Thistledown Campground
Thistledown Campground is adjacent to the historic site of Thistledown and the Weehawken Trailhead in Canyon Creek near Ouray, CO. This campground is heavily used by people planning to hike into Mount Sneffels & other nearby trails, enjoying the wildflowers in Yankee Boy Basin or driving on the local jeep trails. Tent camping is recommended.
More like this: first-come in Colorado · tent only in Colorado
Amenities & rules
| Equipment | Tents |
Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.
Season & status
| Status | Open |
| Season | Late May to Late fall |
| Forest | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Fore |
| Booking | No Reservations. First-Come, First-Serve Camping. $10 per night per camping unit |
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Fore recreation page ↗
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 38.0022° N, 107.6940° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- WildfireGold Mountain
3 mi from the campground · 39,747 acres · 92% contained
- PrescribedHigh Mesa Piles Rx
19 mi from the campground · 324 acres
- WildfireElk
20 mi from the campground · 7,257 acres · 90% contained
- PrescribedGroundhog Piles Rx
29 mi from the campground · 10 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.
Supplies & services
| Outdoor gear | Ouray Mountain Sports ↗ | 2 mi |
| Dump station | Dump station ↗ | 5.5 mi |
Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.
No site-by-site records, no fee schedule, no directions or photos in the Recreation.gov record. What is here comes from the agency's own listing. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the record fills in.
Explore
Trails nearby
- 0.4 miHayden ↗5.3 mi trail · hiking
- 0.6 miAlpine Mine1.2 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 0.7 miWeehawken2.4 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 1.3 miSutton - Neosho2 mi trail · hiking
- 1.4 miTwin Peaks2.1 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 1.4 miOak Creek ↗5.6 mi trail · hiking, horse
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
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests begins about 1.8 miles away, and it is the closest of these.
- 1.8 miGrand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 3,153,199 acres
- 2.9 miSan Juan National Forest ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 2,094,539 acres
- 6 miUncompahgre Wilderness ↗Wilderness · BLM/FS · 102,209 acres
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.
Other campgrounds nearby
Cabin and lookout rentals nearby
Historic landmarks nearby
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 Thistledown Campground?
No. Thistledown Campground is first-come, first-served. No Reservations. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.
Source: Forest Service
Is Thistledown Campground open right now?
Open as of Oct 26, 2026. Season Late May to Late fall.
Source: Forest Service status
Can I bring an RV to Thistledown Campground?
Thistledown Campground is listed for tents only.
Source: Forest Service
What if Thistledown Campground is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Angel Creek Campground (under 0.1 mi, first-come), Amphitheater (2.2 mi, partly first-come), and Alta Lakes Campground (Designated) (11.8 mi, first-come).
Source: Campgrounds nearby