Overview
Blue Mountain Campground sits between Eleven Mile Canyon with the South Platte River to the north and the peak of Blue Mountain to the south, creating an impressive location for recreation and diverse scenery. The campground is primitive and quiet, creating a peaceful outdoor experience for guests.
Hiking, biking, rock climbing in the canyon and trout fishing in the river are popular pastimes.
Recreation
Hard Rock Interpretive Trail, accessible from the campground, is a 1-mile self-guided interpretive trail that leads to an impressive overlook of Eleven Mile Canyon. The trail explores the diverse life of the region and offers a chance to see plenty of wildlife and take photos of the sweeping views. Rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout can be caught from the South Platte River. Benches and Picnic Areas along the river allow anglers to relax in comfort waiting for a fish to bite.
Facilities
Blue Mountain offers more than 20 reservable campsites. Parking aprons are dirt and gravel and there are two vault toilets. Drinking water from a water pump. Each site comes with a picnic table, camp fire ring, and enough space to park two vehicles.
Natural Features
The campground, at 8,200 feet, sits on a hill a half-mile from the South Platte River. Campsites are nicely spaced on a single loop among scattered ponderosa pine. 3,405-acre Eleven Mile Reservoir feeds into the South Platte River that carves through the Eleven Mile Canyon.
Nearby Attractions
Visit the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. Petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide and thousands of detailed fossils of insects and plants reveal the story of a very different, prehistoric Colorado.
The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
US Forest Service (USFS)
National Park Service (NPS)
US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
Department Of Defense (DOD)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Other Federal
State
Local
Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
Alaska Native Allotment
Road
Primitive Road
Road
Primitive Road
Trail
Roads open to all Vehicles, Yearlong
Roads open to all Vehicles, Seasonal
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlong
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Seasonal
Special Designation, Yearlong
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails open to all vehicles, Yearlong
Trails open to all vehicles, Seasonal
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Yearlong
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Seasonal
Trails open to motorcycles, Yearlong
Trails open to motorcycles, Seasonal
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" in Width, Yearlong
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" or Less in Width, Seasonal
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Study Area