U.S. Forest Service · Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands · Canon City, CO

St Charles Campground

Nestled among aspen and tall Douglas fir trees, St. Charles Campground is in a quiet part of the Lake Isabel Recreation Area. Located on the banks of St. Charles Creek, the campground is popular with campers who enjoy the sounds of water tumbling through the shaded boulders.

Closed for the season Reservable · Recreation.gov 15 sites 45 ft max No hookupsPets ok

More like this: reservable in Colorado · big rigs in Colorado · pets allowed in Colorado

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos via Recreation.gov

1fire
active

Aspen Acres · 3 mi away · 102,007 acres

Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16

Incident details ↓

Site mix

Standard, no hookups		11
RV, no hookups		2
Walk-in		1
Host/management		1

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

Towing a trailerRear or front mounted accessoriesi

Tow vehicle length, ftTrailer length, ft

The longest site here provides 45 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

14 sites. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Type	Entry	Fits, ft	Surface	Water / sewer	People / vehicles
001	Standard	Back-in	32	Gravel	No / No	8 / 2
002	Standard	Back-in	45	Gravel	No / No	8 / 2
003	Standard	Back-in	40	Gravel	No / No	8 / 2
005	Standard	Back-in	32	Gravel	No / No	8 / 2
006	RV	Pull-through	40	Gravel	No / No	8 / 2
007	Standard	Back-in	28	Gravel	No / No	8 / 2
008	Standard	Back-in	40	Gravel	No / No	8 / 2
009	RV	Back-in	40	Gravel	No / No	8 / 2
010	Walk-in			Gravel	No / No	8 / 2
011	Standard	Back-in	30	Gravel	No / No	8 / 2

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Hookups	None
Max vehicle length	45 ft
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed

Campsites can accommodate small trailers; tent pads are provided for tent campers. Each campsite contains a bear-proof food locker, picnic table, fire ring and fire pedestal. Campground amenities include accessible vault toilets, drinking water from a hand pump, and bear-proof trash dumpsters. Firewood is sold by the on-site campground host.

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	Call 1-877-444-6777 or visit www.recreation.gov at least 4 days in advance. Friday and Saturday night minimum required stay on weekends. Three nights minimum on holiday weekends.
Fees	$25 fee per site for overnight camping. Two vehicles or one RV per site is included in the camping fee. $10 for a third vehicle. Fees are payable by cash, check or money order. Self-servicing fee tube is available. First-come, first-served sites must be occupied the same night.
Rules	Maximum 8 persons per site: 2 tents and 2 vehicles or 1 recreation vehicle. Dogs must be leashed at all times. No discharge of firearms or fireworks. Only licensed vehicles can operate inside campground. Camping is not allowed behind a locked gate.

Pike-San Isabel National Forests recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Rye 1Sw, 8 miles from the campground at 7,141 feet, station USC00057317 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 25 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 130 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From Pueblo, go 25 miles south on I-25 to exit 74. Drive west 18 miles on state Highway 165. Turn into the main entrance at Lake Isabel Recreation Area and drive to Forest Road 374, the second left. Follow signs to the campground.

Nearest town	Canon City, Colorado
Coordinates	37.9811° N, 105.0656° W · Directions ↗

Charges and cancellations

Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay.

Fire nearby

Wildfire
Aspen Acres
3 mi from the campground · 102,007 acres · 90% 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 ↗	28.2 mi
Outdoor gear	Great Divide Ski Bike & Hike ↗	32 mi
RV sales & service	Windish RV Center ↗	53.7 mi

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

Explore

Video

St Charles Campground - Lake Isabel Recreation Area

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

0.4 mi
Lake Shore Ada ↗
0.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
0.5 mi
Campground Lake Access
0.07 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
0.5 mi
Cisneros ↗
11.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
0.6 mi
Picnic Area Spur
under 0.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
0.8 mi
Lakeshore
0.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
0.9 mi
Snowslide Access From Fsr 371
0.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more

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 →

Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness begins about 5.4 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

5.4 mi
Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness ↗
Wilderness · Forest Service · 23,116 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

FS · CO

Lake Isabel Cabin

Cabin rental0.8308980337234227 mi

FS · CO

Mingus Ranch

Cabin rental8.107375956194533 mi

Natural features

The campground sits a mile west of Lake Isabel in the Wet Mountains, a beautiful range in the San Isabel National Forest. At an elevation of 8,600 feet, Lake Isabel was designed and constructed in the 1930s as a recreational haven from the dusty plains far below. Rugged mountain peaks in the area provide water for the abundant wildlife and fish populations.

Recreation

Lake Isabel is stocked with brown and rainbow trout. The accessible lakeshore path provides ample fishing spots. Brook trout can be found in St. Charles Creek. Several trails begin at the recreation area. Hiking opportunities include the Snowslide Trail and the Cisneros Trail. Both trails are also open to motorcycles, and Cisneros is a challenging ATV route.

Guidebooks for Colorado

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

Best Tent Camping: Colorado
Kim Lipker and Johnny Molloy, 2018
Find at Bookshop.org
Camping Colorado
Melinda Crow, 2012
Find at Bookshop.org
Moon Colorado Camping
Sarah Ryan, 2011
Find at Bookshop.org

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

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at St Charles Campground?

Sites at St Charles Campground are reservable on Recreation.gov. Call 1-877-444-6777 or visit www.recreation.gov at least 4 days in advance. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at St Charles Campground?

$25 fee per site for overnight camping. Two vehicles or one RV per site is included in the camping fee. $10 for a third vehicle.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at St Charles Campground?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

What does it cost to cancel a reservation at St Charles Campground?

Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.

Source: Charges and cancellations

Is St Charles Campground open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does St Charles Campground have?

15 sites, including 11 standard sites without power, 2 RV sites without hookups, and 1 walk-in site.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at St Charles Campground?

The longest site here provides 45 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are pets allowed at St Charles Campground?

Yes, pets are allowed at St Charles Campground. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at St Charles Campground?

Lake Isabel is stocked with brown and rainbow trout. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to St Charles Campground?

Canon City, Colorado.

Source: Getting there

What if St Charles Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are La Vista Campground (0.4 mi), Southside Campground (0.5 mi), and Ponderosa Group (0.9 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby