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

Burning Bear Campground

Located on the Pike and San Isabel National Forest at an elevation of 9,813 feet, Burning Bear Campground offers cooler temperatures during the hot Colorado summer months. Along the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway, this campground is near prime spots for wildlife viewing, scenic driving, landscape photography, hiking and roads open to off-highway vehicles.

Open nowReservable · Recreation.gov13 sites50 ft maxNo hookupsPets okFires ok

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

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Burning Bear Campground
Photo from the area. Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
3fires
active
Harris Park Broadcast Rx (prescribed burn) · 11 mi away · 390 acres
2 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Standard, no hookups12
Tent-only1
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

The longest site here provides 50 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 / vehiclesFires
01StandardPull-through50GravelPartial8 / 2Yes
02StandardBack-in32GravelPartial8 / 2Yes
03StandardBack-in28GravelPartial8 / 2Yes
04StandardBack-in30GravelPartial8 / 2Yes
05StandardBack-in24GravelPartial8 / 2Yes
06StandardBack-in30GravelPartial8 / 2Yes
07StandardBack-in30GravelPartial8 / 2Yes
08StandardBack-in44GravelPartial8 / 2Yes
09StandardBack-in40GravelPartial8 / 2Yes
10Tent onlyBack-in18GravelPartial8 / 2Yes

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 length50 ft
EquipmentRVs & trailers, Tents
PetsAllowed
CampfiresAllowed, subject to restrictions

Burning Bear Campground has 13 sites to accommodate RV, trailer and tent camping. Drinking water, vault toilets, picnic tables and grills are provided. Parking aprons are dirt and the campground road may be rough.

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

Season & status

StatusOpen
SeasonEarly May to Late December
ForestPike-San Isabel National Forests
BookingPhone 877-444-6777 or visit Recreation.gov at least 4 days in advance. Friday and Saturday night minimum required stay on weekends. Three nights minimum on holiday weekends.
Fees$28.00 fee per site for overnight camping. Two (2) vehicles or one (1) RV per site is included in the camping fee. $11.00 for a third vehicle. $11.00 fee for day use if not camping overnight. Fees are payable by cash, check or money order.
RulesThe following restrictions apply to this campground: Maximum 8 persons per site, 2 tents and 2 vehicles or 1 recreation vehicle (RV). Only licensed vehicles can operate inside campground. No discharge of firearms or fireworks. Dogs must be leashed at all times. Camping is NOT ALLOWED behind a LOCKED GATE.

Pike-San Isabel National Forests recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Burning Bear Campground20°30°40°50°60°January: 0.56 inches of precipitation, 9.9 inches of snowFebruary: 0.65 inches of precipitation, 10.4 inches of snowMarch: 1.04 inches of precipitation, 15.3 inches of snowApril: 1.50 inches of precipitation, 13.8 inches of snowMay: 1.73 inches of precipitation, 4.8 inches of snowJune: 1.43 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowJuly: 2.58 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.25 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.44 inches of precipitation, 0.8 inches of snowOctober: 0.96 inches of precipitation, 5.5 inches of snowNovember: 0.65 inches of precipitation, 9.6 inches of snowDecember: 0.60 inches of precipitation, 11.8 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 21.5°F averageFebruary: 22.5°F averageMarch: 29.8°F averageApril: 35.7°F averageMay: 44.5°F averageJune: 53.9°F averageJuly: 59.1°F averageAugust: 56.9°F averageSeptember: 50.1°F averageOctober: 39.8°F averageNovember: 29.1°F averageDecember: 21.1°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Grant, 4 miles from the campground at 8,675 feet, station USC00053530 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 82 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Travel from Denver south on US Highway 285 toward Fairplay to the town of Grant. Turn north on Park County Road 62, towards Guanella Pass. Burning Bear Campground is 5 miles north on the right.

Nearest townMorrison, Colorado
Coordinates39.5139° N, 105.7100° 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
    Harris Park Broadcast Rx

    11 mi from the campground · 390 acres

  • Prescribed
    O'Brien 2 Broadcast Rx

    40 mi from the campground · 267 acres

  • Wildfire
    Willow

    44 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 gearArapahoe Basin Base Lodge ↗12.4 mi
Dump stationDump Station ↗28.5 mi
RV sales & serviceRV sales & service ↗31.2 mi

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

Explore

Video

Burning Bear Campground - Pike National Forest

Worth a stop

Mount Bierstadt summit is approximately 7 miles north of the campground and offers amazing views of the valley below.

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.2 mi
    Abyss Lake ↗
    8.4 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 0.2 mi
    Burning Bear ↗
    5.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.2 mi
    Terminal Moraine Interp Loop
    0.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 1.7 mi
    Kirby Gulch
    2.2 mi trail · bike, snowshoe, ski
  • 2 mi
    Geneva Creek
    1.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.2 mi
    Buno/Kirby Connector
    0.9 mi trail · bike, snowshoe, ski

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 →

Mount Evans Wilderness begins about 0.4 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

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 is nestled in a beautiful valley on the way to Guanella Pass. Although somewhat open, a scattering of ponderosa pines provides some privacy to campers. Mount Bierstadt (elevation 14,060 feet) is north on the Guanella Pass road – a Scenic and Historic Byway, and one of the most popular scenic drives on the Pike and San Isabel National Forest. The Guanella Pass road is a great place to watch for bighorn sheep, elk, deer, moose, marmot, pika, and bear

Recreation

Numerous hiking trail opportunities are available along Geneva Road. Mount Evans Wilderness is directly behind the campground allowing for access to the Abyss Trail (sometimes referred to as the Scott Gomer Trail). Although Mount Evans Wilderness is closed to mountain biking, Burning Bear Trail across the road from the campground is a wonderful trail for mountain biking and hiking alike.

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 Burning Bear Campground?

Sites at Burning Bear Campground are reservable on Recreation.gov. Phone 877-444-6777 or visit 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 Burning Bear Campground?

$28.00 fee per site for overnight camping. Two (2) vehicles or one (1) RV per site is included in the camping fee. $11.00 for a third vehicle.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Burning Bear Campground?

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

Source: Recreation.gov

What does it cost to cancel a reservation at Burning Bear 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 Burning Bear Campground open right now?

Open as of Oct 16, 2026. Season Early May to Late December.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Burning Bear Campground have?

13 sites, including 12 standard sites without power and 1 tent-only site.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Burning Bear Campground?

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 Burning Bear Campground?

Yes, pets are allowed at Burning Bear Campground. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Burning Bear Campground?

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. The following restrictions apply to this campground: Maximum 8 persons per site, 2 tents and 2 vehicles or 1 recreation vehicle (RV).

Source: Fire nearby

Is there cell service at Burning Bear Campground?

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 Burning Bear Campground?

Numerous hiking trail opportunities are available along Geneva Road. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Burning Bear Campground?

Morrison, Colorado. Mount Bierstadt summit is approximately 7 miles north of the campground and offers amazing views of the valley below.

Source: Getting there