Deer Lakes
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
Season & status
| Status | Closed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date. |
| Season | May 19 to Sept. 29 |
| Forest | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Fore |
| Booking | No Reservations. |
| Fees | $18 per night per camping unit; $6 per day for day use/picnic use if in a campsite; $10 per firewood bundle. |
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Fore recreation page ↗
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 38.0195° N, 107.1881° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- PrescribedHigh Mesa Piles Rx
23 mi from the campground · 324 acres
- WildfireGold Mountain
27 mi from the campground · 39,747 acres · 92% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.
Supplies & services
| Dump station | Dump station ↗ | 7 mi |
| Outdoor gear | Ouray Mountain Sports ↗ | 26.3 mi |
| RV sales & service | RV sales & service ↗ | 41.5 mi |
Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.
No site-by-site records, no amenities, 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
- 0.3 mi
- 1.8 miBrush Creek Winter Trailhead ↗Trailhead
Trails nearby
- 0.2 miDeer Lakes Cutoff0.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
- 0.4 miGardner Ridge Snowmobile ↗8.1 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski, snowcoach
- 0.6 miDeer Lakes Snowmobile1.3 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
- 0.7 miCebolla Snowmobile4.1 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
- 1.3 miBrush Creek ↗14 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
- 1.7 miCalf Creek Plateau ↗6.6 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
Trailheads within three miles
- 1.8 miBrush Creek Winter Trailhead ↗Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Fore
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
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests begins about 0.9 miles away, and it is the closest of these.
- 0.9 miGrand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 3,153,199 acres
- 1.7 miPowderhorn Wilderness ↗Wilderness · BLM/FS · 62,742 acres
- 6.3 miRio Grande National Forest ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 1,937,280 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
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 Deer Lakes?
No. Deer Lakes is first-come, first-served. No Reservations. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.
Source: Forest Service
How much does it cost to camp at Deer Lakes?
$18 per night per camping unit; $6 per day for day use/picnic use if in a campsite; $10 per firewood bundle.
Source: Forest Service
Is Deer Lakes open right now?
Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026. Season May 19 to Sept. 29.
Source: Forest Service status
How many sites does Deer Lakes have?
12 sites.
Source: Forest Service
What if Deer Lakes is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Hidden Valley Tent Campground- Gunnison RD (3.3 mi, first-come), Spruce Campground (4.3 mi, first-come), and Williams Creek (10.4 mi, first-come).
Source: Campgrounds nearby