Camping near Pikes Peak

Hey guys,
New to the forum. Planning a trip with my lady to hike pikes peak. Hoping to get some suggestions about good trails to camp off of near that area. Thanks and looking forward to use/contribute to the forum.

 

https://www.trailsoffroad.com/states/CO

Check this out (you will need to sign up) but it will give you a good idea of what is around Pikes Peak, trail difficulty, and whether or not there is dispersed camping.

 

sub'd - going on a similar trip around the end of September. i hear engineer mountain is awesome. not sure whether that's close to pike's.

 

If you're looking at taking the NW route up to the top of the peak, Mueller State Park might be your best bet. Take a look at the map here. You can see the route and then Mueller off to the NW. Be advised that Mueller can be pretty busy due to it's proximity to the Springs.

https://www.14ers.com/routelist.php?peak=Pikes+Peak

 

I think we're looking to do Crags trail (12 mile) since we don't have enough time to backpack it. Thanks for the links. I've heard a lot about engineering mountain too, looks like a cool trail.

 

I've hiked Pikes Peak about 6 times. There are 2 main routes to the peak. Barr Trail: VERY crowded and it can be a long day if you are not in shape. I think it's about 25 miles round trip. The "back way" from Mueller and Crags is much better IMO. Lots less people, shorter, and the views are excellent looking West over all of Colorado (rather than Barr trail looking to the east which is just flat lands).

You can "camp" at Barr Camp approx half way up Barr Trail. It is kinda cool to stop in and say hi to the ranger there.
I'm not sure tent camping is "allowed" up the back side, but I've explored around some off shoots of the trails, and I've found some fire rings and flat spots to pitch a tent near some of the streams.

Whichever route you take, be sure to start early. Afternoon thunderstorms are very common and once you get above treeline (~11-11.5k ft) you are a standing target. The last ~1000 vertical feet on both routes is a lot of rock scrambling.
The altitude up there is no joke, so be prepared (sunscreen, hats, layers, water, snacks, etc).
Once you get to the top, be prepared for the flat-lander tourists that drove their rental car to the top to look at you in shock as they ask "Did you just CLIMB UP THIS THING???"

Good luck and have fun!

 

If you go the Craggs/Devils Playground route, there is limited camping available on the road up to and just past the trailhead. Somewhat secluded.

 

Thanks again guys, really appreciate it.