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A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Forest Service campground

Haviland Lake Campground

Forest Service campground in San Juan National Forest, La Plata County, Colorado. 16.3 miles from Rico.

Reserve on Recreation.gov
Managed by
Forest Service San Juan National Forest
Sites
41 24 standard non-electric, 17 standard electric
Longest rig
48 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
Electric
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
La Plata County

Overview

Haviland Lake Campground is situated on its beautiful namesake within the San Juan National Forest, 18 miles north of Durango. Visitors enjoy the area for its canoeing, fishing and hiking opportunities in a scenic, natural setting. The popular campground is beautiful any time of the year.

Recreation

Haviland Lake is an 80-acre, no-wake lake with excellent boating, canoeing and fishing opportunities. An accessible fishing dock is located on the lakeshore. Anglers cast for rainbow and brown trout. A Colorado Division of Wildlife fishing license is required to fish.

Several trailheads are in the vicinity. The Forebay Lake Trail begins in the campground and leads to small Forebay Lake, just over a mile east of the campground.

The historic Rico-to-Rockwood Wagon Road passes through Haviland and Chris Park. Built in the late 1800s, the road was used for six years until the railway opened.

Facilities

The campground offers single- and double-family sites, many of which have electric hookups. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are accessible vault toilets and drinking water.

Natural Features

The campground is situated on the shore of Haviland Lake, among shady, towering ponderosa pines, at an elevation of 8,705 feet. Many sites have lake views and easy shoreline access. Campers are awarded spectacular views of the Hermosa Cliffs across the lake.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • horseback riding

The land around Haviland Lake Campground

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in. The federal record’s point for it sits at a very different height from the one the agency describes, so the pin may be off: trust the directions above over the map.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • 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

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Nearest campgrounds

Camping near

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.

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