Molas Lake Near Silverton, CO
My husband and I recently visited Molas Lake near Silverton, CO, and stayed at their campground. Overall, it was a beautiful area. There was a lot of open space behind our campsite, and the lake was just a short walk away. Here’s everything you can do at or near Molas Lake.
Molas Lake Park & Campground is located between mile markers 65 and 66 on U.S. Highway 550, approximately 5 miles (a 10-minute drive) south of Silverton in San Juan County, Colorado. It is just 5 miles (a 10-minute drive) from the Town of Silverton, CO. The park and campground cover 137 acres, including a 25-acre mountain lake stocked with catchable Rainbow Trout.
1. Molas Lake Campground
relaxing at camp
There are 58 campsites, each with flat tent pads, parking areas, BBQ grills, and picnic tables. The various site types can accommodate a range of camping experiences, from ultra-large RVs to primitive walk-in tents. Potable water is available at the Molas Lake Office and Store.
firepit at each campsite
The campground is open from June 1st to September 30th—reservations for the season open on January 1st. People who book and request campsites on January 1st get the best chance to book the site they want. It is recommended that you reserve as soon as you plan to visit. Although the waterfront campsites are highly desirable, many other great sites may also be available and be more spacious in the Small RV/Tent Site area.
Please note:
There are no water or electricity hookups on-site.
Potable water is available next to the office to fill up water containers. RVs can fill up to 30 gallons of potable water only.
Dump stations are located in the Town of Silverton, which is 5 miles (approximately 10 minutes drive) away. The fee is usually around $10.
There is limited cell service and no internet connectivity at the campground.
Electrical outlets are available in the shower facility, but not vault-style toilets.
Swimming, drones, and ATVs/OHVs are prohibited at Molas Lake.
Leashed pets are welcome.
Site Types and Rates
Premium Water View
Small RV or tent campsites with premium water views offer outstanding views of Molas Lake. These are the closest sites to the lake, with 15 individual premium water view sites.
Rates:
Holidays $52.50/night
Non-Holidays $35/night
Lake-View Ultra RV Site URV1
Lake-View Ultra RV Site URV1 is perched on a bluff above Molas Lake and is suitable for motorhomes, trailers, and fifth-wheels of any size. It also serves as a great tent camping site with views of the San Juan Mountains. The site has gravel parking, a fire pit, and a picnic table, and a reasonably quiet generator is allowed from 8 am to 8 pmm. The Lake-View Ultra RV sites fill up fast.
Rates:
Holidays $67.50/night
non-holidays $45/night
Lake-View Ultra RV Sites
The LAKE‐VIEW ULTRA RV campsites are on a hill overlooking Molas Lake, offering spectacular views of the San Juan Mountains to the east. These campsites can accommodate motorhomes, trailers, and fifth‐wheels of any size. They are situated right behind the start of the lake loop and Colorado Trail hiking trails. All four URV sites have been recently graveled, and a short dirt road leads to them.
Rates:
Holidays $67.50/night
non-holidays $45/night
Rock Cliff Standard RV
The campsites are not perfect but suitable for car, truck, SUV, or tent camping. Each site has a gravel or all-dirt surface, a fire pit, and a picnic table. Sites 50 and 51 offer lake views, while 53 to 57 offer tremendous mountain views. All sites require backing in for parking. Reasonably quiet generators are allowed in these sites from 8 am to 8 pm.
Rates:
Holidays $37.50/night
non-holidays $25/night
Small RV or Tent
There are 29 individual small RV/tent campsites. Each site has a gravel parking area, tent pad, or all-dirt surface. Additionally, each site has a fire pit with a cooking grill and a picnic table. These sites are generally suitable for tents, pop-up campers, and small RVs (motorhomes under 23ft or trailers under 20ft).
Rates:
Holidays $37.50/night
non-holidays $25/night
Disability-Accessible-Site
This spacious campsite is suitable for RVs up to 23 feet long, tent campers, or pop-up campers. It features a concrete surface with level, paved access to a clean vault-style toilet.
Rates:
Holidays $37.50/night
non-holidays $25/night
Walk-in Tent
These campsites (Site# W1-W5) are perfect for tent campers who are okay with a 50- to 200-foot walk from their designated parking area. These sites suit campers who travel light and don't mind being far from their vehicle. Each campsite includes a gravel camping pad and can accommodate at least one tent, fire pit, and picnic table.
