Cottonwood Lake - Psicc
Sites are first-come, first-served. Recreation.gov lists this campground for paying on site, and you may be able to pay with the Scan and Pay feature of its app.
More like this: first-come in Colorado
Site map
26 campsite locations mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors. The site numbers are theirs and may not match the posts at the campground. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Amenities & rules
The campground is situated on a gently sloping hillside surrounded by aspen trees, within walking distance to the lake. It is a popular campground for anglers and sites fill up quickly on weekends. If the campground is full, dispersed camping is permitted along road 344 half-mile west of Cottonwood Lake.
Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.
Season & status
| Status | Closed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date. |
| Forest | Pike-San Isabel National Forests |
| Booking | No reservations are accepted. |
| Fees | $22 per site for overnight camping. Two vehicles or one RV per site is included in the camping fee. $10.00 for a third vehicle. $10.00 fee for day use if not camping overnight. Fees are payable by cash, check or money order. Self-servicing fee tube is available. |
| Rules | Maximum 8 persons per site. Vehicles must park on the parking pads provided. Dogs must be leashed. No discharge of firearms or fireworks. |
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 38.7828° N, 106.2902° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- WildfireWillow
32 mi from the campground · 7,359 acres · 92% contained
- PrescribedO'Brien 2 Broadcast Rx
50 mi from the campground · 267 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.
Supplies & services
| Outdoor gear | Colorado Kayak Supply ↗ | 9.6 mi |
| Dump station | Dump station ↗ | 10.9 mi |
| RV sales & service | Holiday RV ↗ | 21.8 mi |
Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.
No site-by-site records, no fee schedule, no directions or photos in the Recreation.gov record. What is here comes from the agency's own listing. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the record fills in.
Explore
Worth a stop
- 2.2 mi
- 5.7 miChalk Lake Fishing Site ↗Fishing site
- 9.6 miTexas Creek Horse Trailhead ↗Trailhead
Trails nearby
- 2.8 miPoplar Gulch ↗6.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
- 3.3 miBrowns Pass ↗4.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
- 3.5 miMt. Princeton2.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 4.3 miMt. Yale3.2 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 4.8 miPtarmigan Lake ↗3.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 4.9 miHartenstein Lake0.9 mi trail · hiking, horse
Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.
Public land it sits in
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness begins about 8.1 miles away, and it is the closest of these.
- 8.1 miCollegiate Peaks Wilderness ↗Wilderness · Forest Service · 165,874 acres
- 12.3 miBrowns Canyon National Monument ↗National Monument · Bureau of Land Management · 21,709 acres
- 14.2 miBuffalo Peaks Wilderness ↗Wilderness · Forest Service · 41,281 acres
Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.
Other campgrounds nearby
Cabin and lookout rentals nearby
On the National Register nearby
- Maxwell Park SchoolBuilding · Buena Vista · 7.8 mi
- Morley BridgeStructure · Romley · 8.5 mi
- Kelley–McDonald HouseBuilding · Buena Vista · 9.1 mi
Guidebooks for Colorado
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
Do I need a reservation at Cottonwood Lake - Psicc?
No. Cottonwood Lake - Psicc is first-come, first-served. No reservations are accepted. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.
Source: Forest Service
How much does it cost to camp at Cottonwood Lake - Psicc?
$22 per site for overnight camping. Two vehicles or one RV per site is included in the camping fee. $10.00 for a third vehicle.
Source: Forest Service
Is Cottonwood Lake - Psicc open right now?
Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026.
Source: Forest Service status
What if Cottonwood Lake - Psicc is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Collegiate Peaks (2.5 mi, partly first-come), Cascade (Colorado) (5.6 mi, partly first-come), and Iron City (5.7 mi, first-come).
Source: Campgrounds nearby