily accessible from the main road. Once you are down into the campground, the sites are very spacious. They’re also reasonably far apart so you don’t feel like you’re sitting right on top of your neighbor. The Sites are big enough to pull a sizable rig into. They are not pull through sites. The sites do not appear to have an electric hook up or a water hook up so make sure you come prepared. It’s it feels a little bit more like dispersed camping, but with some Structure to it. So it’s look like they’re on a first come first serve basis, as it is a drop your fee in the envelope type of campground. Restrooms are clean and the whole area looks like it’s incredibly well taken care of by the campsite management team. At $23 a night. It is a good price for a well located campground. We pulled in on a Wednesday afternoon towards the end of August and the entire place was deserted. We literally had our choice of campsites. There was no cell service at the campground. There are no bathrooms on site.
Happy meadows campground. 8 reservable spots. $20 per night. Right on south platte river. Amazing views. Restroom, water and wood for sale Just off tarryall road in lake george. Easy access. No pull through locations for big rigs
Matukat rd dispersed - nr Lake George. People seem to really like it yet it’s incredibly quiet. No OHVs, no gunfire - so refreshing. There are some cows as evidenced by dried cow pats but we didn’t see any. Someone reported they saw moose but again, we saw none. Directions using Google maps were perfect. Got you into the area. Once you reach the coordinates I suggest you keep going up the road for better sites. We found a spot on one of the turn offs and had some of the best views we’ve had while camping this year. See the photos for the views. So the trick is to go up Matukat Road and then start taking the little side roads once you get about 4 miles in. We had between two and three bars of Verizon service at the site but no Verizon service at the main road so it is spotty. We came in on a Tuesday and it looks like we’re just about the only ones out here. There’s one other trailer that we’ve seen near us and there are other campers in bigger rigs right at the very beginning of Matukat road, but you’ve got to stay on the road and just keep going further back to get the absolute best sites and views. The views are incredible. The rocks behind us are absolutely outrageous. There’s good hiking the area as well. The road getting in was doable. We didn’t need to engage the four-wheel-drive so the only thing I would advise is you need some reasonable clearance to get all the way back in here. Other than that this is definitely a site that will be coming back to the many years to come.
Numerous sites on both sides of the road. Very quiet Monday to Thursday and heaving busy Friday to Sunday. These sites are too open for tent campers as there is no shade. Also bring plenty of water as there is none around without going back down the hill to the river. No cell service in this area. This is in a burn area so the scenery is not great. There are better sites higher up the road at the turn off for Crown Point Rd as you can camp on Bennett Creek in better scenery.
Poudre canyon near loveland Sights right on Bennett Creek. Once you pass the first cattle grid, the sites start appearing on the left and side of the road. There are easily 10 sites as you head up Crownpoint Road. This is a place to stay from Monday to Thursday and then leave on a Friday as on Friday, we saw countless cars and campers pouring into Poudre Canyon. We were also disturbed by target shooters who came into the area on a Friday afternoon. There are also not many hikes in the area. You need to drive 30 - 45 minutes to find hiking trails. All the hikes seem to go up the mountains rather than along the river. There is no cell service in Poudre Canton.