The view of the lake was stunning, and the atmosphere was pleasant with friendly people around. The staff appeared nice, but it seemed like their care and attention could have been more genuine. read more

Jackson Lake. Sounds like a good time, but is extremely underwhelming for a Colorado State Park. I have family who live close by but have never been to Jackson Lake until recently. I wasn't impressed, in fact, I was surprised that they even call this a state park at all. Things to do include camping, fishing and boating. There's not much else besides a hiking trail or two. In the winter, the lake freezes over so I saw a lot of people ice fishing. There are a few areas with open land with hardly, if any, shade coverage at all and there are a few picnic areas and camping sites, but that's about it. Maybe I came at the wrong time of year since the lake was frozen over and all the leaves have fallen. I don't know, I just didn't see much charm to the place. read more

See all

The bathrooms are disgusting and gross. Very disappointing. Are these people who run this park just lazy? Whoever is in charge of this Park should be fired! We visit about 10 state campgrounds per year, and this is by far the worst. Ninety percent of them are clean and well-maintained. read more

What a hidden gem! 63 miles NE (more east) from Denver, the opposite flow of traffic, a campground tucked away on a reservoir. They allow 1 tent and 1 Rv or 2 tents per campsite. I literally could not have asked for a better, less crowded weekend. This will be my new spot vs. sitting in mountain traffic. read more

See all

Easy to book online, easy 15 min drive from the freeway. Totally empty. Not a soul or sound around. No bugs or flies (it's late October ). Clean, spacious (again, nobody here). Reserved online. The Colorado State Park reservation system is onerous and over-reaching. It requires your drivers license and asks for you Social Security Number. Absolutely bizarre for a campsite reservation for a night. No sight of the infamous rangers here. Sketchy neighborhood just before the park. 5he lake was very, very low but didn't smell as reported in other reviews. We wouldn't go out of our way to come here and wouldn't come in warm months given other reviews. It was a good nights stay for us. read more

the bathrooms are filthy with mold growing on the shower wall. Gross. we were given permission to put up 2 pup tents, instead of one big one, and they made us take one down because she thought a pup tent was for dogs. That displaced 2 of our 8 children. p.s. we had two sites. I will not come back here. read more

Everyone who worked there was very nice which is why I'm giving an extra star. I literally vomited in my hands because the bathroom and shower situation were so gross. The camper next to us ran their generator all day and all night creating a lot of noise for us tent campers. We were supposed to stay multiple days but instead arrived at 2pm and were packed up and out of there the next day at 10am. Very disappointed in the site. Wish it were better because I love Colorado's state parks. read more

Worst camping trip ever!! The wind started within an hour of our arrival while we were trying to set up camp. I don't mean a little wind. I mean forceful wind that broke tents being staked down. Then it started to pour and when it stopped, the bugs came out in droves!! I'm not talking a little bit of bugs; I'm talking swarms so thick that you're eating bugs if you open your mouth. And they're going up your nose if you don't. My mom is from the deep south and used to humidity and bugs, but even she was overwhelmed. We spent $250 on every bug repellent, fogger, tiki torch, etc. known to man and it didn't make one iota of difference. You couldn't get into your tent without bugs because there would be hundreds, if not thousands on it. The weather was completely wrong every single day; even when checking within hours. There was a 10% chance of rain, but it rained everyday. And not a little rain; torrential downpours! We almost left the third night when there were gale force winds that broke both of our awnings and flattened our tents into pancakes. We literally had to stand up and hold them up or they would fold in half. That would be fine if it was during the day, but it would start at night as we were going to bed and last for hours. The only good thing about the wind is that it kept the bugs away. The wind wasn't this bad every night, but it was so really bad every night. With three days of our trip left, they shut off the water. Not just our pump( it had a leak they'd known about "forever," but decided it needed to be fixed now?!), but all of them! No water unless you go to the "real" bathrooms at the Marina or first campground area. Neither are walking distance with buckets; not that you could fill them in the sinks anyway. Three days without water is okay?! They have some of the strictest rules I've ever encountered at a state campground and they patrol all day long! On a positive note, the park hosts and rangers are super nice and even apologetic about some of their "over the top" rules. There were dead fish washing up on shore after every storm and it stunk terribly! The lake itself is nice and the swim beaches have sand. That is the only positive, but it's not enough to outweigh all the negatives. We won't ever camp here again. read more

Great campgrounds, plenty of trees 20/30/50 amp hookups. Large lake with swim beaches, fishing and boating.

