Trappers Lake Campground

There are 4 small campgrounds here - 1 for horse trailer camping and 3 for general tent and small RV camping. It is a standard FS campground where each of the 3 small campgrounds is one loop each and just a hundred yards apart from each other - I think there are more or less 50 sites, but the feel is much smaller. Shepard's Rim can be reserved by recreation.gov, while the others are first-come, first-served only. The majority of sites are quite small and best suited to tents or small RVs - maybe just a couple sites would be work for something large. The campground is well wooded and peaceful and nice, although I'd call then average FS good - not exceptional - but that is not a criticism. Despite the woods, we had enough solar to charge each day. There are no water views from any site and the lake isn't that close at all - you can get a view after maybe a 10 minute walk, but the lake shoreline isn't really accessable from much of the surrounding terrain - the wilderness boundary is just between the campgrounds and the Trapper's Lake Lodge and the lake. I saw just one place that you could launch your own canoes or kayaks from and that is not practically walkable from the campgrounds - people drive the mile down to the Lodge, turn right, and then a quarter mile to a parking lot. You can unload your boats there and carry them along a trail for 10 minutes to a reasonable place to launch from. There are a lot of hiking opportunities with trails surrounding the lake and going off in all directions into the wilderness.

The lake itself and surroundings are spectacular - the feel of the terrain reminds me of parts of Glacier National Park, where the Flattop mountains are on 3 sides of the lake. However, the fire of 20 years ago did a number on the scenery in many places and at this elevation things grow slowly; a large part of the surrounding land is filled with downed burnt timber in grass. The campground was spared the fire and areas here and there, but there is as much old burn scar as there is not.

There is absolutely no cell service and the closest towns of Meeker and Yampa are 50 miles away in different directions. The Meeker side is largely paved, while the Yampa side is all-weather gravel and much slower. From either side this is a long ways in with no services between - have lots of gas and plan on being self-sufficient. And this isn't a place where you can drive a few miles to get a cell signal - it is a long way from any tower.

Trappers Lake Lodge is a nice place to have a meal - they have a full service restaurant with a full bar - there are burgers, a pulled pork sandwich, and a rib eye as dinner options. On Saturday night it is prime rib (only). The general store is very basic and has more tee shirts than supplies. No gas or WiFi. A nice handful of old cabins can be rented - but the cabins, as with the lodge, do not have a view of the lake. They rent canoes and kayaks and there are a bunch of other activities they can help with. The people are very friendly and I thought the prices very reasonable, particularly considering the remoteness.

By the way, unexpectedly there is an RV dump station and potable fill at the campground - I think the cost was $10 but am not sure.

We were glad to spend a couple nights here - it is very pretty despite the burn and unique in that the lake is a wilderness area right next to a lodge and campground.