Red Feather Lakes camping: Your Guide to the best spots in Colorado

Colorado’s diverse geography includes alpine mountains, high plains, massive sand dunes and deep canyons.

If you are looking to escape the summer heat and go high up into the mountains and enjoy the coolness of the pines, then the Red feather lakes camping has exactly what you are searching for!

Get in your car and go to the Red Feather Lakes located in Rocky mountains – about an hour’s drive northwest of Fort Collins and you will have a good opportunity to look at the greenery of the trees in the Roosevelt National forest, enjoy night camping under the stars and forget about the city bustle for a while.

The beauty of the mountains reflects in the 12 clear lakes (Dowdy Lake, West Lake, Snake Lake and others), the sun, cold fresh air and silence give a pleasant feeling to guests at any time of the year and provide a great vacation.

The Red Feather lakes area is also a good choice for outdoor activities lovers: here you can try yourself kayaking, fishing, horseriding, team games, rafting or whitewater rafting. So, the Red Feather Lakes will appeal to everyone!

We have prepared a list of picturesque places that you may want to consider visiting at the Red Feather Lakes to help you make your vacation memorable and exciting!

Camping near the Red Feather Lakes

Alpine lodge

Alpine lodge is situated in the middle of the Roosevelt National Forest and this is a great base for exploring Colorado. This beautiful campground provides tent camping, RV camping and 4 comfortable cabins to stay in.

The small alpine village of the Red feather lakes is heaven for camping trip lovers and sports fans. There are a lot of sparkling public, and private lakes and scenic Cache La Poudre river available within walking distance so you can spend a sunny day in a lake with your family or enjoy a sports activity to your taste – fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding or white water rafting.

More Information: here

West Lake campground

West lake campground is a really beautiful place located near the Red feather lakes village. The campground accommodates a range of RV sites, tent sites and all that you will need for comfortable rest in the open air: a picnic table, vault toilets, storage lockers, a tent pad, drinking water and electric hookups.

West lake is surrounded by a forest – do not neglect to walk among pines, breathe forest air and take a look at foxes and deer in the Red feather lakes area. This campground is close to the sparkling lake with crystal clear water so try to catch a fish here or drop a boat.

It is a quite popular campground so when you plan your next camping trip think of advice about getting here before it will be full of people.

More information: here

Dowdy lake campground

If you are searching for a quiet scenic area among the pines to go camping with friends near the Red Feather lakes or spend time with your family outdoors – you are in the right place!

It is a good chance to catch a big fish, like a brook trout in Dowdy lake or in smaller lakes near the campground. There is no problem if you are not into water sports! Try horseback riding, mountain biking or exploring the area with hiking trails.

The campground provides about 70 sites for tent camping with all the conveniences: a picnic table, a fire pit, vault toilets and a storage locker are included in each site.

More information: here

Sleeping Elephant campground

The interesting name of this campground is explained by the fact that the mountainous terrain looks like a sleeping elephant. Go for a camping trip here and see it by yourself!

This beautiful camping spot has everything needed for your rest: 15 sites with drinking water, vault toilets and a fire pit. Take into account the fact that the large-size RVs are forbidden to use for camping here.

The Sleeping Elephant campground is located close to the Cache La Poudre river, however, there are some restrictions for visitors because the territory here is private property.

More information: here

Bellaire lake campground

This campground allows you to take a whole family with you to adventure nature near Fort Collins in comfortable and roomy double and triple sites with drinking water and vault toilets. Bellaire Lake Campground is about an hour and a half outside of Fort Collins near the Red Feathers Lakes village. It is available from June 1 to September 20. The Red Feather lakes are about 4 miles away from this place.

It is a perfect combination of relaxation, luxury and excitement for the entire family, but during the peak season you can find that this campground is full of people so do not neglect to reserve a site.

More information: here

Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch

Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch is a multifunctional campground with 46 RV and tent sites, all amenities for your comfortable rest. There are many great RV accommodation options in this campground. You also can buy some souvenirs for your friends in a local gift shop or try a new dish in a restaurant if you do not fancy cooking while travelling.

If you are a sporty person searching for an active pastime, Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch provides a wide range of activities starting from mountain biking, and hiking trails in the warm times of the year and finishing with hunting and ice fishing in their fishing pond when it is cold.

More information: here

North Fork Poudre Campground

If you want to relax from the city bustle and enjoy the silence, North Fork Poudre Campground will help you to chill. You can listen to the birds singing or go fishing and drip your hands into cold and clean river water. Take a break from your daily routine and relax.

You do not need any reservation to spend your holiday in this campground. It provides tent sites and RV sites. Make sure that you bring your own drinking bottles while preparing for a trip! Vault toilets, a fire pit and fire rings are included.

More information: here

Mountain Park

This campsite is an ideal place for play, rest and diversify your leisure. It is really easy and convenient to access Mountain Park – drive 18 miles from the Red Feather Lakes. You will have goosebumps when you see breath-taking landscapes. There are tent sites and RV sites with picnic tables, vault toilets, electric hookups – all that you need to enjoy your camping.

