Gunnison National Forest Lake Irwin Campground

Beautiful day hiking and swimming.

Just a short drive from downtown CB, lake Irwin is absolutely gorgeous. Situated on the lake with stunning mountain views in every direction. Zero cell service means you can focus on pretty much any outdoor activity you can think of. Lake access for kayaks, SUP, swimming, some good fishing spots and tons of trails walking distance from the campground. Highly recommend the scarp ridge trail for anyone looking for a breathtakingly beautiful hike.

It was great. Don’t come here and change that.

We had such a great time here. Easy to find first come first served space on a Tuesday. Each spot has a fire pit with grill grate and picnic table with plenty of space for tent(s). My dog loved swimming in the lake and we loved paddle boarding. Vault toilets in decent shape. Would definitely come back. Overall beautiful scenery and a quick drive into crested butte

We utilized the dispersed camping nearby for close proximity to hike the Red Lady trail (Mt Emmons). The views of the lake and mountains were spectacular.

This review is for the dispersed camping just beyond the campsite. The campsite is small but right along the beautiful lake. But it was all filled up by the time we got there. We moved another mile or two up the road and had some beautiful dispersed camping. In these COVID days, Colorado is overrun with campers but this was still very nice and quiet. Note to those who are new to camping/Colorado…don't drive out onto the tundra. Not cool. Plenty of places to camp without damaging the tundra along the two splintering roads, each of which terminate not too far from the lake. The lake is gorgeous and filled with trout. Also great for paddle boards and other small non motorized boats. This lake definitely gets busy after 10am. The road up can be a little rough, but you can get a decent sized camper or small trailer up.

Leave no trace.

Lake Irwin is a high alpine lake on the eastern slope of the Ruby Range in Gunnison County. Hiking trails, waterfalls, fishing, camping, non-motorized watercraft, and large meadows of wildflowers are just a few of the reasons why Lake Irwin should be on your Colorado bucket list. Kebler Pass, home of one of the largest aspen groves in the United States, is less than 5 miles away and a top destination for those seeking the changing colors of fall. A 2nd waterfall along the hiking trail below the spillway A 2ND WATERFALL ALONG THE HIKING TRAIL BELOW THE SPILLWAY The Lake Irwin Campground entrance can be found near the west end of the 65-acre lake. During our stay, the campsites with a lake view were all occupied, so we set up camp near the edge a small pond at site#12. The breathtaking view of the Grand Dike, Ruby Peak, & Mt Owen made us quickly forget about missing out on the view of the lake. Lake Irwin Storm Clouds Once camp was set up, we decided to check out the waterfalls& wildflowers. Two waterfalls can be reached from an unmarked trail near the spillway. Look for a parking area big enough for 3-4 cars on the west side of the creek that is formed by runoff from the spillway. After following the hiking trail along the creek for about 5 minutes we reached the first waterfall. We spent a few minutes enjoying the view and taking pictures, then continued down the trail, stopping to admire a few wildflowers along the way. Soon we arrived at a larger and more impressive second waterfall. Following the trail, further downhill led to a large meadow of wildflowers. There was a nice variety of yellows, blues,& purples along with an occasional red fairy trumpet mixed in. After climbing back up the hill, we sat down by the lake to rest and to watch the stand-up paddleboards, kayaks,& canoes floating on the lake. Back at camp, we cooked our dinner over the campfire and watched deer move down from higher elevations to the pond. Eventually, the deer made their way past our camp and continued through the campground. It looked like the beginning of a perfect evening. After dinner, we baked mini pies in the campfire and began to notice low clouds moving in as we sat down to eat the pies. We could hear the wind howling across the Ruby Range while it was still calm at the campsite. 30 seconds later the wind would reach us. The weather repeated this cycle for the next 15 minutes. It would get calm, then we would hear the howling wind, followed by a strong gust of wind in camp again. As native Kansans, who rush outside every time a tornado siren goes off instead of seeking shelter, we normally don't get scared of the weather until trees are being uprooted and BBQ grills are flying. (True story for another day) This eerie experience at Lake Irwin definitely ranks up with the tornado sightings in our list of most memorable weather events. Due to the lack of cell service, we couldn’t check the weather radar and hoped it would be a quick summer storm. We headed for the tent as darkness arrived and rain began to fall. Leaking tent seams, combined with 4 hours of thunder, lightning, wind, and rain had us re-considering our decision to camp. Thanks to an air mattress, only half of our sleeping bags were soaked. I grabbed the spotlight a couple of times during the storm to make sure the pond was still 6 feet away from the tent. Luckily it was draining as quickly as the rain was coming down. Finally, the rain stopped and we were able to sleep. In the morning the sun came out, rewarding us with amazing views of the Ruby Range. As we were leaving the area, we learned that we had missed out on a third waterfall north of the campground. Looks like we have another reason to go back and explore some more.

The road is a bit rough leading up to the campground, but not a problem if you’re in anything other than a sedan. Beautiful location. Put toilets are okay, I’ve seen worse.

We stayed in the free campsites for 2 nights and this was the most amazing spot! (14 day max)

We had paddle boards for the lake! We walked the dog on a trail all the way around. Amazing mountains everywhere!

We never wanted to leave!

Great location still close to CB. The lake gets really busy with drive in traffic. The camp sites are pretty diverse accommodating different setups.

Best campground I have seen. Very hard to get, don't be picky. Bad toilets. The picture below is from a site on the back pond.

I hate to tell you this... because this is a favorite of ours.  We come here every year in the autumn.  We play on Kebler Pass, we have pizza at Stash in CB, and at night - the stars oh how the twinkle!  But you will pay a price for these autumn skies.  It is cold at Lake Irwin at night.  Bring a sweater and snuggle up!
The Camp Host is a delight.  So many sites that are good with peaks at the lake.  You are in the heart of the Rockies.  Wake up and pick a trail, or point towards a road.  It is bound to be beautiful!

Loved this campground. Quiet and clean and unforgettable sunsets over the lake. I highly recommend hiking up to Scarp Ridge. It's steep, but you get 360 degree views.

I love this campground. It is close enough to Crested Butte to head in for dinner or supplies, but far enough away not to feel like you’re in town. When we were there (July) the lake was crowded and the campground was full. I don’t know that I have seen that many SUP boarders in one place outside of Austin. I did see a few folks fishing but I can’t imagine they had much luck considering the amount of recreational activities happening. While the lake was full, the hiking trails were empty. The trail off the lower parking lot follows the creek down the mountain and had several nice waterfalls. I had spotty service at this site but it seemed like other campers had better luck. The sites were very nice. They are big, with lots of trees and space between sites.

one of our favorite campgrounds by Crested Butte. super close to lake. close to awesome hikes. not too far from town. you can fish, kayak, or paddle board on lake. great views of Ruby Range.

Amazing spot to spend the weekend with incredible views outside of our tent. Maybe 1/2mile walk maximum to the lake. Dyke Trailhead was right next to our tent. 13+ mile beautiful mountain biking/hiking trail. Definitely suggest going wildflower season. Get there early to make sure you have a spot though!!

Unimaginable how beautiful it is- however people had left camping chairs, and a full on raft( granted it was gross) at the camp sites... please pick up after your self. Bring fishing or a SUP. And hike scarp ridge.

We camped here for a couple nights and it was an amazing campground. Loved the clean sites, vault toilets, accepts reservations, spread out sites, proximity to Crested Butte and all the wildlife that visited the campground.