Portal Campground
- Jun–Jul, Sep
- best months
Caution today
Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 3 h ago
Is Portal Campground open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 6 alerts for White River National Forest.
FSR 286, Radical Hill, is closed due to washouts and unsafe conditions
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · USFS · White River National Forest
Limited parking at Snowmass Creek Trailhead
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · USFS · White River National Forest
Grizzly Creek Trail Closure
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · Order 2026-02 · USFS · White River National Forest
Ruedi Marina Day Use area Dump Station is CLOSED
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · USFS · White River National Forest
Asbestos safety closure - Camp Hale
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · USFS · White River National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · White River National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
- At 10,560 ftHigh camp: expect cold nights, even in summer
- Aspen Ranger DistrictWhite River National Forest
Portal Campground sits at 9,400 feet on Independence Pass Road, about 11 miles southeast of Aspen, and seven miles south on Lincoln Creek Road. The Forest Service manages the site within the Aspen Ranger District of White River National Forest. The campground has five campsites with limited spurs, and a five-day stay limit applies. High clearance vehicles are required, and 4x4 is recommended. Vault toilets are the only facility. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at a similar elevation show July highs around 71°F with lows near 39°F, while winter highs stay in the 20s and 30s. Grizzly Peak and Grizzly Lake are both about 0.1 mile away. Lincoln Creek, a canoeing spot, is 1.5 miles off, and Lost Man Campground is 3.2 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Taylor Park Trading Post18 mi away
- Arrowhead Point Campground and Cabins28 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Grizzly PeakHiking0.1 mi
- Grizzly LakeHiking0.1 mi
- Lincoln CreekCanoeing1.5 mi
- Lost Man CampgroundCamping3.2 mi
- Instant Karma CliffRock climbing4.1 mi
- Columbine CragRock climbing4.3 mi
- Lincoln Creek Dispersed CampgroundCamping5.3 mi
- Weller LakeLake fishing6.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Lakeview CampgroundCamping · ~23 min drive
- Goodwin-Greene HutHut camping · ~12 min drive
- White StarCamping · ~23 min drive
- Barnard HutHut camping · ~15 min drive
Campsite CC19Camping · ~24 min drivePhoto: John Sowell, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Opa's Taylor HutHut camping · ~15 min drive
- Lost Man CampgroundCamping · ~5 min drive
- Markley HutHut camping · ~17 min drive
- Lincoln Creek dispersed campsite #8Camping · ~6 min drive
- Benedict Huts: FabiHut camping · ~18 min drive
Also worth it near here
Grizzly PeakSummit · ~4 min drivePhoto: Nan Palmero from San Antonio, TX, USA. Cropped and color-corrected by Daniel Case prior to upload, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Twining PeakHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: markbyzewski, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Mountain BoyCross-country skiing · ~6 min drive
Sunset CantinaRock climbing · ~9 min drivePhoto: markbyzewski, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Best time to visit Portal Campground
Best months: June–July and September. 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
30° / 5°
10 wet
Feb
31° / 6°
10 wet
Mar
37° / 12°
11 wet
Apr
43° / 19°
11 wet
May
54° / 27°
9 wet
Jun
66° / 34°
7 wet
Jul
71° / 39°
12 wet
Aug
68° / 38°
13 wet
Sep
61° / 32°
9 wet
Oct
50° / 24°
8 wet
Nov
37° / 13°
9 wet
Dec
29° / 5°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Leadville Lake Co Ap, CO, 19.1 mi away at 9,932 ft. The station sits about 600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
