Camping near Aspen, Colorado with wildlife watching
There's more to Aspen than skiing; try hiking, biking, rafting, and rock climbing in the Rockies.
- Aspen
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12 top campgrounds near Aspen with wildlife watching
97%
(29)
Sawatch Base Camp
2 sites · Lodging10 acres · Leadville, Lake
Completely surrounded by National Forest in the heart of the Rockies at 10,600 feet in elevation, Sawatch Base Camp is one of a kind property at the site of an old turquoise mine with accessible yet private backcountry lodging.
Located 6 miles northwest of Leadville, Colorado and 1 mile north of Turquoise Lake, Sawatch Base Camp is perched on a hill overlooking the Arkansas Headwaters, Leadville and the Mosquito Range including 14er Mt. Sherman. This prime location gives quick access to all the best outdoor recreation of the High Rockies, while also being removed enough to provide solitude and quality time with friends and family.
In summer and fall (May through November), the property has vehicle access by Forest Service Road 103- known by many other names depending on mapping service including County Road 9A, Turquoise Chief Rd, and St. Kevin Rd. This segment of road is part of the famous Leadville 100 MTB race, lying at roughly Mile 8/Mile 95.
In winter months (roughly Thanksgiving through April), the camp is accessible by snowmobile, ski or snowshoe on groomed multi-use winter trails open to the public. The trek in is approximately 4.4 miles from the Leadville Junction Parking Lot, with an elevation gain of roughly 800 feet. The terrain around the yurt provides backcountry skiing through trees with occasional glades.
Our backcountry lodging is designed to have minimal impact on the landscape, intentionally rustic while also providing amenities like a wood stove, solar lighting, plush beds and a roomy indoor space to gather. Firewood and propane for the camp stove are provided.
Sawatch Base Camp operates under Lake County CUPs 21-10 and 23-33.
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$159
/ night
97%
(15)
Stoneyard Distillery Awesome Possum RV Camping
1 site · RV1 acre · Gypsum, Eagle
Stoneyard Distillery, producing Beet Sugar Spirits since 2013. Taking its name from the old stoneyard surrounding it. Upstream from the confluence of the Eagle and Colorado Rivers, this site was chosen for it's private water source. Rocky Mountain water pulled directly from the river.
The Distillery sits on a 4000 year old lava flow from the Dotsero Volcano. This lava rock provides the vapor refining distillation packing in the still hand built by the owners. With it's scratch built process, Stoneyard distills the true Spirit of Colorado into every last drop.
Get Hammered... Responsibly!Learn more about this land:With beautiful Rocky Mountain views, the Distillery sits on a 4000 year old lava flow from the Dotsero Volcano. River access just a short walk away! 10 minutes to Hiking, Mountain Biking, and Eagle River Water Park. 25 minutes to Hot Springs, 35 minutes to World-Class Skiing!
40 Flavorful & Smooth Spirits distilled from Colorado beet sugar and rocky mountain water from the pristine Eagle River
Craft Cocktails
Production Tours
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$25
/ night
100%
(3)
Peaceful Ranch, South Park
2 sites · RVs, Tents10 acres · Alma, Park
Camp in peace, surrounded by wildlife. Guests love the amenities of South Park, Colorado. A recreational area is located 10 minutes away, offering a pool ($10 for locals, $14 for visitors) with showers, a gym, and yoga classes. Check their website for more information.
Downtown South Park is just 10 minutes away and offers stores for fishing gear, restaurants, wine bars, and excellent Mexican food. The market is right on 285 Highway, which leads to Denver or Buena Vista. The scenic ride is beautiful.
South Park hosts many carnivals with food trucks that serve amazing dishes. Fall in love with South Park, known for gold medal fishing and hot springs within 40 minutes away.
Sleep in your RV with the soothing sound of silence to recharge and find peace. There are great hiking trails nearby and a quiet country road for biking.
The ski resort in Breckenridge is just 25 minutes away. The towns of Alma and Fairplay have a history of gold dredging, with some placer gold operations still active. This land was part of a mining project, and some mine entrances were closed by my husband when we first moved here.
Learn more about this land and Fairplay at the Visitor's Welcome Center in Downtown South Park. There are lots of historic places to explore.
Please be aware that this campsite is full of trees and set in a park-like setting, and wildlife is active here 24/7. We only rent two spots and are located near several national forests.
Campsite #1 comes with electricity and water. Please bring your own extensions and hoses; if needed, contact me in advance, and they will be in the blue box.
