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Cold Springs Campground is located on the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest, north of Blackhawk on the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway/Highway 119, in north central Colorado. Visitors enjoy the area for its scenic and off-road driving, and nearby hiking and fishing opportunities.
The surrounding area has many great hiking trails. There is an easy hiking trail out of the campground for families with small children. In addition, the short, but steep Vista Trail climbs just a quarter-mile but rewards hikers with spectacular views of the vast Mount Evans Wilderness Area and valley below.
Scenic driving is available along Highways 119 and 72, known as the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway. Numerous creeks, rivers and lakes in the area provide fishing opportunities. Off-road enthusiasts will find many jeep roads in the vicinity.
There are 38 sites in the campground. Sites 1 through 5 are pull-over's with wooden retaining walls. You climb several steps to reach the picnic tables, fire rings and tent pads. These sites are not suitable for RVs with slide-outs. Sites 9 & 11 are pull-over's which also will not accommodate large RVs or slide-outs.
Each site has a picnic table and fire ring or grate. The maximum vehicle length that can be accommodated is 40 feet. Most sites are shaded and the interior roads are gravel. Water hydrants, tent pads, vault toilets and trash service are provided. There is a playground for small children.
The campground is located in a mountainside aspen and lodgepole pine forest, at an elevation of 9,200 feet.
The historic mining town of Central City is nearby. Popular events held in the town include Lou Bunch Day and the Central City Opera and Jazz festivals.
Golden Gate Canyon State Park is just seven miles away. The scenic park offers over 35 miles of hiking trails. Mountain biking and horseback riding are allowed on some trails. Every stream and pond in the park is open to fishing.
From Interstate 25 in Denver, go west on 6th Avenue to State Highway 6, through Clear Creek Canyon. Turn onto State Highway 119, heading toward Black Hawk and Central City. Follow the highway approx. 5 miles north of Black Hawk, to the campground.
We liked campground. Spots are spread out. Clean bathroom. Nice hosts. There are few small trails from camp. Only thing we don't like- a bit noisy from the main road. And great playground makes kids happy. Drinking water, no electricity.
Good campground overall. Site 24 was a great, shaded site for our trailer except for close proximity to vault toilets made for consistent odor into the site - it is what it is. Really cool hiking trail to beautiful view. Camp host loaned us jumper cables for dead battery on our truck! Site was clean and ready upon arrival. Vault toilets very clean. Noise level was quiet, was afraid we were too loud! Kids loved climbing and playing around the boulders behind site 24. Had a young moose (cow) walk right behind our site, couldn’t believe how close she was! Water was off during our stay, but was aware before we arrived.
Close location to Black Hawk is cool, but not much in the way of restaurants that we found, mainly the casinos. Not sure you could get a massive trailer in the sites, but we’re a few decent sized rigs.
It’s a good campground. Our experience that site 24 was great for us despite the random toilet odors. Were there early July, got warm during day for sure, but cooled off quite a bit at night.
My family enjoyed our camping experience here. While you can hear vehicles from the road occasionally, it wasn't so often as to be disturbing. The campground and facilities were kept clean. The campground manager was easy to contact and was very helpful. He made numerous trips around the campground each day. I was also happy to find that a gas station/grocery store (Base Camp at Golden Gate Canyon) was only 2 minutes away. There is a beautiful Vista only a short, albeit steep hike, away. I would definitely recommend it to others.
This place is a wonderful campground! Most campsites offer plenty of personal space, the bear boxes come with plenty of space for all of your food, and there's an awesome short hiking trail to get to a vista point nearby. It is near the highway, but I didn't mind the noise too much, especially during the night with very little traffic. There are no facilities other than pit toilets, but they are very clean!
Loved it here. Campsites are spaced out enough and clean. Bathrooms only smelled bad for one day but otherwise were very well kept. Close to Denver but far enough to feel far off! Did have a momma moose and her two babies walk maybe 10ft from our campsite!
