Can you reserve a site at Alvarado Campground?

Yes, Alvarado Campground is reservable through Recreation.gov.

How many campsites does Alvarado Campground have?

51 sites in total, of which 50 can be booked.

What is the maximum RV length at Alvarado Campground?

45 ft. That is the longest vehicle the sites here are recorded as taking; individual sites may be shorter.

Are pets allowed at Alvarado Campground?

Yes, pets are allowed at Alvarado Campground.

Are campfires allowed at Alvarado Campground?

Campfires are allowed at Alvarado Campground. Check for a current fire restriction before you go.

Alvarado Campground, Colorado — 50 sites, fees and cancellation alerts

Overview

Alvarado Campground, located at an elevation of 9,000 ft., is a prime location for accessing easy to challenging hikes in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. The variety of trails lead to high elevation lakes, picturesque waterfalls, and a number of stunning scenic overlooks. Alvarado is designed for a range of campers, with facilities for tent, RV and equestrian campers.

Pike-San Isabel National Forests include over a million acres of wilderness and over half of Colorado's mountain peaks that reach above 14,000 feet.

Recreation

Near the campground are several trailheads that provide visitors with a variety of recreational opportunities. All trails are open for horseback riding and hiking. The Rainbow Trail is a premier ATV and motorcycle trail. The non-motorized Comanche and Venable Trails lead into the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness where waterfalls and alpine lakes may be enjoyed.

Facilities

Alvarado is divided into three unique areas. The lower level accommodates tents and RVs, the upper level is designed for walk-in tent campers, and part of the middle section caters to equestrian campers. There are no corrals but there is space to put portable corrals for horses.

Parking aprons are dirt and gravel. Tent pads and lantern posts are located in the lower campsites only.

Natural Features

Alvarado is perched on the side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains among sweet smelling ponderosa pine, aspen, lodgepole and gambel oak trees. Some sites offer views of the Wet Mountain Valley below while others sit beside Alvarado Creek. The campground is within reach of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, which spans 226,455 acres with 60 alpine lakes, 400 miles of streams and over 400 miles of trails to explore. Large aspen stands visible in the area today are a result of fires set in the early 1900's to clear pasture land, expose minerals and produce charcoal.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (719) 489-2034.

Nearby Attractions

Explore the Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway that takes drivers through the Wet Mountains and provides spectacular views of 22 peaks, all within the San Isabel National Forest.

Charges & Cancellations

Cancellations

Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.

A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite.

Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee.

No-Shows

A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date.

No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite.

Refunds

Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended.

Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay.

For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive.

In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.

The facts

50 bookable sites
51 sites in total, including non-bookable
Vehicles up to 45 ft
Up to 10 people per site
Loops: ALVARADO

Site types

41 Standard Nonelectric
5 Walk To
3 Equestrian Nonelectric
1 Management
1 RV Nonelectric

Amenities

Campfires allowed
Picnic tables
Grills
Shade
Pets allowed
Water hookups — not available
Sewer hookups — not available

Not recorded upstream: electric hookups, fire pits.

Book on Recreation.gov

51 campsites at Alvarado Campground

Check-in 2:00 PM · Check-out 12:00 PM

Site	Loop	Type	Entry	Surface	Max rig	People
01	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	40 ft	8	🐾
02	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	27 ft	8	🐾
03	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	45 ft	8	🐾
04	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	32 ft	8	🐾
05	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	36 ft	8	🐾
06	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	35 ft	8	🐾
07	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	35 ft	8	🐾
08	ALVARADO	Management	Back In	Gravel	35 ft	8	🐾
09	ALVARADO	Rv Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	40 ft	8	🐾
10	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	20 ft	8	🐾
11	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	22 ft	8	🐾
12	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	18 ft	8	🐾
13	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	18 ft	8	🐾
14	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	35 ft	8	🐾
15	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	30 ft	10	🐾
16	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	24 ft	8	🐾
17	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	30 ft	8	🐾
18	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Pull Through	Gravel	40 ft	8	🐾
19	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	40 ft	8	🐾
20	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	40 ft	8	🐾
21	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	40 ft	10	🐾
22	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	40 ft	8	🐾
23	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	40 ft	10	🐾
24	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	32 ft	8	🐾
25	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	32 ft	8	🐾
26	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	20 ft	8	🐾
27	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	22 ft	8	🐾
28	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	30 ft	8	🐾
29	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	40 ft	8	🐾
30	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	25 ft	8	🐾
31	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	38 ft	8	🐾
32	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	30 ft	8	🐾
33	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	20 ft	8	🐾
34	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	24 ft	8	🐾
35	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	25 ft	8	🐾
36	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	27 ft	8	🐾
37	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	26 ft	8	🐾
38	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	25 ft	8	🐾
39	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	18 ft	8	🐾
40	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	25 ft	8	🐾
41	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	24 ft	8	🐾
42	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Pull Through	Gravel	30 ft	8	🐾
43	ALVARADO	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	24 ft	8	🐾
44	ALVARADO	Walk To	—	Gravel	—	8	🐾
45	ALVARADO	Walk To	—	Gravel	—	8	🐾
46	ALVARADO	Walk To	—	Gravel	—	8	🐾
47	ALVARADO	Walk To	—	Gravel	—	8	🐾
48	ALVARADO	Walk To	—	Gravel	—	8	🐾
E1	ALVARADO	Equestrian Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	45 ft	8	🐾
E2	ALVARADO	Equestrian Nonelectric	Pull Through	Gravel	45 ft	8	🐾
E3	ALVARADO	Equestrian Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	45 ft	8	🐾

