Agency-listedUSFSFee
Thunder Ridge
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 38.97523, -104.98424
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 Thunder Ridge
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,215 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Thunder RidgeNIFC · 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 Thunder Ridge · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- FFuel3 mi
- MMechanic3 mi
- RxPharmacy3 mi
- @Mail3 mi
- OOutfitter4 mi
- HHardware4 mi
- LLaundry4 mi
- DDump4 mi
- +Urgent care4 mi
- WWater5 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- AAir-up9 mi
- PPropane11 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, 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 — Thunder Ridge
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,215 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
38.97523, -104.98424
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Thunder Ridge · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townCascade-Chipita Park · ~2.1 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~5.2 mi
- FuelPhillips 66 · ~2.6 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~11.4 mi
- Dump station~4.0 mi
- GroceriesVisitor Center/Check In · ~2.5 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~3.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicPenrose Mountain Urgent Care · ~4.3 mi
- HardwareWoodland Hardware & Home · ~3.9 mi
EV charging — from Thunder Ridge · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.8 mi straight-line E — FasCharge 4589 Fastmarket Valero Colorado Springs (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach35 within 25 mi · 102 within 50 · 350 within 100 · 449 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)9.4 mi — Walmart EV Charging, Monument
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO9.0 mi — MANITOUSPRINGS HIAWATHA TY3, Manitou Springs
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)4.0 mi — CITY OF WP CWP BERGSTROM, Woodland Park, 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 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 456685 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Thunder Ridge · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletThunder Ridge · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMeadow Ridge · ~0.3 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHomestake · ~1.0 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDikeside · ~1.4 mi E · USFS
Open Thunder Ridge elsewhere
Other camps near Thunder Ridge
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Meadow Ridge~0.3 mi · fee
- Springdale~2.6 mi · fee
- Red Rocks~6.9 mi · fee
- South Meadows~8.4 mi · fee
The unit that manages Thunder Ridge
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Thunder Ridge 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 Glen Cove at 11,410 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 2,195 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 — Thunder Ridge
Area rules
First-come first-served sites must be occupied the same night
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: $28 per site per night, confirmed by two sources: the Pike-San Isabel NF campground page (updated Feb 3 2026) and recreation.gov, which charges $28 for a standard non-electric site across the entire 2026 season (May 8 to Oct 11). Two vehicles or one RV per site are included; a third vehicle is $11, and day use without camping is $11. A self-service fee tube is available and first-come first-served sites must be occupied the same night. Pikes Peak Ranger District, Rampart Range. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation/thunder-ridge-campground and https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/231874.
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 Thunder Ridge
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 — Thunder Ridge
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →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 →