Agency-listedUSFSFee
Bear Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 40.04599, -107.07006
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Bear Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,777 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bear LakeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Bear Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- ShShower9 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- FFuel11 mi
- @Mail15 mi
- DDump20 mi
- MMechanic28 mi
- HHardware29 mi
- RxPharmacy30 mi
- LLaundry30 mi
- +Urgent care30 mi
- OOutfitter33 mi
- PPropane45 mi
- AAir-up59 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Bear Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,777 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
40.04599, -107.07006
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Bear Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBear Lake Reservoir (water) · nearby
- Nearest townTrapper · ~10.8 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.1 mi
- FuelFuel · ~11.4 mi
- Propane / LPGLPG · ~29.3 mi
- Dump station~19.8 mi
- GroceriesMarina Store · ~20.0 mi
- HardwareHeartwood Custom Woodworks · ~29.6 mi
EV charging — from Bear Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.2 mi straight-line NE — Helios Yampa CO (at a public site) · EVRANGE · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 33 within 50 · 114 within 100 · 440 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)29.4 mi — Gypsum, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Gypsum
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO28.0 mi — GYPSUM SHOP&HOP #11, Gypsum
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)28.7 mi — SPRING_CREEK_1 SCV_1, Gypsum, CO · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 448020 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bear Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBear Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBear Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletYamcolo Reservoir · ~0.7 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHeart Lake · ~2.2 mi E · USFS
Open Bear Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Bear Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Horseshoe~2.4 mi · fee
- Bear River~2.8 mi · fee
- Cold Springs~2.8 mi · fee
- Sheriff'S Reservoir~7.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Bear Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bear Lake are set by Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Bear River at 9,100 ft, about 3 miles away. It sits about 677 ft lower than this camp, so treat it as a guide rather than a reading for this spot. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this — Bear Lake
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-24: $20 per night for a single site, $30 for a double and $40 for a triple -- the forest words it 'per day' rather than per night. No recreation.gov listing -- pay on site. Season mid-June to early-mid October, weather dependent. Single source: the Medicine Bow-Routt NF campground page (updated May 22 2026, status Site Open). Yampa Ranger District, Flat Tops. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/mbrtb/recreation/bear-lake-campground.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Bear Lake
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Bear Lake
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Reading your camp page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →