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State Park

Photo: Via Recreation.govPublic domainRecreation.gov

Kelsey Campground

Pike National Forest · Pine, CO

Verify with the state park system

State parks set their own rules and reservation systems. Fire bans, road closures, and operating dates change seasonally — check the state park website before traveling.

Directions

17

Total Sites

0.0

0 Reviews

17 Tent15 RV

Official sources & verification

Managed by State Park

Verify before you go

Source of truth

Verify by phone or mail

We display cached information from agency feeds. Hours, fees, permits, closures, fire restrictions, and conditions change without notice. Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current conditions for this campground using the links above before you go — you are responsible for compliance. Last verified by us: Aug 8, 2026. Our copy is more than a month old — please reconfirm with the agency before relying on it.Spot an error in our data?

Live availability

via Recreation.gov
See every open campground nearbySame dates & filters, across the whole area

Availability is a recent snapshot, not a live hold — you always complete the booking on recreation.gov.

About

Overview Kelsey is one of two campgrounds within the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area, about an hour's drive southwest of Denver, Colorado. Visitors enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities, including hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and trout fishing. Recreation The Buffalo Creek Recreation Area is home to a 40-mile trail system most popular with mountain bikers, but hikers and horseback riders enjoy the area as well. Several trailheads are within the area, including Little Scraggy Trail, just 3 miles north of the campground. Access to the Colorado Trail and the Buffalo Burn Trail begin from this trailhead. Shinglemill Trail is also nearby. Buffalo Creek is a popular fishing stream for brook trout. The area offers great wildlife viewing opportunities for turkey, elk, mule deer, chipmunks and porcupines. Facilities The campground offers single-family sites, some of which are designated for tent camping only. Each site is equipped with picnic tables and campfire rings with grills. Vault toilets are provided. Drinking water is available from a hand pump, but hookups are not available. Natural Features The campground sits at an elevation of 7,400 feet in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Summer temperatures are mild and range from 75-80 during the day to 55-65 at night. The Kelsey Overlook is just north of the campground along County Road 126, offering beautiful views of the valley below. Nearby Attractions The drive along County Road 126 southwest from Pine Junction affords magnificent views of the valleys below. Pikes Peak, at 14,110 feet, can be seen in the distance and other prominent rock formations present themselves throughout the scenic drive. Charges & Cancellations Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.

Reviews

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How busy it gets

Recreation.gov
Well reviewed4.2

62 camper reviews on Recreation.gov

Amenities

Flush Toilets
Potable Water
Firewood
Picnic Tables
Fire Rings
Trash Service

Cell reception

Camper reports · checked Sep 29, 2026

Major Issues

Average 1.1 of 4 bars · 53 reports across 3 carriers

Phone calls drop frequently; text messages delayed. No data, or mostly unusable data. Signal may be limited to small areas of site/facility. No social media.

  • Verizon

    No Service

    0.0/4

    27 reports

  • AT&T

    Some Coverage

    1.7/4

    14 reports

  • T-Mobile

    Good Coverage

    2.6/4

    12 reports

Reported by campers on Recreation.gov, not measured by us. Reception varies by handset, weather, and where you stand in the campground. Recreation.gov

Check-in & Check-out

Check-in 2:00 PM

Check-out 12:00 PM

Campground Rules

  • Campfires generally permitted — verify current fire restrictions before lighting

Reservations

This campground accepts reservations. Book early for popular dates.

Make a Reservation

Individual Sites (17)

001
#001

001

Loop KELS

Check official pricing Max 8 guests35 ft
CampsiteStandardPets OKCampfires
Reserve
002
#002

002

Loop KELS

Check official pricing Max 8 guests40 ft
CampsiteStandardPets OKCampfires
Reserve
003
#003

003

Loop KELS

Check official pricing Max 8 guests45 ft
CampsiteStandardPets OKCampfires
Reserve
004
#004

004

Loop KELS

Check official pricing Max 8 guests40 ft
CampsiteStandardPets OKCampfires
Reserve
005
#005

005

Loop KELS

Check official pricing Max 8 guests40 ft
CampsiteStandardPets OKCampfires
Reserve
006
#006

006

Loop KELS

Check official pricing Max 8 guests20 ft
CampsiteStandardPets OKCampfires
Reserve

In this park

Trails at Pike National Forest

View park

Within ~30 miles

Trails near Kelsey Campground

Explore trails near here

Hunt context

Hunting units around this campground

During hunting seasons, wear blaze orange and check regulations — see the Colorado hunting page

Nearby Campgrounds

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