Agency-listedUSFSFee
Bristol Head Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 37.81770, -107.14155
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 Bristol Head Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,499 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bristol Head CampgroundNIFC · 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 Bristol Head Campground · Rio Grande National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater12 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- FFuel12 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- DDump17 mi
- EVEV fast charger17 mi
- +Urgent care18 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- HHardware32 mi
- ShShower36 mi
- RxPharmacy38 mi
- MMechanic38 mi
- AAir-up56 mi
- PPropane57 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 12 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 — Bristol Head Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,499 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
37.81770, -107.14155
Cost
Fee · Forest Service inventory: fee charged
Nearby & resupply — around Bristol Head Campground · Rio Grande National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSouth Clear Creek (river) · nearby
- Nearest townSunnyside · ~10.1 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~12.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~17.3 mi
- GroceriesKentucky Bell Market · ~11.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicLake City Area Medical Center · ~17.5 mi
EV charging — from Bristol Head Campground · Rio Grande National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.4 mi straight-line NW — GCEA EV STATION DCFC LAKE CITY · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 12 within 50 · 69 within 100 · 212 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)38.8 mi — CENTENNIAL PARK PAGOSA SPGS PL2, Pagosa Springs
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.5 mi — Lake City EV · Blink 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 163730 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bristol Head Campground · Rio Grande National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBristol Head · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Clear Creek · ~1.2 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSilver Thread · ~1.2 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSpring Creek Reservoir · ~1.2 mi S · USFS
Open Bristol Head Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Bristol Head Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bristol Head~0.2 mi · fee
- Silver Thread Campground~1.1 mi · fee
- North Clear Creek Campground~1.2 mi
- Crooked Creek Dispersed Area~2.1 mi
The unit that manages Bristol Head Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bristol Head Campground are set by Rio Grande National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Upper Rio Grande at 9,370 ft, about 9 miles away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. 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 — Bristol Head Campground
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
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.
Agency page
fs.usda.gov — the land manager's own page for this site. Fees, seasons and closures are stated there first; if it disagrees with this page, it wins.
How it was placed
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
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 Bristol Head Campground
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 — Bristol Head Campground
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Power off-grid →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 →