Agency-listedUSFSFee
Cow Creek South
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 39.87917, -106.27878
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 Cow Creek South
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,056 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Cow Creek SouthNIFC · 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 Cow Creek South · White River National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery2 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- WWater14 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- LLaundry19 mi
- MMechanic19 mi
- AAir-up19 mi
- ShShower20 mi
- PPropane20 mi
- +Urgent care22 mi
- DDump23 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 — Cow Creek South
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,056 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
39.87917, -106.27878
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Cow Creek South · White River National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townHeeney · ~1.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelKum & Go · ~13.7 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~20.5 mi
- Dump station~23.1 mi
- GroceriesMaster Bait and Tackle · ~1.5 mi
- PharmacyKremmling Mercantile · ~14.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicThe Steadman Clinic & Steadman Philippon Research Institute · ~22.2 mi
- HardwareRed Mountain Storage · ~13.1 mi
EV charging — from Cow Creek South · White River National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.7 mi straight-line NW — Kremmling, CO - Park Avenue - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach24 within 25 mi · 57 within 50 · 356 within 100 · 457 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO17.2 mi — VAIL PARKING PL1, Vail
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.8 mi — Town of Kremmling - Town Park (at a park) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-11-06 · 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 165579 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cow Creek South · White River National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCow Creek North · ~0.5 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHeeney Marina · ~1.6 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWillows · ~1.7 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Green · ~1.9 mi W · USFS
Open Cow Creek South elsewhere
Other camps near Cow Creek South
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Cow Creek North~0.5 mi · fee
- Willows~1.7 mi · fee
- Elliott Creek~2.6 mi · fee
- Mcdonald Flats Cg~3.0 mi · fee
The unit that manages Cow Creek South
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cow Creek South 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 8 miles away. It sits about 2,494 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 — Cow Creek South
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: $21 per night for a single site and $42 for a double, 2026 season May 20 to Oct 1. The White River NF Cow Creek South page publishes no fee, so these come from the recreation.gov listing. Source: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234596.
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 Cow Creek South
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 — Cow Creek South
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →Leave no trace →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 →