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$27
/ night
94%
(62)
Bristlecone Camp Breckenridge
1 site · RV, Tent160 acres · Alma, Park
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$50
/ night
100%
(5)
Sweet Retreat
4 sites · Lodging1 acre · Twin Lakes, Lake
This cabin is up to par with meeting the safe at home corona virus standards for cleaning. This great little turn of the century bungalow has it all. This home has recently been renovated to have all the upgraded amenities while still preserving that classic historical feel. Large amounts of trails out your back door. One will have easy access to the home with a keypad code to come and go as they please. If you bring a dog there's a $25 pet fee per dog per day! Lake county license# 2022-21
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$149
/ night
91%
(147)
Vail Valley BackCounty Access
6 sites · RVs, Tents6 acres · Eagle, Eagle
This Gorgeous 6 acre property has DIRECT PRIVATE ACCESS to Hardscrabble Mountain, The Holy Cross Wilderness and The White River National Forest. There are 24,000 acres of BLM public land and also The White River National Forest with over 3,500 square miles, both with thousands of miles of recreation trails for mountain biking, hiking, ATVing, MOTO X Dirtbiking, SidebySide UTVing, backcountry skiing and snowboarding, 4x4 Jeeping/Mudding and snowmobiling. Walk out of your tent, your RV or my cabin and you are in of BLM and The White River National Forest. Plenty of flat, shaded ground with water and electiric available. The biggest shade trees in Eagle County, firepits, and a creek with pond and waterfall with sand beach await. Incredible views of Castle Peak, The Flat tops Wilderness, Red Canyon and Hardscrabble Mountain right from the Property.Vail and Beaver Creek Ski Resorts with the best skiing and powder in the world and Glenwood Springs with the world famous Hot Springs Pool and Glenwood Caverns Amusement Park ( amusement park on top of a mountain) and the new Iron Mountain Hot Springs Each 25 minutes away. Aspen is a little over an hour away.Eagle is the county seat of Eagle County and is know for the Eagle and Colorado River and the amazing system of biking and hiking trails.
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$52.50
/ night
93%
(133)
4 Leg Adventures Non Profit
8 sites · Lodging, Tents46 acres · Paonia, Delta
A Beautiful and quiet small ranch two miles from town and one mile from national forest. Our property is home of 4 Leg Adventures Non Profit. 4 leg Adventures offers conventional riding lessons, Alexander Technique Riding Lessons, and Trail rides for experienced riders. They also do Equine and wilderness based summer camps.
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$30
/ night
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(12)
Wild Abandon Ranch
1 site · RV, Tent50 acres · Paonia, Delta
Wild Abandon Ranch is a gorgeous 50 acre property that we just acquired in March of 2023. Sadly, the property had been abandoned and neglected for over 20 years and we are doing our best to breath some new life into her. We are chasing those land dreams! This property has a wild amount of potential and an endless story of labor and we hope to bring a new vision and purpose to this very special place.
The Hipcamp site is located down by the creek (on the SOUTH side of Minnesota Creek Rd) where you'll have total privacy and room to relax and explore. The deer trails are a great way to get lost amongst the trees and the rhythm of the creek.
Just down the road further on Minnesota Creek Road is direct access to National Forest. Our property is only 3.5 miles from the town of Paonia so you're oh-so-close yet so far away from it all. Paonia is central to the abundant North Fork Valley and there is so much to experience in this area. From hiking, biking, camping, or swimming to touring the many vibrant vineyards or galleries.
Your visit is directly contributing to this land's second chance. We hope you'll visit again and follow along in the evolution of Wild Abandon Ranch. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
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$35
/ night
100%
(5)
Columbia Cabin
1 site · Lodging5 acres · Buena Vista, Chaffee
This is a unique 5-acre piece of land, surrounded by National Forest and located at the North Cottonwood Trailhead (which access Mount Harvard, Mount Columbia, Brown's Pass, Kroenke Lake, Bear Lake, and Anglemeyer Lake). The river flows directly through the property, so you can fall asleep to the sound of running water. This is an ideal spot to stay for anyone looking to get up for an early morning 14er or fishing hike. Feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, while being at a trailhead and just a 15 minute drive from Buena Vista.
There is an antique fire burning stove to warm the cabin, as well as a propane cooking stove. We supply dishes and cooking utensils.
You will need a code to enter the gate. After that, you can drive 0.1 miles, right up to the cabin. It is a bumpy road to get to the trailhead, where you find the gate. Four wheel drive is encouraged, in the instance of snow or heavy rain. During the winter, you will likely only be able to drive within 1.5-3 miles of the cabin. Snowshoes and cross country skis are perfect to get you there, in the instance that you park a ways away.
There is no electricity, so bring lanterns and headlamps. There is an outhouse just a short walk from the cabin.
