U.S. Forest Service · Medicine Bow-Routt NFs and Thunder Basin NG · Colorado

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.

Closed for the seasonFirst-come, first-servedFrom $20 per nightTents only

More like this: first-come in Colorado · tent only in Colorado

Summit Lake Campground
Photo from the area. Craig Talbert (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
1fire
active
Boswell Machine Piles Rx (prescribed burn) · 40 mi away
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-26
Incident details ↓

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents
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 instructions are found on the kiosk.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusClosed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
SeasonMid July to Until unreachable due to snow
ForestMedicine Bow-Routt NFs and Thunder Basin NG
BookingNo reservations. All sites first-come first-served
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 instructions are found on the kiosk.

Medicine Bow-Routt NFs and Thunder Basin NG recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Summit Lake Campground10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 2.46 inches of precipitation, 46.6 inches of snowFebruary: 1.92 inches of precipitation, 35.7 inches of snowMarch: 1.58 inches of precipitation, 19.5 inches of snowApril: 2.54 inches of precipitation, 13.2 inches of snowMay: 2.65 inches of precipitation, 2.8 inches of snowJune: 1.58 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowJuly: 1.72 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.80 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.32 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowOctober: 2.22 inches of precipitation, 6.9 inches of snowNovember: 1.93 inches of precipitation, 23.3 inches of snowDecember: 1.96 inches of precipitation, 35.8 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 16.9°F averageFebruary: 21.1°F averageMarch: 31.2°F averageApril: 40.5°F averageMay: 49.6°F averageJune: 57.6°F averageJuly: 64.5°F averageAugust: 62.8°F averageSeptember: 54.6°F averageOctober: 42.7°F averageNovember: 29.7°F averageDecember: 18.3°F average0 in10 in20 in30 in40 in50 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Steamboat Springs, 8 miles from the campground at 6,866 feet, station USC00057936 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 25 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 185 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Coordinates40.5467° N, 106.6833° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Boswell Machine Piles Rx

    40 mi from the campground

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Dump stationDump station ↗20.4 mi
Outdoor gearNever Summer Mountain Products ↗49.8 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

Trailheads within three miles

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Mount Zirkel Wilderness begins about 6.4 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Guidebooks for Colorado

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Summit Lake Campground?

No. Summit Lake Campground is first-come, first-served. No reservations. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at Summit Lake Campground?

$20 per site. Exact cash or check only as there is no option for change back if paying cash. No credit cards accepted.

Source: Forest Service

Is Summit Lake Campground open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 26, 2026. Season Mid July to Until unreachable due to snow.

Source: Forest Service status

Can I bring an RV to Summit Lake Campground?

Summit Lake Campground is listed for tents only.

Source: Forest Service

What if Summit Lake Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Granite Campground (3.5 mi, first-come), Hidden Lakes Campground (4.8 mi, first-come), and Teal Lake Group Campsite (4.9 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby