The Bank Campground

B Loop was great. It was quiet most of the week. People start coming in Thursday-Sunday. Noise does travel pretty far but after not seeing a soul for 2-3 days we welcomed some noise. The bathroom weren’t as bad as I thought they would be. The toilet paper is replenished frequently.

Each site has a fire pit and a large cement table. Bring your own water and firewood. There isn’t any at the campground.

The hummingbirds, bars were so cool to see at dusk. The views are amazing. The climbing is phenomenal.

The road coming up and down pretty rough for us as we expected. For campers/rvs, def go on 4L. It’s pretty slow going, so be patient.

We came in on a Friday afternoon and had no problem finding a site with about half the sites taken. Loop A has 13 sites and is FF. Loop B had 19 sites and is reservation only. Too bad Loop B isn’t also FF as it had very few sites taken. There are also two group sites right at the entrance to the campground. The road is a bit rough with washboard but fine taken slow. Clean pit toilets (a bit buggy) picnic tables and fire ring. Many sites also have raised tent pads.
Interesting to find out that easily accessible from the campground are multiple climbing areas. The limestone cliffs are beautiful. Views to the south are wide open for miles.
If you are considering taking the shelf road to Cripple Creek with any trailer or larger RV…DO NOT!!! The road is a rough rocky gravel road that’s very narrow with limited wide spots to pass. I drove my MB Sprinter and it was a challenge.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the drive in was. Looks like the road has recently been worked on. Once you get to the campground, however, you won't even remember the road because it is so nice up here. Sites are spaced out nicely with lots of privacy. The vault toilets are spotless and there are really 8 rolls of toilet paper with each toilet. Make sure you bring your flashlight at night as there are no lights even in the toilets.

Upon arrival, as you come to the top of the hill you will see the toilets on your left. Tent camping is to the right by the camp host sign (wasn't a host here when we visited) and camping for rigs is on the left. It's a loop with the entrance being just a bit down the road on the left. Make sure you swing wide as the angle to get over the cattle guard is a bit tight. We managed fine with our 29' 5th wheel.

There is a dump station at the Exxon Station in town but we couldn't find any potable water. There is a Twice the Ice though so we could fill up our 5 gallon jugs.

My husband has Verizon and usually had service. I have T-Mobile and it worked on and off during the day, mostly off.

I would definitely camp here again.

First, the location is called The Banks Campground.

I just wanted a reprieve from the Insanity of our state fires plus the overwhelming negative attitude across the country post-Stay At Home mandatory order.

New picnic tables, nice tent base, New fire ring and large vault bathrooms. Each one had up to 8 rolls of toilet paper.

The views are wonderful and I enjoyed the perfect sunsety first night with a bit of rain.

Road up becomes challenging as it is not graded and reminds me of our mountain passes.

Not recommended for your New rig. Truck campers would be my second choice to tent camping even though they have several pull throughs on Loop B.

Brought books, food, water, firewood, camera, first aid kit and great hiking boots.

Rejuvenated. Amazed. Thankful. Quiet. Excellent getaway with back up supplies 15 miles away. BLM land that is set up to really enjoy.

Fees:
$14 for double site
7 for a single site
Yes, senior pass holders are given discount rate.

The campground is located about 11 miles north of Canon City. The last mile or so in uphill on a fairly well maintained gravel road. They have recently added on to the campground. When you get to the top of the hill, the camp host site will be to your right and the self-pay station will be to your left. For tent camping turn right, but I would not take a trailer down that road. Instead go straight, past the camping sign on your left, if you have a bigger rig and turn around right before the day use parking area. It was easier to turn our 32ft 5th wheel into the second camping loop since there is a cattle guard right after the turn. That road is a little less narrow and we had no problem navigating it. The first few sites are a bit smaller, but the sites towards the end of that loop get bigger after the bathroom. We stayed in site B26 (back-in site) for the view. Some of the other sites are pull thru sites. The rest rooms are brand new. There are hiking trails and rock climbing in the area. The sites are gravel and have a concrete picnic table and a fire ring. We had great reception with our verizon hotspot and our cell phones. We were able to stream up here. No trash pick up, no water, no power and no dump station. But $7 at full price or with an Interagency Senior, Golden Age or Access pass it is only $3.50.

In September the BLM opened a 22 site Expansion to the Bank Campground. The Expansion includes a new B loop with 4 pull-throughs that can accommodate larger RVs and 18 easy back in sites that can easily up to 30' trailers. Three new vault toilets were added and a second Group Site. The Bank offers recreational opportunities for Rock Climbers, OHV, Equestrian and hikers. It's only 40 min from Cripple Creek and 30 min from Canon City. There isn't any water so be sure to bring what you need.