Agency-listedUSFSFee
North Fork Reservoir
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 38.61161, -106.31924
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 North Fork Reservoir
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 11,448 ft.
Fire & smoke — around North Fork ReservoirNIFC · 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 North Fork Reservoir · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery6 mi
- WWater9 mi
- LLaundry9 mi
- FFuel13 mi
- HHardware15 mi
- EVEV fast charger15 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- +Urgent care18 mi
- @Mail18 mi
- AAir-up19 mi
- DDump19 mi
- ShShower20 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 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 — North Fork Reservoir
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
11,448 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
38.61161, -106.31924
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around North Fork Reservoir · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townGarfield · ~4.6 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~9.2 mi
- FuelCenterville gas station - Sugar Shack · ~13.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~18.9 mi
- GroceriesSt. Elmo General Store · ~6.5 mi
- PharmacySalida Pharmacy & Fountain · ~18.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicHeart of Rockies Regional Medical Center · ~18.5 mi
- HardwareTrue Value · ~14.7 mi
EV charging — from North Fork Reservoir · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger14.8 mi straight-line SE — 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 reach7 within 25 mi · 18 within 50 · 194 within 100 · 463 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS18.3 mi — Salida, CO, Salida
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO19.1 mi — ES1 SALIDA PL2, Salida
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.5 mi — GCEA EV STATION PITKIN EV · 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 122271 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around North Fork Reservoir · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Fork Reservoir · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomHancock Lake · ~2.0 mi W · USFS
- RestroomBaldwin Lake Meadow · ~5.5 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAngel Of Shavano · ~5.7 mi E · USFS
Open North Fork Reservoir elsewhere
Other camps near North Fork Reservoir
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Angel of Shavano Campground~5.7 mi · fee
- Middle Quartz Creek Campground~5.8 mi
- Monarch Park~6.6 mi · fee
- Iron City~6.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages North Fork Reservoir
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at North Fork Reservoir 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 Saint Elmo at 10,420 ft, about 7 miles away. It sits about 1,028 ft lower 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 — North Fork Reservoir
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: $20 per site per night. Two vehicles or one RV are included; a third vehicle is $10. Day use without camping is $10. Note the same forest page also carries a stale line reading '$18.00 for overnight use as of 2025' -- the 2026 recreation.gov season (Jun 5 to Sep 19) charges $20, so $20 is the current number. The agency calls this North Fork Campground. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation/north-fork-campground and https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10165505.
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 North Fork Reservoir
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 — North Fork Reservoir
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Dispersed camping tips →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 →