Types of Land Used For Camping in Colorado
Colorado State Parks
Back in January of 2020, all Colorado state parks started to require camping reservations. Luckily you can pick between more than 4,000 campsites throughout the state.
Some of the benefits of camping at a state park is the ability to secure your spot with a reservation, developed campground/cabins, and some sites include restrooms and electricity.
Golden Gate Canyon State Park & Mueller State Park are great destinations to start with. Both are 1-2 hours from Denver and offer a variety of activities. If you’re looking for more adventure, Rifle Falls State Park has amazing waterfalls, limestone caverns, and gorgeous riverside camping.
Federal Lands – National Forest
There is a total of 14 million acres of land in Colorado’s National Forests managed by the US Forest Service. Like our National Parks, these are also protected landscapes.
According to the Forest Service, “All National Forest lands are open to camping unless otherwise posted,”
Camping here can be full of adventure as you often have much fewer rules than a National Park. Here you can expect to be directed to camping areas, but after that, you’re pretty much free to explore.
Pike and San Isabel National Forests are some of the more popular destinations offering a diverse landscape sprawled throughout a huge national forest. Cottonwood Lake near Buena Vista offers a variety of campsite types going up an incredible valley. Keep an eye out for Moose!
Bureau of Land Management
Most everything that applies to National Forests, applies to The Bureau of Land Management.
The BLM manages 8.3 million acres of public land in Colorado, primarily on the western slope. Established in 1946, their goal is to manage “public lands for a variety of uses such as energy development, livestock grazing, recreation, and timber harvesting while ensuring natural, cultural, and historic resources are maintained for present and future use.” blm.gov
Here it’s often first come first serve, but you can pretty much camp wherever you want as long as it’s not in areas posted as “closed to camping” or in some way adversely affects wildlife/nature.
Private Campgrounds
Private campgrounds are exactly how they sound, privately owned by individuals/business. Think KOA campgrounds, but spots like Jellystone in Larkspur will blow those out of the water…literally. Yogi Bear’s™️ WaterZone invites all kids (and kids at heart) to jump in enjoy the fresh air water park.
These often have significant rules around parking, camp sites, and pets. They will also require reservations, often in advance.
There are often many amenities when staying at a private campground including restrooms, electricity, cook stations, and trash.
Camping during fire season is whole other challenge. Check our some of our tips to help during the all too common season.