Turquoise Lake has eight campgrounds around its shoreline, all of them shady, secluded and within a half-mile of the water. The Baby Doe, Father Dyer, May Queen, Molly Brown and Silver Dollar campgrounds can accommodate RVs up to 32 feet in length, while the Tabor Boat Ramp Campground has room for 37-foot RVs. The Belle of Colorado Campground is for tents only. The eighth campground is the Printer Boy Group Camp, which has four extra-large campsites for large groups. Camping is permitted only in designated campgrounds in the Turquoise Lake Recreation Area.
All 269 of the campsites in the Turquoise Lake Recreation Area have picnic tables and campfire rings, and many also have charcoal grills and tent pads. The campgrounds all have drinking water and toilets, but showers, electricity and RV hookups are not available. RV dump stations are near the Printer Boy and Molly Brown campgrounds, and each campground has an on-site manager for camper assistance. Firewood is available for sale, and the campgrounds have trash collection and recycling services.
The Turquoise Lake area offers no shortage of outdoor recreation opportunities. You can explore the landscape on several hiking trails, including the 6.4-mile Turquoise Lake Trail, which follows the northern and eastern shore of the lake and covers easy to moderate terrain. For a more challenging hike, try the Windsor Lake Trail, which gains nearly 1,000 feet in elevation over 1.6 miles. Turquoise Lake has excellent fishing for brook, brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout as well as mackinaw and kokanee salmon. A current Colorado fishing license is required. You can access the lake at numerous points along its shoreline, including the May Queen and Tabor Boat Ramp campgrounds, the latter of which also has boat launch facilities.
Reservations are available at six of Turquoise Lake's campgrounds -- the Belle of Colorado and Tabor Boat Ramp campgrounds are strictly first-come, first-served -- and you can place a reservation by phone or online through Recreation.gov. Unreserved sites at the other six campgrounds may be claimed upon arrival, but they tend to fill up quickly, especially on summer weekends, so reservations are recommended. These campgrounds are in black bear country, so be prepared to keep all food out of reach.
