St. Peter's Dome Archives - Circa Real Estate Group ™

Wye Campground will not be opening in summer 2017. There is no expected re-opening of the campground at this time due to health and safety concerns as well as failing infrastructure. WYE CAMPGROUND IS CLOSED.

Wye Campground - Pike National Forest - free camping near Colorado Springs

Important note: we are not in any way affiliate with this campground. Please do not call us with questions about this campground. If you need more information, contact the National Forest Service.

There are lots of great places to camp in and near Colorado Springs, but not too many that are free. Well, there’s always the backcountry option, but for those of us that are not quite up for that, try Wye Campground.

Wye Campground is a free National Forest Service Campground in Pike National Forest. There are 21 campsites and two outhouses (bring your own TP). Each campsite has a picnic table and fire ring – beyond that, there is not much in the way of “amenities”. No reservations are accepted. Campfires are permitted as long as they haven’t been banned in the forest – call the forest service at 719.553.1400 to confirm. You’ll need to pack out your trash.

Campsite in Wye Campground - Pike National Forest near Colorado Springs

If you read about Wye Campground other places online, you might think it’s inaccessible to two-wheel drive vehicles, but the opposite is true: while the road to the campground has a few washouts that you won’t exactly be speeding through, we took a minivan and passenger car there no problem.

Wye Campground is relatively unknown, and as such, is pretty quiet. We recently camped on a perfect summer evening and only three other campsites were in use at the campground. Still, there are no reservations accepted, so on holiday weekends it would probably be wise to arrive early to have your pick of campsites.

Wye campground has two outhouses - bring your own TP!

We read one place that there is supposedly some sort of a cave on the ridge above Wye Campground that Zebulon Pike and his men took shelter in when they were trying to hike Pikes Peak. No idea where exactly it is, but it would certainly be a fun discovery!

How to get to Wye Campground: Taken Old Stage Road to Gold Camp Road. Once you’re on Gold Camp Road, go about 5 miles to Forest Service Road 381. Turn right and the campground is a little ways back. (There is a sign for the campground on Gold Camp; you can’t miss it, and if you do, you’re driving too fast.) Here’s how to get to Old Stage and Gold Camp via Google Maps.

Related: At the “intersection” of Old Stage and Gold Camp is a short hike to St. Peter’s Dome – spectacular views from up top!

St. Peter's Dome - leftmost peak in center

A recent camping trip took us in search of a family-friendly hike and a free campground. Today, I’ll share about the hike to St. Peter’s Dome – come back later in the week for more info on where to camp for free in Colorado Springs.

The sign at the trailhead for St. Peter’s Dome indicates it’s a 0.7 mile hike. The first part of the trail is relatively flat, and then it begins climbing and the switchbacks begin. As you near the top, the trail becomes pretty narrow and there is a lot of loose rock.

When you get near the top, you’ll soon realize that it’s time for mom to stay with the little kids and any teenagers and adults in your group to continue on – if you want to go all the way to the top of the dome, you’ll need to use the knotted rope to get up the next boulder. (As of August 14, 2009, the rope was sturdy, but who knows how long it’s been up there!)

There are still incredible views even if you stop at the rope!

If you continue past the rope to get to the top, there’s another 50 yards or so of trail with loose rock, requiring careful footing. After that, it’s a pretty easy walk. Basically, if you get past the rope, it’s easy to get to the very top of the dome. There are amazing views of Garden of the Gods, the city of Colorado Springs, and of course miles of spectacular mountains.

How to get to the St. Peter’s Dome trailhead: since part of Gold Camp Road is closed because of a tunnel collapse years ago, you’ll need to take Old Stage Road to Gold Camp Road. Once you reach the point where Old Stage merges into Gold Camp, drive maybe a mile (?) to reach the St. Peter’s Dome trailhead. It’s easy to find, on the northeast side of the road there will be a small parking area and some large boulders. There’s also a small sign that indicates where the trail is.

Here’s a Google map. Note that the St. Peter’s Dome trailhead starts on the part of the map close to where it says “Duffield”.

Trail Suitability: Though some parts were tricky, we made it up the trail to the rope with our three kids, ages four and under. We had an extra set of hands which were absolutely necessary – you’ll definitely need one adult per child. But, as another site put it, it’s suitable for “adventurous families”.

St. Peter's Dome

Free camping in Colorado Springs: Wye Campground (CLOSED)

Hiking in Colorado Springs: St. Peter’s Dome

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