Northern Plains Campground

Upon arrival just note that there is more than one entrance to this park. Campgrounds on both sides of lake double check where your booked camp site is located. Super disappointed at what you get for how much you pay. Felt like I was in California with these prices. It’s $36 per night for one person in small trailer. Then the employee at the entrance gate tells you that is an extra $10 per day entrance fee to get in the park. That comes to a grand total of $46 per night plus taxes to stay here electric ONLY! There is electric only at the camp site’s, no water! Many of the camp site’s are on a steep angle and would be near impossible to level out ur trailer. There is a fire ring, picnic table with small metal shelter over it. Snowed on this day April 22, 2023. 2” of snow and stuck 32* the park was not completely full. I have stayed at several state parks in Colorado and what u get for $50 per night is not worth it. This is a public park not a private park and yet they charge private camp ground prices(rediculous) truly disappointed with this place.
State park camp grounds in Texas are much nicer, cleaner and only $20 per nigh to stay on a flat level concrete pad with many more amenities.

We needed a stopping point between Trinidad and Colorado Springs and this was a good middle point. It was a one night stop over, but it was a nice stay. It was early enough in May and midweek so we avoided any big crowded weekends. The weather was great so I took advantage of multiple camp loops that were empty for walking and running.

Shower facilities were nice, private rooms and the water stayed plenty hot. Reception was ok, but better with our WeBoost. Site had power, but no water; although water spots were spread around campgrounds.

We enjoyed our stay and loved site 271! The site is a huge electric only site with the picnic table shelter and fire pit set behind the site. Lake views in one direction, mountain views the other direction. The price per night does not reflect the $10 per day fee charged upon arrival to the park. Lake Pueblo State Park is massive and while the weekend was quite busy, during the week, it was very quiet. We would absolutely stay here again!

Planned to stay here 2 nights on our way west towards Salida. However only stayed 1 night. Overall, this state park seems tired and in need of updating. All of the overhangs, of the entry stations to each campground are only 11' clear height. These little stations where all unstaffed and looked very run down. Signage to the various campgrounds was confusing at best. Our site was too sloped to be able to get our RV level. Bunch of beer cans and cigarette butts left in our fire ring. Just seems to be overall neglected.
In my opinion not worth $36/night + $10 daily entry fee.
The restrooms were decent, with showers, but no hand towels or dryers.
The views of the reservoir were pretty nice and if you want to place for water sports, swimming or boating during the summer months, this would be a good place.

Unless you have a boat and/or family, you might not enjoy this park as much as others. The lake is built from a reservoir, and it is big, so this is where people come to play. Noisy on the weekends, but during the week it is fine. The site we were in (236) was right between a trail leading to the water & the bathrooms, so people were always cutting thru the site. Showers were good.

We enjoyed our stay at Lake Pueblo. We stayed July 18-20th. It can be a bit pricey at $36 a night plus daily fee which I believe is $8 a day (we have a yearly pass). Each site in our loop had 50/30/20 electricity, a fire pit and picnic table with a shade cover. There are water spigots around the campground if you need to fill up on water. Also a dump station right at the entrance to our loop. It is a desert setting so there are not many trees for shade. While we were there temps were 105°, so our a/c unit had a hard time keeping our trailer cool even with reflectives on the windows. T-storms roll in mid afternoon, which is very typical for July. The afternoon we left there was a major monsoon storm that rolled through that destroyed a good chunk of the north marina.

We stayed at the Northern Plains Campground in Lake Pueblo State Park at the end of September. During the week, the campground was pretty much empty. Our site was right on the water and it was really peaceful.

On Friday, the campground filled up, but even though sites don't have any privacy, they are far apart so we weren't bothered by our neighbors.

There are individual bathrooms with push button no temperature control showers. The park itself is enormous and has an extensive biking trail that we did not explore.

