Purgatoire Campground

I really like this campground. We went in June 2021. It is sort of what I consider to be quintessential Colorado wilderness scenery -- up in the mountains surrounded by unspoiled rolling green meadows with streams running through. It is very remote and extremely peaceful. There were only a handful of other campers when we were there. We enjoy boon-docking, so natural beauty and remoteness is what we like.
The drive in was quite a bit washboarded and bumpy for our 24' Class C, but no problem if you go slow. We originally reserved site #9. It has outstanding views overlooking the meadow below, however it is extremely un-level and we could not make it work for our rig. Mark, the camp host came by and asked how everything was. He let us move to site 7 which is a first-come first-serve and was much better. I had a chance to look at site #8 and would have taken that one except it had already been reserved for the next day. Site #8 is probably the best one - it is a huge level site that has tons of privacy and great views overlooking the meadow below, and the stream runs right through the middle of it with a little bridge. I'll definitely be reserving #8 next time.
This is a quiet area with no cell service, and maybe there isn't much to do for some people. I enjoyed zipping around on my bike and the road leading to the campground has a couple of trail heads that can be hiked or biked. They are quite scenic and remote - I never saw anyone else on the trails.
This campground is also located off the Highway of Legends, which is fun drive in the summertime. All in all, I would definitely like to camp here again some time.

Let me start by saying it is a quiet, desolate campground. The ride in off of Highway 12 was a little rough, but not bad. Many of the sites are not for big rigs. I have a 24 ft travel trailer with another 3 feet for the hitch. We had a reservation for site 22, but I could not swing the front of my Ram truck around in order to back my travel trailer in. I hooked up with the camp host (Mark) and he said I could switch to site 23, which was perfect. Be advised again, this campground does not have room for really big rigs. I was pushing it with a 24 foot travel trailer. Mark the camp host was great and I would often see him walking around the campground cleaning and keeping things up. For me, I wanted to fish in the stream, but the water was too rough to even throw bait into. So for my spouse and me, there was very little to do at this campground. There is a trail that many people hike, but we didn't feel like it. It was a quiet campground and also be aware, there is no cell service, at least with Verizon. Nights were very cool and the days were decent. Again, not a bad campground if you want solitude.

Well spaced out and quite private sites are at the end of a 4 mile dirt road off scenic Hwy 12. Very accessible road for RV’s but it certainly has its share of washer board sections to give your rig a shake down.

On the road up to Purgatoire Camp there are 5-6 Forest Service designated camp sites. All were full when we drove up midday on a Thursday in August. In Purgatoire Camp, there is a single hand pump for water and several very clean vault toilets. Trash for “food scraps” only, so it’s mostly pack in, pack out. Clear mountain streams run throughout many of the sites. And there is a helpful camp host on duty.

Sites 6-9 sit well above the rest of the campgrounds, and if cellular access is needed one of these sites(6-9), a Verizon account, a high gain antenna with a hotspot will get you there. Otherwise it’s pretty much unplugged - no AT&T coverage whatsoever.

We loved our stay here and will certainly come back. Peacefully quiet, cool, & private sites make this a great location. The small local towns on Hwy 12 provide basics and meals out if you need them. We took a day trip to Blue lake and while there is good fishing (stocked) on Mountain lakes, the campsites are not as private and the road up much longer and kind of painful.

Our site #9 had the best views of the entire campground. Good site size for a small travel trailer like ours although a little shaded in the back of the unit where our solar panels are on top of the trailer, and it sloped downward toward the valley. Site #8 is also a great site and more level but would be too shaded for units with rooftop solar panels. Finding the campground (coming from Trinidad, CO) was very easy and it's a few minutes from Monument Lake Resort where we were able to dump and get potable water and ice for a total of $15. A short drive from this campground north is Blue Lake and Bear Lake Campgrounds/Lakes where we went fishing. If you stay at Purgatoire, you do not have to pay for a day pass to visit the other campground areas. We had the best luck fishing and with less bugs at Blue Lake. There is a trail connecting these areas that is 6 miles by foot, or it's about 20 miles by car. Purgatoire was far more quiet and the campsites are much more spacious with room between sites as compared to camping sites at Blue/Bear Lake.

Visions of Johanna has never sounded better than on the short dirt road up to this beautifully named national forest campground. We pass free campsite after free campsite on the road in, all occupied on a Saturday afternoon.

We're lucky to snag the last spot in the campground, despite the unseasonal rain. Our cell phones haven't worked for miles and there's nothing but the sound of the coyotes and our campfire's crackle to get in the way of endless pristine views of aspens and spruce forests.

The campground host told us you get 50% off camping if you've got a National Parks pass. They also sold wood, decent sized bundles for $6.

The only downside I guess is they do the reservations thing, with a handful of first come first serve spots...so campsites go empty from people who don't show up while others have to drive away.

Vault toilets clean and drafty compliment the bear boxes for food scraps. Otherwise it's pack it in, pack it the hell back out type camping. The drive from here north on CO 12 is absolutely gorgeous and Cuchara and La Veta are towns worth stopping in. Just a great way to get into the Rockies!