Between Grand Junction And Colorado Springs Is An Underrated Lakeside Campground With Scenic Hiking Trails

It shouldn't be too hard to find a great escape to nature in the Centennial State — after all, this is a land where over 50 mountains get to above 14,000 feet tall. The upshot? There's surprise hiking, camping, and skiing around virtually every corner. Take the Lake Irwin Campground, which heralds trails, fishing spots, and downright beautiful highland scenery roughly midway between two big Colorado towns: Grand Junction to the west and Colorado Springs to the east.

With the shadow of the aspen-haloed Ruby Mountain Range looming right on the doorstep, and the greater Elk Mountains spreading far out to the north and east, the campground clutches the northwestern side of Lake Irwin (hence its name) some 10,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains. Its over 32 pitches are tucked under the canopies of the vast Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest, offering access to a veritable outdoors playground complete with hiking and watersports aplenty.

The campground and its adjacent lake just shy of a four-hour drive from Colorado Springs and a roughly 2.5-hour drive from Grand Junction. Both of those towns have their own regional airports, but a close major aviation hub is the Denver International Airport (DEN), which is just under a five-hour drive away on the other side of the Rockies — expect a photo-worthy ride in from there, as you cruise scenic Highway 285 for much of the way.

By many accounts, the campground at Lake Irwin is a doozy for folks who want a big hit of Mother Nature. For one, the Denver Gazette has hailed it as one of the most handsome camping national forest options in the whole state. Plus, the spot scores an enticing 4.5 out of five stars on Google Maps. That said, Lake Irwin remains an underrated destination, as it isn't quite as famous as other marquee spots in Colorado — it only has just over 100 reviews on Google and is conspicuously absent from many best of lists for camping in the Centennial State. One guest sums up the location by saying, "This is one of our favorite camping spots in ALL of Colorado. Awesome hiking, biking, fishing, swimming and boating ... Very beautiful scenery and much can be seen and done from the campground without driving."

Indeed, the various pitches here are not only laid out under the creaking boughs and trunks of spruce trees and alpine evergreens, but they're neatly placed in very close proximity to the lake waters themselves, often with prime proximity to the shimmering H2O. Looking at the official Recreation.gov map of the site, pitches one through 10 are closest to the lake. 

Remember that this is a seasonal campground. It typically opens in early June and closes again around the start of October, as does the breathtaking high-mountain drive up the Kleber Pass you use to get here. There are a few ADA accessible pitches on offer, while all pitches come with the usual picnic table and fire ring seen at all of America's best lakeside campgrounds. Only some spots can be reserved in advance, while others are left first-come, first-served.

While lazing in a hammock between two spruce trees beside an alpine lake high in the Colorado Rockies sounds like a great way to while away a whole vacation, the pull of the hiking trails is also strong. That's just what you'd expect of a campground that sits on the cusp of the whopping 2.9 million acres of protected land that is the combined Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest, though, right?

One route wraps the whole way around Lake Irwin itself: the Kebler Pass and Lake Irwin Loop. It's not a biggie, clocking in at just around 2 miles and minimal elevation gain as it skirts each of the banks, offering up views of the Elk Mountains from a range of different angles. Not to mention, there are small gurgling waterfalls and spring-summer wildflowers galore.

Others might use the Lake Irwin Campground as a base for attempting soaring Mount Owen, the highest point of the Ruby Range as a whole. That's a much more hefty climb, involving some rated scrambling sections, and even — according to recent trail reports from bloggers — potential detours due to private property restrictions. The payoff will be a view across a huge aspen stand far below, and the chance to complete a longer add-on ridge walk to conquer the nearby Ruby Peak to boot. Once you're finished in the wild, take a 25-minute drive to the mountain town of Crested Butte, now hailed as Colorado's wildflower capital.