Agency-listedUSFSFee
Cataract Creek
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 39.83880, -106.30700
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 Cataract Creek
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,563 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Cataract CreekNIFC · 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 Cataract Creek · White River National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery2 mi
- WWater14 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- @Mail15 mi
- HHardware15 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- AAir-up18 mi
- PPropane19 mi
- DDump20 mi
- +Urgent care20 mi
- ShShower22 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 2 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 — Cataract Creek
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,563 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
39.83880, -106.30700
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Cataract Creek · White River National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townHeeney · ~2.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelConoco · ~15.7 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~19.2 mi
- Dump station~20.1 mi
- GroceriesMaster Bait and Tackle · ~2.3 mi
- PharmacyKremmling Mercantile · ~16.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicThe Steadman Clinic & Steadman Philippon Research Institute · ~20.5 mi
- HardwareRed Mountain Storage · ~15.4 mi
EV charging — from Cataract Creek · White River National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger14.1 mi straight-line S — VAIL PARKING PL1 · 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 reach23 within 25 mi · 53 within 50 · 356 within 100 · 459 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)14.1 mi — VAIL PARKING PL3, Vail
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.0 mi — VAIL PARKING NORTH STATION · 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 308212 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cataract Creek · White River National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCataract Creek · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHeeney Marina · ~2.5 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletElliott Creek · ~2.8 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Green · ~3.1 mi N · USFS
Open Cataract Creek elsewhere
Other camps near Cataract Creek
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Elliott Creek~2.8 mi · fee
- Cow Creek South~3.2 mi · fee
- Cow Creek North~3.3 mi · fee
- Willows~3.5 mi · fee
The unit that manages Cataract Creek
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cataract Creek are set by White River National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Elliot Ridge at 10,550 ft, about 6 miles away. It sits about 1,987 ft higher 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 — Cataract Creek
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.
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 Cataract Creek
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 — Cataract Creek
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →Off-grid communication →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 →