White River National Forest Campgrounds
Aspen - Meeker - Silverthorne - Eagle - Minturn - Rifle - Carbondale
The White River National Forest is the most visited National Forest in the United States. With 2.3 million acres, 12 ski resorts and eight wilderness areas are partially or completely located within the White River National Forest.
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
Eagles Nest Wilderness
Flat Tops Wilderness
Holy Cross Wilderness
Hunter - Fryingpan Wilderness
Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness
Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness
Raggeds Wilderness
Headquarters are in Glenwood Springs with 7 ranger district offices listed below.
Ranger District Offices - White River National Forest
Aspen Ranger District (970)925-3445
806 W. Hallam, Aspen, CO 81611
Blanco Ranger District (970)878-4039
220 E. Market St., Meeker, CO 81641
Dillon Ranger District (970)468-5400
680 Blue River Parkway, PO Box 620, Silverthorne, CO 80498-0620
Eagle Ranger District (970)328-6388
125 W. 5th St., PO Box 720, Eagle, CO 81631-0720
Holy Cross Ranger District (970)827-5715
24747 US Hwy 24, PO Box 190, Minturn, CO 81645-0190
Rifle Ranger District (970)625-2371
0094 County Road 244, Rifle, CO 81650
Sopris Ranger District (970)963-2266
620 Main St., PO Box 309, Carbondale, CO 81623-0309
Aspen Ranger District
Difficult Campground
Difficult Campground is the largest in the Aspen area and also the closest to town.
Difficult Campground Info
Elevation: 8075 ft
Fee per Night: $26
Total Campsites: 47 Sites
Reservations are accepted up to 6 months in advance for most sites at Difficult Campground
Sites 35, 37, 39, 41, & 43 are closest to the Roaring Fork River
Pull-Thru Sites: 5-7, 11, 14, & 17
50 ft maximum vehicle length.
7 Day Stay Limit
Open Mid May thru Late September
No Cell Service with Verizon or AT&T
Area Activities
History - The ghost town of Independence is 12 miles up the highway to the east. Guided tours are available in the summer.
Scenery - Independence Pass is 15.7 miles up the highway to the east.
Fishing - The Roaring Fork River is accessible in the Day Use Area as well as behind some campsites.
GPS: 39.142566, -106.773508
Directions: From downtown Aspen, take CO Hwy 82 east for 4 miles to campground entrance.
Hiking
The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area is south of the campground and to the north lies the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness Area.
Area hikes include:
Difficult Creek Trail - Begins in the Day Use Area
The Grottos Trail
New York Creek Trail
Tabor Creek Trail
Grizzly Lake Trail
Weller Lake
Lost Man Trail
Lincoln Gulch Campground
The scenery around Lincoln Gulch Campground is average but the number of activities in the area makes this campground a popular destination. Lincoln Creek flows into the Roaring Fork River right by some of the campsites. Two wilderness areas are within miles of the campground. The resort town of Aspen is less than a dozen miles away. I could go on and on with things to do in the area. I’ve included a few activities.
Lincoln Gulch Campground Info
Elevation: 9550 ft
Fee per Night: $22
Total Campsites: 7 Sites
No Reservations - First Come, First Served
Sites 1 & 2 are closest to the Roaring Fork River.
Sites 3 & 4 are close to Lincoln Creek
30 ft maximum vehicle length.
No water available in the campground
14 Day Stay Limit
Open June - Oct
Area Activities
History - The ghost town of Independence is 6.4 miles up the highway to the east. Guided tours are available in the summer.
Scenery - Independence Pass is 10.3 miles up the highway to the east.
Fishing - Lincoln Gulch Campground is located on the Roaring Fork River. Grizzly Reservoir is about 6 miles above the campground.
Hiking - The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area is just south of the campground and to the north lies the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness Area.
Area hikes include:
The Grottos Trail
New York Creek Trail
Tabor Creek Trail
Grizzly Lake Trail
Weller Lake
Lost Man Trail
Directions: From the top of Independence Pass, head west about 10 miles towards Aspen and turn off at Lincoln Creek Road. Campground entrance will be in about .4 miles.
