Big Creek Lakes Campground, Walden, CO

Big Creek Lakes Campground is located in the Parks Ranger District of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest (2 hrs 59 min west of Fort Collins, CO) with an elevation of 9,021 feet. There are a total of 25 campsites. The campground is normally open from the beginning of June to mid September. 24 sites can accommodate RVs between 20 and 50 feet. All sites are currently reservable. There is a fee of $10.00 per night.

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Campsite Reviews (61)

3.9 out of 5

5 star		43%
4 star		28%
3 star		11%
2 star		11%
1 star		7%

@KevinB3052996 · Camped on Aug 8, 2024 at Campsite #33

Nice secluded campground. Be prepared for the long dirt road to get to the campground. Some of the sites are very small. Bring your own water and firewood. Restrooms were stocked with TP and fairly clean. We fished for 3 days and got skunked suing lures and bait. Don't think there are any fish in that lake.

@NicusorIE6842F · Camped on Aug 1, 2024 at Campsite #45

veri nice places

@RobertS9225788 · Camped on Jul 31, 2024 at Campsite #51

The campsite was reasonably good, and the campground was quiet. My only issue is that the site was doubled booked! My reservation was from 7/31 to 8/8/24. On 8/3 I saw that it was reserved from 8/3 to 8/11. My name was never shown on the sign as the site was reserved. I went to the site of the Campground Host only to find that there was no Host. The lack of a means to rectify this problem is/was and issue because there is no cell or internet coverage at the site. Fortunately, the second party never showed up on 8/3. This snafu was very frustrating and diverted time from my enjoyment.

@RobertQ4FDB635 · Camped on Jul 7, 2024 at Campsite #6

Beautiful, remote spot. Lake is perfect for quiet paddling. Nice, easy trail at end of campground leads to a waterfall or much farther if you like. Campground is large, nicely spaced spots. No cell service. Now for the public service announcement segment of the review. Why is it that there is always at least one group in a campground that thinks the whole campground should hear their loud music? For hours on end? From 7/7-9 it was the men with their young sons in site 10. And after they left a walk by their spot revealed they used their fire ring as a garbage can. How is this still a thing? News flash: cans of Voodoo Ranger, water bottles, and corn cobs won't magically disappear in a fire ring. The most maddening thing is there was a dumpster about 50 feet away. Please people, have some respect for your fellow campers, both the ones while you're there and the ones who come after. And maybe you'll set a good example for your kids at the same time. BTW, I cleaned up your trash. You're welcome.

@AmyC3583814 · Camped on Jun 28, 2024 at Campsite #29

One of our family's favorite spots. Map online does need to be updated as there are more spaces than what is pictured online. Great fishing and hiking. Gravel road is in good order and easy to access. All in all its a great place to camp

@MichaelM541440 · Camped on Jun 23, 2024 at Campsite #51

Always a good time

@WillT2897521 · Camped on Jun 12, 2024 at Campsite #24

This is a very remote spot but once there it is a lovely place - so peaceful and dark at night. The lake is surely ideal for boating and fishing.

@RODNEYH5129590 · Camped on Jun 8, 2024 at Campsite #5

Quiet and accessible, BC Lakes CG is great for camping, hiking and fishing. Just bring lots of mosquito repellent. Gorgeous backcountry camping.Water pumps were not turned on. Bring your own water. Excellent biking.

@JamesM9879118 · Camped on Sep 14, 2023 at Campsite #53

Lovely campground but the road is absolutely ridiculous and not worth the drive in, especially when I got there to discover that someone had taken my spot because my reservation hadn't been posted on the marker. I had to drive around in the pitch dark to find another empty site so that I could just sleep for the night.

@JustinC9419299 · Camped on Sep 8, 2023 at Campsite #43

Pretty much 0 bugs and perfect weather, minus the wind one afternoon. We didnt see anyone at the camp host site and although the toilets were clean, the toilet paper was not restocked during our 3 day weekend trip. Overall would come back

@TomLS7176716 · Camped on Aug 18, 2023 at Campsite #14

Great place!!

@BritLF5D91AB77 · Camped on Aug 5, 2023 at Campsite #26

Big Creek Lake was peaceful and lovely. Not as picturesque as other Colorado campsites we've been to but the lake is nice and big and the amenities are there. One of the biggest positives is it is very quiet! There weren't a ton of people there and our group of 16 was able to find adjoining campsites and feel isolated. The fires really did get close to the lake and unfortunately some of the greenery is missing but the way the forest is growing back is truly lovely. Lots of wildflowers and photo opportunities. Also, there's a fun hike if you walk all the way to the end of the campground that goes to a lovely waterfall that was really raging in early August 2023. Also had a bit of an issue with water, which the Forest Service staff said would be quickly resolved, but make sure to check the site! Happy Camping!

@MerrittDF3DC9D · Camped on Jul 11, 2023 at Campsite #11

We stayed at Big Creek Lakes Campground July 11-13, 2023. The campground was around 1/3 full and very peaceful. The toilets nearest our campsite were relatively clean and supplied with toilet paper. The enjoyable Seven Lakes Trail was accessible from the campground. We enjoyed taking our kayak on the serene lake with mountains towering above it. Unfortunately we did not see any moose. Five stars for spectacular scenery, recreational opportunities, and toilet paper. Three stars for water not being turned on or a campground host, contrary to representations on the website, and poor signage making it a bit tricky to find our way around. Refer to this map for guidance: https://cdn.recreation.gov/webphotos/facilitymaps/70040_BIGL.pdf

@KirstenAEA85A2 · Camped on Jul 4, 2023 at Campsite #26

Cg was not tended to at all, except for USFS stocking TP; Thank you! Otherwise needed repairs and cleaning had not been done since early Fall of 2022:(. I do not camp for clean bathrooms but for the trails, water activities, etc. around so I did ok (despite weather and disarray of cg) yet still disappointed by lack of care for this cg;):(!! Unfortunate to say the least, esp close/around to 4th of July!!!

@JonathanH88369 · Camped on Jul 3, 2023 at Campsite #51

The location was nice and the sites were secluded however the weather was extremely unpredictable. Forecast as of Monday July 3rd when we left was sunny all week then multiple storms rolled in and capped off with a hail storm and 60+ mph wind Tuesday evening. Unfortunately the trip was cut short due to the wind ruining my tent but it was challenging to watch the forecast with zero cell phone service. So learn from my mistakes and bring an alternative mean to monitor the weather.

@StacyLCA6F38AA · Camped on Jul 1, 2023 at Campsite #3

There was no camp host available and the toilets had no toilet paper. The water spigots were capped off so no running water either. The lake was beautiful though.

@HeidiW3E457CEA · Camped on Jul 1, 2023 at Campsite #26

Very quiet campground, even just before July 4th! Well spaced campsites. Close to lake and some hiking trails.

@KennethR295800 · Camped on Jun 30, 2023 at Campsite #15

My family has been going to Big Creek for about 40 years, and I am sad to say that this last trip was, by far, the worse camping experience I've had. All the parks staff in Walden quit, and there was no camp host; all of this meant that the water points were not turned on (no water) and the bathroom stalls were out of toilet paper and filthy (My wife actually cleaned the stall closest to us because she couldn't handle the poop that was all over the toilet). In addition, the fishing was horrible (both from shore and from boat); which I believe is in direct response to mis-management of the addition of Tiger Musky. Don't get me wrong, it's still a beautiful location in Colorado, and all the extra precipitation we've had made things beautiful this year; we just weren't expecting to be boondocking the entire trip. There is a notice that the national forest service is considering a prince increase, to which I hope, can help them resolve these issues....and as stated before it's still a beautiful place, and I hope the camping site sees many more years of operation, albeit, in better condition.

@AlexB5ADA4E0C5 · Camped on Jun 24, 2023 at Campsite #5

Site #5 is nice and has direct access to the lake shoreline but is also far enough back from the water that the mosquitos were less in the site itself. Was disappointed that there was still not a camp host on site in mid-June, so no chance to buy firewood or ask advice on the area. The water spigots were also not installed yet. Glad I brought 7 gallons with me. Those were the only drawbacks though. This campground is so secluded and takes a lot of time to get back to which keeps most people away. To see a half empty campground in June in Colorado is really surprising and was delightfully peaceful. I've dayhiked to Seven Lakes in years past so decided to explore some the other trailheads on the East side of the Zirkel Wilderness. Still lots of snow once you get to about 10,000 feet. We carried micro spikes and also sandals and we were able to handle stream crossings and occasional large patches of snow. Highly recommend this campground for it's design with several loops all with lake views including shoreline and also cliffside sites. Can't wait to go back. It was an awesome week of adventures and late night bonfires under the bright stars and crescent moon. There is literally no light pollution here whatsoever. Enjoy and take care of this place.

@EdwardT1368517 · Camped on Jun 4, 2023 at Campsite #33

The campground was beautiful. We had amazing shots of the mountains and lake in the mornings. We didn't stay at 033 however since there were no tent spots. It is too steep to step up on and no trees for hammocks. Watch out for the "Tent(0)" when booking!

@TomLS7176716 · Camped on Aug 28, 2022 at Campsite #6

Great place to camp and fish

@DemarisP335763 · Camped on Aug 19, 2022 at Campsite #26

This is an amazing camp ground. Quiet and secluded. The lake itself was amazing. Quite shallow, but really nice for kayaking and paddle boarding. we went in the middle of August and there were a LOT of first come first serve sites available. The camp host was not on duty the entire weekend, not that that really mattered to us, but other people were looking for their assistance. Very clean sites. Lots of flies in the toilets. Definitely going back next year!

@DeniseF8919146 · Camped on Aug 9, 2022 at Campsite #5

The lake is exquisite, and we could tell a lot of work has been done on the campsites. However, the vault toilet was full of flies (hundreds of them) and the firepit was not clean when we came. We never saw the camp host once during our 4-night stay.

@MarthaH7079527 · Camped on Aug 7, 2022 at Campsite #3

Beautiful area even with burned down forest areas. Good facilities and very nice hosts.

@MatthewC862969 · Camped on Jul 28, 2022 at Campsite #5

Second time here. Love it. Super remote, despite being an official campground. If you get a spot along the lake shore, you're pretty separated from other campers. Tons of trees. Easy little walk to the lake. Probably only complaint was bugs and flies can get a bit heavy, but just coat yourself in Off and wait for the sun to set. Great star watching.

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