Every time we pass by Lake Dillon on I-70 I always think I’d like to explore that area a little more, and we finally got the chance over the 4th of July weekend! My daughter and husband were running in the Family Adventure Games at Copper Mountain (which was SO fun, stay tuned for more pics from the event!), so we decided to make Prospector Campground above Lake Dillon our home base for the weekend.
I’ll be honest that every time I looked at the campground online it looked like it had been hit hard by the pine beetle, the pictures made it look like a big open meadow with no shade. So I didn’t really know what to expect when we pulled up, but it was one of the most beautiful campground settings we’ve ever seen! We were surrounded by snow capped peaks, the lake was shimmering in the distance, and our campsite backed up to a beautiful meadow filled with colorful flowers. The campground had definitely been hit by the pine beetle, lots of stumps all around from trees that had died, but that actually made the meadow even more fun for the kids to play in. Plus someone had built a teepee out of the dead trees, and they loved exploring that throughout the weekend. Lots of new trees are growing, but it does leave shade a little difficult to come by. We used our shelter over the picnic table and trailer awning and that created plenty of shade during our weekend.
The campground consists of five loops (A, B, C, D & E). We stayed in loop E in site #97. We rode our bikes around the campground and all of the sites were beautiful. Sites on the outside of the loop definitely have the most privacy and roominess, but the inside spots were nice as well. Outside sites on loop D were especially spectacular with a view of the lake.
One morning we took the kids fishing on Lake Dillon. We took Swan Mountain road Southwest down near the lake, and found lake access right before you get to Hwy 9, complete with a big parking lot and bathrooms. We sat along the shoreline for a few hours while the kids “fished” (basically got bored and messed up their poles so my husband had to keep fixing them). I don’t like fishing, but I certainly enjoyed the view from our spot! It was also a popular launch spot for paddle boards and it was fun to watch people heading out on the lake.
On our last day my husband and daughter took off on their bikes on a path that left from our campsite into the meadow. They stumbled on a beautiful path down to the lake! It was a beautiful path, not too long for little legs, and led to a gorgeous view and lake access. The kids were able to play in the lake a little bit while we enjoyed the view. While we were exploring we noticed that there was another group back in the tree line (enjoying the shade) that had found this little gem. My husband chatted with them a little bit and they told him they’d found the spot last year and came back this year to enjoy the sunset! They’d brought chairs and a cooler, it looked like a fantastic way to spend an evening! There was a rustic fire ring right by the shore, not sure if that’s legal or not, but it would be a magnificent way to spend some time!
The campground is about a ten minute drive outside of Dillon, which we’d never explored before. We went into town one day to grab some additional groceries and a fishing license for my husband. I was surprised by how much retail they have there, if you forgot something there’s no doubt they’ll have it! We ended up grabbing a beer and appetizers at a brewery on Dillon’s main street (which was okay but I wouldn’t highly recommend it, it was super cheap during happy hour though.)
It sounds like the group campsite at the campground is also pretty incredible. My husband rode his bike down there one day and said it was lake side with a private beach and lots of firepits scattered about. There was a wedding party there all weekend when we were there, and I can only imagine the beautiful setting they had for their wedding!
Other campground details
- No showers onsite
- 1-2 nice, clean bathroom facilities in each loop
- Host in each loop with firewood at $7/bundle
- Water was available on site outside of each bathroom. (They have spigots to fill up your tv/trailer water tanks, but they weren’t working when we were there.)
