Agency-listedUSFSFee
Monarch Park
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 38.51626, -106.32381
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 Monarch Park
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 10,472 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Monarch ParkNIFC · 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 Monarch Park · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery1 mi
- WWater8 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- EVEV fast charger13 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- @Mail18 mi
- AAir-up18 mi
- +Urgent care24 mi
- DDump24 mi
- ShShower26 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 1 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 — Monarch Park
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
10,472 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
38.51626, -106.32381
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Monarch Park · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townGarfield · ~2.9 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~8.1 mi
- FuelFuel · ~9.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~24.4 mi
- GroceriesMonarch Crest Food & Gifts · ~1.4 mi
- PharmacySalida Pharmacy & Fountain · ~18.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicHeart of Rockies Regional Medical Center · ~24.3 mi
- HardwareTrue Value · ~13.4 mi
EV charging — from Monarch Park · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.4 mi straight-line E — Poncha Springs, CO - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach5 within 25 mi · 11 within 50 · 169 within 100 · 444 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS17.9 mi — Salida, CO, Salida
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO18.4 mi — ES1 SALIDA PL2, Salida
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.1 mi — Tomichi Creek Trading Post, Sargents, CO (at a restaurant) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port 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 122271 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Monarch Park · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMonarch Park · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomMonarch · ~1.4 mi S · USFS
- RestroomFooses Reservoir · ~4.4 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSnowblind · ~5.0 mi W · USFS
Open Monarch Park elsewhere
Other camps near Monarch Park
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Snowblind Campground~5.0 mi
- North Fork Reservoir~6.6 mi · fee
- Angel of Shavano Campground~7.2 mi · fee
- Middle Quartz Creek Campground~9.2 mi
The unit that manages Monarch Park
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Monarch Park are set by Pike and San Isabel National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Porphyry Creek at 10,790 ft, about 2 miles away. It sits about 318 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 — Monarch Park
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 2026-08-22: $24 per site per night when open -- BUT THE CAMPGROUND IS CLOSED. The Pike-San Isabel NF page (updated Feb 3 2026) carries a Site Closed banner: the Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation are renovating the campground to replace infrastructure that does not meet current safety and accessibility requirements, it 'will be closed while work is being completed', and 'Reservations are not available at this time.' The page gives no reopening date. Note that recreation.gov still publishes a $22 walk-in window for Aug 21 to Sep 19 2026, which contradicts the forest's own closure notice -- do not trust it without calling the Salida Ranger District at 719-539-3591. The $24 figure is the forest page's stated rate (two vehicles or one RV included, third vehicle $10, day use $10). Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation/monarch-park-campground and https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232350.
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 Monarch Park
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 — Monarch Park
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Gear & rig loadout →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 →