Ansel Watrous

The Ansel Watrous Campground is a good late-in-the-season campground (Oct. 1st and later) for a couple reasons. First, most campgrounds on federal lands close in late September. Second, the elevation of the Ansel Watrous Campground is below 6,000 feet so the weather is similar to that in Fort Collins or Denver metro. The campground also is one of very few I visit that is right next to a large river - in this case the Poudre River. Finally as a hiker I like the fact that Young Gulch Trailhead is just a couple hundred yards west of the campground.

A bit off the beaten path but still less than 30 minutes from Fort Collins. All the sites are large and back up to a river. The road noise from Route 14 is real but fades into the background after a while. We were in site 6, and given the late season timing we practically had the campground to ourselves. Not much to do in the immediate area but heading into Fort Collins opens up a lot of biking and touring options. We'd stay here again.

Camp Host did a fine job keep the place organized and clean. The site itself is stunning with mountain views and a large burbling stream within 50 ft of campsite. Road tracking noise died down late in the evening and was not an issue while sleeping.

Host had allowed someone to occupy our site as a first come first serve customer. Campground was completely booked, so we had nowhere to stay. Host offered no solutions. I’m glad we only live an hour away, I’d hate to think if someone who had traveled much further was in our shoes.

Quiet peaceful except for a few heavy trucks on the nearby highway

Very nice. There was some confusion because the reservation tags were not on the spots as they were supposed to be. Fortunately everything worked out. I'll definitely be back!

We reserved a spot,but someone else was t here when we arrived. He said he'd alrready paid. Luckily, the lot next to it was free,so we stayed there. The stay was great, but the campground organization was very poor.

Campsites very well maintained, toilets fresh and clean. Several nearby trails and good fishing. The sound of the river made for a lovely 3 day outdoor adventure.

Had a great quiet little get-away! The camp site manager was nice and let us know that there’s been some wildlife around the campsite. Our site number 6 has nice trees and a path to get close to the river. We will be back!