Agency-listedUSFSFee
Clear Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 39.65129, -105.70911
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 Clear Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 10,052 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Clear 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 Clear Lake · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- MMechanic3 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- EVEV fast charger4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- OOutfitter9 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- RxPharmacy13 mi
- HHardware19 mi
- PPropane19 mi
- AAir-up20 mi
- DDump21 mi
- ShShower21 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 4 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 — Clear Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
10,052 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
39.65129, -105.70911
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Clear Lake · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townSilver Plume · ~3.2 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~0.0 mi
- FuelShell · ~4.3 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~19.2 mi
- Dump station~20.7 mi
- GroceriesGeorgetown Market · ~4.3 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~12.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicCentura Health Primary Care Idaho Springs · ~12.2 mi
- HardwareEvergreen Ace Hardware & Paint · ~18.9 mi
EV charging — from Clear Lake · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger4.2 mi straight-line N — ANNEX SITE GEORGETOWN PL4 · 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 reach30 within 25 mi · 231 within 50 · 376 within 100 · 451 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)7.7 mi — 420 E Park Ave, Empire
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)3.3 mi — Bread Bar, Silver Plume, CO (at a restaurant) · EVMATCH · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-03-14 · 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 260651 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Clear Lake · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletClear Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletClear Lake · ~1.2 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGuanella Pass · ~2.8 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWest Chicago Creek · ~3.2 mi NE · USFS
Open Clear Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Clear Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Clear Creek County~2.2 mi
- Guanella Pass~2.8 mi · fee
- West Chicago Creek~3.3 mi · fee
- Echo Lake~6.1 mi · fee
The unit that manages Clear Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Clear Lake are set by Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Echo Lake at 10,660 ft, about 6 miles away. It sits about 608 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 — Clear 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 2026-08-20: $23 per night, single site, first come first served only, season May 29 to Sep 20. Confirmed twice: the campground page, and the forest campground status table. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/arp/recreation/clear-lake-campground and https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/arp/conditions.
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 Clear 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 — Clear Lake
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Getting unstuck →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 →