Colorado Campground

We had a wonderful time at this campground. Our space (#43) was off the main drive and right next to the foot trail that leads to Manitou Lake where you can fish, hike around, watch the birds, etc There is a daily fee of $8 to use the lake but well worth it.
This is a great campground for families. The drives are paved and the children were out riding their bikes.
The camp space had a slight grade (good for rain run off) but generally level and had plenty of space between campers. We could hear some road noise during the day but it was in the background. The hosts were nice and kept the campground in top condition. Bundles of firewood are available for $8 cash from the host. There is an ampitheater they have programs on Saturday. This particular Saturday it got rained out.
We didn't have reservations and arrived at the campground around 4pm on Saturday. There were approx 8 first come/first serve spaces left when we arrived that were posted clearly at the host site.
Cell coverage was off/on for texting. One day we had coverage, the next we didn't.

The family life going on on a Friday night was incredible mid-July. Kids riding bikes, multi-site family and friends, and mature ponderosa pines with gravel spots and lots of room for tents et al. Sites were spread out and typically gently sloped. Manitou Lake is directly to the north, with an access path between the campground and the lake. There is also a paved bike path across from the entrance which extends from Manitou Lake on the north to Woodland Park on the south, about 10 miles total.
In our Class C we were on the glamping end, as many campers had more humble rigs and some had rather extensive tents and canopies. We enjoyed hanging our hammocks also.

We stayed over the Memorial Day weekend and amazingly it was quite quiet! The site was not very level - about 5” different from side to side. There was good shade at the site. The nearby bike trail is about 6 miles into Woodland Park but the elevation rise would be daunting without an e-bike. The downhill run coming back is pretty cool though! The cell connection allows for texting but usually not calls and certainly not web connection.

We wanted to spend a couple weeks in the area and happened upon this campground where we got very lucky and found one of only two sites with electric that was non-reservable and vacant. Many of the sites here are short and unlevel but this one was a pull-through and plenty long. Also, most of the sites are well shaded by pine trees, and it rained quite a bit, so we were happy not to have to worry about solar. And the fee was only $3 more per night with electric.

During the week there was hardly anyone there but it filled up on weekends with the typical summer family groups. There is a nice trail from the campground to scenic Manitou Lake, where you can make a loop hike of a couple miles. There were always people fishing at the lake.

It's an easy 7 mile drive to Woodland Park for shopping, and about 25 miles to Colorado Springs.

There are vault toilets, water spigots near the bathrooms, but no dump station. When we stayed at South Meadows campground a couple miles down the road in 2010 the forest service dump station was open, but it has since closed so you have to go to one of the RV parks in Woodland Park to dump tanks, which cost us $10.

Our site was fairly close to the highway so we did have some traffic noise.