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Public forest service land just a few miles north of Woodland Park Colorado just inside the Douglas county line. A good number of pull offs available most of the year as the area is a bit remote and not well known. The only problem is if you are not an ATV enthusiast you might find the large number of dirt bikers and 4 wheelers a bit annoying. There are primitive restrooms in the parking lot at the entrance, but they are the only facilities. Trout Creek runs through the campground for some trout fishing if you like, and there is a private fishing club at the end of the road.
Shooting is allowed there so at times there is quite a bit of gunfire noise. The area is unsupervised so on holiday weekends there is quite a bit of partying and sometimes loud music.
A Place To Sleep But No Vacation
Came here because Rampart Road was closed on one side and 2x full on the other (see review).
I'd say this place would be enjoyable for ATV people, but virtually all of the ATV trails are closed off which leaves them with... The same dirt road you're camping 25 feet away from. Same kids on the same quads, up and down and up and down the road again, kicking up a ton of dust. Nevermind the folks going to the fishing lodge driving 60 mph.
Sites can be difficult to get to, and are not level in any way. You will probably sleep on a 20-30 degree slope. Mostly rock and dusty dirt, use a cot if possible. The "river" looks like it's on private property, a barbed wire fence separates it and the cows from you.
All that being said, it is what it is - a free place to spend the night. I'm glad it was there for me, but I'll never plan on coming back. Use it if needed, but don't come here expecting peace, quiet or cleanliness. Avoid hiking anywhere you see toilet paper.
EDIT: I am a hunter and active sportsman. But the idiots around here fire their weapons well after dark. Like after 10:00 pm. This place seems full of irresponsible idiots and I didn't see a single park ranger.
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. jspelts would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
I've been going to this campsite since i was 5. I am now 21. I conciser one of the camping spots to be the best but hardest to get to if you know you know. Although i love this place i do wish the roads and campsites were better taken care of. i know its a free spot but bullet shells and broken glass in the dirt really sucks. since i was young we always make it our first job to clean up the campsite. i hope others can do the same. Its my dream to get married in this park due to the memories it has given me. i can handle the sounds of dirt bikes and four wheelers but the shooting isn't exactly romantic. I wouldn't mind paying a small entrance fee if it meant the park was better taken care of.
Alexander Hail would stay here again.Is this review helpful? 6 1
trash everywhere
Should have read the other reviews more closely. This campsite had so much trash everywhere and most spots were directly off of a main road. Would not recommend coming here at all. Needed to drive back to the town to reach service. Ended up going to middle rampart road which was much much nicer.
faith would not stay here again.Is this review helpful? 0 0
JOKE
Place is a joke I came here to relax camping just herd gun fire at 6am from the range. The atv nose is fine I get it they stopped around 7 pm. When it got dark some asshole at the next sight was playing music super loud until 2 am and when you finally fall asleep the next day more guns from a range before 7 am. Also sight was dirty full of broken glass and a fire pit full of cans and other bullshit. Might be a ok place to ride for the day but definitely not overnight camping it’s over ran by assholes.
Brandon would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 8 1
Private plot with great views, but previous campers did not clean up after themselves
Great views, and we were far enough away from our neighbors to see their car but not hear them. We arrived around 2pm on a Saturday and had no trouble finding a great campsite in a nice location. There were plenty of ATVers, but it wasn't a constant stream and isn't too annoying as long as you don't set up your tent right by the road. You can hear gunshots, but they were far away. We had expected to be able to fish based on other reviews, but the water in the creek was extremely shallow and not great for fishing. The creek was fenced off where we camped, but you could easily walk over the short wire fence. The area was patrolled, which was a nice safety feature. We did not see any restrooms when we drove in, but may have come in from the opposite side and missed them. My greatest critique is that our campsite was absolutely littered with trash. McDonalds trash, broken beer bottles, old food containers, and even a used sanitary napkin. It's such a shame to see people misuse the gift of a free place to camp.
