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

Tom Bennett Campground

Located near Pingree Park, this campground is situated adjacent to the South Fork Cache la Poudre River in a lodgepole pine forest setting. This campground provides a primitive camping experience in a remote location. There are ten sites, each with a picnic table and fire grate. This is an older facility and will not accommodate larger RVs. Popular activities include hiking and stream fishing.

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) · 6 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 25 feet.

Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Tom Bennett Campground20°30°40°50°60°January: 1.23 inches of precipitation, 16.2 inches of snowFebruary: 1.52 inches of precipitation, 20.0 inches of snowMarch: 2.26 inches of precipitation, 28.5 inches of snowApril: 2.61 inches of precipitation, 35.7 inches of snowMay: 2.28 inches of precipitation, 14.8 inches of snowJune: 1.36 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowJuly: 1.95 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.74 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.57 inches of precipitation, 2.5 inches of snowOctober: 1.36 inches of precipitation, 13.6 inches of snowNovember: 1.34 inches of precipitation, 21.4 inches of snowDecember: 1.35 inches of precipitation, 19.5 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 20.9°F averageFebruary: 21.4°F averageMarch: 27.7°F averageApril: 32.5°F averageMay: 41.6°F averageJune: 52.3°F averageJuly: 58.6°F averageAugust: 56.4°F averageSeptember: 49.6°F averageOctober: 38.4°F averageNovember: 28.3°F averageDecember: 20.9°F average0 in10 in20 in30 in40 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Hourglass Rsvr, 3 miles from the campground at 9,520 feet, station USC00054135 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 21 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 174 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Coordinates40.5744° N, 105.5824° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Salt Cabin Broadcast Rx

    6 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    Mountain Campus Du Rx

    15 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    Boswell Machine Piles Rx

    41 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 ↗14 mi
Dump stationDump station ↗16.5 mi
RV sales & serviceManhattan RV & Trailer ↗29.2 mi

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

Explore

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.2 mi
    Emmaline Lake ↗
    5.8 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 0.4 mi
    Stormy Peaks
    3.2 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 1.2 mi
    Fish Creek ↗
    6.6 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 1.5 mi
    Signal Mountain ↗
    5.7 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 1.9 mi
    Beaver Creek ↗
    24.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, snowmobile and 2 more
  • 2.1 mi
    Mummy Pass
    3.5 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

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Comanche Peak Wilderness.

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 Tom Bennett Campground?

No. Tom Bennett 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 Tom Bennett 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 Tom Bennett Campground open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 26, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

Can I bring an RV to Tom Bennett Campground?

Tom Bennett Campground is listed for tents only.

Source: Forest Service

What if Tom Bennett Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Jacks Gulch (5.2 mi, partly first-come), Kelly Flats Campground (9 mi, first-come), and Mountain Park (9.5 mi, partly first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby