Colorado's 5 Most Scenic Mountain Campgrounds For An Unbelievable Stay, According To Reviews

Colorado has some of the most impressive mountain peaks anywhere in North America, and with that prestigious distinction comes an abundance of opportunities for mountainous outdoor adventures. The state's many outdoor amenities include everything from high-altitude scenic drives to Colorado's underrated mountain towns with European vibes in winter. Most importantly for outdoor adventurers, however, is Colorado's exceptional qualities as an overnight camping destination. With four national parks, eleven national forests, and dozens of state parks, Colorado has no shortage of excellent campgrounds surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. 

No Colorado campground would be considered "ugly" by any proper metric, so you can be reasonably confident in finding a magnificent mountainous backdrop by just choosing any campground in the state at random. However, when it comes to consistent, widespread acclaim, a few of Colorado's scenic mountain campgrounds do tend to stand out. These campgrounds, both popular and under-the-radar, get the best overall reviews from campers and travel writers alike for their particularly breathtaking scenery. Based on consistent user reviews across multiple online platforms, these five campgrounds offer arguably the best views of Colorado's timeless mountain scenery. 

Mueller State Park occupies a pretty exalted place in the pantheon of Colorado's many excellent state park camping destinations. Located just 33 miles from Colorado Springs, Mueller State Park is close enough to the state's many urban centers to make for a convenient day trip. This urban proximity, however, quickly disappears from view once you actually get to the park. Mueller's 5,000+ acres protect a glorious expanse in the heart of the Colorado Rockies Front Range, with gorgeous mountain meadows and forests rich in aspen and conifer trees virtually everywhere you turn.

The park's most impressive scenic quality, particularly for campers, is its proximity to the famed Pikes Peak. Rising over 14,000 feet and forging an awe-inspiring Rocky Mountain profile, Pikes Peak served as inspiration for the acclaimed patriotic anthem "America the Beautiful." Campers in Mueller State Park will have superb views of "America's Mountain," plus plenty of other lovely mountain peaks rising about the forests around them. 

The Mueller State Park Campground has around 130 individual camping options, including RV sites, electric hookups, ADA-accessible sites, and primitive backcountry camping areas. If you want to spend the night in a bit more luxury, Mueller State Park also has three beautiful log cabins available for rent, all situated in the heart of the park's ravishing meadows and forests. While all of the park's camping options provide unsurpassed views of Pikes Peak and the surrounding Colorado Rockies, visitors can also enjoy Mueller State Park's acclaimed wildlife viewing opportunities (elk, bighorn sheep, and black bears are particularly popular residents among wildlife watchers). Unsurprisingly, the Mueller State Park Campground draws consistent praise for its scenery among online reviews, with "spectacular" views of both mountains and aspen, "beautiful, well-maintained" trails, and "spacious" and "clean" campsites.

All four of Colorado's national parks have extraordinary mountain scenery for campers to enjoy, but Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve offers a unique twist on the classic Colorado Rocky Mountain views. As per its name, Great Sand Dunes protects a vast cluster of towering sand dunes that rise over 700 feet in places. Thanks to a complex interplay of natural elements, visitors to Great Sand Dunes have the unique thrill of standing atop North America's tallest dunes! Still, it wouldn't be a Colorado national park without mountains, and Great Sand Dunes National Park boasts a skyline defined by the Rocky Mountain Range's sublime Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Day visitors and campers alike can take in once-in-a-lifetime views of mountainous dunes juxtaposed against an actual mountain just behind them. 

While Great Sand Dunes has a few different camping options, the park's Piñon Flats Campground draws the most acclaim for its amazing views and cozy amenities. Piñon Flats has 88 individual campsites available for only $20 a night, and three larger group sites available for $80 a night. While the exact views you'll get will vary somewhat depending on your specific campsite, most campers who have stayed here are more than happy with the scenery they got to enjoy.

Reviewers on Tripadvisor have praised their campsite's "beautiful views of the dunes" and "incredible" sunset scenery, with other users on TheDyrt.com noting the equally "beautiful views" of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Alongside the dunes and the mountains, reviewers also consistently praise the Piñon Flats Campground's night sky views. As an official International Dark Sky Park, Great Sand Dunes offers exceptional stargazing opportunities free of light pollution, which Piñon Flats campers can enjoy once the sun goes down. 

Southwestern Colorado's heavenly San Juan National Forest has dozens of unrivaled campgrounds nestled within some of the state's most beautiful mountain scenery. If you can only choose one, however, reviewers agree that the Haviland Lake Campground is the best. As a background setting, the San Juan National Forest more than holds its own against stiff competition from other Colorado destinations. This preserve sits in the heart of the unforgettable San Juan Mountains. Consisting of eye-catching volcanic peaks, lakes, waterfalls, and alpine forests, the San Juan Mountains have a reputation for being the most gorgeous in Colorado.

The San Juan National Forest stretches from alpine-tinged peaks to desert mesas further west, but the Haviland Lake Campground is pure Colorado mountain lake magic. The campground's 43 campsites sit along the banks of the 8,000-foot-elevation Haviland Lake, with incredible views of the Hermosa Cliffs and other San Juan summits. As part of the Columbine Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest, Haviland Lake Campground provides excellent access to thousands of acres of pristine mountain wilderness and rugged trails. 

