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Picturesque White Star Campground lies at the foot of Mt. Elbert, Colorado's highest peak, among fragrant ponderosa pines. The campground provides convenient access to Twin Lakes Reservoir for plenty of water recreation opportunities. It also works as a base camp for hikers and mountain bikers who love to explore nearby trails such the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and the Mount Elbert Trail. Recreation The Continental Divide Trail, which runs from Canada to Mexico, passes by the White Star Campground. The hiking trail is open to mountain bikes in the section from Halfmoon Road South to Twin Lakes. About 300 miles of the trail is within Colorado's borders. Twin Lakes are Colorado's largest natural glacial lakes, and sailing and water skiing are among the popular activities there. Fishing includes lake, rainbow and Mackinaw trout. Facilities White Star Campground is comprised of three loops. Sage Loop has limited shade, and Ridge and Valley Loops have a somewhat greater density of ponderosa pine and spruce trees. Drinking water is available through a pressurized water system and vault toilets are located throughout the campground. A boat ramp, parking, and angler fishing areas are located just down the road from the campground. Firewood is for sale at the camp host site. Natural Features The campground, at an elevation of 9,200 feet, sits on the north side of the Twin Lakes Reservoir near the base of Mount Elbert. The Twin Lakes Reservoir spans 2,805 acres and Mount Elbert stands tall at 14,433 feet. Nearby is the Mount Massive Wilderness area, a stretch of 30,540 acres that encompass Mount Massive, Colorado's second highest peak at 14,421 feet. Much of the wilderness is above timberline with many alpine plant communities and permanent snowfields. Nearby Attractions Drive on the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway to Independence Pass, one of the highest paved passes in Colorado. Or continue over the pass for a day trip to the town of Aspen, a well-known ski resort town. ADA Access: N
From Leadville, travel 15 miles south on Highway 24 to Highway 82. Turn right and go west 5.5 miles on Highway 82, turn left into the White Star Campground.
Extra Vehicle Fee $8.00
This campground is so beautiful & definitely worth checking out! Campsites are spacious & spread out well, so you don’t feel too close to your neighbors. This campground is a short drive from Independence Pass, which takes you from Twin Lakes into Aspen. If you go during a time when this road is open (closed for winter), I would definitely recommend driving it & seeing some of the trails off that road.
Campgrounds in this district have been sub-par for several years for a number of reasons. First, They cannot seem to provide potable water for most of their "developed" campgrounds going on several years now. Second, the are is overrun with "dispersed camping" with people popping up their tents every 20 to 50 yards and just making the experience pitiful for those recreationists who planned ahead and reserved a site. Third, many places, the sites are crowded with OHVs and other equipment that exceed the vehicle limits and make the place look like a scrap yard. We have reserved for this season but no mention 6 months out that water, again, will not be available at White Star. But, now, three months out, the notification is clearly posted. How about the Dept. Of Agriculture maintain their properties and enforce the rules. Rant over.
Highly recommend this place. I am hiking the Colorado Trail. I was out of water and exhausted after hiking 21 miles. The camp host was my trail Angel. He gave me 3 liters of water, offered to take me to town to get food and told me to get any campsite I wanted, he said, since it was late, no one else would use them.
The lakes are very beautiful, and the mountains surrounding the area are even more so. The bathrooms were pretty clean. The campsites were excellent. This is a really great place to go. I would highly recommend it. The only slight inconvenience was that there was no running water. But apart from that, it was a great experience and I hope to go back again.
Great location with really quiet campgrounds. No running water was a huge bummer and a pretty big inconvenience but we understand it was just temporary. There wasn’t a great spot for our tent, except in the driveway area, but it was difficult to put our posts into it. Also didn’t have a view of the lake from our campsite, but we could walk five minutes for a beautiful view.
