About Summit Lake Campground
***NOTE:** This campground will stay open until the snow makes it unreachable. Summit Lake Campground generally does not open until Mid July due to the high elevation of 10,300 ft and is located on Buffalo Pass outside of Steamboat Springs. It provides 9 back-in campsites and 6 walk-in tent sites (all are first come first serve and cannot be reserved. Each site has a table and a fire grate, and vault toilets and trash service is offered. Day Use is also obtainable in two parking lots provided for the visitor to use while fishing or picnicking. Only hand powered watercraft are permitted on Summit Lake, with no boat ramp available. This campground provides great opportunities for mountain biking, dirt biking and ATVing, horseback riding, fishing and hiking. It is located near the boundary of Mount Zirkel Wilderness which offers numerous backcountry opportunities. This site was approved…
- Fees: $20 per site. Exact cash or check only as there is no option for change back if paying cash. **NO CREDIT CARDS** accepted. Payment…
- Season: Mid July – Until unreachable due to snow
- Managed by: USFS - Medicine Bow-Routt NFs and Thunder Basin NG
- Where: 9 mi northeast of Steamboat Springs, CO · 40.54674, -106.68329
- Winter: the road at camp is closed to cars in winter; plan to ride, ski or snowshoe in.
Things to do:
Official page for this camp (fees, closures, booking)
Weather by month
Typical daily highs and lows (°F), 1991–2020 NOAA normals. Best months: Jul–Aug (comfortable days, mild nights, little rain). Nights below freezing: Oct–May.
Fly over it in 3D, check today's weather and fire news, plan the drive and print a trip plan.
Trails near camp
| Trail | Open to | From camp | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Lake Cg + Pg | ATV road | at camp | 0.4 mi |
| Buffalo Pass | ATV road | 0.2 mi | 18.6 mi |
| Wyoming Trail | Horse, ATV / OHV, Dirt bike | 0.2 mi | 31.6 mi |
| Newcomb Creek | Horse | 1.8 mi | 6.5 mi |
| 305.1 | Dirt bike | 2.5 mi | 0.9 mi |
| 1022.1 | Dirt bike | 3.0 mi | 0.8 mi |
Straight-line distance from camp, from Forest Service, BLM, state and OpenStreetMap trail data.
Good to know
Verizon 4G · AT&T 4G
From the carriers' FCC coverage maps, which tend to be generous.The Milky Way shows rich detail, horizon to horizon.
Class 2 of 9, from NASA/NOAA night-light data.Dump station: 10.6 mi
Water fill-up: 9.1 mi