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. dalilik305 would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 8 0
Clean up your POOP!
If you are into ATVs and motorcycles this would probably be a great spot. However stereotypes exist for a reason and the sites we looked at all had a lot of trash and broken glass and were inhabited by people who do not understand the concept of burying your poop. There was toilet paper everywhere. There were guns being fired over the hill and constant motorcycles up and down the road. Not a bad spot if you take the time to clean up after the people who were there before you but don't expect pristine forest and peace and quiet. We left earlier than planned. It wasn't all bad the scenery was nice and you are pretty close to town for resupply. Just not our cup of tea. Very easy to get to, we have a 2wd pickup, you could easily get here in a honda civic.
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. Boris_159 would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 12 2
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
There are gunshots heard because you are extremely close to one of the most popular shooting ranges in Colorado... Maybe you should research the places you go first.
Is this review helpful? 13 17
Good for weekdays only
Arrived Monday to peace and quite. Great views.
Thursday, the atv crowd started arriving for the weekend. As soon as the first rig parked, someone set up a major sound system and started BLASTING kid rock.
Acted like their group was the only people around, no concern for any other campers.
This is the kind of "campers" that immediately start spraying the entire area with pesticides because they can't handle nature.
If you come here, do it Monday thru Thursday
Is this review helpful? 9 2
Nice place to stay
Mostly a quiet place to camp. Great views. Random OHV traffic thru the week, will probably be more this weekend.
I found a nice spot that my 39 ft Class A fit into easily.
Stayed here in a 39 foot-long Class A + a Toad (RV). Greg Jegstrup would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 3 0
Campsite was fine. "Private" parking. Good fire pit. Beautiful meadows and hills.
Camped here with my brother while doing a roadtrip last summer. Awesome site. It was a weekday early July. Hardly saw anyone else.
jaxcamper hiked in and stayed here with a tent. jaxcamper would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
Attempted to stay here at the end of September 2016. The previous 3 days I was at Rampart Road. I resupplied at the Walmart in town in Woodland and drove over to this site, but it was closed with a gate blocking the entrance. Went back to Rampart Road and still had a good time.
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent.
Is this review helpful? 2 2
Could be nice place but I would not go
Last year a man lost his life by stray bullets. He was sitting at his campsite with family. He was not shooting a gun. Never identified the shooter. Forest Service allows anyone to shoot off any time of firearm too close to camp. There have been other close calls and some violence there between drunk 4-wheelers in the past. I would never go back.
Admin's note: It is illegal to discharge a firearm near this camping area.
Stayed here in a 28 foot-long Fifth Wheel (RV). Deb would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 10 6
The family and I really enjoy going camping and four wheeling here. The only problem I have seen lately is how nasty people can leave the camp sites. Broken beer bottles everywhere and trash just left behind. I always see spent shot gun shells all over too which makes me feel a bit uneasy. Its great scenery and you can ride all day on the trails. Trails for novice to professional. I really hope these people realize what they are doing to this beautiful place and start cleaning up there trash, if it continues, I don't know that we would return to camp.
Is this review helpful? 9 0
This place is beautiful. It's fairly quiet during the week, but on the weekends it's ATV's and dirt bikes buzzing by every 5 minutes. Target shooting of any kind is not allowed on the east side of 67, but that doesn't seem to stop people from shooting anyway. Up in the hills there are many atv campsites and they are all filthy. We hike up there and you have to go a long way before you can find a place that doesn't have broken glass, beer cans (with bullet holes in them and no backstop - where do the rounds end up?), duct tape spread between trees (??), discarded blankets and rugs, and piles of crap everywhere. The barbarians who come out for the weekends howl and yell and scream and shoot guns at all hours and generally make a mess of the place. If you don't mind the racket and the trash, it's a great place to camp for free.
Long story short: in love with the place but disappointed at the knuckleheads who don't seem to have any regard for their fellow campers.
