Soap Creek
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 · dark sky in Colorado
Amenities & rules
| Dark sky | 10 miles from Curecanti National Recreation Area, a certified International Dark Sky Park |
Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.
Season & status
| Season | May |
| Forest | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Fore |
| Fees | No fee |
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Fore recreation page ↗
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 38.5479° N, 107.3178° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- PrescribedHigh Mesa Piles Rx
24 mi from the campground · 324 acres
- WildfireGold Mountain
40 mi from the campground · 39,747 acres · 92% contained
- PrescribedTransfer Rd Rx
46 mi from the campground · 139 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.
Supplies & services
| Dump station | Dump station ↗ | 9.8 mi |
| Outdoor gear | Float Shack ↗ | 28.4 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
- 1.7 miCommissary Trailhead ↗Trailhead
- 9.7 miCurecanti Boat Launch Permit ↗Boat launch
- 9.9 miElk Creek Visitor Center ↗Visitor center
Trails nearby
- under 0.1 miCoal Mesa ↗14.2 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 3.4 miCurecanti ↗23.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 3.8 miLion Gulch4 mi trail · hiking, horse
Trailheads within three miles
- 1.7 miCommissary 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
This campground sits inside Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests.
- inGrand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 3,153,199 acres
- 3 miWest Elk Wilderness ↗Wilderness · Forest Service · 176,431 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
On the National Register nearby
- Rimrock SchoolBuilding · Sapinero · 14.2 mi
- Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Boxcar No. 3132Structure · Cimarron · 14.2 mi
- Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Caboose No. 0577Structure · Cimarron · 14.2 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 Soap Creek?
No. Soap Creek is first-come, first-served. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.
Source: Forest Service
How much does it cost to camp at Soap Creek?
No fee
Source: Forest Service
Is Soap Creek good for stargazing?
Curecanti National Recreation Area, a certified International Dark Sky Park, is 10 miles away. Skies that dark carry for miles; a moonless night here should show the Milky Way.
Source: DarkSky International
What if Soap Creek is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Ponderosa Campground (1.5 mi), Red Creek Group Site (6 mi), and Lake Fork Campground (6.2 mi).
Source: Campgrounds nearby