Alvarado Campground, located in Westcliffe, CO at an elevation of 9,000 ft., is a prime location for accessing easy to challenging hikes in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. The variety of trails lead to high elevation lakes, picturesque waterfalls, and a number of stunning scenic overlooks. Alvarado is designed for a range of campers, with facilities for tent, RV and equestrian campers. Pike-San Isabel National Forests include over a million acres of wilderness and over half of Colorado's mountain peaks that reach above 14,000 feet.
Alvarado is divided into three unique areas. The lower level accommodates tents and RVs, the upper level is designed for walk-in tent campers, and part of the middle section caters to equestrian campers. There are no corrals but there is space to put portable corrals for horses. Parking aprons are dirt and gravel. Tent pads and lantern posts are located in the lower campsites only.
Alvarado is perched on the side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains among sweet smelling ponderosa pine, aspen, lodgepole and gambel oak trees. Some sites offer views of the Wet Mountain Valley below while others sit beside Alvarado Creek. The campground is within reach of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, which spans 226,455 acres with 60 alpine lakes, 400 miles of streams and over 400 miles of trails to explore. Large aspen stands visible in the area today are a result of fires set in the early 1900's to clear pasture land, expose minerals and produce charcoal.
Developed campground with reservable, equestrian, and first-come, first-served sites. Nearby attractions: access to the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness trails from the Rainbow trail. The Rainbow trail is a motorized trail open to ATV and motorcycle use and runs along the foot of the Sangres Wilderness trails, that climb above the Rainbow Trail into the Sangres, are only accessed by foot or livestock. The closest Wilderness trails include Cottonwood, Comanche, Venable, and Goodwin. High Mountain lakes are accessible from the Wilderness trails. For reservations or information visit www.recreation.gov or call 877-833-6777.
