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

May Queen

May Queen Campground is located at the far western end of Turquoise Lake in a shaded lodgepole pine forest. Conveniently perched near the Charles Boustead Memorial Tunnel, May Queen offers easy access to boating, fishing and hiking. Incredible views of the Holy Cross and Mount Massive Wildernesses can be seen from the area, and visitors are likely to see native wildlife like chipmunks, beavers and porcupines. The Charles Boustead Memorial Tunnel is a 5.5-mile tunnel that transports water from the Fryingpan and Roaring Fork River Basins through the Continental Divide to the Arkansas River Basin by emptying water into Turquoise Lake.

Closed for the seasonPartly reservable28 sitesFrom $10 per night99 ft maxNo hookupsPets ok

Some sites take reservations on Recreation.gov. Others are first-come, first-served.

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

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
May Queen Campground trailheadMay Queen Campground trailheadMay Queen Campground entry signMAY QUEEN
Photos courtesy of USFS · Recreation.gov
1fire
active
Willow · 3 mi away · 7,359 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Standard, no hookups9
Tent-only4
Host/management15
Some sites take reservations on Recreation.gov. Others are first-come, first-served. For the first-come sites, arrive early on a weekday and take what is open. The booking page shows which of the reservable sites are open. The first-come playbook

Site guide

Will my RV fit

The longest site here provides 40 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

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

SiteTypeEntryFits, ftSurfaceShadePeople / vehicles
001Tent onlyGravelPartial8 / 2
002Tent onlyGravelPartial8 / 2
003Tent onlyGravelPartial8 / 2
004Tent onlyGravelPartial8 / 2
010StandardPull-through30GravelPartial8 / 2
012StandardPull-through35GravelPartial8 / 2
013StandardPull-through35GravelPartial8 / 2
014StandardPull-through40GravelPartial8 / 2
015StandardPull-through35GravelPartial8 / 2
017StandardPull-through35GravelPartial8 / 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

HookupsNone
Max vehicle length99 ft
EquipmentRVs & trailers, Tents
PetsAllowed
FeesExtra Vehicle Fee $10.00
AccessibilitySite XXX is listed accessible

Campground offers single family sites. Each site is equipped with a campfire ring and picnic table. Vault toilets and trash collection are provided. Easy access to the lake is provided for canoes and other hand-carried boats. Trailered boats can use Matchless Boat Ramp located on the east side of Turquoise Lake.

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
BookingCall 1-877-444-6777 or visit www.recreation.gov at least 4 days in advance. Friday and Saturday night minimum required stay on weekends. 3 nights minimum on holiday weekends.
Fees$29 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. Camping is not allowed behind a locked gate. Remember to check fishing regulations before fishing at any body of water.

Pike-San Isabel National Forests recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near May Queen10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 0.97 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.43 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.34 inches of precipitationApril: 1.71 inches of precipitationMay: 1.40 inches of precipitationJune: 0.93 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.86 inches of precipitationAugust: 2.10 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.42 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.05 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.30 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.06 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 17.5°F averageFebruary: 18.0°F averageMarch: 24.3°F averageApril: 31.1°F averageMay: 41.0°F averageJune: 51.1°F averageJuly: 56.1°F averageAugust: 53.9°F averageSeptember: 46.7°F averageOctober: 37.2°F averageNovember: 26.6°F averageDecember: 18.4°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 in2.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Sugarloaf Rsvr, 4 miles from the campground at 9,738 feet, station USC00058064 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 17 inches a year.

Getting there

From Leadville, Colorado, head west on County Road 4. Continue on the paved road about 9 miles to May Queen Campground on the right.

Nearest townLeadville, Colorado
Coordinates39.2786° N, 106.4322° 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
    Willow

    3 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 ↗21.6 mi
Dump stationDump station ↗26.7 mi
RV sales & serviceHoliday RV ↗56.1 mi

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

Explore

Video

Camping at May Queen Campground | NO WATER for 2026 Season

Worth a stop

Nearby is the abandoned bed of the Colorado Midland Railroad, built in the 1890s. The trail is hard to trace, but visitors may find artifacts in the gulch it once crossed. The town of Leadville, a historic gold and silver mining town, is a fun place to explore with the family. Drive on the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway to Independence Pass, one of the highest paved passes in Colorado. Continue over the pass to the town of Aspen, a well-known ski resort town.

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.1 mi
    Turquoise Lake ↗
    6.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.3 mi
    Busk Creek
    2.8 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
  • 0.9 mi
    Glacier Creek/Skinner Hut
    2.4 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
  • 1.2 mi
    Timberline
    4.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, snowshoe and 1 more
  • 2 mi
    Colorado Midland Centennial
    3.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2 mi
    St. Kevin'S Lake
    1.3 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 →

This campground sits inside White River National Forest.

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.

Natural features

The campground sits at an elevation of 9,900 ft. on Turquoise Lake. Most campsites are situated on a level, open field along a creek, feeding into the lake. Six first come-first, serve-sites are perched on the wooded hillside above the creek. Nearby is the Mount Massive Wilderness area, a 30,540 acre expanse encompassing Mount Massive, Colorado's second highest peak at 14,421 feet. Much of the wilderness is above timberline with many alpine plant communities and permanent snowfields.

Recreation

Explore the 6.4-mile Turquoise Lake Trail, which parallels the shoreline of Turquoise Lake from May Queen Campground to the dam. The trail offers moderate hiking with spectacular views and a variety of flora and fauna, as well as remnants of old mines. The Timberline Lake trailhead is 1/2 mile up the road. A 2-mile hike to this lake is rewarded with stunning views and high alpine lake fishing. The Colorado Trail can also be accessed from this trailhead. On Turquoise Lake, sailing, boating and canoeing are enjoyed. Anglers seek out mostly mackinaw and rainbow trout.

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 May Queen?

For some sites. Some sites take reservations on Recreation.gov. Others are first-come, first-served.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at May Queen?

Extra Vehicle Fee $10.00

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at May Queen?

Check-in 0:00 AM, checkout 0:00 AM.

Source: Recreation.gov

What does it cost to cancel a reservation at May Queen?

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

Source: Charges and cancellations

Is May Queen open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does May Queen have?

28 sites, including 9 standard sites without power and 4 tent-only sites.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at May Queen?

Recreation.gov lists no practical vehicle capacity limit for the largest site here, which usually means pull-through or open parking. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are pets allowed at May Queen?

Yes, pets are allowed at May Queen. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are there accessible sites at May Queen?

Site XXX is listed accessible on Recreation.gov. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is there cell service at May Queen?

FCC coverage maps show AT&T 4G LTE at the campground point. Terrain changes that from one site to the next.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

What is there to do at May Queen?

Explore the 6.4-mile Turquoise Lake Trail, which parallels the shoreline of Turquoise Lake from May Queen Campground to the dam. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to May Queen?

Leadville, Colorado. Nearby is the abandoned bed of the Colorado Midland Railroad, built in the 1890s.

Source: Getting there