Ward Lake
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 | June 14 to Sept. 22 (weather dependent) |
| Forest | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Fore |
| Booking | No Reservations. |
| Fees | $22 per night per camping unit; $10 per firewood bundle. Two vehicles are allowed with a total of 8 people per site. Sites must be occupied the first night and cannot be unoccupied for 24 hours. Not a picnic area. |
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Fore recreation page ↗
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 39.0401° N, 107.9784° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- PrescribedTransfer Rd Rx
41 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 ↗ | 15 mi |
| RV sales & service | Timberleaf Camping Trailers ↗ | 30.4 mi |
| Outdoor gear | Loki Outdoor Shop ↗ | 31.5 mi |
Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.
No site-by-site records, no amenities, no fee schedule or directions 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 miWard Way Picnic Site ↗Day use
- 0.5 miValley View Picnic Site ↗Day use
- 8.1 mi
Trails nearby
- under 0.1 miWard Lake Ski4.2 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
- under 0.1 miCobbett to Ward0.3 mi trail · hiking
- under 0.1 miWard Ski Skinned Horse2.4 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
- 0.3 miCobbett Lake0.4 mi trail · hiking
- 0.3 miWard Lake0.9 mi trail · hiking
- 0.3 miBaron Lake1.8 mi trail · hiking
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 3.8 miles away, and it is the closest of these.
- 3.8 miGrand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 3,153,199 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
- Stolte HouseBuilding · Cedaredge · 9 mi
- Surface Creek Livestock Company SilosStructure · Cedaredge · 10.1 mi
- Land's End ObservatoryBuilding · Whitewater · 13.2 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 Ward Lake?
No. Ward Lake 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 Ward Lake?
$22 per night per camping unit; $10 per firewood bundle. Two vehicles are allowed with a total of 8 people per site. Sites must be occupied the first night and cannot be unoccupied for 24 hours.
Source: Forest Service
Is Ward Lake open right now?
Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026. Season June 14 to Sept. 22 (weather dependent).
Source: Forest Service status
What if Ward Lake is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Cobbett Lake (0.3 mi, partly first-come), Little Bear (1.1 mi, first-come), and Island Lake Campground (1.8 mi, partly first-come).
Source: Campgrounds nearby