It shouldn’t be too hard to find a great escape to nature in the Centennial State — after all, this is a land where over 50 mountains get to above 14,000 feet tall. The upshot? There’s surprise hiking, camping, and skiing around virtually every corner. Take the Lake Irwin Campground, which heralds trails, fishing spots, and downright beautiful highland scenery roughly midway between two big Colorado towns: Grand Junction to the west and Colorado Springs to the east.
With the shadow of the aspen-haloed Ruby Mountain Range looming right on the doorstep, and the greater Elk Mountains spreading far out to the north and east, the campground clutches the northwestern side of Lake Irwin (hence its name) some 10,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains. Its over 32 pitches are tucked under the canopies of the vast Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest, offering access to a veritable outdoors playground complete with hiking and watersports aplenty.
The campground and its adjacent lake just shy of a four-hour drive from Colorado Springs and a roughly 2.5-hour drive from Grand Junction. Both of those towns have their own regional airports, but a close major aviation hub is the Denver International Airport (DEN), which is just under a five-hour drive away on the other side of the Rockies — expect a photo-worthy ride in from there, as you cruise scenic Highway 285 for much of the way.
Camping by the water at Lake Irwin
By many accounts, the campground at Lake Irwin is a doozy for folks who want a big hit of Mother Nature. For one, the Denver Gazette has hailed it as one of the most handsome camping national forest options in the whole state. Plus, the spot scores an enticing 4.5 out of five stars on Google Maps. That said, Lake Irwin remains an underrated destination, as it isn’t quite as famous as other marquee spots in Colorado — it only has just over 100 reviews on Google and is conspicuously absent from many best of lists for camping in the Centennial State. One guest sums up the location by saying, “This is one of our favorite camping spots in ALL of Colorado. Awesome hiking, biking, fishing, swimming and boating … Very beautiful scenery and much can be seen and done from the campground without driving.”…