Camping near Idaho Springs, Colorado
Camping near Idaho Springs, Colorado includes 2 public campgrounds on record, 2 reservable. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Echo Lake, is 8.1 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line, and all 2 are within 15 miles. Another 38 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Idaho Springs.
noindex Fewer than 5 campgrounds here clear the indexable bar yet, so this page stays noindex.
Camping near Idaho Springs at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 2 (2 National Forest)
- Getting a site
- 2 reservable
- Cost
- Lowest posted fee at West Chicago Creek: "Single Site: $25 per night"
- Distance from Idaho Springs
- 8.1 miles (Echo Lake) to 9.5 miles (West Chicago Creek) in a straight line; 2 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 9,600 ft (West Chicago Creek) to 10,600 ft (Echo Lake), 2 of 2 on record
- Campsites
- 31 across the 2 campgrounds that state a count
- RVs
- 2 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 55 ft (Echo Lake)
- Drinking water
- 1 of 2
Distances are straight-line miles from Idaho Springs'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.
More campgrounds within 30 miles of Idaho Springs
- Columbine, 5.2 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $26 per night); listed under camping near Gilpin.
- Cold Springs, 6.4 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $27 per night); listed under camping near Gilpin.
- Cold Springs - Arapaho Roosevelt NF, 6.4 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Gilpin.
- Pickle Gulch Group Campground, 6.5 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Gilpin.
- Pickle Gulch, 6.6 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Gilpin.
- Kelly Dahl, 13 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Gilpin.
- Clear Lake, 13 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $23 per night); listed under camping near Georgetown.
- Robbers Roost, 15 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Winter Park.
- Guanella Pass, 15 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $26 per night); listed under camping near Georgetown.
- Midland Group Campground, 15 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Winter Park.
- Mizpah, 16 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $23 per night); listed under camping near Empire.
- Meridian Campground, 17 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Site: $28 per night); listed under camping near Park.
- Deer Creek Campground, 17 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Site: $28 per night); listed under camping near Park.
- Idlewild, 18 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Winter Park.
- Rainbow Lakes, 18 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $22 per night); listed under camping near Nederland.
- Geneva Park, 20 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Park.
- Burning Bear Campground, 20 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $28 per night); listed under camping near Park.
- St. Louis Creek, 22 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Grand.
- Byers Creek, 23 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ; listed under camping near Grand.
- Pawnee, 23 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Ward.
- Handcart, 24 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Site: $24 per night); listed under camping near Park.
- Hall Valley, 24 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ($24 per night); listed under camping near Park.
- Timberline, 26 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Park.
- Camp Dick, 26 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Allenspark.
- Peaceful Valley, 26 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Allenspark.
- Pawnee, 27 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Boulder.
- Kenosha East, 27 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Site: $24 per night); listed under camping near Park.
- Kenosha Pass, 27 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Grant.
- Sugarloaf, 28 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $24 per night); listed under camping near Parshall.
- South Fork, 28 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $27 per night); listed under camping near Parshall.
- South Fork Group Site - Arapaho NF, 28 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Grand.
- Jefferson Creek, 29 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Jefferson.
- Aspen, 29 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $24 per night); listed under camping near Jefferson.
- Lodgepole, 29 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Jefferson.
- Arapaho Bay, 29 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Grand.
- Buffalo Campground, 30 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $28 per night); listed under camping near Jefferson.
- Meadows Group Campground, 30 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Jefferson.
- Lowry, 30 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Summit.
Things to do near Idaho Springs
Public land and water within 30 miles of Idaho Springs, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Golden Gate Canyon State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 4.6 miles from Idaho Springs; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Kriley Pond fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 7.1 miles from Idaho Springs; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Slough Pond fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 7.1 miles from Idaho Springs; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, West Chicago Creek (9.5 miles from Idaho Springs) sits inside this national forest; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
- Georgetown Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 11 miles from Idaho Springs; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Evergreen Reservoir fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 12 miles from Idaho Springs; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- James Peak Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 13 miles from Idaho Springs; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Mount Evans Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 13 miles from Idaho Springs; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Barker Reservoir fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 15 miles from Idaho Springs; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Pike and San Isabel National Forests, a national forest whose mapped point is 15 miles from Idaho Springs; its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Supplies and emergencies near Idaho Springs
Nearest emergency room
Centura Health-st Anthony Hospital
11600 W 2nd Pl, Lakewood, CO, 20 miles from Idaho Springs . (720) 321-0000
Next nearest: Orthocolorado Hosp at St Anthony Med Campus, 11650 W 2nd Pl, Lakewood, CO, 20 miles , (720) 321-5000.
In an emergency, call 911.
Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .
- Groceries
-
- Safeway
- Jenny's Market
- Maverik
- Fuel
-
- Sinclair
- Exxon
- Phillips 66
- RV dump station
-
- Dump Station
- Golden Clear Creek RV Park
- Dakota Ridge RV Park
- Pharmacy
-
- Walgreens
- Walgreens
- Walgreens
- Laundromat
-
- Luxury Laundry
- Clear Creek Laundry
- Hiwan Laundromat
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Idaho Springs: 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 Idaho Springs, CO?
2 public campgrounds are on record near Idaho Springs. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Echo Lake (8.1 miles) and West Chicago Creek (9.5 miles). 2 book through Recreation.gov.
Is there free camping near Idaho Springs, CO?
Not at a developed campground: each of the 2 public campgrounds on record near Idaho Springs charges a fee, listed in the table.
Where can I camp with an RV near Idaho Springs, CO?
2 campgrounds near Idaho Springs take RVs: Echo Lake and West Chicago Creek. None has hookups on record. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at Dump Station, 9.1 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).
Where can I go tent camping near Idaho Springs, CO?
Echo Lake and West Chicago Creek list tent or walk-in sites on record.
Where can I camp near Idaho Springs with drinking water?
Echo Lake has potable water on record.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Idaho Springs, CO?
Centura Health-st Anthony Hospital, 11600 W 2nd Pl, Lakewood, CO, is 20 miles from Idaho Springs in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (720) 321-0000. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in Colorado ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in Colorado ; by county: campgrounds in Clear Creek .