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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

Kelsey Campground

Forest Service campground in Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, Jefferson County, Colorado. 21.2 miles from Larkspur.

Reserve on Recreation.gov
Managed by
Forest Service Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands
Sites
17 15 standard non-electric, 2 tent only non-electric
Longest rig
60 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Jefferson County

Overview

Kelsey is one of two campgrounds within the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area, about an hour's drive southwest of Denver, Colorado. Visitors enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities, including hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and trout fishing.

Recreation

The Buffalo Creek Recreation Area is home to a 40-mile trail system most popular with mountain bikers, but hikers and horseback riders enjoy the area as well. Several trailheads are within the area, including Little Scraggy Trail, just 3 miles north of the campground. Access to the Colorado Trail and the Buffalo Burn Trail begin from this trailhead. Shinglemill Trail is also nearby.

Buffalo Creek is a popular fishing stream for brook trout. The area offers great wildlife viewing opportunities for turkey, elk, mule deer, chipmunks and porcupines.

Facilities

The campground offers single-family sites, some of which are designated for tent camping only. Each site is equipped with picnic tables and campfire rings with grills. Vault toilets are provided. Drinking water is available from a hand pump, but hookups are not available.

Kelsey Campground has 17 single-family campsites at an elevation of 7,400 feet in Pike National Forest.

Campsites can accommodate tents, trailers and RVs. Each site has a parking spur (up to 30 feet), table fire ring and grill. You can have up to 8 people and 2 vehicles per site.

Campground amenities include drinking water, vault toilets and trash collection. Firewood is also available to purchase from the camp host. Cell service is poor in the area.

Natural Features

The campground sits at an elevation of 7,400 feet in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Summer temperatures are mild and range from 75-80 during the day to 55-65 at night.

The Kelsey Overlook is just north of the campground along County Road 126, offering beautiful views of the valley below.

Nearby Attractions

The drive along County Road 126 southwest from Pine Junction affords magnificent views of the valleys below. Pikes Peak, at 14,110 feet, can be seen in the distance and other prominent rock formations present themselves throughout the scenic drive.

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

What people do here

  • biking
  • camping
  • climbing
  • hiking
  • wildlife viewing

The land around Kelsey 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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