USDA Forest Service · Colorado
Southside Campground - Lake Isabel
USDA Forest Service · Colorado, United States
- Sites
- 8
- Hookups
- 8 with water, 8 no hookups
- Season
- May 7 to September 25
- Max RV length
- 30 ft
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 8,537 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Access road
- GANN LOOP (NFSR 371) · asphalt · moderate degree of user comfort
- Lake
- PSICC
- Nearest town
- Canon City
- Address
- SAN CARLOS RANGER DISTRICT, Canon City, CO, 81212
- Phone
- FOR RESERVATIONS CALL (877) 444-6777, FOR OTHER NON REAL TIME INFORMATION, CALL 719-269-8500.
- Activities
- Camping, Educational Programs, Fishing, Hiking
8 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Overview
Southside Campground is a small RV facility situated in the Wet Mountains by Lake Isabel. The popular recreation area offers a selection of hiking trails and great fishing and paddle boating on Lake Isabel.
Lake Isabel was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s, for the purpose of recreation.The 40-acre lake is stocked with trout and the nearby St. Charles Creek offers additional fishing opportunities.
Recreation
Lake Isabel welcomes non-motorized boating and fishing. Brown and brook trout are stocked in the lake and the St. Charles headwaters reap brook trout.
Visitors can enjoy hiking, bicycling or motorcycling on either the Snow Slide Trail and Cisneros Trail. The 15-mile Cisneros Trail, also open to ATV riders, leads to the heart of the Wet Mountains, through forests and open, wildflower-speckled valleys. Along the way, the trail connects to St. Charles Trail, which heads to St. Charles Peak.
Facilities
The campground is designed for RVs less than 30 feet in length, with no large slide-outs and require no hook-ups. Roads are paved. The facility is not ideal for tent camping, but tent camping is permitted. All sites are pull-through; backing is not required.
RV hookups are not available. Amenities include campfire grills, vault toilets, drinking water and picnic tables.
Natural Features
Aspen and ponderosa pine help shade the campground. Lake Isabel impresses visitors with a shoreline that meets the rocky base of the surrounding mountains at an elevation of 8,600 feet.
The Pike and San Isabel National Forest includes over a million acres of wilderness and over half of Colorado's mountain peaks that reach above 14,000 feet.
Nearby Attractions
Contact Info
For facility specific information, please call (719) 489-2034.
Charges & Cancellations
Cancellations
Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.
A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite.
Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee.
No-Shows
A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date.
No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite.
Refunds
Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended.
Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay.
For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive.
In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 13° | -15° | 54° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 39° | 14° | -17° | 52° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 45° | 23° | 3° | 68° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 54° | 27° | 1° | 70° | 11 of 11 |
| May | 62° | 38° | 24° | 79° | 6 of 11 |
| June | 76° | 48° | 38° | 85° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 80° | 53° | 46° | 88° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 76° | 51° | 44° | 85° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 72° | 46° | 25° | 83° | 1 of 11 |
| October | 60° | 35° | 16° | 74° | 5 of 10 |
| November | 51° | 28° | -10° | 65° | 10 of 10 |
| December | 40° | 19° | -5° | 55° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- La Vista Campground - Lake Isabel · USDA Forest Service · 0 mi · 31 sites
- Southside Campground · USDA Forest Service · 0 mi
- Lake Isabel Cabin · USDA Forest Service · 0 mi · 1 sites
- St Charles Campground - Lake Isabel · USDA Forest Service · 0 mi · 15 sites
- Spruce Group - Lake Isabel · USDA Forest Service · 1 mi · 1 sites
All public campgrounds in Colorado · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-02-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.