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The price of the site quoted, reflects yearly parks pass and senior discount. Colorado offers a little of everything topography wise, however folks usually think of mountains and mild temperatures, cozy get warm campfires at night. Well, Pueblo is something different, after all it is in the southern part of the state, nearing New Mexico. Desert, pinion pines ancient and wind bent, juniper bushes, scub brush, some sage....the wildflowers when blooming can color from purple, to oranges, to yellows....the cactus will bloom a paper thin yellow or pink. Flat, flat and flat, in the distance looking south is Green Horn Mountain, part of the Wet Mountain chain I believe, aptly named as these mountains attract their own weather rain and fast moving squalls, that at times end up traveling your way. Lightning here can be dangerous, and these storms are fast, if you hear thunder be aware. At night you may see the lightnine over these mountains...awesome. Occasional duststorms down here, when very dry are unbelievable, you can see them coming rolling across the plains, rolling like thick brown waves, the dust devils dance a good dance on these flats. So the weather is hot, anvil hot, or hot and high RV shaking winds, or quick vicious storms. The wind on the lake if you boat, can be daunting and blows up out of nowhere, best to be out on the lake early and off by noon or 1pm, if you are luck the winds will keep til then, be aware the winds and storms can come up quickly keep your eyes on the sky. The landscape, as you get closer to the reservoir/lake will drop down either gently or steeply to water, there is plenty of shoreline accessible for fishing from shore. Shoreline fishing is actually pretty good. We arrive after twelve noon as twelve noon is checkout time. The campsites can be rather close, or rather spacious depends on the campground and the site, on the north side of the lake is Northern Plains campground which consists or the wildly popular Prairie Ridge Loop, and then the Yucca Flats, and Eagle View (these bathrooms have not been updated/Eagle View) all with electric 50 amp recent upgrade, water dispersed through campground and at dump station with clean designated water. Good views of the mountains. There are no full hook up sites, so dumping is done at the dump station. Kelly Creek is a primitive campsite on this side, no electric though more vegetation and a better choice for tents or pop-ups due to the winds, provides a little protection. Further down the road on the north side is Juniper Breaks, no electricity but again more vegetation, nice sites. On the South side of the lake is Arkansas Point, electric sites tucked behind a mesa with good views of the lake and mountains to the west. Pull throughs are available Northern Plains and back -ins, very little vegetation and fewer trees can get hot and hotter, same for Arkansas Point. The bathrooms have recently been very nicely updated, with good showers and electric plug ins if needed. The North Shore Marina is pretty good, two fairly long docks, with five boats side by side able to get down to the water to launch, rather a wild place and have to be a bit brave to get your boat on and off when busy. South side launch area is much smaller. Mostly, folks follow dock etiquette but of course there are those, like Daffy Duck.."it's mine, it's all mine." rude, and clueless. There is NO ramp supervision from the Rangers, there is an invasive species boat inspection on and off the water, the lake is closed to launching or getting your boat off the lake at certain hours, so check. There is a Ranger boat (fast) for the lake, and boating enforcement, rarely out and rarely anyone stopped regardless of flagrant violations of no wake zones, speed, etc. There is a fish cleaning station near the boat check station on the north side. Fishing is excellent for largies, small, and walleye...crappie fishing is good also. Catfish can be caught. The closer your campsite is to the lake, the busier and noiser it will be especially on the weekend, people of all ages (some who should know better) will and do walk right through the middle of your campsite even if you are sitting there...no hey there, or by your leave!!!! ( entitled et. your campsite is my campsite attitude, and hey you are in the way as I want to get over there!!!) Weekends are super busy, recommend highly reserving a site. The Rangers do drive through the park, but again very rare enforcement of park rules, even when broken in full view of Ranger staff...ie. dogs off leash (dog waste is a huge problem), too many tents or RV's or people to one site, parking on fragile desert habitat, not leaving by noon when you are scheduled to leave, loudness after quiet hours, etc...have seen the state patrol called especially at night due to lax supervision. There is no swimming in the lake, for good reason these boating lanes are dangerous, fast boats people not paying attention...it is not a matter of if anymore it is a matter of when, a disaster will happen. The campground hosts vary, a few years good ones, friendly helpful with enforcing rules, other years...just marking time in a free campsite or so it seems. Despite all of the negatives, the positives of the size of the lake with the many coves and arms, and you can go a ways down the Arkansas River, the sunsets, and sunrises, the serenity of weekdays, and the excellent fishing.... like anything there are always trade offs...no one can have it all...it is a very good place to be.