U.S. Forest Service · Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands · Colorado

Elbert Creek

Closed for the seasonFirst-come, first-served17 sites

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

Elbert Creek
Photo from the area. Khoshhat (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
1fire
active
Willow · 6 mi away · 7,359 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16
Incident details ↓

Amenities & rules

Located off the Halfmoon Road (FSR 110), Elbert Creek is a first-come, first-served campground, with 17 sites, adjacent to the Mount Elbert and Mount Massive Trailheads at 10,000 feet. This is a very popular campground for hikers. Facilities include picnic tables, fire rings, and vault toilets.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusClosed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
ForestPike-San Isabel National Forests
BookingNo sites are reservable.
Fees$26 nightly fee per site for overnight camping which includes two vehicles. A third vehicle is an additional $11 per night. RVs and ATV/boat trailers count as one vehicle. Fees are payable by cash, check or money order. Self-servicing fee tube is available.
RulesMaximum of eight people per site. Maximum three tents per site or one RV and two tents. Dogs, including service dogs, must be leashed at all times. No discharge of firearms or fireworks. Only licensed vehicles can operate inside campground

Pike-San Isabel National Forests recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Elbert Creek10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 0.44 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.57 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.70 inches of precipitationApril: 0.83 inches of precipitationMay: 0.92 inches of precipitationJune: 0.72 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.67 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.56 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.13 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.82 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.46 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.49 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.4°F averageFebruary: 20.0°F averageMarch: 27.3°F averageApril: 33.8°F averageMay: 43.7°F averageJune: 53.1°F averageJuly: 58.6°F averageAugust: 56.5°F averageSeptember: 49.9°F averageOctober: 39.9°F averageNovember: 29.5°F averageDecember: 20.7°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Twin Lakes Rsvr, 5 miles from the campground at 9,236 feet, station USC00058501 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 10 inches a year.

Getting there

Coordinates39.1521° N, 106.4134° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Willow

    6 mi from the campground · 7,359 acres · 92% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Outdoor gearUte Mountaineer ↗21.8 mi
Dump stationDump station ↗28.7 mi
RV sales & serviceHoliday RV ↗47.6 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Video of Elbert Creek Campground, CO from Cassandra B.

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.1 mi
    Mt. Elbert Cutoff
    0.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.6 mi
    North Mt. Elbert
    3.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 1.4 mi
    South Willow Creek
    2.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, snowshoe and 1 more
  • 2.1 mi
    Mt. Massive
    3.7 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 2.3 mi
    South Halfmoon 4WD Trail ↗
    4.6 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
  • 2.7 mi
    North Halfmoon Lakes
    2.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trailheads within three miles

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

On Wilderness Atlas →

Mount Massive Wilderness begins under a tenth of a mile away, and it is the closest of these.

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.

Guidebooks for Colorado

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Elbert Creek?

No. Elbert Creek is first-come, first-served. No sites are reservable. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at Elbert Creek?

$26 nightly fee per site for overnight camping which includes two vehicles. A third vehicle is an additional $11 per night. RVs and ATV/boat trailers count as one vehicle.

Source: Forest Service

Is Elbert Creek open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Elbert Creek have?

17 sites.

Source: Forest Service

What if Elbert Creek is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Halfmoon West (0.9 mi, first-come), Halfmoon East (1 mi, first-come), and Lakeview Campground (4.6 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby