Campsite for booking · Buena Vista

Mount Princeton

via Recreation.gov Salida, CO, Buena Vista, Colorado, United States

Overview

Pitches
19
Pitch types
caravan, motorhome, tent
Season
Not stated: check on Recreation.gov
Check-in / out
14:00 / 12:00

Facilities

  • Dogs allowedListed by Recreation.gov
  • Hardstanding pitchesListed by Recreation.gov
  • Wheelchair accessibleListed by Recreation.gov

Policies

PetsYes
SmokingNot stated: check on Recreation.gov
Instant bookingNot stated: check on Recreation.gov
CancellationNot stated: check on Recreation.gov

About this campsite

Overview

Mount Princeton Campground is located in beautiful Chalk Creek Canyon in central Colorado. This popular facility is within 4 miles of a private hot springs resort, making it an ideal location for rest and relaxation.

"First come, first served" does not necessarily mean that the site will be available when you get there. Someone may get there before you. This is a popular campground and is normally full starting on Friday, sometimes as early as Thursday, so plan accordingly.

Recreation

Stream fishing is best above Cascade Falls, about 2 miles west of the campground. Nearby Chalk Lake is heralded as a great family fishing lake with rainbow, brook and brown trout.

Nearby ATV/UTV and 4X4 rides include Mount Antero, Baldwin Lake, Tincup Pass, Hancock Pass, Pomeroy Lakes, Hancock Lakes.

Facilities

The campground offers single-family sites, a few of which are wheelchair accessible. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring with grill. Wheelchair accessible vault toilets are provided. Firewood is sold on-site. Parking spurs are gravel.

Sites #1, and 14-17 are "walk-up", first-come, first-served sites. All other sites are reservable. Site #2 is used by the host from mid-May to Labor Day weekend, after that it is available as a "walk-up", first-come, first-served site.

Natural Features

The campground is situated at an elevation of 8,600 feet in Chalk Creek Canyon, which gets its name from the soft, white, chalk-like kaolinite canyon walls. Kaolinite is a clay mineral that was deposited by percolating hot springs. A stand of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir offers partial shade in the campground.

Chalk Creek can be accessed from the campground. It flows 27 miles eastward from the Collegiate Peaks before joining the Arkansas River. Chalk Lake is about a mile west of the campground. Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (661) 702-1420. Nearby Attractions

Take a day trip to the historic ghost town of St. Elmo, just 15 minutes from the campground. An old saloon, county courthouse and many other historic structures remain from the days of its mining glory. Rock hounds come to the area in search of quartz and aquamarine.

The city of Salida and Town of Buena Vista are only a short drive away where visitors can enjoy unique restaurants, shops, and art galleries. The area boasts more than 100 miles of Arkansas River to raft, fish, float or kayak, as well as fifteen 14,000 ft. mountains. Visitors can choose from recreational activities like hiking, biking, ATV/UTV riding, kayaking, rafting, fishing, horseback riding, ziplining and swimming.

Charges & Cancellations

Cancellations

Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.

A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite.

Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee.

No-Shows

A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date.

No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite.

Refunds

Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended.

Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay.

For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive.

In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.

Managed by a US federal agency. Data source: ridb.recreation.gov.

Description supplied by Recreation.gov.

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Where you can stay nearby

Campsites, aires and parking within 30 km, from OpenStreetMap.

  1. Chalk Lake Camp
    Campground · Buena Vista, Colorado
    870 m from the pick-up area
  2. Cascade Camp
    Campground · Buena Vista, Colorado
    1.9 km from the pick-up area
  3. Chalk Creek Campground and RV Park
    Campground · Buena Vista, Colorado
    13 km from the pick-up area

Nearest dump station and water

  1. Service point near Buena Vista
    RV dump station · Buena Vista, Colorado · PaidWaterWaste
    16 km from the pick-up area
  2. Water point near Gunnison
    Water fill station · Gunnison, ColoradoWater
    87 km from the pick-up area
Pick-up10 kmPlot of OpenStreetMap data
Map of 6 places to stay near Mount Princeton. CampsiteFull map

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Chalk Lake

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Cascade (Colorado)

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Bootleg

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    Data: Recreation.gov (RIDB), from ridb.recreation.gov, last updated 13 October 2026. Federal agencies provide this data and are responsible for it; it may be incomplete. Not endorsed by Recreation.gov or the U.S. Government. About this data. Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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