This campground is a gem, located right off Highway 40, about 15 miles east of Steamboat Springs, at the base of the Rabbit Ears peak. The campground is operated by the USFS, and is extremely primitive, even for a USFS campground. There are no hookups, no camphosts, no water fill or spigots (they are there but were non-operational during our summer 2023 visit), no firewood sales, no bear boxes, and all interior roads and site pads are dirt. What you will find are extremely spacious sites with beautiful views. The elevation here is high, well over 9,000 feet, so hydrate well. Sites here are either set in a more heavily wooded area and offer lots of privacy, or they are like the one pictured and are open and have expansive views of the meadow where you will definitely spot deer during morning and evening hours. Our spot, pictured, was our favorite of the campground
and a last minute book due to a change in intinerary. It was pretty unlevel, so we used all of our blocks to get level, but it was well worth it! Even our almost 20 year old expressed how beautiful it was here. The meadows in the summer are filled with wildflowers blooming in vibrant hues of blue, red, white and yellows. Deer and their fawn were abundant. Sites do have a picnic table and fire ring. There are pit toilets availabe in several ares of the campground loop. Interior roads and site pads are a packed gravel/dirt mix, but there the interior road is spotted with potholes. There are trash dumpsters on site, but not sanitary dump, so plan accordingly. There are two hiking trails that you can catch from camp. One is a relatively flat trail that travels a couple of miles around the lake before making a steep climb to a nearby peak. We loved this easy hike at this high elevation. The other is a steeper trail that takes you to the Rabbit Ears peak. There are geocaches in the area, and even one in the campground. There is also a historical marker just west of the campground along the main road (paved) that marks the historical significance of the Rabbit Ears peak. Afternoon thunderstorms are common here.
Best Sites: All, but we loved the meadow views from 19
Poor Sites: None
Hookups: None
Potaable Water: No
Dump Within Facility: No
Comments