:: Just to start, we have not camped here--only done day trips for hunting. That being said, all of the bad reviews which complain about nature crack me up. You're outside! There are going to be bugs! The raccoons don't clean up after themselves so there are fish skeletons! There is no filter in the lake so sometimes it smells like a wild water source! There is wind! It's not a flashy resort, it's a campground next to a lake in (basically) the middle of nowhere. You are in nature's house, so don't be surprised that there are wild things here. Maybe we have 'low standards' compared to other reviews, but the park does its job and the rangers we've spoken to have been polite and helpful. read more

I stayed the night at Jackson Lake State Park in Orchard, Colorado on 8/23/1993. It was my 1st time there. We stayed at the Lakeside Campground at site #32. There was no fee. read more

I was trying to kill some time driving from one part of Colorado to another and I saw a sign for the state park am I thought well this will be great I can go there and do a little research of what I want to do when I'm in Boulder. I had to wait quite a while in a line to get to where they were taking permits and collecting daily fees, wasn't real thrilled about paying a fee, but it's a state park they can use the money, so suck it up buttercup.What I wanted was to find in open shelter with picnic tables so I could sit down and read and do a little research on my phone and as I was waiting in the line that you cannot turn around in, there's no way once you're in that line that you can turn around, I realized there's no Internet access, no cell service. So I paid the $9 drove through the park and really only saw one picnic table in kind of a bare area not really anything scenic. Basically what this park had was a Lake, a campground a beach, and a boat ramp. The other thing I found very odd about this park was that as you come in there is a trailer park, a trailer park with some old houses and a lot of trailers. It's just was not what I was expecting to see in a state park. I didn't find cell service for about 15 miles. read more

There is lots of good about Jackson Lake State Park. In June the lake was full. The fish were jumping! The host and people working the store were all very nice. The drawback is the midges. These are small flying bugs. They do not bite, so that's good. At night though, the swarms are sci-fi level. The buzz sound is loud and they get in everywhere. During the day, not as bad but still there, unless it's windy. read more

I guess this place is ok for the first over nighter of the season- There was a lack of communication though,) with the Rangers - When we got settled in and was already on the lake when we got a message on our vehicle to call the office right away/ Someone had reserved the spot we were in / so we had to move all of our stuff to another site / but we made the most of the situation- And I must mention the Rangers helped us and that was nice - I'm not a camper myself, and realized there was a few things that would have made my night better- One thing for sure is soap - I thought that was odd they did not carry it in any of there facilities- also there restrooms were filthy - but they sold items at the local Marina store/ and of course they jacked up the price - that should be expected- And this was my second rodeo on the boat and was not expecting the weather to change while on the lake- not realizing it's hard to drive the boat in choppy water- (there should have been a warning from the Rangers how dangerous the water is when it's bad weather) We all got soaked and was thankful my boyfriend was not an amateur driver and got us safely back to the dock- With all the family and friends we still had a blast- This is a huge park and would be fun for most- read more

See all

In 35 years of camping acrodd the US I've have never stayed in a state park as nasty or as Worn out and decrepit as Jackson! The restrooms were disgusting, dirty, muddy, unkept! My sandals were dirtier after leaving the shower! We had to PAY 2$ in quarters for 60 seconds of hot ish water! Our camp site looked nothing like the picture shown to us!it was very barren and over grown! They don't trim or mow the sites! We didn't stay for whole trip! I WOULD NOT Recommend Jackson!! In any capacity!! Id like my money back!!!! Horrible HORRIBLE read more

