Campground · Rocky Mountain National Park
A simple tent camp for an early Longs Peak start.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Rocky Mountain Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Rocky Mountain National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Rocky Mountain audio tourRecorded for this place
Longs Peak Trailhead: Lake or Summit“You're approaching Longs Peak Trailhead, the start of some serious mountain outings. Chasm Lake is my pick if you want the view straight up Longs Peak's sheer east face, the Diamond, without attempting the summit.”
Plays as you drive up to Longs Peak Campground in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…No cell service for majority of the day but had continuous access to the app - the maps, the tour guide as you drive is amazing. Highly recommend purchasing the subscription.”
Guide
Longs Peak Campground is a 26-site, tent-only campground in a forest at about 9,500 feet. Its main draw is location: it makes a handy overnight base for an early start toward Longs Peak or Chasm Lake. Choose it for trail access and simple camping, not a full-service campground.
Each site has a tent pad, picnic table, fire ring and parking area. Four vault toilets serve the campground, but there are no showers, dump station, camp store or drinking water. Bring your own water and food. The ground is uneven, and some tent pads take a few steps to reach.
From Estes Park, head about 20 miles south on CO 7, then turn right onto Longs Peak Road and follow the signs for the campground and ranger station. At roughly 9,500 feet, this is a high-elevation overnight; arrive with what you need rather than counting on supplies at the campground.
Wildlife
3,124 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,601 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
19 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
30 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
270 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Rocky Mountain. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateEugenia Mine Trail2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.2 mi awayA short forest hike to an old boiler beside Inn Brook.
ChallengingEstes Cone Trail from Longs Peak Trailhead6.2 mi · 5 hr · 0.2 mi awayMine ruins and a rocky summit make the long climb pay off.
ChallengingChasm Lake Trail8.4 mi · 7 hr · 0.2 mi awayScramble above the falls to a lake beneath Longs Peak's Diamond.
ChallengingLongs Peak Trail to the Boulderfield11.6 mi · 10 hr · 0.2 mi awayA strenuous high-alpine hike ends at Longs Peak’s boulder basin.
ChallengingEstes Cone via Lily Lake7.5 mi · 5.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA forested approach ends in a rocky high-altitude summit scramble.
EasyLily Lake Nature Trail0.8 mi · 36 min · 2.4 mi awayA gentle lake loop with Longs Peak on the horizon.
EasyLily Ridge Trail1.2 mi · 48 min · 2.4 mi awayA brief climb gives Lily Lake a whole new point of view.
EasyWind River Pass Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA short, high-altitude path beyond Lily Lake.
Sight · 1 mi awayEugenia MineA creekside boiler, mine tailings and a family story
Sight · 2.4 mi awayLily LakeA mostly level lake loop with Longs Peak across the water.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayChasm LakeA high alpine lake under Longs Peak, reached by a hard hike.
Sight · 3.3 mi awayLongs PeakThe park’s 14,259-foot summit is a serious, exposed climb.
Picnic area · 4 mi awayCopeland Lake Picnic AreaA lakeside picnic stop beside the Sandbeach Lake trailhead
Sight · 4.1 mi awaySprague LakeA gentle lake loop for Divide views and possible moose sightings.
Sight · 4.1 mi awayGlacier Creek StablesThe park's lone stable pairs guided rides with mountain scenery.
Campground · 4.2 mi awayGlacier Basin CampgroundA handy base for Bear Lake corridor starts.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
