Agency-listedUSFSFee
Vaughan Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 40.13405, -107.26152
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 Vaughan Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,480 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Vaughan 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 Vaughan Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery9 mi
- WWater9 mi
- ShShower9 mi
- @Mail19 mi
- EVEV fast charger19 mi
- FFuel19 mi
- DDump24 mi
- MMechanic29 mi
- OOutfitter29 mi
- +Urgent care30 mi
- RxPharmacy31 mi
- HHardware31 mi
- LLaundry33 mi
- PPropane51 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 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 — Vaughan Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,480 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
40.13405, -107.26152
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Vaughan Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureVaughan Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townDunckley · ~12.1 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.2 mi
- FuelFuel · ~19.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~23.6 mi
- GroceriesMarina Store · ~23.8 mi
EV charging — from Vaughan Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.7 mi straight-line E — 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 · 24 within 50 · 95 within 100 · 409 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)30.1 mi — Craig, CO - Tesla Supercharger, Craig
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO30.1 mi — MAVERIK CRAIG PL2, Craig
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)24.5 mi — YVRA EMPLOYEE LOT 2, Hayden, 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 Vaughan Lake · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletVaughan Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletEast Fork · ~2.4 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomRipple Creek Overlook · ~3.6 mi SW · USFS
- RestroomMirror Lake · ~5.7 mi SW · USFS
Open Vaughan Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Vaughan Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Sheriff'S Reservoir~6.5 mi · fee
- Himes Peak~7.3 mi · fee
- Trappers Lake/Horse Thief~9.7 mi · fee
- Shepherds Rim / Trappers Lake~9.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Vaughan Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Vaughan 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 Ripple Creek at 10,340 ft, about 2 miles away. It sits about 860 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 — Vaughan 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 2026-08-24: $20 per site per night. Pay on site in EXACT cash or check only -- the forest warns there is no change given and that NO CREDIT CARDS are accepted; payment instructions are on the kiosk. There is no recreation.gov listing. Season is weather dependent, typically June to October. Caveat: the page's own timestamp is Jul 31 2025, so it predates the 2026 season; treat $20 as the last published figure. Blanco Ranger District, Vaughan Lake. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/mbrtb/recreation/vaughan-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 Vaughan 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 — Vaughan Lake
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Reading the aerial →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 →