Echo Lake Campground

So I did my homework ahead of time and I'm SO glad I landed site 14! This is a weird CG. As the previous reviewer mentioned, many of the sites are side-by-side or three-by-side sites. If you didn't know your neighbor at most of these sites, it would be very awkward. Sites 11 and 14 are pretty much the only sites with any space or privacy. 14 was one of the prettiest sites we stayed at the entire trip out West. It was very deep and had a wonderful fire pit area with a really nice bench (wish more CGs had these) and a huge picnic table. It was very quiet and private. Site 11 was a pull-thru that also had some good privacy. If you're not in a very short camper or pop-up, I'd skip all but these two sites.

The CG is very dusty. No water at all that I could find...better bring your own. Flush toilets at entrance to CG, vault toilets everywhere else. Some pretty trails right from CG. Lots of road noise coming off of the highway.

If you're not particular to being right next to the lake, I'd choose to stay at West Chicago Creek CG 6 miles down the mountain.

Recreation.gov doesn't accurately describe the sites. Some, such as 9 and 10, are together, as in shared. The photo on Recreation.gov shows a level tent area, but the parking for the RV was sloped uphill and difficult with just a 20 ft. trailer to get over to one side (blind side backing) from a narrow road. The next day a camper parked his pop up camper about 6 ft. away. He too had trouble and was not pleased about the shared site. Of course, this was not the fault of the campground. It's the fault of Recreation.gov. The host was friendly and helpful and kept to his duties admirably. Like the other review, the nicest thing is that the campground is well situated to Mt Evans, Squaw Pass Road, Echo Lake Lodge (great hamburgers though pricey), Echo Lake and hiking trails. It is an old campground though and most sites will only accommodate small trailers under 20'. Site # 14 looked like it would be okay for a larger trailer, but only if you're good at backing because it is still narrow. Site #5 the host thought best, but it is directly across from a group tent site with noisy teenagers. There is no cell phone, internet or TV reception. AM radio stations were non-existent, but some FM was pretty good.

This was my second stay, here, at Echo Lake. The campground sits at the base of the toll road, and close to its namesake, Echo Lake. Sites are very shady and you do really feel like you are camping in the woods. The sites are tight, but this time I scored a slightly bigger spot. There is no cell service at the CG.

The camp host (wife) was rather a real character. The guy in the tent int he adjacent site was making some strange sounds and we found out from the host that he had been in an accident. This CG fills, often so I recommend reservations. There was a fire ban when we camped here, and it was made clear both by overhead highway bulletins and the camp hosts. This was a non-issue for us as we did not intend to have a fire.

The campground is very quiet, despite it being full.

My favorite feature of the CG is that it makes it easy to explore Mt. Evans early and late, without having to drive up from the bottom of the road.

What I liked:
Location
Quiet CG
Shady sites

What could have been better:
Sites were tight

This campground sits close to 10,000' in elevation, making it very comfortable in hot summer weather.

What I liked:
•Location - about half of the way up the mountain, close to the lodge
•Set right in the woods
•Campground hosts were very friendly

What could have been better:

Tight spaces, felt like we were doubled up in sites

There is NO Verizon service at Echo Lake.