Agency-listedUSFSFee
Summit Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 40.54674, -106.68330
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 Summit Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 10,362 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Summit 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 Summit Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater7 mi
- @Mail9 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- RxPharmacy9 mi
- OOutfitter9 mi
- ShShower9 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- LLaundry10 mi
- DDump20 mi
- MMechanic24 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 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 — Summit Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
10,362 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
40.54674, -106.68330
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Summit Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSummit Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townSteamboat Springs · ~8.9 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.6 mi
- FuelMaverik · ~9.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~20.4 mi
- GroceriesNatural Grocers · ~8.9 mi
- PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~9.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicYampa Valley Medical Center · ~9.0 mi
- HardwareACE Hardware · ~9.7 mi
EV charging — from Summit Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger9.1 mi straight-line SW — 910 Yampa St, Steamboat Springs, CO · LOOP · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 10 within 50 · 195 within 100 · 410 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)37.1 mi — Kremmling, CO - Park Avenue - Tesla Supercharger, Kremmling
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO9.3 mi — MAVERIK SB SPRINGS PL1, Steamboat Springs
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.7 mi — STEAMBOAT SPR SKI TIME 1, Steamboat Springs, CO · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast charger$35 monthly service fee; $0.48 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 453140 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Summit Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSummit Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBuffalo Pass · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomPowerline · ~0.3 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGranite Campground · ~3.5 mi S · USFS
Open Summit Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Summit Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Routt County~3.4 mi
- Granite Campground~3.5 mi · fee
- Teal Lake~4.8 mi · fee
- Hidden Lakes~4.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Summit Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Summit Lake are set by Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Tower at 10,610 ft, less than a mile away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. 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 — Summit 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 2026-08-27: $20 per night for a single site, plus $5 per day for day use. Pay on site: the forest states EXACT cash or check only, that no change is given, and that NO CREDIT CARDS are accepted -- payment instructions are on the kiosk. This one sits at 10,300 feet and the forest says it generally opens in mid-July, later than anything else priced in this batch; the page gives no closing date, so call the Steamboat Springs Ranger Station (970-870-2299) before relying on it. Single source: the Medicine Bow-Routt NF page (updated Aug 27 2026); there is no recreation.gov listing for this campground. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/mbrtb/recreation/summit-lake-campground.
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 Summit 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 — Summit 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 →