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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Activities powered by Viator. Prices and availability come from each provider and are confirmed when you book with them.

  1. Home
  2. Colorado
  3. Buena Vista
  4. Chalk Lake

Camping at Chalk Lake near Salida

Public campground · Salida · 19 campsites

A forested campground near trout fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.

5.0 on Recreation.gov · 85 reviewsBook on Recreation.gov
View all 7 photos

At a glance

  • RV sites up to 30 ft

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • No hookups
  • Pets welcome
  • Vault toilets
OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

0 open of 19 sites
No sites offered for these dates.

We checked every night of your stay on Recreation.gov: no site is open for all 2 nights. Some sites are open on some nights.

Flexible dates

View the next available two-night stay.

Looking for the next open dates…
Fixed dates

Compare nearby campgrounds open for these dates. Your camping setup, rig size, hookups and dates stay applied.

Nearby campgrounds open for these dates
Check Recreation.gov directly ↗
View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Check dates on Recreation.gov.

SiteFr
13
Sa
14
Price
007
tent only nonelectric
––$25
012
tent only nonelectric
––$25
001
standard nonelectric
––$25
004
standard nonelectric
––$25
010
standard nonelectric
––$25
005
standard nonelectric
––$25
009
tent only nonelectric
––$25
015
standard nonelectric
––$25
002
standard nonelectric
––$25
014
tent only nonelectric
No site is open for every night of your stay

You book directly on Recreation.gov. Rates and availability can change until reserved. Campground page on Recreation.gov ↗

No sites offered for these dates
Book on Recreation.gov

Amenities & location

  • Accessible Vault Toilets
  • Host
  • Self Pay Station
  • Trash Collection
  • Water
Check-in
2:00 PM
Checkout
12:00 PM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)
Maximum stay
14 nights

Hookups (individual campsites): 19 no-hookup individual sites.

Location

SALIDA RANGER DISTRICT
Open in Google Maps ↗

Chalk Lake: questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Chalk Lake?
Longest RV site listed: 30 ft (1 of 12 RV sites list a length) (per the listing)
Does Chalk Lake have RV hookups?
19 no-hookup individual sites (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Chalk Lake?
Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Chalk Lake?
Allowed (per the listing)
Sources and details

At a glance

Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.

Max rig length
Listing Longest RV site listed: 30 ft (1 of 12 RV sites list a length)
Hookups & power
Listing 19 no-hookup individual sites
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 0 pull-through, 15 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 19 gravel site driveways
Pets
Listing Allowed
Cell signal
Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): Verizon 1 (31 reports), AT&T 1 (17 reports), T-Mobile 1 (11 reports)
Water
Listing Water at 19 sites
Shade
Listing 10 of 10 sites that report shade are listed as shaded
Booking
Listing Reservable on Recreation.gov
Price
Listing Lowest listed rate $25/night (live price once you pick dates)
Stay limits
Listing 14 nights max
Getting there
Listing SALIDA RANGER DISTRICT (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Themes from recent written reviews on Recreation.gov. Quotes are verbatim.

Trails and biking · 2 reviews

“Great access to a lake, river and several hiking trails.”

John E · Oct 2025

Selected reviews

Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (85 reviews, ★ 5.0). Not written or edited by us.

“Great access to a lake, river and several hiking trails.”

John E 5 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov

“I love this little campground. I had a perfect view of the waterfall from my bed in my van. Nice hike up to it right across the road-walked from my campsite. Amazing views and sound of the running water nearby. Last year my campsite was right ALONG the river/stream. ”

Randi P 5 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov

“The campground is best for group camping, since many sites are right next to each other. Great for families with the creeks and small lake to explore.”

Judith S 3 · Aug 2025 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

Campgrounds to compare

Prefer a roof?

Prefer a roof over your head

All glamping →
  • BV Overlook Camp & Lodging10.6 mi · Buena Vista
  • Snowy Peaks RV Park11.3 mi · Buena Vista
  • Creekside Chalets12.2 mi · Salida
  • Agora Adventure Salida12.5 mi · Salida
  • Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area17.8 mi · Salida
  • Four Seasons RV Park20.1 mi · Salida

Explore nearby

  • Campgrounds near Buena Vista
  • RV rentals near Buena Vista
  • Glamping & cabins near Buena Vista
  • RV rentals in Colorado
  • Glamping in Colorado