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$85
/ night
94%
(9)
Riverside Vintage Campers
5 sites · Lodging26 acres · Ohio City, Gunnison
Just 20min from Gunnison, sit two Vintage 16ft Shasta Campers that have recently been renovated and updated. Inside the campers there are full size beds that convert into couches as well as a seating areas in the front for eating or reading. The campers have amenities like running water for hand washing, heat, and small fridges. Ohio City is a mecca for hiking, biking, ORV riding, and fishing making this the perfect jumping off point for all the recreation activities in the area.
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$99
/ night
94%
(9)
Buckeye's Cozy Romantic Cabins
4 sites · Lodging60 acres · Leadville, Lake
Buckeye's Cabin is located 4 miles outside the Town of Leadville on the upper most reaches of the Arkansas river headwaters on highway 91 as you head towards Freemont Pass. Itis just at the bottom of the pass at the point where Mt. Elbert, Colorado's highest peak and Mt Massive come into view. It is part of an old ranch that sits on a gold mining claim and is an authentic old, comfy, cozy cabin.
Huge picture windows look out onto Mt. Elbert, Colorado's highest peak, and the Beaver Ponds of the very upper headwaters of the mighty Arkansas River. Sit by the woodstove with glass door and be mesmerized by the crackling flame. Turn on the satellite TV with surround sound and lose yourself in time.
The reading room is a quiet place to escape on the feinting bench with a good book.
Romantic bedroom with comfy queen bed. A perfect place to end the day.
Sit back in the comfy antique recliner and watch the flame in the woodstove through the glass door, as the aspen leaf's flicker in the wind outside the picture windows that look out onto Mt. Elbert, Colorado's highest peak. The Beaver ponds across the street, teeming with trout, await your exploration. The sunset colors on the surrounding mountain peaks will amaze you as you sit on the sundrenched deck.
Mining tours, museums, hiking, skiing, 4 wheel drive roads, dog sledding, snowmobiling, train rides, biking, fishing, & ice climbing are some of your options. Of course reading a good book by the fire rates high also.
Leadville, Colorado is an old western Town full of charm, mountains, scenic lakes, rivers, and wildlife. Great restaurants, bars, and café’s await your culinary delight. An old historical mining Town from the late1800’s’ in the midst of Colorado’s highest mountain peaks.
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$245
/ night
Campfire Ranch Wash Gulch
1 site · Lodging22 acres · Mount Crested Butte, Gunnison
Nestled in the mountains north of Mount Crested Butte, Colorado our Wash Gulch hut is in the perfect location for your next backcountry ski or snowboard trip. The backcountry hut is located at a crisp 10,400ft in elevation and is surrounded by rolling slopes, forested ridgelines, exposed couloirs, and high alpine bowls. Crested Butte, CO offers some of the most scenic backcountry skiing & riding in the state and with so many terrain options, the ease and access of the hut makes for the perfect basecamp.
Get ready to stay in the backcountry of Crested Butte in total comfort at the Wash Gulch Hut. It’s time to reset your expectations of what a backcountry hut can be. We offer full-hut bookings without food service, giving you space for a large group and ultimate flexibility.
The Gunnison Valley, including the drainages in Crested Butte, is ancestral land of the Tabeguache Ute people. One of the largest of the nomadic bands of the Ute, the Tabeguache tribe hunkered down in the Gunnison Valley for the winter months and used that time to rejuvenate, repair tools and weapons that were used to hunt and gather, and tell stories that were passed down from generation to generation.
*This is a remote backcountry hut. A mandatory 4-mile approach via skis/splitboard with skins, cross-country skis or snowshoes is required. You are responsible for your transportation to and from the hut. You assume all risks of backcountry travel & recreation when booking. This includes carrying all necessary gear and avalanche safety equipment. All guests traveling in winter must carry an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe on their approach.*
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$1,500
/ night
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Camping near Aspen with wildlife watching guide
Looking to experience the great outdoors near Aspen, Colorado? With over 2000 options specifically tailored for wildlife watching in the area, Hipcamp has got you covered. Whether you're a seasoned nature enthusiast or just dipping your toes into the world of camping, there's a campsite that's perfect for you. Check out top-rated options like Glen Isle Resort (461 reviews), Rustic Creek Ranch (363 reviews), and Serenity in the Foothills (295 reviews) to see what other campers have loved. With popular amenities like campfires, potable water, and pet-friendly sites, you'll have everything you need for a memorable camping experience. Plus, with prices starting as low as $15 per night and an average price of $65 per night, you can find a campsite that fits your budget. So grab your binoculars and get ready to explore the wildlife near Aspen!
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