$5 - $15 / night

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Nature

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Camping

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Activities

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People

Established Camping

Kite Lake

13 Reviews

About

National Forest

Kite Lake Campground is located 5.5 miles NW of Alma on CR 8. It has five campsites and none are recommended for trailers; camping season begins in May and continues until the road is snowed in. The camping fee is $12.00 per night with a $3.00 day-use parking fee. Facilities include fire ring, tables, and outhouse toilets, but there is no water and no trash service at this campground. Campsites at Kite Lake are first-come, first-serve.

Reservation Info

Camping season begins in May and continues until the road is snowed in.

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Location

Kite Lake is located in Colorado

Directions

From Fairplay travel North on Highway 9 to the town of Alma. Turn right onto Buckskin Gulch Road and travel 8 miles to the campground. This is a high clearance route please exercise caution. Accessibility: This site is heavily affected by seasonal weather. County Road 8 can be difficult to travel during the winter months. Please call the South Park Ranger District for current conditions.

Coordinates

39.13907858 N
106.12384375 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

$5 - $15

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Toby B.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 24, 2022

Beautiful area

Beautiful area. All sites at the official campground are walk in. I camped in my RTT up the road in a pull out.

Month of VisitAugust

(10) View All

Rene E.

Traveler

Reviewed Jan. 13, 2021

Amazing views

Stayed here back in June and it was incredible. Was easy to get up there in my Subaru but I could see it being a bit difficult if you were in a 2WD vehicle. Campsites were clean and had incredible views. There wasn’t a lot of people there but everyone was very spread out. It was also extremely quite. I believe it was $15 for an overnight campsite and $5 for day use. I HIGHLY recommend Kite Lake. Will definitely be back!

(4) View All

Aaron H.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 2, 2020

Beautiful campgrounds at the base of MT. Democrat

Beautiful campgrounds at the base of MT. Democrat/Cameron. Unfortunately there are only five official camping sites so get there early to claim. This campsite is perfect for hikers attempting the decalibron.

Month of VisitJuly

Mike S.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 18, 2020

Pretty views but not many spots

This was a pretty cool campground in a good location, but there are only 5 official spots; the rest are dispersed camping along Highway 8, but there are several available. I wasn't able to get one of the official spots but had to find a dispersed spot, but I actually like that better anyway because it got you farther away from other people. Overall a pretty good location, especially if you plan on hiking a couple 14res.

Hayley K.

Legend

Reviewed Sep. 24, 2019

Great basecamp for Hikers

We stayed here as a basecamp with a large group in order to hike the Decalibron loop early in the morning. It was a great spot for us to start our journey as it meant we didn't need to get up early to drive 1.5 hours to the start and we could acclimatize a little faster.

The sites were rocky but spacious enough to hold a tent or two and they were pretty spaced out to compensate for lack of trees and shrubs at high altitude for privacy.

The bathrooms get pretty rough after the morning hiking rush but James, (and his dog Indy) from the town of Alma, were there during the middle of the day to clean and refresh them so when you descended, they were ready and waiting.

The parking lot never stops, there is a constant flow of cars coming in and out at all hours. The road to get there isn't the smoothest, so I would advise you to have a high clearance car to get all the way there or plan on adding a little time to hike up the road.

There are many trails you can hike out from the camp, so it is a great spot to get away if you like a little adventure!

PS It is also right up the road from the previously named "Sweet Home Mine" where the Alma King was discovered. The mine is not still operational but there has been a new mine started above it named "Detroit City".

Month of VisitOctober

(12) View All

Samuel B.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 12, 2019

Everything a primitive camper needs

2-WD may have trouble accessing the parking lot but should be able to get pretty close. Their is a $3 day use fee and a $12 overnight fee. The campground has an outhouse which is nice but otherwise it is very simple and spread out with beautiful views of Kite Lake, Mt. Bross, Mt. Cameron, and Mt. Democrat. You are able to hike right next to the trail head and the parking lot is nearby as well. Nice place, quiet and serene, perfect for tackling the fourteeners or a serene excursion into solitude, plenty to explore here.

Month of VisitAugust

Anthony P.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 23, 2018

Exposed and Scenic

most reasons to head out to the kite lake area are to try and summit 4 fourteeners in one day. Mt. Democrat, Mt. Lincoln, Mt Cameron, and Mt. Bross. We were there to do just that, while we only were able to summit one due to the conditions we still had a great time.

