Camp at Guanella Pass

Idaho Springs, Colorado

4.5/5

based on 2 reviews

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Description

Added by Eric Schuette

Easy access to the Front Range. Hiking and fishing nearby. Restrooms, firepits, and tent pads. Beautiful night sky.

This is a beautiful campground that serves as a great basecamp for many different outdoor activities in the Front Range. Whether you are looking for a casual day fishing or trying to knock one of the nearby 14ers off of your bucket list, this is an excellent place to begin. There are also abandoned “ghost towns” and the historic Georgetown nearby for those interested in local history.

There are 17 campsites that include a tent pad, fire pit, and a picnic table and there are communal bathrooms and water available. For more details on the site and reservations, check out recreation.gov.

Getting there from Denver is super easy on I-70. Just head west, exit at Georgetown and follow signs to Guanella Pass for 9 miles.

The Milky Way is pretty epic from the pass. If you enjoy photography, this is a great place to work on your night sky shooting.

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Hiking

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Forest

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Reviews

Explorer

Korey Taylor

Explorer

Camp at Guanella Pass

07/12/20

These are some of my favorite dispersed camping spots in Colorado. They offer great views of the milky way and the best way to get an early start on summitting nearby fourteeners. These are primitive sites, so no facilities and everything must be packed in and packed out. They can become full on weekends so I always recommend to get there early to ensure you have a camp spot for the night!

5.0

Explorer

Kyle Frost

Explorer

Camp at Guanella Pass

07/13/15

Excellent spot to shoot some stars or setup a basecamp for tackling nearby 14ers Bierstadt and Evans. There is also plenty of dispersed camping in this area - we just slept in our car at the Bierstadt trailhead before hiking at sunrise!

4.0

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Silver Dollar Lake Trail

Guanella Pass, which connects the charming and historic town of Georgetown in the north to the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Grant to the south, is a recreational outdoorsman’s dream. Volumes could be written on what this 22-mile scenic byway has to offer. Silver Dollar Lake Trail is just one tiny portion of the area, but this little 2-mile stretch of trail is packed with such beauty that you feel ...

Hike to Square Top Lakes

Starting from Guanella Pass, right across from the Bierstadt trailhead, Square Top Lakes is definitely a hidden gem. Most people here are attempting to do the 14er, but if you've already bagged that one (or are just looking for some high altitude hiking to get you ready for it), Square Top Lakes is perfect. The hike begins by immediately descending a few hundred feet into a small valley. From t...

Mount Bierstadt

If you’re ready for your first 14er, Mount Bierstadt holds a reputation for a great “starter” 14er. Of course, experienced climbers will enjoy this (relatively speaking) easy mountain as well. Besides the joy of the hike itself, Bierstadt is a stunning wildflower hike in July and August. Thanks to an expansive valley floor, views of the surrounding peaks (including other Front Range 14ers Torre...

Watch the Sunrise at Guanella Pass

From Denver, take i70 to Georgetown and simply follow the signs through town to the top. This pass can also be accessed from the south via US Highway 285 at the town of Grant. Guanella Pass is closed in the winter, typically from about the last week in November through the last week of May. Watching the sunrise in winter is still possible from Guanella pass, but will require a ¾ mile hike from ...

Bierstadt, Evans, and The Sawtooth Loop

Starting from the oddly poorly marked Guanella Pass Trailhead (Google maps directions to Guanella Campground and then drive about two miles past it to the south), the trail heads southeast toward Bierstadt, and much of your route to the first summit is visible from the parking lot. The trail to Bierstadt starts out at just over 11,000 feet and stays nearly flat for the first mile, allowing you...

Mount Evans and Mount Spalding Loop

Mount Evans is a simple, yet drop dead gorgeous 14er. That being said, no 14er is easy by any means. However as far as 14er's go, this is a cake walk. Coming in at a rating of class 2, there tends to be some scrambling but nothing a well balanced person can't handle. To begin this adventure, we drove up to the Summit Lake parking lot at around 5am. There is a $5 fee for parking but that can be...

Camp at Guanella Pass

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Leave No Trace

Nearby

Silver Dollar Lake Trail

Hike to Square Top Lakes

Mount Bierstadt

Watch the Sunrise at Guanella Pass

Bierstadt, Evans, and The Sawtooth Loop

Mount Evans and Mount Spalding Loop

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