Lone Rock Campground
The one South Platte campground near Deckers that takes reservations and accepts RVs, sitting right on Gold Medal trout water. If you only learn one DougCo-area campground name, learn this one.
Why it's here
Lone Rock Campground sits on the South Platte River near Deckers, run by the Forest Service out of the South Platte Ranger District. Of the three Forest Service campgrounds on this stretch of river, Lone Rock is the one that solves the two problems the others do not: it takes reservations through recreation.gov, and it accepts RVs (no hookups, no dump station, but the roads and parking aprons are paved and the sites can take a rig). The other two riverside options, Platte River and Ouzel, are tent-only walk-in sites with no reservation system at all. If you want to plan a weekend on the Platte in advance rather than gamble on a first-come spot, this is the campground.
There are 17 sites. Potable water comes from a hand pump that runs in peak season only (Memorial Day through Labor Day); outside that window plan to bring your own. Two vault toilets, an on-site host who also covers the nearby Ouzel and Platte River sites, and a peak nightly fee around $28 with a charge for a third vehicle. Elevation is roughly 6,480 feet, so this is foothills camping, warm summer days and genuinely cold nights well into June. The campground is open year round but full services only run in the peak window.
The reason people drive here and not to a closer county park is the water. This is Gold Medal trout water, the highest fishing classification Colorado assigns, and the campsites have direct river access. Fly anglers treat the Deckers stretch as a destination, and the campground fills its reservable sites fast on summer weekends. Book early, well ahead of a holiday weekend, because the combination of riverside, reservable, and RV-capable is rare on this river and the regulars know it.
Getting here is the part to respect. The approach from the Pine Junction side is a long unpaved county road before you reach pavement at the river. It is passable in a normal vehicle but it is slow, it is washboarded in places, and trailers should budget extra time. Cell coverage in the canyon is not reliable; download your directions before you lose signal.
Know before you go
- •Reservable riverside camping (the only one on this South Platte stretch)
- •Fly fishing the Deckers Gold Medal water from your site
- •RV camping without needing hookups
- •A planned summer weekend rather than a first-come gamble
Full services (water, host) run Memorial Day through Labor Day. Reservable sites on summer weekends and any holiday weekend sell out well in advance; book as early as the recreation.gov window opens. Open year round but limited services off-peak.
Book the river-facing sites the moment your date opens on recreation.gov. The hand-pump water is peak season only, so for a shoulder-season trip pack all your water in. Confirm the current nightly fee on the Forest Service Lone Rock page before you go; it changes season to season.
No hookups and no dump station, so this is not a full-service RV park. The unpaved approach road is long and washboarded; trailers go slow. Cell service in the canyon is unreliable. Much of the riverbank up and down the corridor is private, so respect posted boundaries when you walk to fish.
Paved roads and parking aprons inside the campground. Reach it via the South Platte River corridor near Deckers; the Pine Junction approach is a long unpaved county road before pavement at the river.
Featured in our coverage
Best for
Details
More in Roxborough
Indian Creek Campground
Roxborough State Park
Geological site with wildlife, hiking trails overlooking red-rock formations & a visitor's center.
