Lower Poudre Canyon

Ansel Watrous Campground is located on the Cache la Poudre River, 22 miles northwest of Fort Collins, Colo., along Highway 14. Visitors enjoy the area for its great rafting, fishing and hiking opportunities.

The campground offers accessible single-family sites, each equipped with a 12-by-15 tent pad, a picnic table and a campfire ring with grill.

Vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Dead and downed firewood may be gathered in the forest or purchased from the campground host.

All campsites are first-come, first-served.

Dutch George Campground is a lower-elevation campground located adjacent to Colorado Highway 14 and the Cache La Poudre River. It is primarily an open flat area but there are cottonwood and ponderosa pine trees within the riparian zone of the river, providing shade to some of the campsites. This campground is well-suited for larger RVs due to the highway access, paved interior road and longer parking spurs. There are 20 sites available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each site contains a tent pad, fire grate and picnic table. Popular activities in this area include fishing, four-wheel driving, and simply relaxing near the scenic Cache La Poudre River and Wilderness Area.

View a campground map.

Jacks Gulch Recreation Area is located 48 miles northwest of Fort Collins, in northern Colorado. Visitors enjoy the area for its great hiking, biking and horseback riding opportunities.

The campground offers an accessible group site with electric hookups, and five equestrian campsites without hookups. Additional single-family campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The group site accommodates up to 60 people, several cars and up to nine RVs with hookups. Ten 14-by-17 tent pads are scattered throughout the site. A picnic shelter is provided. Two central cooking and picnic areas are on-site, each with four picnic tables, a charcoal grill and campfire ring.

The two equestrian sites have four horse stalls each. Picnic tables, campfire rings and tent pads are provided. Each site can accommodate a horse trailer.

Vault toilets, drinking water and trash collection are provided. Firewood, dead and down, may be gathered in the forest or purchased from the host.

Kelly Flats is a first-come, first-served campground located adjacent to Colorado Highway 14 and the Cache La Poudre River. There are 29 sites available including four walk-in tent sites. This is primarily an open conifer forest setting but there is a variety of vegetation found along the riparian zone of the river. Each site contains a tent pad, fire grate and picnic table. The primary activities in this area include stream fishing and enjoying the ambience of the river as it flows through the campground.

The parking area at Mount McConnel trailhead accommodates approximately five vehicles. If the trailhead parking is full, you can park in the Mountain Park Picnic Site. In the off season, this trailhead parking is closed.

The trail leaves the Mountain Park Picnic Site for loop hikes on the Kreutzer Nature Trail (#936) and Mt. McConnel Trail (#992). Most hikers begin at the trailhead, circle to the south and east, then exit near the bridge across the Cache La Poudre river, walking back up the campground road to return to their vehicle at the trailhead.

At one mile, the Mt. McConnel Trail branches off of the Kreutzer trail to the right and ascends to the summit, while the shorter 2-mile Kreutzer Nature Trail continues its loop to the east.

If you take the Mount McConnell trail to the summit, you will find the east leg of the Mt. McConnel loop is steep, rocky and difficult to navigate.

You can find more information at Poudre Wilderness Volunteers. Download the trail summary here.

Mountain Park Campground is located on the Cache la Poudre River, 40 miles northwest of Fort Collins, Colo., along Highway 14. Visitors enjoy the area for its great rafting, fishing and hiking opportunities.

The campground offers accessible single- and double-family sites, and a group site that can accommodate up to 75 people. Sites 1 through 32 have electric hookups. Sites 33 through 54 do not have hookups.

Picnic tables, 12x15' tent pads, campfire rings and grills are provided, as are vault toilets and drinking water. Coin showers are located on-site. Dead and downed firewood may be gathered in the forest or purchased from the host.

Narrows Campground is located on the Cache la Poudre River, 32 miles northwest of Fort Collins, Colorado, along Highway 14. Visitors enjoy the area for its great rafting, fishing and hiking opportunities.

The campground offers accessible single-family sites, including eight walk-to tent sites. Each site is equipped with a 12x15' tent pad, a picnic table and a campfire ring with grill.

Vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Dead and downed firewood may be gathered in the forest or purchased from the host.

Stove Prairie Campground is located on the Cache la Poudre River, 26 miles northwest of Fort Collins, in north central Colorado. Visitors enjoy the area for its great rafting, fishing and hiking opportunities.

The campground offers eight accessible, single-family campsites. Four sites are walk-to tent sites. Each site is equipped with a 12-by-15 tent pad, table and campfire ring with grill.

Accessible vault toilets are provided. Dead and downed firewood may be gathered in the surrounding forest, or purchased from the campground host.

Located near Pingree Park, this campground is situated adjacent to the South Fork Cache la Poudre River in a lodgepole pine forest setting. This campground provides a primitive camping experience in a remote location. There are ten sites, each with a picnic table and fire grate. This is an older facility and will not accommodate larger RVs. Popular activities include hiking and stream fishing. View a campground map.

All campsites are first-come, first-served.