The campsite itself is pretty modest, there are only a few designated spots but plenty of area for extra tents. We went in Late September and there were only 3 other people camping. The temps got way down into the low teens that night so it was a chilly one. The campsite sits at over 12,000 ft so right away the temps will be much colder than other places. Also if you are not from the area or visiting from out of state, remember that you are staying at 12,000 ft and the altitude will effect you much more. Each spot had a metal fire ring and a picnic table. 2 vault toilets were located in the parking lot area and we saw people there that night up keeping them (which is always nice to see)

There is a fee to use this campground, $12 per night or $3 per day use. Envelopes and a drop box are located near the information sign. The road to get out here was pretty rough, 5.5 miles of ruts and bumps. I would stick to a decently high clearance car, 4 wheel drive if the weather is bad.

Note- There is no drinking water out here, so if you are heading up to go for a big hike or just want to spend the night at 12,000 ft you must bring it all in. Oh yea and Kite Lake itself, incredibly scenic and there are tons of trout in there. Bring a rod and spend some time fishing.

Month of VisitOctober

(7) View All

Christina A.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 18, 2018

Great views of 3 14ers with good fishing

At the base of three different 14ers, camping along the road by the river if you can’t stay at the lake. This site has a fee, toilet, no water on site, but there is water from lake a river. Good fishing along the river and great for doing the 14ers then coming back to camp

no great for sedans after about a mile from trailhead parking lot.

Month of VisitMay

Madeline H.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 13, 2018

What a View

You'll take a road out of Alma, travel for about 6 miles on a pretty rough road. High clearance vehicle definitely won't hurt. Did see a Porsche, but they did not drive all the way to the end. People drive up to camp and to park to hike the Quad. We drove up and set up camp Saturday, lot was super packed. and campsites were already taken. Fee is $12, but I believe that is only for designated spots. I've heard there is only 4 sites for the area, but there were more than 4 groups set up. So sites itself are not clearly marked and identifiable.

We ended up crossing the stream and setting up camp there. So prepare to be able to walk your stuff out if the sites by the parking lot fill up quickly.

Hiked the Quad on Sunday, and not nearly as much traffic/cars compared to Sunday.

No water on site, 1 bathroom (1male, 1female). Next to a lake, above treeline so prepare for wind!!!

Would stay here just to camp, the sky was awesome at night and the mountain views around were epic.

Month of VisitJuly

Clint P.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 17, 2017

Kite Lake w/DeCaLiBron climb at dawn.

Outstanding campsite. Plenty of fire rings. The absolute cleanest trailhead/campground bathroom ever. Adequate parking. Good camping community there overnight. Gets a bit windy. Gorgeous views.

Month of VisitOctober

Dave W.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 24, 2017

Basecamp for DeCaLiBro

Stunningly beautiful setting right at the base of Colorado 14ers Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross. There are a handful of dispersed sites available along the 4x4 road leading up to the Kite Lake Campground in addition to those in the campground. There is a lot of early morning traffic from people coming to hike DeCaLiBro so don't plan on sleeping in but you'll want to get up early anyways to see the sunrise over the mountains. I visited in mid-June 2017 and the 4x4 road was in excellent shape until the final 100 yards before Kite Lake. I couldn't make it to the parking lot with my Subaru Outback. Vehicles with higher clearance made it.

Month of VisitJuly

(5) View All

Tommie J.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 27, 2016

Great way to see the sunrise from one of the nearby 14ers!

So often you have to drive quite a ways to get to 14er trail heads that a late start is inevitable. By taking advantage of camping right at the base of Mt Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross, you can get a very early start. Gives you a chance at being at the peak at sunrise!

The campground is run on the honor system. Drop some money in the box and find a place to set up camp. Vault bathroom in the area but no water besides the lake. You are at 12K ft so it is chilly year round.

Nice and secluded at night but gets busy come morning. The last 2 miles of road to get to the site requires a 4x4 or very high clearance 2WD. Even with clearance, you have to really maneuver around the washed out road.

Overall a neat place to spend the night!

Logan S.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 14, 2016

Kite Lake camping

The location of the campsite is great. Access to three 14ers, although Mt bross is privately owned and you can be fined for hiking up it. The 6 mile road up to kite lake is dirt and high clearance 4wd is recommended for some sketchy sections. The area is popular with dirt bike and 4 wheeler enthusiasts. It can get a bit noisy at night if you are a person who turns in early to get up for a big summit day. One way to avoid paying 12 dollars for a traditional campsite is to sleep in your vehicle and only pay the 3 dollars per day.