Is this review helpful? 19 1
They have outlawed shooting on the East side of 67 as of late 2014. There is still a lot of off road traffic. The entrance does have a large sign saying "Rainbow Falls Mountain Trout". But the privet club is a couple miles down the left hand road. The road that turns right at the parking lot (where the only bathrooms are) does get steep and rough for larger units. I pull a 24 footer with no issues. I can get it off the road to get out of the dust, but not out of the off road noise. The off road riding is top notch and everyone is friendly with most using proper hand signals warning of other/additional riders. From time to time a local promoter with even stage and rave or concert in the area. We've met some great people and heard some great music up there and that coming from a 52 yrs old grey haired old fart. They do seem to run until very early in the morning however. But a set of ear plugs always gives me a good nights sleep. The area is also well patrolled on big weekends by the rangers. I big plus is Woodland Park, with all the supplies you may need only 10 miles away. You can even get your quad worked on 7 days a week if need be. Trail maps: http://staythetrail.org/ or; http://staythetrail.org/mvum/2013-01-15/PSI_PikesPeak_2012.pdf
Is this review helpful? 10 1
5 Stars
Is this review helpful? 0 2
Rainbow falls is a good spot to camp. There are a lot of flies during the day.
Is this review helpful? 1 1
This was the first time Ive been camping here, and it was really nice. It wasnt too crowded or noisy considering the holiday weekend. We Will definitely come back.
Is this review helpful? 9 0
Nice place to go if you ride ATV or Motorcycles. If you want a camping spot, make sure you get there as early as possible. Big rigs might have a hard time driving past the initial parking lot because of the amount of traffic from the ATV's digging into the turns and creating banks. Awesome trails and scenery.
Is this review helpful? 2 0
GPS Coordinates are actually: 39.15634 N, 105.11411 W. The coordinates listed take you to Colorado Campground, or something like that.
Is this review helpful? 9 6
Just checked this place out today, convenient location and overall seems pretty decent. The campsites on top of the mountain are basically tent only (it was kind of scary taking a car on the road let alone an RV). I did find many RV site staying straight on the road rather than turning towards the restrooms.
Is this review helpful? 8 0
Rainbow Falls is closed for the summer.
Posted: Saturday, June 1, 2013 2:41 pm
Special to The Tribune and Courier | 0 comments
El Paso County Parks has announced that the Rainbow Falls Recreation Area west of Manitou Springs will be closed to the public beginning May 28. Weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed by September.
The closure will allow the Colorado Department of Transportation to construct major bank stabilization and drainage improvements on the site and along U. S. Highway 24 in the Ute Pass area. The improvements will help protect public and private property and ensure public safety.
Renovation of Rainbow Falls Recreation Area has been underway since El Paso County secured ownership of the property in 2010. Following the transportation departments improvements, El Paso County will resume efforts to improve trails and recreation amenities.
For more information on closures or renovation of the property, please contact El Paso County Parks at 719-520-PLAY.
Is this review helpful? 9 0
Completely different place. The area you are referring to is by Manitou Springs but the Rainbow falls Camp Grounds is off of HWY 67 close to Deckers. It is privately owned. when you come in off of 67 if you go to the right its is a member only area and to the left is a dispersed camping area that is free to all. ATV's and dirtbikes and camping is very common. but overall a very good place to camp.
Is this review helpful? 7 0
The campground is in fact open. For questions regarding the trails and campground you can call (719) 696-1602.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
Me and my wife drove up there today to check it out and we came across a sign saying Rainbow Trout Falls Private fishing club. was i supposed to turn in before that sign or is that where i was supposed to go. because i didnt see anything around or any traffic so i thought it was the wrong road.
Is this review helpful? 1 0
The Rainbow Falls Trout Fishing is the correct road (the fishing place is all the way down at the end of the dirt road and the campsites are along the way).
Is this review helpful? 9 0
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Lots of toilet paper all over campspots. We could hear gunfire constantly, apparently a shooting range is nearby. ATVs come thru camps alot. We left and went somewhere else.
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. Happycamper41 would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 5 0