Boulder is one of Colorado’s most iconic towns, located amongst the foothills of the northern front range. Just due west of town lies the Rocky Mountains, and exceptional camping nearby the towns of Rollinsville, Nederland and Ward.
All four towns reside in Boulder County within around an hour’s drive to Denver, making they extremely accessible for a last-minute weekend or even single night camping trip. They provide fast access to the wilderness within the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests. You’ll find a mix of wooded campgrounds with some free camping available. Please practice leave no trace and remember to completely out your campfire.
List of camping by Boulder, Nederland, Rollinsville, and Ward, CO, in order of proximity:
Camping by Gross Reservoir near Boulder
This secluded lake lies about halfway between Boulder and Nederland, some 45 minutes to each. There is one campground at Gross Reservoir, perfect for off-grid, off-road tent camping. It’s open from July through September. The reservoir has great fishing and motorless boating, as well as some nice hikes in the surrounding woods. You’ll need a suitable high-clearance vehicle to access the rugged, but complimentary camping here. Try the Forsyth Canyon Trail for a great hike, located close by to the gate at RSR 359.
FREE – Gross Reservoir Campground
Only 30 minutes southwest of Boulder city you’ll find this hidden alpine lake. You’ll need a high-profile, 4-wheel drive vehicle to access this primitive campground, but the trip will be well worth it. Located on the shore of Gross Reservoir this area offers some of the finest lake fishing in all of Colorado. Dispersed camping is only allowed at designated sites. It’s open from July through September. There are no facilities here, but you can find a vault toilet at the trailhead nearby for Forsythe Canyon.
- Closest town: Nederland (12mi)
- Specs: 20 primitive, tent-only sites on the west side of the reservoir, no water, no toilet, open Memorial Day to snow closure
- Amenities: Access to Gross Reservoir
- Recreation: Fishing, boating, hiking
- Reservations: No, first-come, first-serve
- Address: Forest Service Road 359, Nederland, CO 80466 (Map)
- Directions: From Boulder follow CO-119 southwest for 5 miles. Take a left onto Magnolia Rd and travel 6.5 miles. Go left on Co Rd 68 and follow for 2 miles. Turn right on FSR 359 and look for an open designated campsite. From Nederland follow CO-119 east for 2 miles, left onto Magnolia Rd for 5.4 miles then right onto Co Rd 68 where you’ll meet up with Boulder directions.
Camping near Nederland
Nederland sits along the middle of the Peak to Peak Byway, a stunning designated section of Highway CO-72 and CO-119. This route also passes through Rollinsville to the south, and Ward to the north. From end to end it connects Estes Park with Central City. Only sixteen miles west of Boulder, Nederland has a cool little downtown and plenty of amenities and attractions for the avid explorer. Camping is abundant in the forest surrounding town, though some of the campsites have a reputation for homeless and trash, so please leave no trace and pick up a little litter for the good of everyone.
Rainbow Lakes Campground
If small stream and pond fishing is your passion, this is the campground for you. Located on the convergence of 10 small ponds, and three tributary streams to Caribou Creek, this campground is extremely popular in the late summer months for fishermen. At 10,000 feet it gets cold in the final weeks of the season.
- Closest town: Nederland (12mi)
- Specs: 18 sites for tents / small trailers, no water, vault toilet, open June 26 to September 7
- Amenities: All sites with a tent pad have bear-proof lockers
- Recreation: Fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing
- Reservations: No, first-come, first-serve
- Address: County Road 116, Nederland, CO 80466 (Map)
- Directions: From Nederland at the traffic circle take the 4th exit onto West 2nd Street, go .3 miles. Continue on Colorado Highway 72 6.8 miles. Turn left on County Road 116, go 5 miles to the campground.
Buckingham Campground – Fourth of July Trailhead
This campground is a haven for hikers with close access to Diamond Lake, Arapaho Glacier Trails and Arapaho Pass. At 10,000 feet elevation the days are cool and the nights can be chilly even in the midst of summer. A very popular campground that could be your gateway to high mountain adventure.
- Closest town: Nederland (9mi)
- Specs: 10 tent-only sites, water, vault toilet, open Memorial Day to Labor Day
- Amenities: At the Fourth of July trailhead
- Recreation: Hiking, fishing
- Reservations: No, first-come, first-serve
- Address: 3945 4th of July Road, Nederland, CO 80466 (Map)
- Directions: From Nederland go .5 miles on Colorado Highway 119. Turn right on Eldorado Avenue, go 4.8 miles. Take slight right another 4 miles to the parking area.
Kelly Dahl Campground
Located on the scenic Peak to Peak Highway this basic campground is quiet with simple amenities. The two double-loop roads that traverse the camp make driving and setting up an easy process.
- Closest town: (Nederland 4mi)
- Specs: 46 RV, trailer, tent sites, water, vault toilet, open June 1 to September 26
- Amenities: Trash collection, firewood for sale, small playground
- Recreation: Horseback riding, hiking
- Reservations: at recreation.gov
- Address: Colorado Highway 119, Nederland, CO 80466 (Map)
- Directions: From Nederland go south on Colorado Highway 119 3.7 miles. Turn left, the campground will be on the right.
Magnolia Road Camp Site
Dispersed camping with just you and the wilderness awaits you at this small campground. Easy access to miles of single track trails are nearby with USFS road open to off-road vehicle adventure.
- Closest town: Nederland (3mi)
- Specs: Dispersed camping, 22 number campsites, no water, no toilets, pack-in, pack-out, open year-round
- Amenities: None
- Recreation: Hiking, biking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing
- Reservations: No, first-come, first-serve
- Address: County Highway 132, Nederland, CO 80466 (Map)
- Directions: From Nederland go south on Colorado Highway 119 1.9 miles. Turn right on County Highway 132, go 1 mile to the campground.
FREE – Gordon Gulch Dispersed Camping
It’s a rough ride to this campground, and it is sometimes muddy year-round due to the heavy winter snowfall. If you’re looking for a quiet place, deep in the forest it’s well worth the trip, and maybe best of all, it’s free.
- Closest town: Nederland (5mi)
- Specs: 15 number, dispersed camping sites, tent only, no water, no toilet, open snowmelt to snow closure
- Amenities: Free
- Recreation: Hiking, hunting
- Reservations: No, first-come, first-serve
- Address: Colorado Highway 72, Boulder, CO 80302 (Map)
- Directions: From Nederland take West 2nd Street .3 miles. Continue on Colorado Highway 72 for 4.8 miles to the campground.
Camping by Moffat Tunnel near Rollinsville
Less than 5 miles south of Nederland on CO-72 brings you to Rollinsville, a community of less than 200 people. The historic “downtown” is very small, but has a few businesses in town, so you can eat, get supplies and cold beer. What Rollinsville is most known for is the East Portal of the Moffat Tunnel. Nearby this historic railroad tunnel that’s still in use on the Amtrak Train, there is some great free camping opportunities, as well as hiking, biking and off road driving.
FREE – Moffat Road Dispersed Camping
The drive back from CO-72 on County Road 16 dead ends at the Moffat Tunnel. Before you reach the tunnel, you’ll begin see pullovers for dispersed campsites along the road. These lie within the Roosevelt National Forest. At the tunnel, you can continue your drive up Rollins Pass. It’s a 4×4 road, though you can make it to several more campsites along this road before requiring high-clearance 4WD.
- Closest town: Rollinsville (8mi), Nederland (12mi)
- Address: Co Rd 16, Rollinsville, CO 80474
- Directions: From Rollinsville take East Portal Road/County Road 16 about 8 miles back to the tunnel. From here you can begin to wind up Rollins Pass, where you’ll find prexisting dispersed campsites.
Camping by Brainard Lake near Ward
Eleven miles north of Nederland on CO-72 resides Ward, a quiet mountain suburb of Boulder with a few hundred residents. The gem of Ward is the Brainard Lake Recreation Area. In addition to boating, fishing and hiking within the park, Brainard Lake is a gateway to a wonderful network of trails within the Indian Peaks Wilderness. If you’re looking to backpack, this national wilderness area has some gorgeous trails to overnight beside. At Brainard Lake there is one campground suitable for tents and travel trailers.
Pawnee Campground
This very popular campground sits on the shore of Brainard Lake. It puts you closer to the eastern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. A wide variety of outdoor activities are available on the trails, streams, and the nearby lake.
- Closest town: Ward (5mi)
- Specs: 47 RV, trailer, tent sites, water, vault toilet, open July 1 to September 13
- Amenities: Bear proof storage lockers, borders Indian Peaks Wilderness
- Recreation: Hiking, biking, fishing on Brainard Lake, stream fishing, canoeing, boating, rock climbing, snowshoeing, rock climbing
- Reservations: at recreation.gov
- Address: Brainard Lake Road, Ward, CO 80481 (Map)
- Directions: From Ward take Utica Street .4 miles north. Turn right on Colorado Highway 72, go 479 feet to Brainard Lake Road, go 4.4 miles. Turn right, go 128 feet then turn left, go .1 miles, the campground will be on the right.
Consider Black Hawk or Allenspark
Thirty minutes south of Nederland on CO-72/CO-119, is Black Hawk, probably Colorado’s best casino town, and certainly largest by number of casinos. Before you reach this Gilpin County gem you’ll pass a number of campgrounds near Black Hawk within the Arapaho National Forest. There’s also a few campgrounds within the big and beautiful Golden Gate Canyon State Park, also in-route between Nederland and Black Hawk.
If you head thirty minutes north of Nederland on CO-72 you’ll hit Allenspark, which is 18 miles west of Lyons. It’s also one step closer to the eastern entrance of RMNP if you’re looking to day trip it there. There’s a bunch of backpacking trails with awesome free hike-to campsites along them in this region. Car campers will also find plenty of cool campgrounds near Allenspark. You can stay within an hour’s drive of Denver too.
That’s a roundup of the best camping opportunities around Boulder, close to the towns of Nederland, Ward and Rollinsville. Enjoy your time in Boulder County and clean up after yourself.
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