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Leadville Ranger District

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Quick Facts

Elbert Creek Campground

Capacity:	170 People
Elevation:	10,100 Feet (3148.4 Meters)
Length of Stay:	14 Days
Number of Sites:	17
Reservation Status:	Not Accepted

		Satellite and Topo Map

General Description

All campsites in the Halfmoon Drainage are first come, first serve. The two campgrounds located here have managers to help you with your needs. Fees are paid at the fee station located at the entrance to each campground. Each campground is equipped with drinking water, toilets, tables, fire rings and trash collection. The Halfmoon drainage from the Forest boundary west to the intersection with Forest Road 110.3a and from the Wilderness boundary on the north to þ mile south of the road is under a special black bear food storage prohibition. All food, refuse and other bear attractants must be stored in a bear resistant manner at all times, unless you are in the process of preparing or eating your food or are transporting your food (such as in a backpack).

Directions from Leadville: From Leadville, travel 3.9 miles west on US Highway 24. Take Colorado 300 west 3/4 of a mile to Lake County 11. Turn left on to 11 and travel 1.25 miles. Turn right on to Forest Road 110 then follow signs to Elbert Creek Campground.

Seasonal Information:
Normal Services Available: June through September (NOTE: Opening and closing dates may change depending on weather conditions.) .

Fee Information

Type	Price	Remarks
single-unit campsite	Call for Current Fee	Per Night. All campgrounds ar

		Current Conditions & Trip Reports
		Add your own trip Report! Newly re-released feature. One of the most popular features on Wildernet, trip reports allow you to share your experiences with others. This is an invaluable resource for determining what to expect on your outdoor adventure, so please participate! To prevent spamming, you must be a registered user of Wildernet in order to submit a trip report Filed By: Jack Corriere (Denver, CO) Number of People Encountered: 25-50 ppl Recommend to a Friend: Highly Report: This campground is in a very pretty area near the Mt. Massive trailhead. This area offers fair to good fly fishing in Emerald lake and fair fishing in Elbert creek. The sites on the left loop are more secluded/private and about 50 feet from the creek. If you hike up Elbert creek the fishing gets a lot better in a meadow area. Overall, this place is great for hiking, fishing and viewing the beautiful mountains. Conditions: It can get a little muddy, but overall everything is nice and the campgrounds are spacey and secluded by pines. Moderate amount of mosquitos depending on rainfall. Water Availability: Bring your own water. Campground is very clean. Number of People Encountered: 50+ ppl Recommend to a Friend: Highly Report: We arrived Thurday morning and had plenty of sites to choose from. Campground filled on Friday and Halfmoon Campground which is down the road also filled. Many of the dispersed sites also filled. Nice place to camp if you want to hike to the top of the second and third highest mountains in the lower 48. Conditions: Most of the sites are shady with about half the sites located creekside. We had an afternoon thunderstorm with pea size hail. Water Availability: Water is available from one central hand pump.

Recreation Opportunities

Activity		Remarks	On Site
	Family Camping	Elbert Creek Campground	Yes
	RV Camping	Elbert Creek Campground	Yes
	Tent Camping	Elbert Creek Campground	Yes
	Trailer Camping	Elbert Creek Campground	Yes
	Camping	Elbert Creek Campground	Yes
	Cold Water Fishing	Halfmoon Creek	Yes
	Four-Wheel Driving	Halfmoon Road, South Halfmoon Road	Yes
	Hiking & Walking	Willow Creek Trail, Colorado Trail, Mt. Massive Trail, Mt. Elbert Trail (North), North Halfmoon Trail	No
	Horseback Riding	Willow Creek Trail, Colorado Trail, North Halfmoon Trail, Halfmoon Road, South Halfmoon Road	Yes
	Big Game Hunting	Mount Massive Wilderness	No
	Small Game Hunting	Mt. Massive Wilderness Area	No
	Bird Identification	Halfmoon General Forest Area - various trails	Yes
	Pine Cone Gathering	Halfmoon General Forest Area - various trails	Yes
	Plant Identification	Halfmoon General Forest Area - various trails	Yes
	Wildflower Identification	Halfmoon General Forest Area - various trails	Yes
	Mountain Biking	Halfmoon Road, South Halfmoon Road, Mt. Elbert Creek - One Way, Mt. Elbert Creek/Pipeline Loop	Yes
	ATV Riding	Halfmoon Road	Yes
	Motorcycle Riding	Halfmoon Road, South Halfmoon Road	Yes
	Backpacking	Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail	No

Related Activities

Colorado Trail (Halfmoon to Twin Lakes) - This segment of the Colorado Trail begins in the Halfmoon Drainage and continues for approximately 6 miles to the Lakeview Campground above Twin Lakes.

Colorado Trail (Turquoise Lake to Halfmoon Creek) - This section of the Colorado Trail is known as #10. It begins west of Turquoise Lake and ends 11.5 miles later in the Halfmoon Creek drainage.

Emerald Lake Family Picnic Ground - Emerald Lake Family Picnic Ground is located on Halfmoon Road west of Leadville. Visitors to this site will enjoy access to hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, four-wheel driving and fishing.

Halfmoon Campground - All campsites in the Halfmoon Drainage are first come, first serve. Twenty-four sites are available in the Halfmoon East & West Campgrounds with the maximum RV length of sixteen feet.

Halfmoon Road - Halfmoon Road begins on Fish Hatchery Road (#300) and continue to the Champion Mine. The first 7 miles are accessible to 2 WD vehicles.

Mt. Elbert - Mt. Elbert at 14,433 ft elevation is the highest point in Colorado. It is the second highest mountain in the adjacent 48 states.

Mt. Massive - Mount Massive is the second highest peak in Colorado and is appropriately named, with seven summits over 14,000 feet. Elevation of the highest peak is 14,421 feet.

North Halfmoon Trail - This trail leads the hiker to a high alpine lake. North Halfmoon Lakes are located almost 3 miles from the trailhead on Halfmoon Road.

More Information

Visitor Information:

Leadville Ranger District, U.S. Forest Service, 2015 North Poplar , Leadville, CO, 80461, Phone: 719-486-0749, Fax: 719-486-0928

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