Collegiate Peaks

PSICC — lakeside, fishing, hiking

Location: SALIDA, CO, CO

Price: From $25 per night

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (267 reviews)

Season: May through October

Collegiate Peaks Campground is located 11 miles west of Buena Vista, Colorado, along Middle Cottonwood Creek near the top of Cottonwood Pass. The campground offers well-spaced campsites and scenic views of the surrounding mountains. Visitors enjoy fishing and exploring local trails.

Cell coverage (FCC estimate): none signal. Actual signal may vary in remote areas.

Amenities: Fire Rings, Picnic Tables, Vault Toilets, Drinking Water, Camp Host, Fishing

Availability alerts: Set a free cancellation alert at camperwatch.org/campground/collegiate-peaks to be notified when sites open up.

Collegiate Peaks offers well-spaced, private campsites with scenic mountain views along Middle Cottonwood Creek near Cottonwood Pass. Campers consistently praise the attentive camp host and excellent site spacing, with a 4.7/5 rating from 79 Google reviews.

Wildlife alert: Bighorn Sheep, American Pika, Pacific Marten, Mule Deer, Southwestern Red Squirrel, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Hairy Woodpecker, and Clark's Nutcracker documented in the area.

Insider tips for Collegiate Peaks: Book early — this is a federal campground with high demand Arrive mid-week for better first-come, first-served availability Camp host can help locate alternative nearby BLM sites if full Hot springs inn and spa located 5 miles east of campground

Skip Collegiate Peaks if: You need RV hookups — no hookups available, suitable only for self-contained RVs. You require full-service facilities — vault toilets only. You visit outside May-October — seasonal operations only.

Best time to visit Collegiate Peaks: May-October — Official operating season per verified data. Thursday nights — Better availability for first-come, first-served sites based on camper reports.

Nearby campgrounds: Cottonwood Lake - Psicc (Co) (Buena Vista, CO), Iron City (Nathrop, CO), Cascade (Colorado) (SALIDA, CO), Chalk Lake (SALIDA, CO).

Cell Phone Coverage at Collegiate Peaks

Cell signal at Collegiate Peaks (SALIDA, CO): none overall signal based on FCC broadband data.

Coverage data source: FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC). Actual signal may vary due to terrain, tree cover, and distance from towers. Camper reports are more reliable than coverage maps in remote areas.

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PSICC — lakeside, fishing, hikingLive availability via Recreation.gov· synced every 30 min

Collegiate Peaks

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SALIDA, CO, CO★ 4.5 (267 reviews)From $25/nightFederal campground · book on Recreation.gov
On this page ↓OverviewConditionsPlan Your TripCommunity

Collegiate Peaks Campground is located 11 miles west of Buena Vista, Colorado, along Middle Cottonwood Creek near the top of Cottonwood Pass. The campground offers well-spaced campsites and scenic views of the surrounding mountains. Visitors enjoy fishing and exploring local trails.

Best for:AnglersHikersFamiliesSites:TentRV
LIVE · weather + fire + AQI + availability + wildlife

Verified facts

RIDB / Recreation.gov official database
Check-in2:00 PM
Check-out12:00 PM
SeasonMay through October
Stay limit14 days
Max RV50 ft
HookupsNo hookups. Suitable for self-contained RVs.
Pull-throughsAvailable
PetsAllowed
CampfiresAllowed
Max/site6 people

Amenities

RIDB /facilities /campsites · owner-verified
Essentials
Fire RingsDrinking Water
Recreation
Picnic TablesCamp Host
Family & Pets
Vault ToiletsFishing

Straight talk

CamperWatch intel · curated from camper reports

Known issues, each with the workaround. Read before you book.

Known issuesFederal campground — book early. No hookups at most sites. Seasonal operations.
Skip it if:✕ You need RV hookups — no hookups available, suitable only for self-contained RVs✕ You require full-service facilities — vault toilets only✕ You visit outside May-October — seasonal operations only

Insider tips & when to go

CamperWatch intel · hand-curated entry

Book early

this is a federal campground with high demand

Arrive mid-week for better first-come, first-served availability

Camp host can help locate alternative nearby BLM sites if full

Hot springs inn and spa located 5 miles east of campground

Best: May-October

Official operating season per verified data

Best: Thursday nights

Better availability for first-come, first-served sites based on camper reports

Things to do nearby

RIDB /activities /recareas + intel

Conditions today

Live
at campground coordinates

Cell signal

FCC BDC · quarterly dataset
T-Mobile
4G · 0%
Verizon
4G · 0%
AT&T
4G · 0%

FCC maps are theoretical — camper reports confirm signal.

