The drive to this campground was beautiful and the location was quiet. We didn’t have a reservation and were able to find a decent campsite on a Thursday afternoon in July 2022.
If I was making a reservation, I would choose one of these sites: 1,2,12,15,16, 17, 19.
The drive here is amazing and there are plenty of wildflowers to photograph in and near the campground.
Many of the campsites here are large and there’s plenty of shade.
Weller campground has decent sized campsites surrounded by Aspen trees and overall it was nice and pleasant but the close proximity to Independence Pass Road was occasionally loud, I would give this a higher rating if the road wasn’t there. Many of the campground photos show a creek but that’s actually not in the campground and is located on the trailhead that’s accessed from across the road at the Weller Trailhead parking lot. There are bear bins in the campsites and the campground has bear-resistant trash cans. When I camped there in mid September the temperature was 38 degrees F at 6am.
Avalanche campground is a unique campground with a remote and secluded feeling in a small valley with plenty of trees and the sound of a creek in the background. Getting to the campground from the main road involves driving on a one-lane road for about a mile or two, there are places where all-wheel drive is necessary and you will need to drive through a creek. In September the creek wasn’t very deep but probably in the spring or early summer the water would be deep enough that you should drive an SUV or truck. In mid September the nights and mornings can be cold, when I woke up at 6am the temperature was 34 degrees F. There are bear bins in the campsites but there were no trash cans.
Under Canvas at Zion was nice. This was my 2nd time staying at an Under Canvas campground. The tents aren’t spaced out as much as the Moab location and I wish each tent had a little more space between the other tents. We arrived around midnight and it was nice that we were still able to check-in at that time. It would be really convenient if there were power outlets or charging connectors for electric vehicles because it would be really helpful to recharge the electric car overnight- it doesn’t need to be very powerful, even just 3kw or 6kw would work.
Silver Bell campground has stunning views and although the campsites are kind of small without an abundance of privacy, the view and the sound of the river really makes up for it. I’ve camped here twice, once in site 9 and once in site 10 and I’ve camped here in June and in September. I think the best campsites here are the walk-in tent sites and specifically sites 9, 10 and 11. The scenery is magnificent and it gets even better if you drive up the road and go for a hike at the lake. Reservations are not accepted and this is a major tourist destination so what I do when I want to camp here is I make reservations for a nearby campground(Difficult campground) and I stay there until a campsite becomes available at Silver Bell and then I let the host at Difficult know they can release my site because I’m moving to Silver Bell. Bear bins are provided in each campsite. If you come here in the fall, temperatures at night can be cold. A nice treat about camping near Aspen is getting take-out from one of the great restaurants in town.
The campsites are kind of small without an abundance of privacy but the view and the sound of the river makes up for it. I’ve camped here twice, once in site 9 and once in site 10 and I’ve camped here in June and in September. The best campsites here are the walk-in tent sites 9, 10 and 11. The scenery is magnificent and it gets even better if you drive up the road and go for a hike at the lake. Bear bins are provided in each campsite. If you come here in the fall, temperatures at night can be cold.
Cottonwood Lake campground near Buena Vista is my favorite campground on this particular road (my other favorite campground in the vicinity is Cascade). Some of the campsites are roomy and have a fair amount of privacy due to the Aspen trees around the area. Sunrise was nice and the lake was pretty. It’s far enough from the main road that there isn’t any traffic noise. Some of the campsites are on hilly terrain and are terraced with steps between different levels of the campsite. The lake is just a short walk from the campground.
This is a scenic area but many of the campsites are not very good because so many dead trees were removed that there’s no shade or privacy at those campsites. The best campsites with some shade and privacy are 13, 14, 32, 35, 37 and 39.
Pawnee is a scenic campground located north of Nederland and south of Estes Park. It’s much closer to Denver than many of the other places I’ve been camping. Reservations are required. Almost half of the campsites are not very good though because so many dead trees were removed that there’s no shade or privacy at those campsites. I got a glimpse of the walk-in tent sites and they look ok. The best campsites with some shade and privacy are 13, 14, 32, 35, 37 and 39.
The Sand Dunes are pretty cool and my dog loved playing in the water. Some of the campsites seem close together, our campsite was an “end unit” and so it had more separation and privacy from the other campsites. Bear bins are provided in each campsite.
Tabor campground is the least desirable campground at Turquoise Lake. It’s a large parking lot and you setup camp in front of your vehicle, there’s no Aspen trees between the campsites so there’s a lack of privacy. Sometimes during events like the ultra-marathon the whole area can be inundated with tourists and this campground fills up primarily with campers that didn’t make a reservation for one of the more appealing campgrounds at Turquoise Lake.
At Turquoise Lake the more desirable campgrounds are May Queen, Belle of Colorado and Molly Brown campgrounds. Tabor campground is the least desirable campground at Turquoise Lake. The lake and the surroundings are really beautiful.
Backcountry campground at 11 mile reservoir is a really unique camping area and I think it has the most scenic campsites in all of 11 Mile. It’s not a very long hike from the parking lot to the backcountry sites but if your stuff is heavy you can usually pay someone to haul your gear over on a boat because most of the backcountry sites are close to the water. At all of the places I’ve camped at 11 Mile, the afternoon’s are very windy but from early morning to midday it was very calm. The wind was really annoying. There are bear bins in the backcountry campground. The rest of the campgrounds at 11 mile seem crowded and lacking privacy and shade.
On Rampart Range Road at mile marker 20 and 21 are some fascinating campsites suitable for a group. Every time I went camping there with a group we would set up a large sound and lighting system and have parties until 2am. This far down the road there wasn’t any fee to camp but there weren’t any toilets, no water, and no trash bins.
Due to the location and reservations are accepted, this a convenient backup plan for some of the first come - first serve campgrounds on nearby Maroon Creek Road. I think some of the better campsites at Difficult are 4, 8, 19, 21, 33, 43, and 46. In June the columbines start blooming and in September the mountain ash trees are looking great. There are tons of Aspen trees here. This campground is equipped with bear bins to store your cooler and stuff.
Cimarrona is one of the more scenic campgrounds in this area and it's also very quiet here.
Matterhorn campground has the best walk-in tent sites with amazing views, privacy and plenty of Aspen trees. Some of the other campsites here are appealing because they have power outlets for RV's although many of those sites don't have much shade or privacy. I think the best camp sites here are 4, 12, 13, 16, 20, 21, and 27 (12 & 13 are walk-in).