U.S. Forest Service · Los Padres National Forest · California

Colson Campground

Colson Campground closed permanently in April 2021. Please contact the Santa Lucia Ranger District for more information about the closure. The following campgrounds are open and can be accessed off Hwy 166: Bates Campground, Miranda Pine, Rock Front OHV Area (Buck Springs Campground, Paradise and Baja Campground), Horseshoe and Brookshire.

Closed for the seasonBooking not publishedTents only

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

Colson Campground
Photo from the area. Region 5 Photography (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents

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.
ForestLos Padres National Forest

Los Padres National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Colson Campground50°60°70°January: 4.04 inches of precipitationFebruary: 3.43 inches of precipitationMarch: 3.25 inches of precipitationApril: 1.47 inches of precipitationMay: 0.55 inches of precipitationJune: 0.10 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.04 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.01 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.07 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.88 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.40 inches of precipitationDecember: 2.96 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 51.9°F averageFebruary: 52.5°F averageMarch: 54.6°F averageApril: 56.5°F averageMay: 59.0°F averageJune: 62.3°F averageJuly: 65.0°F averageAugust: 65.7°F averageSeptember: 64.8°F averageOctober: 62.3°F averageNovember: 56.2°F averageDecember: 50.3°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Twitchell Dam, 9 miles from the campground at 582 feet, station USC00049111 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 18 inches a year.

Getting there

Coordinates34.9398° N, 120.1698° W · Directions ↗

Supplies & services

Dump stationFlying Flags RV Resort ↗22.7 mi
Outdoor gearSurf Connection ↗25.4 mi
RV sales & serviceHarder RV Storage ↗41.5 mi

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

Explore

Video

Colson group camp - Land Between the Lakes

Worth a stop

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.1 mi
    Buckhorn Rigde
    1.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.5 mi
    Alejandro ↗
    5.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 1.5 mi
    Bear Canyon Conn
    1.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.2 mi
    Bear Canyon
    3.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 4 mi
    Bear Canyon Loop OHV ↗
    6.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
  • 4.1 mi
    Horseshoe Springs Spur OHV
    0.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more

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 Los Padres National Forest.

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 California

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

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

Reference

Questions people ask

Is Colson Campground open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 26, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

Can I bring an RV to Colson Campground?

Colson Campground is listed for tents only.

Source: Forest Service

What if Colson Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Horseshoe Springs Campground (6.4 mi, first-come), Mt. Figueroa Campground (17.6 mi), and Nira Campground (17.6 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby