Mount Princeton

I tried to cancel on the day of arrival, as I had obtained a better "first-come-first served" site a few miles away. It turned out that the cancellation policy is very misleading. I would have been satisfied if it stated directly that cancellations on the day of arrival are not valid. The campground host representative did not seem to really understand the rules, telling me to call Recreation.gov, which led to a "loop" that said I was supposed to talk to the campground host (which I did, of course). Something should be fixed!

Lovely quiet campground on a creek. Outhouse was very clean and well maintained.

Randy the host has been there for many years. He is attentive, and always making his rounds without intruding.

We loved are time

Thanks to camp host, maintenance of this campground is excellent--from raking of campsites between users to cleanliness of the outhouses. The fact that there are only 19 campsites keeps the area enjoyably small. At least two good hiking trails are nearby--one is a 6 mile round-trip from the "Bootleg/Chalk Creek" trailhead, situated about 1 mile east of the Mt. Princeton Campground on CR162. The Chalk Creek trail crosses Chalk Creek here and then rises precipitously to CR290. Turn west and walk along CR290 to a parking lot at the end of this road. From there you will walk along the Denver, South Park, and Pacific railbed, constructed in the late 1800's and last used in 1926. With a few exceptions, where rockslides have covered the railbed, the trail continues up to the Chalk Creek Cascades. Along the way, shap eyes can pick out the Mt. Princeton campground far below. A little further along you can get a clear view of the Chalk Lake Campground/Day Use Area. The view of the cascades is worth the long hike. Alternatively, one member of the your party could drive to the Cascades via CR162 while and pick up the one-way hikers there. Another hike, shorter but far more strenuous hike is a 3 mile round-trip to the top of the ridge immediately south of the campground, again starting from the Chalk Creek Trailhead and then branching off to the south, up the Colorado Trail. In the 1.5 miles to the top, the elevation gain is approximately 900 feet. While you are in the area, don't miss the Iron City Cemetery, situated in a beautiful aspen grove at the far end of the Iron City Campground as you drive up to the St. Elmo Ghost Town. The earliest recorded burial in this cemetery is 1883. A registry at the cemetery gate provides interesting details of how the pioneer residents of this area, many working the Mary Murphy mine, died and when they were burried.

Love the peace and quiet of Mt Princeton, especially in June with the snow melt rushing in Chalk Creek!

Quiet and private. Easy to get to, lots of trails around.

This is a fantastic area to hike, fish, take pictures, dine at local one-of-a-kind places, and just kick back to enjoy the beautiful landscape. Chalk Creek runs right next to Mount Princeton campground. It's an easy hike and so very pretty. Kids have a great time at the fish hatchery down the road. Agnes Waterfall is nearby. Only the last quarter of the trail is challenging. The Narrow Gauge Trail is another easy hike and has a wonderful view of the canyon. Iron City campground, St. Elmo, and the Iron City Cemetery are interesting too. St. Elmo never disappoints. Of course there is the Hot Springs down the hill. The Mount Princeton Lodge has great food, WiFi, and big screen TVs at the bar if you really feel the need to catch up on what's happening in the world.

Beautiful campground - loved hearing the river running nearby. The host, Randy, was a pleasure to talk with and did a wonderful job making us feel welcome. Our site was clean and raked when we arrived and bathrooms were well maintained. Love the proximity to the hot springs and will stay again.

Camp host Randy was great! He kept the campground and sites in beautiful shape and order, and he was genuinely helpful and engaging.

This was definitely a first rate experience thanks to Randy’s efforts.

The AT&T service was weak, but adequate as long as you are patient.

Great location with easy access to many different places/things.