Iron City
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
Amenities & rules
Iron City Campground is located within the Chalk Creek Canyon, which is one of the valley's most popular areas, offering access to many ATV trails. This is a small campground with 15 campsites. It is located near the historic townsite of St. Elmo. The Iron City cemetery is located on the east end of the campground. An interpretive sign at the entrance to the cemetery provides information on the early settlers and miners who are buried there.
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. Dates of operation are weather dependent. |
| 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: 2 tents and 2 vehicles or 1 recreation vehicle (RV). Maximum RV length is 25 ft. Dogs must be leashed at all times. No discharge of firearms or fireworks. Only licensed vehicles can operate inside campground. |
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 38.7084° N, 106.3356° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- WildfireWillow
37 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 gear | Colorado Kayak Supply ↗ | 14.4 mi |
| Dump station | Dump station ↗ | 15.2 mi |
| RV sales & service | Holiday RV ↗ | 19.3 mi |
Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.
Explore
Video
Iron City Campground
Worth a stop
- 5.4 miChalk Lake Fishing Site ↗Fishing site
- 7.8 mi
- 12.2 miTexas Creek Horse Trailhead ↗Trailhead
- 14.7 miQuartz Creek Fishing Site ↗Fishing site
Trails nearby
- 0.8 miPoplar Gulch ↗6.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
- 4.2 miPomeroy Lakes0.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
- 4.4 miTunnel Lake/CDNST ↗5.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 4.9 miHancock Lake/CDNST ↗6.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 5 miAlpine Tunnel2.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
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 11.1 miles away, and it is the closest of these.
- 11.1 miCollegiate Peaks Wilderness ↗Wilderness · Forest Service · 165,874 acres
- 12.7 miFossil Ridge Wilderness ↗Wilderness · Forest Service · 32,062 acres
- 13.8 miBrowns Canyon National Monument ↗National Monument · Bureau of Land Management · 21,709 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
- Morley BridgeStructure · Romley · 2.8 mi
- Maxwell Park SchoolBuilding · Buena Vista · 11.8 mi
- Gas Creek SchoolBuilding · Nathrop · 13.4 mi
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 Iron City?
No. Iron City 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 Iron City?
$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 Iron City open right now?
Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026.
Source: Forest Service status
How many sites does Iron City have?
15 sites.
Source: Forest Service
What if Iron City is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Cascade (Colorado) (4.9 mi, partly first-come), Chalk Lake (5.5 mi, partly first-come), and Cottonwood Lake - Psicc (5.7 mi, first-come).
Source: Campgrounds nearby