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Aspen Campground is an excellent place for campers looking to relax, hike, fish and enjoy the sounds of nature. The campground sits near Jefferson Creek, a few miles downriver of Jefferson Lake. The lake is one of the highest elevation lakes around, capping 10,685 feet elevation and bordered by steep 12,000 foot peaks Fishing in both the creek and lake offer promising catches of trout. Another noteworthy aspect of the campground is its access to the Colorado Trail. Recreation The campground offers nearby access to two trails. Hiking, biking and horseback riding are excellent on the epic Colorado Trail, a 471-mile trail that stretches across Colorado from Denver to Durango. Also nearby is the West Jefferson Loop Trail, a foot path that goes up to the Continental Divide and loop for 11 miles. Rainbow, brown, mackinaw and brook trout can be found swimming in the creek and lake. No-wake boating is allowed in the lake and a boat ramp is easily accessible. Facilities Amenities include picnic tables, vault toilets, drinking water from a hand pump and a campfire ring. Parking aprons are gravel and can fit up to two vehicles. It is difficult to access Jefferson Lake Recreation Area during the winter months. The roads to this site are not maintained for snow throughout the winter. Natural Features Aspen Campground, at 9,900 elevation, sits in a valley along Jefferson Creek at the base of Jefferson Hill. The single-loop campground is shaded by groves of aspen and mature spruce. Jefferson Lake, spanning about 182 acres, has deep, cold waters and freezes over in winter. Nearby Attractions Visit historic Fairplay, Colorado, a ghost town that was once a frontier boom town. The South Park City Museum contains 34 authentic buildings with 60,000 artifacts. ADA Access: N
From Fairplay, take Highway 285 north to Jefferson, then turn left on County road 35. Travel approximately 2 miles and turn right on County Road 37. Travel approximately 2.5 miles to the Aspen Campground.
This campground has an open meadow on its North side where we saw a rather large bull moose wander through. This is the outdoors of Colorado, not your well groomed lawns and perfect streets. Most of the time bugs are minimal if any, they can appear at certain times, be prepared.
Very spacious campground which allows for a variety of size tents. Lots of biting horse flies and mosquitoes so be prepared for that. The weekend we went, they were banning campfires so it really diminished our camping experience, but that is not the fault of the campground. Be aware that this campground (Aspen) is not directly on a river but is nearby within walking distance of a river. Checkout time was at 2 p.m. which was nice to have that extra time in the morning to get your campsite broken down.
I will give this place 5 stars all the way! It was amazing here. My wife, son, and myself stayed at spot 6 in the aspen campground for 2 nights and it was beautiful. We ended up staying for 2 more nights at spot 8. This is a very clean campsite and the bathrooms were spotless. It was nice to see the camp host’s Cleaning every site and bathroom daily.
