0
Pull-thru
USFSRio Grande National Forest · Colorado
Carnero Guard Station
Overview Carnero Guard Station is situated in a high open meadow surrounded by forest at an elevation of 9,840 feet.
Sites1all reservable
Elev.9,872ft
Comf.Jun-Sep4 months
Max rig40 ft
Electricnonesites
From Colorado Springs4h01real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 9,872 ft, Carnero Guard Station has a 4-month comfortable window (Jun-Sep). Winter nights average around 9°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 1 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: 3 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and quiet. Softest on shade.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jan
Jun-Sep
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
64%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Jun 11
Last spring frost; first fall frost Sep 20.
47°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Colorado Springs
180 mi
4h01
02
Grand Junction
191 mi
4h29
03
Denver
206 mi
4h39
04
Fort Collins
268 mi
5h46
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 15.3 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 1 SITES
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
1
Sites
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
2
Peaks
3
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
15.3 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.