Guides for this trip

  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
–
–
$25
019
standard nonelectric
––$25
017
standard nonelectric
––$25
006
standard nonelectric
––$25
016
standard nonelectric
––$25
018
standard nonelectric
––$25
013
tent only nonelectric
––$25
003
standard nonelectric
––$25
008
tent only nonelectric
––$25
011
tent only nonelectric
––$25

✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released

Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights5 sites open for every night

Goodview Campground at RMOC

8.5 mi from Chalk Lake (straight-line)
Sites from $45/night
$90 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights4 sites open for every night

Snowy Peaks RV Park

11.3 mi from Chalk Lake (straight-line)
Sites from $47/night
$95 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Campspot · you book on their site
View Campsites
Check dates on Spot2Nite

BV Overlook Camp & Lodging

10.6 mi from Chalk Lake (straight-line)
Spot2Nite didn't list open sites in the next month; it may be booked or not on sale yet.
Rates & availability from Spot2Nite · you book on their site
View Campsites
Trip idea

Ideas for your stay

An idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.

  1. Day 1 · Arrive and settle in

    • Check in and set up camp.
    • fish for trout (per the campground listing)
    • Campfire night: firewood is sold at the gatehouse (per the listing).
  2. Day 2 · Get out and explore

    • Half Day Browns Canyon Rafting Adventure Buena Vista area · 3 hr · from $100/person
    • Brown's Canyon Half Day Buena Vista area · 3 hr · from $117/person
  3. Optional full-day extension

    Longer tours — plan travel time before and after.

    • Browns Canyon Full Day Rafting Adventure Buena Vista area · 6 hr · from $150/person
Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

  • Tent camping here: 19 sites take tents. See open sites ↑

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 30 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Evergreen the Camper
Evergreen the Camper

Travel trailer · 14 ft · sleeps 2 · 10 mi from campground

$80/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
2015 Thor Chateau 22E "Cloud Cruiser"
2015 Thor Chateau 22E "Cloud Cruiser"

Class C motorhome · 24 ft · sleeps 5 · 37 mi from campground

$175/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
2018 Coachmen Prism
2018 Coachmen Prism

Class C motorhome · 25 ft · sleeps 6 · 37 mi from campground

$225/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
Things to do

Activities near Chalk Lake

Bookable tours nearby

Paid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.

Brown's Canyon Half Day
Brown's Canyon Half Day

Buena Vista area · 3 hr · from $117/person

Half Day Browns Canyon Rafting Adventure
Half Day Browns Canyon Rafting Adventure

Buena Vista area · 3 hr · from $100/person

Browns Canyon Full Day Rafting Adventure
Browns Canyon Full Day Rafting Adventure

Buena Vista area · 6 hr · from $150/person

See 6 more bookable tours
Browns Canyon Intermediate Rafting Trip Half Day
Browns Canyon Intermediate Rafting Trip Half Day

Buena Vista area · 3 hr · from $145/person

Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

  • Off-peak May 14–May 20: RV & Tent $25, Tent $25 per night
  • Peak season May 21–Sep 18: RV & Tent $25, Tent $25 per night
Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Chalk Lake

For September weekends, book about 184 days ahead. Three in four September Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 177 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.

See booking patterns
Arrival monthFri/Sat arrivals: half booked at leastA quarter at leastOther days: half booked at leastA quarter at least
May147 days ahead173 days ahead53 days ahead138 days ahead
June170 days ahead181 days ahead114 days ahead170 days ahead
July172 days ahead181 days ahead110 days ahead180 days ahead
August170 days ahead181 days ahead89 days ahead180 days ahead
September177 days ahead184 days ahead69 days ahead162 days ahead

Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.

Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (4,475 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.

Compare site types

19 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.

Standard sites (tent or RV)

Tent, van or small RV, no power

12 sites · $25/night

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Tent-only sites

Tents only, no power

7 sites · $25/night

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Lost Canyon Zipline Tour
Lost Canyon Zipline Tour

Buena Vista area · 2 hr · from $116/person

Browns Canyon Rafting Half Day Trip
Browns Canyon Rafting Half Day Trip

Buena Vista area · 3.5 hr · from $130/person

Browns Canyon National Monument Whitewater Rafting
Browns Canyon National Monument Whitewater Rafting

Buena Vista area · 4 hr · from $95/person

Brown's Canyon Full Day Rafting
Brown's Canyon Full Day Rafting

Buena Vista area · 6.5 hr · from $172/person

Full Day Intermediate Rafting Trip in Browns Canyon
Full Day Intermediate Rafting Trip in Browns Canyon

Buena Vista area · 6.8 hr · from $209/person