Priest Lake Campground

"Not too many sites, maybe 8. I avoided crowds by arriving on a Thursday. Despite being rough around the edges, the campground is very beautiful and peaceful. I personally enjoyed returning to camp at noon for the typical mountain town rain so that I could read a book in my tent. Most people don't hang out there in the day - they typically are just using the campground as a basecamp to explore the area and return later in the evening; therefore, there's a lot of solitude at the campground. Campsites are walk-in campsites with the exception of one or two. They are quite spread out. As you would expect with dispersed camping, there's no dumpster and no drinking water, though there's a creek uphill that you can filter. The short turnoff (not Priest Rd ) to get to the campground is horribly rocky and rutted for a compact car, though doable. I personally avoided driving it at night so that I could see the sharp rock, one which hit the underbelly of my car. Yikes! Most of the sites have trees, though not all. The parking lot is way to narrow, but most visitors seem to have compact cars. Trucks, due to added clearance, tend to go for the dispersed sites off forest access roads off the highway. Besides, the narrow parking lot doesn't fit trucks, vans, and RVs. I was expecting a "lake", but it's really a pond, though it's peaceful. Too swampy to paddleboard. Good bird watching. There are trout in Priest Lake. The gravel road can be biked, hiked, or trail-run. You can also hike a few shady miles down the road and up the hill to Trout Lake. I really appreciate that there is this small campsite close to Telluride as I don't think I would have found anything and so would leave for another town."

"We had the pleasure of spending five days in the Telluride area, with four nights at Priest Lake Campground.🏞 We particularly appreciated the limited number of spaces, which enhanced its charming appeal. The vaulted toilet was an added convenience. The road leading to the campground via Trout Lake was not as challenging as many other off-road areas we have encountered. The most delightful aspect was the absence of a camping fee. 🏕"

"Great campground secluded from main roads with lots of campsite to choose from. The lake is small enough to walk around and enjoy but it isn't deep enough to swim and the fish are tiny. Great place to explore during the day or spend the weekend camping with friends."