Two campers and their dog enjoy a leisurely day in a Colorado camp area.

Camping and Boating in Southeastern Colorado

No car horns. No screeching tires. No traffic jams, no neighbors partying (or arguing) into the wee hours, no streetlights that block out the night sky or any of those other things that make us think, “Wow, I need to get away.” Boating on glassy, uncrowded waters during the day and camping in the great outdoors at night. It’s remote. It’s real. It’s raw. And nothing says “authentic Colorado” like going to sleep with a billion stars overhead.

Place	County	Authority	Tents to RV	Utilities	Cost	Reservation	Bath/Shower	Dump Station
John Martin Reservior	Bent	CPW and CE	All	None	Link	Required at least 24 hours in advance. First come, first serve.	Vault only. Showers at Hasty Campground.	Only at Hasty Campground.
Hasty Lake	Bent	CPW	All	Electric only	Link	Suggested	Yes	Yes
Higbee SWA	Prowers	CPW	All, very limited (shooting range on property)	None	None	None	None	None
Thurston	Prowers	CPW	No longer allows camping of any kind
Two Buttes Lake	Baca	CPW	All	None	None	First come, first serve	Vault	None
Black Hole	Baca	CPW	High profile vehicles not suggested due to roads	None	None	First come, first serve	Vault	None
Carrizo Canyon	Baca	CNG	All	None	None	First come, first serve	Vault	None
Cottonwood Canyon	Baca	CNG	Private owners must be contacted
Upper and Lower Queens	Kiowa	CPW	All	None	None	First come, first serve	Vault on northwest, boat ramp only	None
Nee Noshe	Kiowa	CPW	All	None	None	First come, first serve	Vault, 2 boat ramps	None
Nee Gronda	Kiowa	CPW	Area under development			First come, first serve	Boat ramp	None
Blue Lake	Kiowa	CPW	All	None	None	First come, first serve	Vault, boat ramp	None
Holbrook Reservoir	Otero	CPW	All	None	None	First come, first serve	Vault	None
Lake Meredith	Crowley	CPW	All	None	None	First come, first serve	Boat ramp	None
Lake Henry	Crowley	CPW	All	None	None	First come, first serve	Boat ramp	None

Between Earth and Sky

Camping in southeast Colorado is an adventure waiting to happen. Unlike some places where "getting away from it all" is getting harder and harder to do, many campsites in the canyons and plains are located in more remote places. People who seek those experiences only camping can provide (you know who you are) know what it means to escape the sounds of semi-trucks on the highway or the wail of sirens or passing radios with the volume turned a little too high. The joys of camping in these canyons and plains are gifts from the nature that surrounds. A brilliant moon, a million stars, the music of the crickets and the occasional frog singing in the night.

Once the sun rises, daytime camping in remote areas can include trails, fishing, watching shorebirds or gulls and just enjoying the feel of your blood pressure dropping as you escape the stressors found in day-to-day life.

If you like a more populated camp site where you can meet people from places far and wide, southeast Colorado claims the twin areas of John Martin Reservoir State Park and Hasty campground where more familiar people comforts abound, including showers and laundry facilities.

If you are someone who likes to combine camping and getting out on the water with your fishing boat, kayak, or speed boat there are a number of hidden jewels that have enough accommodations to make camping and water sports a memorable experience with few people to interfere.

The table provides a summary of the most popular public areas for camping. Just one note—it's not a comprehensive list. To find additional information, checkout the various links where information is provided on how many sites are available at a given location, how to travel to the sites and how long you can stay. Keep in mind that not all State Wildlife Area's allow camping. Also, be sure to read about each individual location at Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.

In addition to public areas, a few private land owners who now offer bed-and-breakfast stays at their farms and ranches. Staying at one of these locations may give you access to all that their home place has to offer from hunting and fishing to wildlife viewing to experiencing what it means to be a rancher or farmer while learning the pioneer history of the area. It is best to contact each individual property owner for more information.

The Colorado Birding Trail has created a list of locals who have invited the public to their home places. Each property is very unique, and some have fees involved.

An example of one of these home places is the Bunk House at the ranch of Casey and Laneha Everett in Baca County. This working ranch offers a comfortable bunk house, tours of the area from a knowledgeable and very gifted guide and much more!

Camping and Boating in Southeastern Colorado

Between Earth and Sky

Further Reading

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Comanche National Grassland

Welcome to John Martin Dam & Reservoir