GPS: 39.117136, -106.695366
Lost Man Campground
2 miles from Lost Man Campground, lies the ghost town of Independence which was founded on July 4th, 1879 after gold was discovered.
It's peak population reached 1500 but when the gold ran out, the population quickly dropped to only 100 residents by 1888. The last remaining residents made skis out of their houses during the winter of 1899 and skied into Aspen to avoid starvation in one of Colorado's worst winters.
In 1974 the town was added to the register of national historic places. By the mid 80's several buildings had been restored and today the area is open for guided tours in the summertime.
Lost Man Campground Info
Elevation: 10460 ft
Fee per Night: $22
Total Campsites: 10 Sites
No Reservations - First Come, First Served
No water available in the campground
Sites 3, 4, & 5 are closest to the Roaring Fork River
30 ft maximum vehicle length.
14 Day Stay Limit
Open June - Oct
Area Activities
Hiking - Lost Man Trailhead, located across the highway from the campground leads into the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness Area. There are a number of other hikes in the area as well
History - The ghost town of Independence is 2 miles up the highway to the east. Guided tours are available in the summer.
Scenery - Independence Pass is 5.9 miles up the highway to the east.
Fishing - Lost Man Campground is located on the Roaring Fork River
GPS: 39.121351, -106.624633
Directions: From the top of Independence Pass, head west 5.9 miles towards Aspen. Campground is on the left.
Portal Campground
Silver Bar Campground
Silver Bell Campground
Silver Queen Campground
Weller Campground
Weller Campground Info
Area Hiking
The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area is south of the campground and to the north lies the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness Area.
Area hikes include:
The Grottos Trail
New York Creek Trail
Tabor Creek Trail
Grizzly Lake Trail
Weller Lake
Lost Man Trail
Elevation: 9335 ft
Fee per Night: $23
Total Campsites: 11 Sites
No Reservations - First Come, First Served
Sites 1 & 2 and 10 & 11 are closest to CO Hwy 82
30 ft maximum vehicle length.
14 Day Stay Limit
Open Mid May thru Late September
Area Activities
History - The ghost town of Independence is 7.5 miles up the highway to the east. Guided tours are available in the summer.
Scenery - Independence Pass is 11.5 miles up the highway to the east.
Fishing - The Roaring Fork River is across the highway
GPS: 39.121034, -106.720488
Directions: From Aspen Colorado, take CO Hwy 82 east towards Independence Pass for approximately 8.2 miles.
Blanco Ranger District
Himes Peak Campground
East Marvine Campground
North Fork Campground
Marvine Campground
Trappers Lake – Bucks Campground
South Fork Campground
Trappers Lake – Horsethief Campground
Trappers Lake – Cutthroat Campground
Trappers Lake – Trapline Campground
Trappers Lake – Shepherds Rim Campground
Dillon Ranger District
Campgrounds in the Dillon Ranger District can be divided into two areas: Dillon Reservoir between Frisco & Dillon, and the area around Green Mountain Reservoir.
Dillon Reservoir
Lowry Campground
Heaton Bay Campground
Pine Cove Campground
Peak One Campground
Windy Point Group (Forest & Lake) Campground
Prospector Campground
Green Mountain Reservoir
Cataract Creek Campground
Blue River Campground
Cow Creek South Campground
Cow Creek North Campground
Elliot Creek Campground
Prairie Point Campground
McDonald Flats Campground
Willows Campground
Eagle Ranger District
Coffee Pot Spring Campground
Deep Lake Campground
Fulford Cave Campground
Sweetwater Lake Campground
White Owl Campground
Yeoman Park Campground
Holy Cross Ranger District
Camp Hale East Group Campground
Camp Hale Memorial Campground
Gold Park Campground
Half Moon Campground
Gore Creek Campground
Hornsilver Campground
Rifle Ranger District
Meadow Lake Campground (Closed in 2020)
Meadow Ridge Campground (Closed in 2020)
