U.S. Forest Service · Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG · Colorado

Big South Campground

This is a small campground located adjacent to Highway 14 and the Cache La Poudre River near the Big South Trailhead. It is best suited for tent or small RV camping. There are four sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. This site provides access to hiking (within the Comanche Peak Wilderness), fishing and scenic driving.

Closed for the seasonFirst-come, first-servedTents only

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

3fires
active
Salt Cabin Broadcast Rx (prescribed burn) · 14 mi away
2 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents
FeesCheck our campground table for fee information. Interagency Senior, Interagency Access, Golden Age and Golden Access passes provide cardholders half price for basic campground fees.

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.
ForestArapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG
FeesCheck our campground table for fee information. Interagency Senior, Interagency Access, Golden Age and Golden Access passes provide cardholders half price for basic campground fees.
RulesA single site may hold up to eight people. Tents must fit on the pads provided. RVs, trailers or other vehicles must fit on the parking spur because driving or parking off road is not permitted. The parking length ranges from 15 to 30 feet.

Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Big South Campground20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.47 inches of precipitation, 6.4 inches of snowFebruary: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 7.9 inches of snowMarch: 0.91 inches of precipitation, 13.0 inches of snowApril: 1.52 inches of precipitation, 15.7 inches of snowMay: 1.72 inches of precipitation, 5.5 inches of snowJune: 1.39 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.63 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.43 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.36 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowOctober: 1.05 inches of precipitation, 6.7 inches of snowNovember: 0.69 inches of precipitation, 8.2 inches of snowDecember: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 8.1 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 25.6°F averageFebruary: 25.4°F averageMarch: 32.1°F averageApril: 37.0°F averageMay: 45.9°F averageJune: 56.0°F averageJuly: 62.7°F averageAugust: 61.1°F averageSeptember: 53.7°F averageOctober: 42.5°F averageNovember: 32.6°F averageDecember: 25.3°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Rustic 9Wsw, 7 miles from the campground at 7,700 feet, station USC00057296 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 13 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 73 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Coordinates40.6333° N, 105.8085° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Salt Cabin Broadcast Rx

    14 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    Mountain Campus Du Rx

    20 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    Boswell Machine Piles Rx

    30 mi from the campground

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

Supplies & services

Outdoor gearKirks Mountain Adventures ↗23.3 mi
Dump stationDump station ↗23.8 mi
RV sales & serviceManhattan RV & Trailer ↗41.7 mi

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

Explore

Video

Big South Campground - Poudre River Camping

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.1 mi
    Big South ↗
    10.8 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 3.1 mi
    Chambers Lake
    1.5 mi trail · hiking
  • 3.9 mi
    Blue Lake ↗
    16.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, snowshoe, ski
  • 4 mi
    West Branch ↗
    6.8 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 4 mi
    Blue Lake Spur
    0.08 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 4.3 mi
    Meadow Snow
    3.9 mi trail · snowshoe, ski

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 →

Comanche Peak Wilderness begins about 2.4 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.

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 Big South Campground?

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

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at Big South Campground?

Check our campground table for fee information. Interagency Senior, Interagency Access, Golden Age and Golden Access passes provide cardholders half price for basic campground fees.

Source: Forest Service

Is Big South Campground open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 26, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

Can I bring an RV to Big South Campground?

Big South Campground is listed for tents only.

Source: Forest Service

What if Big South Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Aspen Glen Campground (1.1 mi, first-come), Chambers Lake (3.2 mi), and Tunnel Campground (3.7 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby