North Mount Elbert Dispersed Camping

My first night at Twin Lakes was spent at the Campendium Camper's Choice 2018 winner Twin Lakes View, but after a long day of driving and another hour of scouting for a spot I pulled in to a nondescript spot with no view, and scraped the side of my van against a tree. So not great. The next day I moved to North Mount Elbert which is much more accessible and through the somewhat sparse pine trees has great views of the surrounding mountains (not the lakes though).

Access up to the campground was great. Within the campground there were some sections requiring thoughtful approach, but nothing terrible. There was space for dozens of RVs of any size, with ample turnarounds and a fire pit designating each site. There're no amenities, but walking the trail down the hill brings you to Lakeview Campground, a pay campground with pit toilets. Just saying.

The mid-July weather was perfect. Low to mid 70s, dry, and mostly sunny. The tree coverage provide shade but also plenty of sun depending on your positioning.

The only negative was the noise. This place gets very busy on the weekends. There were all sorts of vehicles ripping through the campground and on the surrounding roads all day long. There were also some neighbors who though the entire campground should enjoy their music and seemed to particularly relish screaming out the curses in the lyrics. Stay classy. Last, let's not forget the gunfire. Nothing conveys a sense of security like rapid gunfire after dark.

This is one of those campgrounds where you have to visualize what might appear as an acceptable site when the campground is nearly full. People will pack in to near RV park density, so if you have to opportunity to scout and select a secluded site by all means do.

We were originally looking for the Twin Lakes North campground but we must have drove past it. We saw the trailhead and then two little dirt roads, we took the second one and were pleasantly surprised. There was one other camper closer to the entrance and another group that we could hear but couldn't see. We parked fairly close to the first dirt road we had seen but we have some amazing views especially if you walk up the dirt road just a little ways. There was very little traffic and very little noise. Some litter in some areas, unfortunately. Amazing data and cell service. A little buggy but not the biting type.

The "road" within the campground is very rocky and sometimes not clear whether your still on a path or not. but getting here from the road is a breeze.