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

Dawson Cabin

Dawson Cabin provides campers with a rustic, remote getaway in the beautiful Clear Creek Canyon. The Clear Creek Historical District offers visitors a taste of mining history from the mid-19th Century, when people came far and wide looking for gold, silver and other precious minerals. By the 1890s, about 50,000 residents lived in the valley, in search of great fortune.

Cabin rentalReservable · Recreation.gov1 sitePets ok
Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Dawson CabinDawson Cabin interior 2Dawson Cabin exterior 1Dawson Cabin interior 3
Photos courtesy of USFS · Recreation.gov
1fire
active
Willow · 16 mi away · 7,359 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Cabins1
This cabin is booked as a single unit on Recreation.gov. The booking page shows which dates are open and how far ahead they release. How the booking window works

Site guide

1 site. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteFits, ftSurfaceShadePeople / vehiclesRating
Dawson Cabin300GravelPartial12 / 5Preferred

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

PetsAllowed

The cabin comfortably fits up to four guests, but two additional guests may fit. Camping outside is permitted as well. Furnishings include a wood burning stove and an indoor picnic table. Guests should bring cots to sleep on, or at least bring a pad to sleep on the floor. No water or electricity is available. Guests should bring plenty of water. Creek water may be boiled and treated for consumption. Other items to pack include bedding, food, lanterns, matches, cooking utensils, dish soap and a first aid kit.)

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

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Dawson Cabin10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 0.44 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.57 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.70 inches of precipitationApril: 0.83 inches of precipitationMay: 0.92 inches of precipitationJune: 0.72 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.67 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.56 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.13 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.82 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.46 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.49 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.4°F averageFebruary: 20.0°F averageMarch: 27.3°F averageApril: 33.8°F averageMay: 43.7°F averageJune: 53.1°F averageJuly: 58.6°F averageAugust: 56.5°F averageSeptember: 49.9°F averageOctober: 39.9°F averageNovember: 29.5°F averageDecember: 20.7°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Twin Lakes Rsvr, 6 miles from the campground at 9,236 feet, station USC00058501 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 10 inches a year.

Getting there

From Buena Vista, Colorado, go about 15 miles north on Highway 24 towards Leadville. Turn left on County Road 390 at Clear Creek Reservoir. Go about 6 miles west on County Road 390, then turn right (north) onto the cabin driveway. The cabin is about 100 yards from the County Road.

Nearest townLeadville, Colorado
Coordinates39.0050° N, 106.3533° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Willow

    16 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 gearColorado Kayak Supply ↗16.4 mi
Dump stationDump station ↗19 mi
RV sales & serviceHoliday RV ↗37 mi

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

Explore

Worth a stop

The historic town of Winfield is about 5 miles farther up the valley. The nearest place for pay phones and a grocery store is in Buena Vista, about a 45 minute drive. Visitors can head to Clear Creek Reservoir, about 5 miles east, for fishing and boating. Fish species include brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and tiger muskie. A few miles further is the Arkansas River, where whitewater rafting is a big hit.

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 1.3 mi
    Missouri Gulch ↗
    7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.4 mi
    Mt. Belford - Missouri Gulch
    1.8 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 2.7 mi
    Sheep Gulch/Hope Pass
    0.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.9 mi
    Mt. Oxford - Mt. Belford
    1.4 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 3.2 mi
    Mt. Belford - Elkhead Pass
    0.9 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 3.6 mi
    Missouri Mtn
    1.6 mi trail · hiking, horse

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 Collegiate Peaks Wilderness.

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

Dawson Cabin is nestled at the base of Ervin Peak in Clear Creek Canyon, at an elevation of about 9,600 feet. It is on the outskirts of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains. Clear Creek passes near the cabin. The cabin is located in the Leadville Ranger District, which is home to the Sawatch Range, the highest mountain range in Colorado. These rugged, glaciated mountains form the crest of the Continental Divide. Mount Elbert, at 14,443 feet, is Colorado's highest peak and one of ten "fourteeners" located in the District.

Recreation

Off-road vehicle trails and hiking trails are nearby. Some hiking trails lead into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, which is named for the numerous 14,000 ft. peaks named after colleges, such as Yale, Harvard and Princeton. Collegiate Peaks is the headwaters for the Arkansas, Gunnison, and Roaring Fork Rivers. The landscape is composed of alpine tundra, high lake basins and glacial river valleys.

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 Dawson Cabin?

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

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Dawson Cabin?

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

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Dawson Cabin have?

1 site, including 1 cabin.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Dawson Cabin?

Yes, pets are allowed at Dawson Cabin. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Dawson Cabin?

Off-road vehicle trails and hiking trails are nearby. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Dawson Cabin?

Leadville, Colorado. The historic town of Winfield is about 5 miles farther up the valley.

Source: Getting there

What if Dawson Cabin is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Parry Peak (5.2 mi, first-come), Twin Peaks (5.7 mi, first-come), and White Star (5.9 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby