East Ridge Campground

We stayed here on the way to Royal Gorge. What a great little campground! There are a few designated spots so you don’t have to create your own spot. They have public restrooms and covered picnic tables for you to use while you stay! Pet friendly too!!

Would definitely stay here again this spot was our first boondocking spot in Colorado other then Walmart. Only about 20 min drive to Canon City which has everything you could imagine. Road is a little rough but not bad and there is livestock that crosses aswell. Everyone used there generators so i didnt feel bad using mine either.

We camped here in early March. Google Maps had us take an early left turn from CR 3A which resulted in us driving on a dirt road for longer than we would prefer while towing. I would recommend following the signs instead of Google Maps; the campground is clearly marked. There are only about 6 or 7 sites suitable for RVs (South Loop), and unfortunately all of the sites were full when we arrived around 8pm in the dark, so we headed back down toward Highway 50 and stayed at the KOA ($37) to get some sleep. The next morning we went back up to the campground and found a small space (#2 on the South Loop) just large enough for our 18ft camper. Later, someone left a more desirable site at the very end of the South Loop so we moved to that space.

We were amazed that this campground was free! Each campsite has a picnic table and fire pit surrounded by rocks for seating. We had views of the city lights at night and a beautiful sunrise in the morning. The campground was well-maintained and the bathrooms were clean. All of the campers were quiet with the exception of some big rigs that were running loud generators. If you are willing to drive a bit, we would recommend the Florence Brewing Company while you stay in the area. We will definitely camp here again!

We truly enjoyed our stay here. The sunsets are amazing and it is very quiet. The loudest thing around is the wind in the pines and the birds in the morning. There are 2 loops: 1 loop for tents only (6 sites)and 1 loop for RV/tents (8 sites).The RV/tent side has been recently updated (new signs, new picnic tables plus tent pads). The tent only side has no tent pads, the markings are not very clear plus old concrete picnic tables. All sites have fire rings, but due to a burn ban no open fires are allowed. Gas stoves and gas grills are okay. The sites are gravel and vary in sizes. The is a vault rest room in the middle - think porta-potty. It could use some TLC (hence the 4 stars in cleanliness). There are some wildlife proof trash cans. We did see the maintenance crew emptying the trash. The camp ground sits atop a ridge and can be windy. We had 3 bars of 4G even at the spot furthest away from the cell phone tower on the next hill. There are a few hiking trails in the area and there is downloadable PDF file for them on the internet or if you do not mind searching through pictures I have added a screenshot of it to them. At night there is a very nice view down towards Canon City from the Parking area by the restroom. We used County Road 3A to get up here (that is the road to the Royal Gorge). After mile marker 3 take the next turn-off to the left onto the bit windy, not too rough gravel road. It is less 1 more mile to the campground. You will pass a picnic site on left shortly after turning. At the next fork stay right and you are almost there. As a tip you will know you missed the turn-off onto the gravel road when pass a picnic/rest area on the right side on 3 A. I would not recommend any really big rigs up here, since the spaces are not the biggest plus there is the windy road.

We really liked this campground. It was beautiful. Use the GPS coordinates listed on Campendium and you should find it without any trouble. The views are phenomenal. There was a small public restroom onsite, but didn't use it, so I cannot comment. This area is pretty busy on the weekends and during morning hours with hikers and mountain bikers. Most sites were spaced very well. My only complaint is that a few of the spaces are a little close together, but nothing at all like an RV park. On our cross-country trip, this is by far our favorite spot.

Note - this is dry camping and no stores nearby. Get anything you need in Canon City before you head up the mountain. The center of town is about 30 minutes away and once you're here, you probably won't want to leave.

All the camping sites are blocked with large rocks. The area is open for day use only as of 6/17/2020. We'll be back when it opens up again. Looks amazing.

Open as of 8/1/2020. First, do not follow your GPS if it takes you in CR-F30. We did and drove down washboard road for nearly 4 miles. Turn off Highway 50 at Royal Gorge entrance road and stay on the paved road until the 1 mile from Royal Gorge sign and you will see the pictured entrance sign on your left. 8 tenths of a mile of gravel road. Part of the campground is tent only, marked by a small sign. 72 hour limit for camping without permission. Arrived on Tuesday, left on Friday, less than 50% use. Some open areas, others with small Pinon's. Less than 2 miles to Royal Gorge. Camp area clean, pit toilets room areas a little trashy.

The view at Royal Gorge Campground is phenomenal — and free! If you get a good spot, you camp on the edge of a miniature canyon overlooking Cañon City. For the views alone, it’s one of the best free campsites I’ve stayed at (and I try to go pretty cheap and take advantage of free).

There are a limited number of campsites, so you better get there a bit early if you’re trying to camp for the weekend. I saw a few vehicles come in and go out right away because all the sites were taken.

Like the review below mine, the GPS on Campendium isn’t quite accurate. I used Google Maps and the actual location of Royal Gorge East Ridge Campground is located there. Just click it and go!

What a sweet camping spot. We stayed in site #3 and we could look out one side of our trailer and see the freshly snow covered mtns to the west, or look out the other side and see the open valley down to Canon City. Sites are crushed gravel pads. Some are rather short. Only a few can handle longer RVs. No hook-ups of course, but there are bear proof garbage cans and a vault toilet. Only complaint and reason this is not a 5-star review is that the vault toilet was a mess. Definitely has not been swept out in a long time.
We did the Canyon Rim trail and the Loop Trail. Wonderful hikes and when on the Loop trail you get some really good views of the Royal Gorge.
When driving up to this campsite, you will take a right of off F30 onto a gravel road. The first sign says East Ridge Campground Trailhead....after about 1.5 miles you will come to a Y in the road...go to the right and you will see the campsite sign. If you go left (which is how Waze took us), you will end up in the tenting only area and the road is narrower and rougher.

PuraVida's review is spot-on. Love site 3! We used Google Maps to get here. On G Maps there are two locations for the Campgrounds. Choose the southern one for RVs. The one to the north is the tent only camping.