Federal Campgrounds in Colorado

Federal coverage only. This directory lists campgrounds on federal land (Forest Service, Park Service, BLM, Corps of Engineers and other agencies) from the Recreation.gov RIDB export. State-park, county and private/KOA campgrounds are out of scope.

Colorado contains 265 federal campgrounds offering approximately 6,350 overnight sites across public lands. The U.S. Forest Service manages the majority with 231 campgrounds, while the National Park Service operates 17 and the Bureau of Land Management operates 17. These facilities serve visitors seeking access to mountains, forests, canyons, and high-altitude terrain throughout the state. Note that this directory covers federal campgrounds only; state parks and private commercial operations like KOA are not included here.

Most Colorado federal campgrounds—226 of the 265—accept advance reservations through Recreation.gov, the federal government's centralized booking system. Availability, specific amenities, and current site counts vary by location and season. Visitors should consult Recreation.gov directly for real-time information on which campgrounds are open, how many sites remain available, and to make reservations. First-come, first-served sites are also available at select locations.

How to read the Colorado directory

Use this page as a starting map of federal camping in Colorado: the agency split tells you whether you're mostly looking at national-forest sites, park-service grounds or Corps-of-Engineers lakeside camps, and the busiest rec areas below point to where the campgrounds cluster. Every name links to its live Recreation.gov page for current site counts, photos and booking.

Largest federal campgrounds in Colorado

• Rocky Mountain National Park Moraine Park Campground · National Park Service · 258 sites · Estes Park
• Rocky Mountain National Park Glacier Basin Campground · National Park Service · 158 sites · Estes Park
• Elk Creek Campground · National Park Service · 153 sites · Gunnison
• North Fruita Desert Campground · Bureau of Land Management · 144 sites · Grand Junction
• Peak One · U.S. Forest Service · 115 sites · Silverthorne
• Stillwater (Colorado) · U.S. Forest Service · 109 sites · Morrison
• Prospector · U.S. Forest Service · 107 sites · Silverthorne
• Rocky Mountain National Park Timber Creek Campground · National Park Service · 99 sites · Grand Lake
• Mcphee Recreation Complex · U.S. Forest Service · 96 sites · San Juan National Forest
• Pinon Flats Campground · National Park Service · 90 sites · Mosca
• Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground · National Park Service · 89 sites · Montrose
• Heaton Bay · U.S. Forest Service · 87 sites · Silverthorne
• Arapaho Bay · U.S. Forest Service · 85 sites · Morrison
• Chapman Campground And Group · U.S. Forest Service · 84 sites · Carbondale
• Lake Fork Campground · National Park Service · 83 sites · Gunnison
• Colorado Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 81 sites · Colorado Springs
• Saddlehorn Campground · National Park Service · 80 sites · Fruita
• Vallecito Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 79 sites · San Juan National Forest
• Green Ridge · U.S. Forest Service · 76 sites · Morrison
• Rabbit Valley · Bureau of Land Management · 75 sites · Grand Junction
• Lakeview Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 72 sites · Leadville
• Lakeview Gunnison · U.S. Forest Service · 69 sites · Almont
• White Star · U.S. Forest Service · 67 sites · Leadville
• South Meadows - Pike San Isabel Nf (Co) · U.S. Forest Service · 64 sites · Colorado Springs
• Dowdy Lake · U.S. Forest Service · 62 sites · Morrison

Ranked by overnight-site count from RIDB; “n/a” means the site count isn’t published (often a first-come or dispersed area). Each name opens the Recreation.gov facility page.

Compare every managing agency → · Reservable vs first-come in Colorado → · Choosing a Colorado campground →

Compiled from the federal RIDB export, verified June 2026. How we compile this. Confirm current details on Recreation.gov.