Agency-listedUSFSFee
Trappers Lake/Horse Thief
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 39.99545, -107.23825
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 Trappers Lake/Horse Thief
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,711 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Trappers Lake/Horse ThiefNIFC · 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 Trappers Lake/Horse Thief · White River National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater1 mi
- GGrocery1 mi
- ShShower1 mi
- @Mail20 mi
- EVEV fast charger20 mi
- FFuel21 mi
- DDump28 mi
- MMechanic28 mi
- HHardware30 mi
- OOutfitter31 mi
- RxPharmacy31 mi
- LLaundry32 mi
- +Urgent care32 mi
- PPropane41 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 1 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 — Trappers Lake/Horse Thief
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,711 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
39.99545, -107.23825
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Trappers Lake/Horse Thief · White River National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townCarbonate · ~18.0 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~0.6 mi
- FuelFuel · ~20.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~28.2 mi
- GroceriesTrappers Lake Lodge General Store · ~0.6 mi
EV charging — from Trappers Lake/Horse Thief · White River National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger20.5 mi straight-line NE — Helios Yampa CO (at a public site) · EVRANGE · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 32 within 50 · 115 within 100 · 418 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)30.6 mi — Gypsum, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Gypsum
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO28.2 mi — GYPSUM SHOP&HOP #11, Gypsum
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)29.2 mi — ECG SERVICE CTR 2, Gypsum, 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 448020 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Trappers Lake/Horse Thief · White River National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomTrappers Lake/Horse Thief · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomTrappers Lake/Bucks · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomTrappers Lake/Trapline · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomShepherds Rim / Trappers Lake · ~0.2 mi W · USFS
Open Trappers Lake/Horse Thief elsewhere
Other camps near Trappers Lake/Horse Thief
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Trappers Lake/Bucks~0.1 mi · fee
- Shepherds Rim / Trappers Lake~0.2 mi · fee
- Trappers Lake/Cutthroat~0.3 mi · fee
- Himes Peak~2.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages Trappers Lake/Horse Thief
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Trappers Lake/Horse Thief are set by White River National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Trapper Lake at 9,750 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 — Trappers Lake/Horse Thief
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: $25 per night, single site. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/recreation/trappers-lake-horse-thief-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 Trappers Lake/Horse Thief
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 — Trappers Lake/Horse Thief
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →First-night troubleshooting →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 →