Previous Haviland Lake campers rave about the campground's "beautiful" location and "incredible lake view," while also praising its proximity to the southwestern Colorado's famed outdoor haven of Durango (just 20 miles away). The campground is open each year between May and October, with overnight rates ranging from $32 to $64 for non-electric sites, and $45 to $98 for electric sites. Sites are available for reservation during the peak season between May and September, and then available on a first-come, first-served basis until seasonal closure in October. Note that, at the time of this writing, several campgrounds around Haviland Lake are closed for repairs — make sure to check the USDA Forest Service's official site when planning your trip.

No list of Colorado mountain campgrounds would be complete without a stop at the timeless Rocky Mountain National Park. As the "face" of the broader Colorado Rockies for millions of annual visitors, Rocky Mountain National Park protects a priceless landscape of 8,000 feet to over 14,000 feet in elevation, defined by the Rocky Mountain Front Range and its extraordinary montane ecosystems. Rocky Mountain National Park has five developed campgrounds (not to mention plenty of options for rugged wilderness camping). While each of these sites have their own charms and appeals, the serene Aspenglen Campground tends to draw the highest praise for its picturesque views and comfortable atmosphere. With a flat overnight rate of $35, Aspenglen provides an unforgettable Rocky Mountain camping experience during its operating season between May and September. 

The Aspenglen Campground is not the most amenity-rich in the park, with only 54 sites and no electric hookups, dump stations, or cellular reception. However, among park visitors, the campground's enchanting pine forest setting and proximity to tranquil views of mountain peaks and rivers put the site in a class of its own. Aspenglen sits within a mountain meadow defined by wildflowers and scenic grasslands, with photogenic groves of pine and spruce trees blossoming throughout the area. 

Aspenglen's single most attractive feature is perhaps the nearby Fall River, a small but blissful mountain brook that presents some of Colorado's most photogenic mountain stream scenery. In addition to the campground's exceptional views of Fall River and the surrounding Rocky Mountain peaks, reviewers also praise Aspenglen's "spacious" and "private" campsites, as well as its "peaceful and remote" atmosphere despite its convenient proximity to the national park's Fall River Visitor Center and the neighboring town of Estes Park. 

Achieving designation as one of the most scenic campgrounds in the United States is no easy task, given the obviously stiff competition. And yet, that's just what Colorado's otherworldly Silver Bell Campground did. Of course, just a brief description of where the Silver Bell Campground is will probably clear up any lingering doubts about its scenic credentials. Even if you've never heard of Colorado's Maroon Bells before, you've probably seen them in one form or another. The image of three towering, bell-shaped mountains juxtaposed against an ethereal mountain meadow has become the defining image of the Colorado Rockies—and the proximity to the acclaimed resort town of Aspen doesn't hurt either. While the Maroon Bells' pop culture stardom may seem too lofty to experience firsthand, the Silver Bell Campground puts this unparalleled mountain paradise well within reach for overnight stays!

The Maroon Bells and the Silver Bell Campground are both part of the Maroon Bells Scenic Area of Colorado's White River National Forest. This prime location sits right in the middle of an unbelievable panorama of Colorado's dazzling Elk Mountains, a particularly picturesque sub-range of the Rockies. Unfortunately, in keeping with its Aspen vibe, the Silver Bell Campground is also fairly exclusive, with only 14 campsites available.

Though overnight rates are only $15, just four of the 14 sites are reservable, with the rest being only first-come, first-served. However, if you're lucky enough to land one, you'll get to enjoy soul-lifting views of subalpine forests, high-altitude aspen groves, and the photogenic Maroon Creek, all presided over by the mighty Maroon Bells and their Elk Mountain neighbors. Obviously, the campground's "stunning views" draw the most praise, though online reviewers also note that it has plenty of "shade" and an "abundance of privacy." 

Our first step in compiling this list was identifying all relevant Colorado campgrounds that can be said to sit within a "mountain" setting. Fortunately, given Colorado's very nature, this was not particularly difficult. More difficult, however, was finding Colorado campgrounds that are considered to be especially "scenic." After all, Colorado's mountainous terrain is widely acclaimed for its picturesque beauty, so finding campgrounds that stand out among such a crowded pack was a bit of an issue. We did narrow our eligibility down to exclude highly luxurious "glamping" destinations and remote backcountry wilderness camping areas, as these two extremes are probably outside the parameters of what an average camper would consider to be a "campground." We were then left with a broad list of developed campgrounds in Colorado's national parks, national forests, and state parks. Even with this more narrow pool, however, identifying five campgrounds with preeminent "scenic" qualities proved to be a challenge. 

Fortunately, online user reviews were extremely helpful in identifying the campgrounds with the most positive reviews from campers for their scenic qualities. To get a clear picture of which Colorado mountain campgrounds have the best reviews on average, we looked at three primary review sites. Recreation.gov, which handles reservations for campgrounds in both national parks and national forests, also provides helpful user reviews and a five-star rating system. Tripadvisor.com and TheDyrt.com provided additional comprehensive campground reviews. 

Highly-rated campgrounds on these sites often achieve their high rankings based on several factors, including amenities, comfort, and convenient locations. However, for our methodology, we looked for campgrounds that received consistent praise in posted reviews for their beautiful scenery, specifically. These five campgrounds ultimately drew the best reviews and had the most frequent references to their beautiful scenery in individual reviews.