Camping is one of the best and budget-friendly outdoor activities. It can help relieve stress and provide an opportunity to share the beauty of nature with friends and family. Camping outdoors is an excellent way to reconnect with nature and take a pause from our fast-moving lives. You get to sleep under the stars, wake up to breathtaking views, and trail between mountains while camping, all of which can make for memorable moments.
Colorado is host to beautiful camping sites that include lush forests and extensive hiking trails. To help those who want to explore its wondrous beauty, we have listed some of the best campgrounds in Colorado. Consider these sites for your next camping trip.
List of Campsites for the Best Camping in Colorado
1. Maroon Bells
Maroon Bells is one of the most visited and photographed sites in Colorado. The campground is shadowed by a set of Twin Mountains that are 14,000 feet tall. Campers can find three camping sites – Silver Bell, Silver Bar, or Silver Queen campsites. Each of these offers a breathtaking view of the wilderness. Campers can find ample space to camp, stay the night, and take in the beauty of nature.
Due to the high demand for Maroon Bells, regular cars are not allowed. Access to the awe-inspiring site is only through a motorized shuttle. This campground is situated 12 miles from the town of Aspen, providing campers and visitors easy access to food and other amenities.
2. Mountain Park Campground
Mountain Park Campground is an ideal location for beginner campers. The campground is located 40 miles outside Fort Collins. Mountain peaks, green meadows, and deep forests surround the Mountain Park, adding to its abundant beauty.
The campground facilitates visitors by offering single and double-family sites with electric hookups. Moreover, it has one group site i that can accommodate up to 75 people.
The campground offers fun outdoor activities for the family, like hiking, fishing, water rafting, kayaking, and picnicking. Additionally, the campsite provides campers with basic camping amnesties like picnic tables, BBQ grills, tent pads, restrooms, pay showers, horseshoe pits, and a playground area.
3. Moraine Park Campground
Moraine Park is one of the campers’ favorite campgrounds in the Rocky Mountain National Park. It is the perfect campsite for family picnics with its magnificent mountains, incredible landscapes, and lush meadows. The campsite is convenient since it is centrally located, allowing easy access to Estes Park town.
Campers who love spotting wild animals can have the best time here. Animals, like coyotes, mule deer, and elk, have been spotted wandering the meadows. The site provides vast space for RV campers and tent campers. Moreover, amenities like dish-washing stations, toilets, and clean drinking water.
Along with the scenic views, Moraine Park allows campers to have the most of their time by providing the best hiking trails. Moreover, campers can spend time backpacking, fishing, scenic driving, and horseback riding.
4. Jackson Lake State Park
Jackson State Lake Park is a campsite that will appeal the most to watersports enthusiasts. Hence, we recommend visiting Jackson Lake during summer. Jackson Lake State Park is an oasis between Colorado’s eastern plains, situated near Fort Morgan. It has 251 campsites with electric hookups. Each of the campsites has a walking distance of the amenities.
The campground is packed with epic hiking trails and water activities. Jackson Lake was named the Dry Sky Park in 2020, which means the night sky adds to the beauty of this fantastic campground. So, if you love stargazing, there is no better place than Jackson Lake Park.
Moreover, the campsites provide easy access to potable water, a toilet, a picnic table, and a BBQ grill. Camping at night makes this experience extraordinary, as campfires are allowed.
5. Oh Be Joyful campsite
As suggested by the name, Oh Be Joyful is another campsite for the best camping in Colorado. It is located five miles from Crested Butte. It has around 30 camping sites, 15 walk-ins, and 14 RV campsites.
The campground was named after the massive, magnificent waterfall and colorful wildflowers.
It is famous for fishing, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and more. The campsites provide access to three vault washrooms, a metal fire ring, parking space, tent pads, picnic tables, and bear-proof food storage cabinets.
6. Bear Lake Campground
If you enjoy fishing, Bear Lake is a campground you should consider visiting. The campground is surrounded by volcanic mountains, forests, lakes, and waterfalls. Located inside the Rocky Mountain National Park, Bear Lake Campground is another campsite replete with many scenic views.
The Bear Lake campground has up to 14 campsites. At these campsites, you will find picnic tables, pit toilets, and fire rings. For amenities like food, gas, and water, you can visit the nearby towns.
Outdoor activities near the campground include fishing, biking, boating, white-water paddling, horseback riding, rock climbing, and off-roading.
7. Pinon Flats Campground
If you are looking for a challenging camping experience, camp in the Pinon Flats Campground in the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The campground has a total of 86 campsites available to reserve. They are the tallest dunes in the country that reach as high as 700 feet.
At this campground, you can experience breathtaking displays of sun shining on massive dunes. Moreover, the snow-capped mountains peeking in the background make the experience magical. The campground offers various outdoor activities like sandboarding, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, horseback riding, and swimming.
Campsite amenities include modern restrooms, tent pads, picnic tables, fire grates, water fixtures, a fire pit, and wheelchairs.
Our Final Thoughts
Most people are planning outdoor vacations. If you’re one of them, remember to be respectful of nature and leave no trash behind. Colorado campgrounds are great for escaping city life and having intimate fun with friends and family.
The state has everything — camping in lush meadows near the serene Maroon Lake, hiking between the mountains, sandboarding in the magnificent dunes. We hope our list of sites for the best camping in Colorado will significantly help you plan your next camping trip.