This is a horrible lake. I tried to make reservations on line and was only able to get A camping spot on Thursday and Friday. We were told by the office you could show up and get a space if there were cancellations. We called the next morning from our campsite, 5 minutes away. I was told I couldn't move sites or add just one Day and the lady actually got very short and rude with me. She gave me no help. So I sent my friend into the office to work her magic on this state park ranger site nazi. My friend was there for 45 minutes while the ranger visited with a couple about fishing, her home purchase, the weather and wouldn't even acknowledge my friend and daughter. I left to the marina to go get ice. I got there 5 minutes till 10am. There were two guys waiting. They asked me if I had power steering fluid. I didn't, but I asked where they had their boat parked. It was floating in the middle of a bay in front of the marina. There is no where to park your boat.They couldn't drive their boat. Finally at 5 minutes after 10 they opened. I approached the counter. The older female cashier asked sternly who was knocking on the door before they opened. She proceeds to yell at the guys even saying "don't you ever...knock on the door before we open". She repeated her sound scolding. I grabbed my ice and ran!!! Gee, maybe they were in a pickle and needed help. To my surprise when I picked up my friend and daughter we had to switch sites but got an extra day. A ranger told me the lake get lots of storms between 2-4, then everyone raves to get off the lake at the same time. Based on what I'm about to tell you this would be very very dangerous. We had till noon to move sites so we thought we would take a quick boat ride. The lake is very shallow. 12 feet was the deepest I found. We noticed the winds picking up so decided to head back and move camp. The launching dock is the most dangerous I have encountered. The end cleats are missing so you can't secure your boat. I would have wrecked my boat if I had been alone. It has a chain in the front instead of going straight down so it adds and element of danger to look out for coming in and going out. The two guys I ran into earlier, were struggling to get their unmotorized boat to the dock. The lake instantly became very rough and my friends did their best to hold my boat as I raced to get my trailer to pull my boat out. It was frankly to dangerous for me to launch for the rest of our stay. We moved campsites and decided to go down to the beach. The smell was horrid. We passed by a black garbage bag that someone put over something dead. Every three feet there were large dead fish. There was a pile of 9 or 10 rotting away. There were fish that were reduced to bones and scales. My daughter looked down and there were maggots under our feet on the sand. We left back to our campsite and went to take showers. Out of three showers only one worked and only one had an out of order sign. The bathrooms were pretty gross as well. I asked the Rangers why the dead fish were left to rot. They actually said they go clean them up from time to time. That was untrue based solely on what we saw on the beach. The bag buried animal had been there for the summer, same goes for the fish in varied states of decomposition. The marina store has a sign when you walk in that states: what you are entitled to here: Then below was a blank piece of paper. The store employees were unhelpful, rude, entitled, and made me hate spending one dime, especially after hearing that woman verbally degrade those two men. There was trash left for us at our new campsite. Cows woke us up in the morning. Tons of flies, and I was so happy I brought two fly traps which were full before the end of the day. I will never go back to maggot beach at Jackson Lake or that place in general. I would have enjoyed the epic sunset more, elsewhere. read more

Jackson Lake State Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Orchard, Colorado

See all

We came here for one night rom Denver, just to get out of town and to check out the stars since it was almost a new moon. It was quiet but windy and the stars were fabulous, though there were still some city lights on the horizon. Campground wasn't full this time of year. Sites are level and well spaced in the north loop where we were at. read more

This reservoir is a very beautiful place with a lot of great hiking trails an excellent views of the lake. I went camping there and took a tent trailer and we stayed in site number nine pretty much right on the lake. It's a little expensive if you book it online through reserve America about $25 a night but it does come with electricity. There are toilets and showers and the park is very clean. There are fire pits see you can have a nice campfire at night. I would definitely go there again read more

Jackson Lake State Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Orchard, Colorado

See all

We went there this weekend after hearing how great this place is. Here are my issues 1) each camp site is different some have portapoties some have actual running toilets the website is not clear about it 2) the guy at the front gate is an idiot and told me to go completely different than were I was supposed to go 3) the park rangers and the county police were there all night with their sirens on.. i was there with special needs adults, it scared them every night 4) the lake is digusting, it smells so awful, so many dead fish everywhere at the swim beach, one or 2 is understandable .. but this was hundred.. we talked to the park ranger, apparently that water at the lake is too hot and the carp are dying. If you know this why aren't you cleaning the place up. 5) i wil say this.. the marina was super nice.. under stocked but ok. 6) quiet hours at our site was 6p.. so weird. read more