Wildlife nearby

iNaturalist · research-grade · 8 km
Alert: Bighorn Sheep, American Pika, Pacific Marten, Mule Deer, Southwestern Red Squirrel, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Hairy Woodpecker, and Clark's Nutcracker documented in the area.

Location

Leaflet · OpenStreetMap tiles
Open in OpenStreetMap ↗
Getting there →

From Buena Vista, Colorado, take Highway 306. At the stoplight, go west for 11 miles toward Cottonwood Pass. Campground is located on the left-hand side of the road. Highway 306 is paved on east side of Cottonwood Pass.

Campground entrance

Google Maps API

Community

#community · posts, photos & Q&A · AI-moderated (Claude Vision)

Pro tips

  • Book on recreation.gov exactly 6 months ahead at 10am ET — PSICC fills fast in peak season.
  • Check current road conditions at PSICC before arrival — seasonal closures common.

Frequently asked questions

RIDB facts + intel · FAQPage schema, speakable
How much does Collegiate Peaks cost per night?+
Collegiate Peaks costs $25 per night. Hookup options: No hookups. Suitable for self-contained RVs.
What season is Collegiate Peaks open?+
Collegiate Peaks is open May through October. Check-in is 2:00 PM, check-out is 12:00 PM.
Does Collegiate Peaks have hookups?+
No hookups. Suitable for self-contained RVs.
What is the maximum RV length at Collegiate Peaks?+
Collegiate Peaks can accommodate RVs up to 50 feet.
How do I make reservations at Collegiate Peaks?+
Collegiate Peaks is a federal campground — book 6 months ahead at Recreation.gov. Set a free CamperWatch cancellation alert to be notified the moment a site opens.
What is the cell service like at Collegiate Peaks?+
According to FCC coverage maps, cell signal at Collegiate Peaks is rated none. FCC maps show theoretical coverage — actual signal in remote or heavily forested areas may be weaker.
What season is Collegiate Peaks open, and what are check-in times?+
Collegiate Peaks is open May through October. Check-in is 2:00 PM, check-out is 12:00 PM.

Official resources

Forest Service ConcessionairePrint Facility Map
Compare campgroundsPlan a multi-stop trip
●Data sources on this page
Recreation.gov — Live site availability — updated every 30 min
recreation.gov · RIDB API
National Weather Service — Live hourly forecast + active alerts
api.weather.gov · open-meteo.com
Google Air Quality API — Live AQI at exact campground coordinates
airquality.googleapis.com
iNaturalist — Research-grade wildlife within 8km
api.inaturalist.org
Google Pollen API — Today’s tree, grass & weed pollen forecast
pollen.googleapis.com
FCC Broadband Map — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile 4G/5G coverage data
broadbandmap.fcc.gov · quarterly
Sunrise-Sunset.org — Sunrise, sunset & golden hour for today
api.sunrise-sunset.org
Google Street View — Campground entrance & access road imagery
maps.googleapis.com
RIDB — ADA sites, hookups, toilets, pets, campfire rules, bear boxes, max RV, activities, contact, directions
ridb.recreation.gov · /facilities /campsites /activities /links /recareas

CamperWatch never fabricates data. Where data is unavailable, it is not shown.

$25 /night★ 4.5 (267)
SeasonMay through October
Check-in2:00 PM
Check-out12:00 PM
Reserve on Recreation.gov ↗
Dates full? Get an availability alert
FAQ
How much does Collegiate Peaks cost per night?+
What season is Collegiate Peaks open?+
Does Collegiate Peaks have hookups?+
All 7 questions →

Nearby Campgrounds

Cottonwood Lake - Psicc (Co)

Buena Vista, CO

From $22/night

Iron City

Nathrop, CO

From $22/night

Cascade (Colorado)

SALIDA, CO

From $25/night

Chalk Lake

SALIDA, CO

From $25/night

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