Rates:
Holidays $37.50/night
non-holidays $25/night
For more information on all tent sites and campground policies, visit the website.
2. Molas Lake Activites
ONSITE CAMPING & DAY USE AMENITIES:
molas lake
Non-motorized boating and paddling.
Convenient ultra-clean vault-style toilets for camping and day users.
Hot showers ($5 per use/token).
An onsite store selling basic camping and fishing provisions, firewood, watercraft rentals, and souvenirs.
Four (4) day-use areas are available free of charge, first-come, first-serve. Each location has a BBQ grill and picnic table.
Potable water (by the Molas Lake Office and Store).
Fish cleaning station (by the Molas Lake Office and Store).
Leashed pets are welcome.
Free fishing (valid Colorado fishing license required).
Trails connect to Colorado's largest wilderness: Weminuche Wilderness and the San Juan National Forest.
Dark, starry skies!
Please note:
Swimming, drones, and ATVs/OHVs are prohibited at Molas Lake.Popular On-Site Activities:
Fishing
Kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding, rowing
Hiking
Mountain Biking
Wildlife watching
Stargazing
Bird watching
Daytime and dark-sky photography
GeologizingWildflower viewing
Attending educational talks on wildlife, local history, constellations, etc. (See campground office for scheduled upcoming talks)
Relaxing in the spectacular scenery
morning lake views
Watercraft Rentals (PFD requires & supplied with rental) Rentals must be returned by 8 PM daily
Paddles & Life Vests are available for rent; see the rental office for more information
Stand-up Paddle Board - $15 for 1st hour and $10 every hour after
Double Kayak (400lbs capacity) $20 for 1st hour and $15 every hour after
Pedal Boat (500 lbs capacity) $15 for 1st hour and $10 every hour after
Jon Boar - Row Boad (500lbs capacity)
$20 for 1 hour
$50 for 4 hours
$100 for 8 hours
3. Hiking
Hiking and biking trails directly from Molas Lake Park and Campground, including Molas system trails and the Colorado Trail.
Molas Lake is a Colorado Trail Through-Hiker Resupply Package station. For more information, segment 24 passes right next to the lake!
Other Nearby Hiking Trails
Continental Divide Trail
Crater Lake Trail
Engineer Mountain Train
Molas Trail
Potato Lake Trail via Spud Lake Trail
For more trails on AllTrails
My Most Recent Camping Trip at Molas Lake
our camp set up in my cargo work van
My husband and I recently visited Molas Lake and stayed one night at their campground. We stayed in a tent/small RV site #8. It looks like sites #6-8 have a shared little area with a fire ring to hang out if you have a larger group staying at them. It looked like the people at sites #6 & 7 were traveling together and sat around the fire at the communal fire ring area.
Overall, it was such a beautiful area. There was a TON of open space behind these spots; however, site #8 did not have ANY tree cover.
We camped in my Ford Transit Connect, which I also use for work (I distribute coffee to nearby grocery stores), in a temporary setup that worked okay. But we have ideas to make it even more comfortable for next time! See my upcoming YouTube.
When we return next year, we want to invite my dad to stay at site #5. It has so much tree cover and seems to have more tent space and space to set up our hammocks!
The lake was just a short walk from the campsite. While we didn’t have an opportunity to fish, rent a paddle board, or a peddle boat, we did enjoy the views of walking around the campground and lake. I want to rent a paddleboard sometime to see if I like it and maybe purchase my own one day.
When we return next year, we are excited to hop on Segment 24 of the Colorado Trail right from the campground. We have done Segment 25, which starts on the other side of the highway so that we can hike all or part of seg. 24 as an out-and-back hike during our camping trip.
My husband is not a big camper, and we are working on perfecting our temporary setup in my van. Hopefully, next year, we can create a better space to sleep. We slept on a twin air mattress with our dog Lyla, and it was super tight, to say the least. I think a full-size mattress can fit, so next year, that is the plan! We planned to hike and walk around the lake area, but there is always downtime when hanging out at camp. While I don’t mind the quiet, my husband does not like sitting and “doing nothing.” So we will have to plan on adding more activities next year!
Things we forgot for our camping trip:
physical books (and make sure books were downloaded on my e-reader, LOL)
card games
my husband wanted to bring the Nintendo Switch to play during downtime
other camping activities, maybe a football to toss around, or perhaps cornhole, just more things to help keep us busy and a variety of options
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