If you enjoy very cramped campgrounds and relentless flys this may be the place for you. For us, it was a real let down. The rangers didn't enforce the quiet hours. Or, didn't have a clue. If water sports alone are what you are in to this lake is huge and beautiful. Be prepared to have a lot of compny. Unfortunately, we will not be returning. read more

Will never ever camp here again! Our camp trip cost us an additional $400 because our site #42 fried our surge protector. We had to run and buy a new one as soon as we realized we had no power and the surge protector would not work or even supply any power due to the fact This site is not grounded! BEWARE! Do not camp in site 42! I bet the entire park is not grounded! Thanks for nothing State Park! read more

We had a fantastic couple of days here at the park. Super friendly gal at the check in station. Nice, easy to navigate parking area for the boats and jet skis. Clean, nicely equipped campsites with Electric and Water. Easy walk to the lake. The lake itself is a BLAST for the jetskis. We seriously had a great time. It is a little shallow for our boat however. Didnt stop us from having fun, just something to beware of. Yup. There are bugs galore but folks, its the outdoors. It IS camping. And you are near a lake. Be prepared with Mosquito spray. Our family had the best time and we WILL be coming back. PS- Our dog had fun too. read more

DO NOT USE THE BATHROOM AT THE PARK ENTRANCE UNTIL YOU PAY FOR YOUR PARK PASS I drove out to the area around Jackson Lake State Park to look at some land for sale. I had driven from the Denver area and had driven 90 plus miles to get to this area. I decided to drive by the park entrance to see what it looked like. I made the mistake of entering the drive that leads up to the park fee booth and using the bathroom and letting the dog out for a quick respite. I had been there no longer than three minutes when I was approached by a park employee who began to ask me questions. I was asked if it was my car in the parking lot and considering that I was the only person or car there I replied that it was. The park employee then asked me if my dog was mine to which I also replied yes. He then asked what I was doing there and I replied that I had stopped to use the restroom. He immediately asked me why I did not have a park pass on my car and I informed him that I had just stopped to use the restroom and to let the dog walk a little. The park employee, who never once identified himself as a park ranger then told me that I would have to buy a park pass for eight dollars or he was going to cite me. I replied that I did not have eight dollars (which I did not) and the employee never offered me an alternative method to pay but began the process of issuing me a citation for $52.50 for not having a park pass even though I had never even made it to the booth to purchase a pass. THIS IS A WARNING TO ANYONE THAT NEEDS TO USE THE ONLY RESTROOM FOR MANY MILES AROUND. DO NOT USE THE RESTROOM AT THIS PARK ENTRANCE BECAUSE YOU MAY BE SUBJECT TO A CITATION AND A FINE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A VALID PARK PASS ON YOUR VEHICLE. Beware, this is the most draconian policy that I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing at ANY park much less a Colorado State Park where I have had many pleasurable experiences in the past. What a travesty that these people are so entirely inhospitable and inflexible. read more

Campground does not provide much privacy or shade as very limited trees. Lake is beautiful but a bit green and hope for wind or the many bugs will get you. read more

We rented the Main pavilion, it was so gross and filthy- I understand its outside but a little upkeep would be of service!! So much debris and spider webs for days and HUGE spiders everywhere. A ton of red ants who were not very welcoming! Again I understand its outside but if you rent this then upkeep it!! Power wash it and blow debris out. Especially before an event. The swim beach was very nice, bathrooms were clean, ATV track fun - we would have been really pleased if pavilion was up kept. They were suppose to come by check on us, never did. We did not have running water at pavilion, you do have electricity. Never was able to get volleyball net, we had a good time in spite of condition, but we had to do alot to just make it to where we could put stuff on tables. So if you are considering renting this, be warned and be prepared to clean it yourself and bring table cloths, broom and cleaner. read more