Camping near Garfield, Colorado
Camping near Garfield, Colorado includes 4 public campgrounds on record, 4 first-come. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Trappers Lake/bucks, is 112 miles from Garfield in a straight line, and none is within 15 miles. Another 33 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Garfield.
noindex Fewer than 5 campgrounds here clear the indexable bar yet, so this page stays noindex.
Camping near Garfield at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 4 (4 National Forest)
- Getting a site
- 4 first-come
- Cost
- Lowest posted fee at Trappers Lake/cutthroat: "Single Site: $22 per night"
- Distance from Garfield
- 112 miles (Trappers Lake/bucks) to 112 miles (Shepherds Rim / Trappers Lake) in a straight line; none within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 9,744 ft (Trappers Lake/bucks) to 9,779 ft (Shepherds Rim / Trappers Lake), 4 of 4 on record
- Drinking water
- 4 of 4
Distances are straight-line miles from Garfield's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.
Trappers Lake/bucks - Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $23 per night
Trappers Lake/cutthroat - Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $22 per night
Trappers Lake/trapline - Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $25 per night
Shepherds Rim / Trappers Lake - Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $25 per night
More campgrounds within 30 miles of Garfield
- Monarch Park, 2.9 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Poncha Springs.
- Angel of Shavano, 4.4 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ($25.00 for overnight use as of 2025.); listed under camping near Poncha Springs.
- Angel of Shavano Group Campground, 4.5 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Poncha Springs.
- North Fork Reservoir, 4.6 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ($18.00 for overnight use as of 2025.); listed under camping near Salida.
- Snowblind, 7.1 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $14 per night); listed under camping near Sargents.
- Middle Quartz, 9 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Pitkin.
- Iron City, 11 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Buena Vista.
- Cascade, 12 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $25 per night); listed under camping near Buena Vista.
- Ohaver Lake, 12 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Chaffee.
- Quartz, 12 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $14 per night); listed under camping near Pitkin.
- O'haver Lake, 12 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ($28.00 for overnight use as of 2025. $10.00 for day use as of 2025.); listed under camping near Salida.
- Chalk Lake, 12 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $25 per night); listed under camping near Buena Vista.
- Mt. Princeton, 12 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Buena Vista.
- Pitkin, 12 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $24 per night); listed under camping near Pitkin.
- Bootleg, 13 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ($10 per night); listed under camping near Buena Vista.
- Mirror Lake, 16 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $14 per night); listed under camping near Tincup.
- Cottonwood Lake, 16 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ; listed under camping near Buena Vista.
- Gold Creek, 17 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Pitkin.
- Collegiate Peaks, 18 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Buena Vista.
- Lottis Creek, 24 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site Non-Electric: $26 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Cold Spring, 24 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $14 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Lakeview Gunnison, 24 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Gunnison.
- Lakeview, 25 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site Non-Electric: $26 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Lodgepole, 25 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $18 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Rivers End, 26 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $18 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Rosy Lane, 28 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $20-38 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Buffalo Pass, 28 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Day Use:); listed under camping near Saguache.
- One Mile, 28 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site Non-Electric: $26 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- North Bank, 29 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $18 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Granite, 29 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $16 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Spring Creek, 29 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $18 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Dinner Station, 29 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $18 per night); listed under camping near Almont.
- Hayden Creek, 29 miles from Garfield in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ($22.00 for overnight use as of 2025 summer operating season.); listed under camping near Coaldale.
Things to do near Garfield
Public land and water within 30 miles of Garfield, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Lake O'Haver fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 12 miles from Garfield; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Frantz Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 14 miles from Garfield; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Mount Princeton Hot Springs, a hot spring whose mapped point is 14 miles from Garfield; soaking details on swimholesmap.com.
- Cottonwood Hot Springs, a hot spring whose mapped point is 19 miles from Garfield; soaking details on swimholesmap.com.
- Browns Canyon National Monument, a BLM unit whose mapped point is 20 miles from Garfield; its camping rule, field office, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Fossil Ridge Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 21 miles from Garfield; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Taylor Park Reservoir water level, a reservoir whose mapped point is 25 miles from Garfield; current water level on reservoirfinder.com.
- Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 28 miles from Garfield; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- White River National Forest, all 4 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Trappers Lake/bucks at 112 miles from Garfield; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
Supplies and emergencies near Garfield
Nearest emergency room
Gunnison Valley Hospital
711 N Taylor St, Gunnison, CO, 34 miles from Garfield . (970) 641-1456
Next nearest: St Vincent General Hospital District, 816 W 4th St, Leadville, CO, 48 miles , (719) 486-0230.
In an emergency, call 911.
Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .
- Groceries
-
- Monarch Crest Food & Gifts
- St. Elmo General Store
- Alta Convenience
- Fuel
-
- Shell
- Conoco
- Poncha Market
- RV dump station
-
- Four Seasons RV Park
- BV Overlook Camp & Lodging
- B1
- Pharmacy
-
- Salida Pharmacy & Fountain
- Laundromat
-
- Laundromat
- Pancho's
- Wally La-La's
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Garfield: propane, potable water fill, and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-10-01; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.
Common questions
Where can I camp around Garfield, CO?
4 public campgrounds are on record near Garfield. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Trappers Lake/bucks (112 miles), Trappers Lake/cutthroat (112 miles), Trappers Lake/trapline (112 miles), and Shepherds Rim / Trappers Lake (112 miles). 4 are first-come, first-served with no reservations.
Is there free camping near Garfield, CO?
Not at a developed campground: each of the 4 public campgrounds on record near Garfield charges a fee, listed in the table.
Where can I camp near Garfield with drinking water?
Shepherds Rim / Trappers Lake, Trappers Lake/bucks, Trappers Lake/cutthroat, and Trappers Lake/trapline have potable water on record.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Garfield, CO?
Gunnison Valley Hospital, 711 N Taylor St, Gunnison, CO, is 34 miles from Garfield in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (970) 641-1456. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in Colorado ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in Colorado .