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

Riverside

Riverside Campground lies across the road form South Platte River, providing a scenic base camp for fishing, hiking and rock climbing. The campground is tucked in the Eleven Mile Canyon, a delightful place to view polished granite walls surrounding the open valley of the river. Wildlife is abundant in the surrounding areas, with opportunities to see elk, mule deer, chipmunks and porcupines.

Reservable · Recreation.gov 19 sites Dark sky 50 ft max No hookupsPets okFires ok

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

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of Kim Petrarca · Recreation.gov

3fires
active

O'Brien 2 Broadcast Rx (prescribed burn) · 4 mi away · 267 acres

2 more within 50 miles

Incident details ↓

Site mix

Tent-only		11
Standard, no hookups		7
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

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

Site	Type	Entry	Surface	Shade	People / vehicles	Fires	Accessible
001	Standard	Back-in	Gravel	Partial	8 / 2	Yes	Yes
002	Tent only			Partial	8 / 2	Yes
003	Tent only			Partial	8 / 2	Yes
004	Tent only				8 / 2	Yes
005	Tent only				8 / 2	Yes
006	Tent only			Partial	8 / 2	Yes
007	Standard	Back-in	Gravel	Partial	8 / 2	Yes
009	Standard	Back-in	Gravel	Partial	8 / 2	Yes
010	Standard		Gravel		8 / 2	Yes
011	Standard	Back-in	Gravel	Partial	8 / 2	Yes

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	50 ft
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed
Campfires	Allowed, subject to restrictions
Dark sky	8.6 miles from Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, a certified International Dark Sky Park
Accessibility	Site 001 is listed accessible

Riverside Campground offers nearly 20 reservable campsites. Parking aprons are grass and gravel and can fit RVs up to 30 feet in length. Tent sites are walk-in only. Each site has a picnic table and a campfire ring. Vault toilets are onsite. Bring your own drinking water.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Lake George 8 SW, 3 miles from the campground at 8,550 feet, station USC00054742 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 11 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 50 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From Lake George, turn off Highway 24 onto County Road 96. Follow the road for about one mile. Turn right at Eleven Mile Canyon entrance. Riverside Campground is located on the left side, not far from Eleven Mile Canyon entrance.

Nearest town	Lake George, Colorado
Coordinates	38.9439° N, 105.4411° 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

Prescribed
O'Brien 2 Broadcast Rx
4 mi from the campground · 267 acres
Prescribed
Rainbow Gulch Rx
24 mi from the campground · 912 acres
Prescribed
Harris Park Broadcast Rx
40 mi from the campground · 390 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 ↗	3.3 mi
Outdoor gear	South Platte Fly Shop ↗	21.4 mi
RV sales & service	RVs of America Off-Road ↗	38.9 mi

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

Explore

Video

Riverside Campground - Targhee National Forest, ID

Worth a stop

Visitors enjoy the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. Petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide and thousands of detailed fossils of insects and plants reveal the story of a very different, prehistoric Colorado.

1.8 mi
Messenger Gulch Picnic Area ↗Day use
2 mi
Eleven Mile Picnic Area ↗Day use

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

3.7 mi
Hardrock
0.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
3.8 mi
Blue Moutain
1.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
4.3 mi
Elevenmile Fishing Access
0.2 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.

Other campgrounds nearby

Partly reservable3.7 mi

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

South Platte River BridgeStructure · Lake George · 5.1 mi
Florissant SchoolBuilding · Florissant · 7.8 mi
Hornbek HouseBuilding · Florissant · 8.6 mi

Natural features

Riverside has large, open campsites at an elevation of 8,000 feet. The South Platte River flows on the other side of Route 96. Eleven Mile Canyon was carved by the river and is bordered by polished gray granite cliffs. Downriver is the Eleven Mile Reservoir, spanning 3,405 surface acres and 5 miles in length.

Recreation

Hard Rock Interpretive Trail, accessible from the campground, is a 1-mile self-guided interpretive walk that leads to an impressive overlook of the canyon. The trail explores the diverse life of the region and offers a chance to see plenty of wildlife and take photos of the sweeping views. Rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout can be caught from the South Platte River. Benches along the river allow anglers to relax in comfort while waiting for fish to bite.

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 Riverside?

Sites at Riverside are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Riverside?

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

Source: Recreation.gov

What does it cost to cancel a reservation at Riverside?

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

Source: Charges and cancellations

How many sites does Riverside have?

19 sites, including 11 tent-only sites and 7 standard sites without power.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Riverside?

The longest site here provides 50 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 Riverside?

Yes, pets are allowed at Riverside. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Riverside?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions. As of 2026-10-16, there are 3 active fires within 50 miles, so check current restrictions before you light one.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there accessible sites at Riverside?

Site 001 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 Riverside good for stargazing?

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, a certified International Dark Sky Park, is 8.6 miles away. Skies that dark carry for miles; a moonless night here should show the Milky Way.

Source: DarkSky International

Is there cell service at Riverside?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE and T-Mobile 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 Riverside?

Hard Rock Interpretive Trail, accessible from the campground, is a 1-mile self-guided interpretive walk that leads to an impressive overlook of the canyon. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Riverside?

Lake George, Colorado. Visitors enjoy the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world.

Source: Getting there