Ponderosa Group Campground
Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- May 21, 2021
- season
- May–Oct
- best months
Is Ponderosa Group Campground open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in San Carlos Ranger District. It doesn't name Ponderosa Group Campground, so check the source for the area it covers.
East Bear Gulch NFST 1333 seasonal closure
Agency closure covering San Carlos Ranger District · Order 02-12-03-26-14 · USFS · San Carlos Ranger District
Reduced Aspen Acres Fire closure order
Agency alert covering San Carlos Ranger District · Order 02-12-03-26-43 · USFS · San Carlos Ranger District
FSR 286, Radical Hill, is closed due to washouts and unsafe conditions
Agency alert covering Pike and San Isabel National Forests · USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests
Interlaken Hotel Tree Hazards
Agency alert covering Pike and San Isabel National Forests · USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests
Sharpe Fire Update
Agency alert covering Pike and San Isabel National Forests · USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests
As of · Source: USFS · San Carlos Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
- At 8,800 ftHigh camp: expect cold nights, even in summer
- San Carlos Ranger DistrictPike and San Isabel National Forests
Ponderosa Group Campground is a developed group campground in the Lake Isabel Recreation Area, within the San Carlos Ranger District of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado. The Forest Service manages the land, and the site has vault toilets. The campground is set up for groups, with hiking, fishing and non-motorized recreation among the attractions. St Charles Creek, close to the campground, offers fishing. A pleasant hiking trail runs along Lake Isabel, and motorized trails including Cisneros, St. Charles and Snowslide are also within reach. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Sheep Mtn show July highs around 82°F with lows near 51°F, while winter brings highs in the low 40s and a few snowy days each month from December through February. Cisneros Trail 1314 and Spruce Group Campground sit about 0.1 mile away, and St. Charles Campground is about 0.3 mile off. The Lake Shore Ada hike is roughly 0.8 mile away.
Local outfitters
- Valley View Hot Springs43 mi away
- Joyful Journey Hot Springs48 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Cisneros Trail 1314Hiking0.1 mi
- Spruce Group CampgroundCamping0.1 mi
- St. Charles CampgroundCamping0.3 mi
- Saint Charles CampgroundCamping0.4 mi
St Charles Campground - Lake IsabelCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain0.5 mi- Lake Shore AdaHiking0.8 mi
- Saint Charles TrailHiking0.9 mi
- LakeshoreHiking1.2 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- St Charles Campground - Lake IsabelCamping · Next door
- Ponderosa Group - Lake IsabelCamping · ~2 min drive
- Aspen Acres CampgroundCamping · ~4 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Table Mountain RV ParkCamping · ~15 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Prairie Ridge CampgroundCamping · ~44 min drivePhoto: jaygannett from La Veta, CO, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Eagle View CampgroundCamping · ~44 min drivePhoto: jaygannett from La Veta, CO, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Arkansas Point CampgroundCamping · ~45 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Dakota CampgroundsCamping · ~48 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Pinon Flats CampgroundCamping · ~49 min drive
- La Vista Campground - Lake IsabelCamping · ~1 min drive
Best time to visit Ponderosa Group Campground
Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
41° / 17°
3 wet · 3 snow
Feb
42° / 18°
4 wet · 3 snow
Mar
50° / 23°
4 wet · 3 snow
Apr
57° / 28°
5 wet · 2 snow
May
66° / 36°
5 wet · 1 snow
Jun
77° / 45°
5 wet
Jul
82° / 51°
9 wet
Aug
79° / 50°
9 wet
Sep
73° / 43°
6 wet
Oct
62° / 33°
4 wet · 1 snow
Nov
49° / 24°
4 wet · 2 snow
Dec
41° / 17°
3 wet · 3 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Sheep Mtn, CO, 20.3 mi away at 7,744 ft. The station sits about 1,100 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Facts about this campground
Ponderosa Group Campground
Book on Recreation.gov
