Rainbow Lakes Campground in CO -- Campground & RV Camping
Rainbow Lakes Campground in CO
CampgroundUSFS
4.6 mi from Nederland
Road Access
- Road difficulty 2 of 5: a moderate drive in.
- Recorded as maintained for passenger cars, dirt, pitching to 4%.
Setting
Sitting at 10,000 feet near the Indian Peaks Wilderness, Rainbow Lakes Campground offers 18 first-come, first-served sites for tents and small trailers. Facilities include picnic tables, fire grates, vault toilets, and trash collection, but no drinking water, electricity, hookups, or showers. Sites 15 through 18 are walk-in tent spots, while site 8 fits up to 15 people. The maximum stay is 14 days, with an eight-person limit per standard site.
Getting there: From Nederland, head north on Colorado Highway 72 for approximately seven miles. Look for the University of Colorado Mountain Research Station sign and turn west onto National Forest System Road 298. This route is gated during the winter. This road is a five-mile, native-surfaced road. A high clearance vehicle is recommended.
- Moderately separated here.
- Mount Albion stands 2,643 ft above the map pin, 3.3 miles northwest.
- The Rainbow Lakes shoreline is 0.6 mi off.
- Estimated night sky: Bortle 2, true dark-sky territory.
Climate averages
October normals 27–48°F, 2.4″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Starlink Radar
Open sky · Terrain & buildings · Tree canopy
Estimated horizon in eight compass directions, using 10 m USGS elevation. Sky clearance 53 of 100.