Collegiate Peaks in CO -- Campground & RV Camping in Colorado
Collegiate Peaks in CO
U.S. Forest Service allows overnight stays only at the designated sites here.
Collegiate Peaks Campground sits at 9,800 feet in a forest of mixed conifers and aspen along Middle Cottonwood Creek, 11 miles west of Buena Vista. Spread across three loops, the campground features single-family sites equipped with picnic tables, fire rings, and grills, supported by vault toilets and drinking water. Nearby trails include the Denny Creek Trailhead leading into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness and the Ptarmigan Lake Trailhead. The creek and nearby beaver ponds offer trout fishing, while Cottonwood Pass lies just up the road.
0.1 of the 1.1 miles in are maintained only for high-clearance vehicles. Gravel the whole way in (1.1 miles). Flat ground is scarce -- under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
Mount Yale stands 4,331 ft above the site, 2.3 miles north. Crowded here -- the nearest through road is 0.1 miles off, a 56-site campground. A body of water lies 0.1 mi off. Most of them shaded. The nearest town, Buena Vista, is 9.6 mi off.
September normals 37–64°F, 1.6″ rain. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Set by Pike and San Isabel National Forests, Salida Ranger District. Stage 1 and 2 orders change within days -- check the current order before you build a fire.
fs.usda.gov