Agency-listedUSFSFee
Elk Creek Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 37.12577, -106.36695
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 Elk Creek Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,678 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Elk Creek 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 Elk Creek Campground · Rio Grande National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail18 mi
- DDump19 mi
- +Urgent care19 mi
- EVEV fast charger20 mi
- FFuel20 mi
- GGrocery20 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- RxPharmacy20 mi
- HHardware21 mi
- MMechanic24 mi
- OOutfitter35 mi
- WWater37 mi
- AAir-up45 mi
- ShShower52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 37-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 20 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
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 — Elk Creek Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
8,678 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
37.12577, -106.36695
Cost
Fee · reservable on Recreation.gov
Nearby & resupply — around Elk Creek Campground · Rio Grande National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureElk Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townOsier · ~7.9 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelStandard Service · ~23.9 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~30.3 mi
- Dump station~19.0 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~6.0 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~20.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicChama Dunham Memorial Clinic · ~19.0 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~20.7 mi
EV charging — from Elk Creek Campground · Rio Grande National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger19.5 mi straight-line SW — Chama · LOOP · CHAdeMO, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 18 within 50 · 66 within 100 · 205 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)36.2 mi — Alamosa, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Alamosa
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)33.5 mi — WCSA LEVEL 2 - RIGHT, Pagosa Springs, 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 charger$1 activation fee; $0.59 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 348900 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Elk Creek Campground · Rio Grande National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletElk Creek Overflow · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletElk Creek · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomElk Creek · ~0.7 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSpectacle Lake · ~4.9 mi NW · USFS
Open Elk Creek Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Elk Creek Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Elk Creek Overflow Campground~0.2 mi · fee
- Old Elk Creek~0.8 mi
- Spectacle Lake Campground~4.9 mi
- Conejos Campground~5.3 mi
The unit that manages Elk Creek Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Elk Creek 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 Cumbres Trestle at 10,030 ft, about 9 miles away. It sits about 1,352 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 — Elk Creek Campground
Reserve
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/273348
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 Elk Creek 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 — Elk Creek Campground
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →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 →