Rainbow Lakes Campground
Roosevelt National Forest
Write a Review County Road 116 Nederland, CO 80466 303-541-2500 970-295-6600 Official WebsiteGPS: 40.0104, -105.5702
Overview of Rainbow Lakes Campground
Last Price Paid: $17
Reported by senoritasenor on 8/28/2019
Longest RV Reported: 20 feet (Pop Up Camper)
Reported by Lauren E. on 1/3/2021
Number of Sites 16
Pad Type dirt
Open Seasonally mid-June - mid-Sept.
Elevation 9,940 ft / 3,029 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Rainbow Lakes Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 303-541-2500
uruth asked on 7/26/2023
Can you have a fire at this campsite? Is there a creek or any kind of body of water? How far away do you have to go t...
Reviews of Rainbow Lakes Campground 6 people have reviewed this location.
Reviewed 9/21/2022
| Days stayed: | 2 |
|---|---|
| Site Number: | 8 |
Overall Rating
Loved it here. We’ve been 3 times this season. Camp host, Tim, is wonderful! Just wish they didn’t shut down for the season so early. No cell service but that’s ok - forces you to relax and enjoy nature.
camper-719680 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Most beautiful place I've ever slept... but...”
Reviewed 1/3/2021
| Days stayed: | 4 |
|---|---|
| RV Length: | 20' (Pop Up Camper) |
Overall Rating
Okay. So this place, once you get there, is GORGEOUS. Hands down the most beautiful, pristine place I've ever slept. That being said we had a few hiccups that were newbie mistakes (i.e. our own issues, not that of the site), and I'll list them below so you don't do the same. Pros: beautiful nature. Our site was separate enough from... more
Okay. So this place, once you get there, is GORGEOUS. Hands down the most beautiful, pristine place I've ever slept. That being said we had a few hiccups that were newbie mistakes (i.e. our own issues, not that of the site), and I'll list them below so you don't do the same.
Pros: beautiful nature. Our site was separate enough from others to feel alone (also a con for me - see below). Running water from a nearby stream could be heard from our site, and the bathroom (vault toilet) was easily accessible and clean. Camp host was friendly, and sold water and firewood on site. Very close to Nederland - an adorable town with all basic necessities as well as some cute shops and restaurants. Loved Nederland.
Cons: Removed one star for the sheer craziness of the drive in. 5 miles of horrific bumps. We were scared, more than once, that we lost the PUP. We drove approximately 2 MPH (not exaggerating) in and out. Now. Other than the "road" in... most of these are on me/us. But here you go. 1. The campground is around 10,000 feet of elevation. I had altitude sickness. Bad. I felt fine, then gave my daughter a piggyback ride, then thought I was going to vomit FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS. My only relief was going down into Nederland (around 8,000 feet). Be prepared if you're not used to the mountains. 2. It was the middle of July, but at night it got below freezing. There is no electricity - complete dry camping at all sites - meaning no heat. We were not prepared. Be prepared. Hats and blankets. 3. And lastly. We were new to the mountains (get that yet?) and I knew there might be bears. Our camp host came to welcome us and I asked him what to do if we saw one (after putting everything we own into the bear box on site). He said a bear had been there the night before. Digging into someone's cooler. But that they were like big raccoons - just yell and shine a light and they'll leave. What we really needed to worry about were the Elk. Those are aggressive and will chase you/your children. I spent the entire first night freezing into an ice cube and thinking every gust of wind (it's windy... top of mountain...) was a bear sniffing our zippers, come to eat my children.
Am I fully aware of the fact that I was (probably) overreacting? Yes. Was this site absolutely beautiful? Yes. Would my hubby move there if he could? Yes. Would I? Probably not. Assuming you go prepared and can rationalize the bear fear - this is an excellent campground.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Rough roads for our off road Ford Escape SE Sport Appearance Package 4WD ”
Reviewed 7/8/2020
| Days stayed: | 1 |
|---|
Overall Rating
We have a off road Ford Escape SE Sport Appearance Package 4WD. Sinc it has 4 wheel drive it should have a smooth ride. The road is very rough like a tank went over it. The only down side to this place is the life and death issue with 0 cellular service from Xfinity Mobile, Visible, or Verizon and ATT in car wifi 0 services. Having cel... more
We have a off road Ford Escape SE Sport Appearance Package 4WD. Sinc it has 4 wheel drive it should have a smooth ride. The road is very rough like a tank went over it. The only down side to this place is the life and death issue with 0 cellular service from Xfinity Mobile, Visible, or Verizon and ATT in car wifi 0 services. Having cellular service and data is a human rights issue that needs to be addressed. This is not ok in this day and age!! Make cellular great again. 1 star review because of no cellular service
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AT&T
Verizon
T-Mobile
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful spot; tough to get to”
Reviewed 8/28/2019
| Nightly rate: | $17 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | 12 |
Overall Rating
Rainbow lakes is a pretty campground but is difficult to get to. The road in is 5 mile dirt road riddled with very deep potholes. Most people were tent camping; we stayed in site 12 with our 12' converted cargo hauler. One person brought in a 20' rig; I cannot imagine getting up the road with anything larger than ours. All the sites... more
Rainbow lakes is a pretty campground but is difficult to get to. The road in is 5 mile dirt road riddled with very deep potholes. Most people were tent camping; we stayed in site 12 with our 12' converted cargo hauler. One person brought in a 20' rig; I cannot imagine getting up the road with anything larger than ours.
All the sites except for...I think it was site 6 had good shade. Site 12, where we were, was pretty quiet because it was set back a bit but some of the lower campgrounds (single digit) are closer together and there was one really loud group that definitely had exceeded capacity. The camp host was nice but isn't on site due to a bear-break in so he wasn't much help with the overly loud group. High elevation can also mean some pretty intense wind.
No water and reasonably clean vault toilets.
The site is an an excellent starting place for hiking to the pretty Rainbow Lakes (short and not terribly difficult) and Arapahoe Glacier and Pass (long and hard). The latter hike is one of the most breathtaking I've done in CO but its 12 miles total.
senoritasenor would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Normal”
Reviewed 8/23/2019
| Days stayed: | 1 |
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Overall Rating
This was an okay campground. It was pretty crowded and had quite a bit of noise until 9:30 or so.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet spot with great hikes. ”
Reviewed 7/10/2019
| Nightly rate: | $17 |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
| Site Number: | 6 |
Overall Rating
We loved the camp site. Somewhat close to others but trees in between. Bathrooms were always clean. Camp host was very friendly. No water but plenty of firewood. I would definitely do the walk in sites next time. It is first come first serve. 5 mile dirt road to get in.
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T-Mobile
Toniobarton would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- group sites
- restrooms: flush
- trash
Pets
- pets
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Make sure you buy a day use pass for the days your are camping if you want to drive to a trailhead and park
- Lonnie & Joi
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