Getting there

From Westcliffe, CO, take State Route 69 south 3 miles to the campground sign (County Road 140). Turn right and go 1.8 miles to the stop sign. Continue straight through the stop sign for 2.8 miles until you hit another stop sign (RD 141). Turn left onto RD 141 and continue 2.1 miles to campground. (Note: RD 141 becomes dirt/gravel after 0.4 miles.)

38.07889, -105.56333 · 38°4'44.0"N 105°33'48.0"W

Directions (Google Maps) · Directions (Apple Maps)

Typical weather

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High °F	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Low °F	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Precip in	1.1	1.7	2.1	2.9	1.7	1.2	2.8	2.7	1.4	1.8	1.0	1.0

1991–2020 averages from the nearest NOAA station, 2.9 mi away — not measured at the facility itself, and elevation can make a real difference over that distance.

Map

Fees and stay limits

Extra Vehicle $8.00

From Recreation.gov, which is not always current. The operator's own page is the authority on what you will be charged.

Common questions about Alvarado Campground

Can you reserve a site at Alvarado Campground?: Yes, Alvarado Campground is reservable through Recreation.gov.
How many campsites does Alvarado Campground have?: 51 sites in total, of which 50 can be booked.
What is the maximum RV length at Alvarado Campground?: 45 ft. That is the longest vehicle the sites here are recorded as taking; individual sites may be shorter.
Are pets allowed at Alvarado Campground?: Yes, pets are allowed at Alvarado Campground.
Does Alvarado Campground have hookups?: No hookups are recorded here.
Are campfires allowed at Alvarado Campground?: Campfires are allowed at Alvarado Campground. Check for a current fire restriction before you go.

Also listed by

Alvarado Campground also appears in other federal recreation data. Facts below are matched by name and location, not confirmed by Alvarado Campground's operator.

USDA Forest Service — data as of Aug 24, 2026

$30.00 per site fee for overnight camping. Two vehicles per site. Additional $10.00 fee for extra vehicles. $10.00 day-use fees charged if not registered in campgrounds. Fees are payable by cash, check or money order. Self-servicing fee tube is available. First-come, first-served sites must be occup

Restrictions:

Maximum 8 persons per site: 2 tents and 2 vehicles or 1 recreation vehicle.
Dogs must be leashed at all times.
No discharge of firearms or fireworks.
Only licensed vehicles can operate inside campground.
Camping is not allowed behind a locked gate.

USDA Forest Service's own page

Camping near Alvarado Campground

Lake Creek (Co) 13.8 mi · Campground · we watch it
Duncan Cabin 14.4 mi · Campground · we watch it
Hayden Creek 22.4 mi · Campground · we watch it
Pinon Flats Campground 23.3 mi · Campground · we watch it
Mingus Ranch 24.7 mi · Campground · we watch it
Ophir Creek Campground (CO) 25 mi · Campground · we watch it
North Crestone Creek Campground 7.1 mi · Campground
South Colony Basin 7.7 mi · Facility
Stone Cellar Guard Station Cabin 14.4 mi · Campground
Medano Pass Primitive Road Campsites 19.4 mi · Campground
Coaldale Campground 22 mi · Campground
Entrance Station 24.6 mi · Visitor Center

Contact

Recreation.gov last updated this record on 2026-02-25.

Alvarado Campground