Lodgepole Campground

Lodgepole Campground is part of the Jefferson Lake Recreation Area, which is run by the USFS. We had heard about this area (there are three campgrounds associated with the area) from friends, and it did not disappoint. The sites are huge and widely spaced. We parked our Little Guy Max easily, had space to park our car ahead of it, and even set up a large Clam shelter over the picnic table with no problems.

There is a camp host selling firewood, and the sites are well maintained, cleaned and raked between each visit. Of course, there’s no electricity, water or sewer, but that’s what makes it fun!

One highlight of our trip was heading from the campground up to the lake. There are numerous beaver ponds in the area, and a moose and her two calves were wandering through. We highly recommend taking a trip up over Boreas Pass, an old railroad grade, to Breckenridge. The wildflowers were insane this year, and there were even a few in our campground.

Note that our nightly rate included a discount for having the Interagency Senior Pass. Normal rate is $21 per night, and there is a one-time $7 fee to get into the area.

Only negative? The county road from Jefferson to the entry station turns into a badly maintained dirt road. Once in the recreation area, the road is smoother.