West Chicago Creek Campground

Mountain v. Flatlander. Beware of the road to this campground, including five switchback corners; it tried to have my retractable step for lunch. Just take it easy and you will be rewarded with a beautiful, stunning, remote, small campground. Hint: the water-well pumps were not working. Easy access to the creek and some trails. Great dog walking. Close to Idaho Springs and not too far from Denver. Zero Verizon.

We travel with no plans other than sights to see. We were struggling to find something between Denver and our destination of Arches National Park. We read reviews of this campground and thought what the heck.

The reviews were correct. The 5 or 6 miles of paved road was fine and interesting to drive down. The 3+ miles of dirt track for me was like a Michigan two track road. There are a handful of residences on the way but they disappear when you get near the switchbacks. We have a 25’ Winnebago View which handles it just fine. You just need to go slow because of the washboard, rocky and rutty road.

The sites are nice and we lucked out and had our choice of sites to stay in. The fee was only $15 and on the honor system. There was no host there when we stayed. It was extremely peaceful.

There was no cell service at all and my wife works mobile so we had to pull out early morning in the dark to get down the road for service. It would have been nice to enjoy morning coffee and a sunrise in the valley of the mountains.

Make sure to check website well!

Stayed for one night. Arrived in the evening. The road up is winding, with a bit of sinkhole and some washboards. The location is beautiful, bathrooms and sites were clean. They are working on providing water up there in the future said the host. They do sell wood, but they had none for sale that day. We did have some noisy neighbors, even after quiet hours. 4.5/5.
No water, or electricity. A dumpster is provided by the bathrooms.

Stayed for one night. Arrived in the evening. The road up is winding, with a bit of sinkhole and some washboards. The location is beautiful, bathrooms and sites were clean. They are working on providing water up there in the future said the host. They do sell wood, but they had none for sale that day. We did have some noisy neighbors, even after quiet hours. 4.5/5.
No water, or electricity. A dumpster is provided by the bathrooms.

I LOVED this campground! We just got back from a 4700 mile trip around the West in which we stayed about about 9 different campgrounds ranging from private, state park, national park, national forest and Cracker Barrel. Out of them all, this was by far my favorite.

If you enjoy peace and quiet with a big dose of fresh air and aspens, this is the place for you. It is dry camping, so it's not for everyone. We didn't have reservations so we just showed up hoping for a site on Memorial Day. We were in luck with only 4 other campers in the CG. Be warned, the drive up is a little bit harrowing, especially if you are pulling a camper. Coming off of the interstate it's about a 4 mile drive when you pull onto a dirt road. From here it's about another 2-3 miles. The last mile or so will test your mettle a bit as there are a couple intense switchbacks that my wife was quite a bit unsure of. The last few hundred yards are a bit bumpy but then you arrive and you forget it all.

As we arrived, the CG hosts rushed out to meet us and welcome us. It's like they hadn't seen a person in a week and couldn't wait to say hey. They were extremely friendly and helpful, probably the most so of any CG host I've ever met. We did a quick drive through and decided on site 7 which I loved. We have a 30' TT and could probably fit into most sites.

The site itself was pretty level, only needed one set of blocks under the wheels and not much needed front to back. The quirk was that the fire ring and picnic table were on the opposite side of our door but not a huge deal. The table was good quality but a bit low to the ground.

So why was I so taken by this CG? I think it's just the solitude and peacefulness of it. It's so far up the road that you're unlikely to have much if any traffic, even in the busy times. When we arrived, the freshness of the air and the sound of the river below and the view (this site had a good view) put me in an instant chill mode and put a smile on my face.

There's a trail about 100 yards from the CG. We hiked about half a mile of it and it was pretty. Supposedly moose had been spotted recently. While you're here, make sure to go up to the top of Mt. Evans (it was closed the day we were there).

Just of note, there is one water spigot with REALLY good water pressure and a two door vault toilet that was clean and smelled good. You could also purchase wood bundles from the CG host for $5. No cell service at all. Overall, one of the best places we've ever stayed!

Stayed at West Chicago Creek campground (National Forest) for three nights. It's only about an hour and a half west from Denver. Great campground host, Mike was very knowledgeable about the area. Flowers blooming in wild profusion. Had a really tasty lunch at Echo Lake Lodge. I can recommend the mushroom swiss cheese burger. Deer wandered through the campsite every day and everyone was startled at about 5 a.m. when a bear tipped over a large dumpster trying to get into it. The next day the state wildlife employees set a trap for it (second time offense) but it hasn't yet returned. There's only fifteen sites and it is a bit popular so recommend reservations. Most all sites are level from side to side and maybe a slight incline or decline from front to back. Some sites are close together but not badly so and #1 and #2 have good separation. Last 1/8 mile getting to campground go slow due to rough road and very steep grade. However, while there I saw a 45' fifth-wheel pull in, but I can't recommend anything larger than 25' for most sites. About 150' west of the campground is a trailhead that is popular and did create considerable traffic and dust from the dirt road. But, it is very quiet once the sun sets.