What about the activities? In Mountain Park everyone will find an interesting activity for his/her taste. There are some team games like volleyball and badminton, white water rafting – for extreme lovers and fishing for everyone who wants to catch a rainbow trout.

More information: here

Camping close to the Cache La Poudre river

Dutch George Campground

This campground provides first-see-first-served sites for tents and RVs. Dutch George Campground is located near the Mountain Park in the dale along the Cache La Poudre river. If you want to enjoy rafting or catch a big fish for your family dinner – it is one of the best options for you! There are drinking water, fire rings and vault toilets for your convenience! So, enjoy the beauty of the surrounding area, listen to the splash of the water and get calm!

More information: here

Canyonside Campground

This top-rated campground is the ideal base to admire the most beautiful landscapes of the Red Feather lakes and Cache La Poudre river. You can book a tent site, a RV site or make a choice in favor of glamping trailers and cabins. If you value your comfort, the facilities are clean and tidy. Wi-Fi, showers and toilets are prepared to make your vacation at times more comfortable.

Canyonside Campground provides you with an unforgettable camping experience. There are some great photo opportunities, especially if the weather is kind and you can enjoy starry skies.

More information: here

Kelly Flats Campground

This is one of the most popular campgrounds in the peak season due to its location – Kelly Flats Campground is right on the Cache La Poudre river! Can you imagine? You can catch a fish, dip your hands in crystal clear water, go kayaking or canoeing. The campground is surrounded by an array of vibrantly colored mountains. It is higly-recommended to take a picture of Arapaho National Forest.

To go for a trip to the Cache La Poudre river with Kelly Flats Campground you do not need any reservation. Just choose one of the tent sites or RV sites. All facilities such as drinking water and bear proof lockers are included.

This campground has a great location – 17 miles from the Red Feather lakes.

More information: here

Ansel Watrous Campground

You need to spend a little more time to get to Ansel Watrous Campground (about 17 miles from the Red Feather Lakes), but trust me it is worth it. Feast your eyes on a breath-taking view of mountains and on sparkles of Cache La Poudre river.

There are many options on how to make your rest more memorable – go for a white water rafting, hiking or fishing. You can choose one of the 16 RV sites or 3 walk-in-sites with reservation or without booking. Storage lockers, vault toilets will make your trip more pleasant.

More information: here

Searching for the dispersed campsites?

If you do not want to pay for camping at all – dispersed camping is all you need! Before planning the route, pay attention that all of these dispersed camping areas given below are situated close to Canyon Lakes Ranger District.

We are going to show you exactly the how what and where of free camping all across the Red Feather Lakes area!

Lost lake

Please note that you will need four-wheel-drive vehicles or vehicles with high clearance to get to this one of the most beautiful and popular dispersed campsites. Lost lake is really shallow so it resembles a pond. This campsite is far from the Red Feather Lakes that turn the Lost Lake into an uncrowded place.

More information: here

Prairie divide road

This campsite is located near the Red Feather Lakes, which makes it very popular among tourists, because you are allowed to enjoy all the comforts. If you have a dream to spend your holiday near the Wildcat Canyon – this is your chance! This option for dispersed camping is made up of a one mile stretch of road with 20 sites. There are no restrooms for visitors.

More information: here

Pingree Road

Pingree Road’s location is really suitable for dispersed camping if you want to get there from the Red Feather lakes by vehicle with high clearance. Remember that there are no amenities for your rest – it is a really important detail while preparing for a dispersed camping trip. You can explore scenic views and enjoy the nature of Colorado walking around the routes. Visitors will be close to the Poudre river, so you will be able to dip your hands to the cold and clear water.

More information: here

Manhattan Road

This one is the most popular area for dispersed camping due to its location – less than 5 miles from the Red Feather Lakes. Large and roomy campsites allow you to enjoy your trip with a large group of people. There is a long distance between campsites, turning themin to a personal place for visitors. Here you can take pictures of the Red Feather Lakes or catch a fish in Bellaire Lakes.

Before going to the Manhattan Road it is important to note that there are not any conveniences, please take care of yourself to make your dispersed camping comfortable! After the rest in a campsite it is necessary to clean up after yourself, stick to established trails and campsites and be aware of your impact on these natural places.

More information: here

Creedmore lakes

If you are searching for a place for dispersed camping, pay attention to this one! Creedmore lakes are a little bit too far from the Red Feather Lakes and it is really difficult to get to this campsite even with a vehicle with high clearance, but I can assure you that the picturesque landscape of these three lakes will take your breath! This campsite is ideal for easy access to the country’s most beautiful nature preserves.

Important note: you must access your campsite on your feet. This means that you need to walk to the lakes, because the roads to the lakes are also private land and they are unavailable for vehicle traffic.

More information: here

Conclusion

I hope you could find some interesting sports in my article. I wish you a lot of fun in Colorado.

If you are also interested in Orcas Island Camping, read our article.