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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

Spillway Campground

Forest Service campground in Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, Park County, Colorado. 8,465 feet. 18.8 miles from Cripple Creek.

Reserve on Recreation.gov
Managed by
Forest Service Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands
Elevation
8,465 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
22 13 tent only non-electric, 9 standard non-electric
Longest rig
35 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Park County

Overview

Spillway Campground is perched along the South Platte River near the base of the dam of Eleven Mile Reservoir. Adventurists and families alike will find things to do here. Birding is excellent, as is hiking. Rock climbers enjoy the solid rocky cliffs of the canyon and fly fishermen find abundant catches in the river.

Recreation

Hike the Overlook Trail for breathtaking views of Eleven Mile Canyon and Reservoir. Occasionally, Golden Eagles can be viewed nesting in the nearby granite cliffs and crags. Springtime brings higher chances of spotting Bald Eagles.

Visitors enjoy fishing by shore or canoe. Rainbow and brown trout, kokanee salmon and pike are among the species anglers are likely to find.

Facilities

Spillway Campground offers about 23 reservable campsites. Parking aprons are gravel and can fit a maximum trailer length of 25 feet. Amenities include vault toilets, picnic tables, hand pump for drinking water, and campfire rings.

Natural Features

The campground, at altitude 8,500 feet, is located at the edge of Eleven Mile Canyon, furthest from the canyon entrance. Some campsites are shaded by scattered spruce and ponderosa pine.

Spillway is the closest campground to the Eleven Mile Reservoir, which spans 3,405 surface acres and 5 miles in length. Eleven Mile Canyon was cut by the South Platte River and is bordered by polished gray granite cliffs.

Nearby Attractions

Visitors enjoy 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.

What people do here

  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • rock climbing

The land around Spillway 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.

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 June 17, 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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